Library FAQ

The Desire2Learn page gives you tutorials, login information, orientation, and contact information.  For technical help, go to Buildng C, Room 210, call the Hotline at 847-214-7620, or email them at d2lhelpdesk@elgin.edu.
 

All students and staff at ECC, as well as any residents (18 years or older) of our district (Community College District #509), are eligible for borrowing privileges. A physical ID is required to check out physical library materials (e.g. books, DVDs, etc.).  Once you get your ID from Student Life, you can to come to the Library Circulation Desk to register your barcode.

For off-campus access, the method to sign into the library databases and e-books from off campus changed. Previously, you signed in with your Student ID library barcode number or library card barcode. The new method requires you to sign in with your ECC username and password, as if you are logging into AccessECC or D2L. If you are already signed into AccessECC or D2L, you will not need to sign in again. You do not need to activate your library barcode in order to sign in to library databases and e-books from off campus.

If you have any questions about your library card, please contact the Circulation Desk at x7337 or circdesk@elgin.edu.

If you are a student or staff and are having issues logging into the databases or e-books, please contact the Reference Desk at x7354 or libref@elgin.edu.

The Academic Library and Learning Resources Center is located in Building C. Short term parking is located just outside the Library's front entrance. Click for campus maps and driving directions.

Getting a source from the library is as easy as going to our webpage at http://library.elgin.edu. Any books and ebooks you find, or articles through the Article Databases section, are considered library resources.  If you are not sure, please contact your librarian or instructor for verification of your source. 

The method to sign into the library databases and e-books from off campus changed. The new method requires you to sign in with your ECC username and password, as if you are logging into AccessECC or D2L. If you are already signed into AccessECC or D2L, you will not need to sign in again. You do not need to activate your library barcode in order to sign in to library databases and e-books from off campus.

If you have any questions about your library card, please contact the Circulation Desk at x7337 or circdesk@elgin.edu.

If you are a student or staff and are having issues logging into the databases or e-books, please contact the Reference Desk at x7354 or libref@elgin.edu.

You have access to thousands of credible resources through our library's webpage and databases.

If you can get most of your resources from one place, and they are reliable and scholarly resources, why spend hours pouring over search results from a search engine to try to determine what is useful and pertinent to your topic?

Using the library's resources can save you a lot of time and effort, plus give you some great clues and keywords to use once you do head to the Internet.

YES! Students, faculty and staff may access the databases off-campus with their AccessECC ID and password.

Go to our library webpage at http://library.elgin.edu and click in the gray box near Search for Books & More and type in your terms.

The library's Article Databases (available from the library's webpage) provide access to articles.  Use the Full Text option when you are in a database to get the whole article. If you are prompted for a log in, you use your AccessECC ID and password.

 

A keyword can be many things.  Finding keywords for your research means finding words that are related in some way to your topic. They can include exact words or synonyms for a word, broader or narrower terms, concepts, names of people, places, and more.

A keyword search means you type the keywords that you have identified into a catalog, database, or in a search engine.  If you have identified good keywords, your search results will provide meaningful and relevant information on your research topic.

 

Librarians are here to support you!  We can help you brainstorm for topics and keywords.  We can show you how to use the catalog and databases.  Most importantly, we can save you time by showing you how to most effectively begin and move through your research process.

 

Students, faculty and staff may access the databases off-campus with a current library card.

You can make an appointment in several ways.  Although you can drop by the library anytime we are open to speak with a librarian, if you would like undivided attention for a period of 30-60 minutes, you can make what is called a Research Appointment. 

To make a Research Appointment, you can call 847-214-7354 and let the librarian on duty know you would like an appointment and what times work for you.  We can then check our schedule and assign you to a librarian who will have availability during that time.

You can also contact your librarian through the D2L Discussion forum and let the librarian know you would like an appointment and they can work with you to set one up.

Finally, in some cases your embedded librarian will put up a link on your library D2L page--this will have dates and times available so you can meet directly with your class librarian.

Your Student ID serves as your library card.  Your library card will expire when your student ID expires.  For example, if your ID was issued on 10/12/2015, your ID AND your library card will expire on 10/12/2018. 

Your librarian can be contacted through the D2L discussion board or by going to the library staff page and finding the librarian's name and email. You can also contact ANY librarian by going to our Contact Us page and emailing, texting (847-999-0403), calling (847-214-7354) or chatting with us during normal operating hours.

Getting a source from the library is as easy as going to our webpage at http://library.elgin.edu. Any books or ebooks you find, or articles through the Article Databases section, are considered library resources.  If you are not sure, please contact your librarian or instructor for verification of your source. 

The library has a tutorial section of the Research Guides called Writing Your paper/Avoiding Plagiarism.  This will link you to both the Guide to Writing at ECC and to the Write Place.

The library has several resources avaialble that discuss evaluating both print and online resources. 

Thinking Critically About the News-this research guide provides a lot of resources that discuss how to use your critical thinking skills to determine the validity of a news article.

ABCs of Evaluating Websites-this handy guide talks about authority, bias, currency, and content.

 

 

This image provides a nice, one-stop shop for criteria to consider when thinking about the news.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This quick video shows how quickly information can spread.

 

The library has a large selection of Ebooks from several sources.

• Go to the library's webpage http://library.elgin.edu
• Click on E-books in the middle of the page

If prompted, use your AccessECC ID and password to log in to the ebook databases.