How to Use the Library Webpage for Research

• Look in the Jessup Library Catalog to find both books and ebooks. Click on Books and More for more information. If you want to use ebooks from off campus, you will need to use one of the computers on campus to register. If you live outside of PVCC's service area, you may call 434.961.5308 for help. The service area includes the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson, the northern part of Buckingham County and the City of Charlottesville.
• Journal articles may be available online and are especially useful for topics which require current information. One of the most helpful periodical databases is EBSCO. See Journal Articles for journals listed by subject.
• Look in Subject Guides (such as Health, Medicine and Nursing, History or Literature) to see the online resources identified by the Jessup Library. These resources may include: online, full-text journals; databases which help you identify articles in journals that the library may then request for you; and, Internet resources useful for research.
• Web Searching has links to the best search engines, information on effective searching, as well as Web sites which help you learn to evaluate the material you find on the Internet.
• If the topic you have chosen is a new subject for you, you may want to read general background information about it. Look at the Jessup Library Reference Web page for access to an online encyclopedia, dictionaries and other similar online information.

Reference Help
If you have questions about how to begin your research, please call or e-mail the reference librarian. Call 434.961.5309 when the library is open. Or you may e-mail reference@pvcc.edu. Except on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, you may expect a response in 24 hours. LRC Live is a service that enables you and a reference staff member to chat online, in real-time. You may also use the chat feature available through the library's blog when the library is open.

Remote Access to Restricted Databases
Restricted databases, such as EBSCO and CQ Researcher are available to currently-enrolled students, faculty and staff members. For off-campus access see the directions available at Remote Access Instructions. If you have problems, you may call the number listed on that page for assistance.

Mail Services
Materials may be mailed to students currently enrolled in a PVCC distance education course who live outside our service area. The service area includes the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson, the northern part of Buckingham County and the City of Charlottesville. If you call 434.961.5308, books and journals owned by the library will be mailed to you. Books must be returned in the return mailers, but photocopies are yours to keep. If you live within the service area, you will need to visit the library to check out books.

Interlibrary Loan
If you need books or articles in journals the library does not own, you may request them through interlibrary loan. The request may be made through the online Interlibrary Loan Request form. When material you request is received at the library, it will be mailed to you if you live outside the service area (see the paragraph above to see if you are in the service area). Books must be returned in the postage-paid return mailers, but photocopies are yours to keep. If you live within the service area, you will receive a call or e-mail to let you know the material is ready for you to pick up. Interlibrary loans may take a week or more to complete, so begin your research early.