Skip to Main Content

How To Write a Research Paper

Articles & Databases

Library databases collect articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers. The articles contained in each database have been selected by librarians and experts to be credible and authoritative.

Databases are searchable by topic and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection and your valid log-in credentials.

Here is a complete list of all databases accessible through the Seminole State College Library.

How to Log In to the Library

Library Access

(articles, eBooks, etc. from databases OR library search engine)
(loans, renewals, requests from the library search engine)
Username = your College email address (include the "live")
Password = your Canvas password

What Are Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Articles?

Books

Find books using our Online Library Catalog. Enter your search terms. On the results page click on the "Books" or "Book" links in the blue left-hand navigation panel.

Once you find a book, you can request it for pickup or you can find the book on the shelf using its call number. Be sure to write down the complete call number before trying to locate a book on the shelf.

 

 

Prefer to browse for books? Use this directory to find subject areas that relate to your topic.

book spine with call number NA5205 .H69 2003

     Call Number Interpretation

Each print book has a label on its spine with the call number. Each group of numbers and/or letters is code for a particular a subject area, subtopic, author information, and publication information. For example, the decoded call number for the book NA5205 .H69 2003 is:

NA = Subject Area (Architecture)

5205 = Subject Area Subtopic (Religious Architecture)

.H69 = Author's Last Name (Howe)

2003 = Publication Date (2003)

Call numbers not only allow you to find a specific book, but help you browse subject areas. For example, if you find one book on Claude Monet’s paintings (ND55 .M7 M6 1999), you can look to the left, right, above, and below that book for others on the same or related topics. Some broad topics, like pollution, are in multiple subject areas depending on the information's focus (law, business, social issues, etc.), so it is best to find a few different call numbers and browse those sections.

The first place to check for a book is in the Seminole State library catalog. If you find a book you are interested in:

  • Click on the Place a Hold link below the book availability information.
  • Login to the Library
  • Place a hold to have an item transferred between Seminole State libraries or to pick up at the same library.
  • It takes 1-3 business days to transfer books from one Seminole State College campus library to another (e.g. Sanford to Altamonte).
  • If you would like to hold a book at the same campus where the book is located, you can pick it up the next morning.
  • The library staff will call or email you when the book is ready for pickup.

eBooks

The Seminole State Library has over 50,000 e-books that are available entirely online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Ebooks are digitally published books. Some ebooks are read on computers, phones, tablets, or dedicated ebook readers like Nooks and Kindles.

However, library ebooks are best opened and read on computers and laptops. At this time, downloading library ebooks is difficult or not an option.

Ebooks have a few advantages over traditional printed books including:

1. Available from anywhere with internet connection

2. No due date or late fines

3. Interactive capabilities - search inside with keywords, hyperlinked content

4. No need to check out or return a book from the library

5. Can easily print or email pages and chapters

6. Easier browsing of a single book or many books on a topic

 

After searching for a keyword(s):

Select 'Online Resource'

OR

Click 'Ebooks' under 'Format'

eBooks Results Page image

 


eBooks Quick Search Results page

 

To access an eBook, click on the link that says:

  • Seminole: Click here to view this eBook. Access is restricted to valid borrowers.