Your Penn State ID card is your library card. Stop by the library to register for library services after you have received your photo ID card and Access password.
For easy access to all library resources visit the PSLV library website. Our online library catalog, The CAT, provides access to more than 5 million cataloged items. Articles, images, dissertations, and other materials can be found in over 500 databases. Consult the “How do I find…?” handout for more detailed information.
Yes. Penn State’s library materials are shared across all campuses. All faculty and students have access to over 5 million items in the library system. Search The CAT for library materials, click a title, and then use the “I Want It” button to request the item from another campus. You will receive an email when the item has arrived, usually within 2 to 3 days.
To search for a video, use the Advanced Search section of The CAT and set the material type as “Video Material.” To ensure that the video is available on the day you want to show it in class, contact Susan Stumpf (sms490@psu.edu) at the beginning of the semester or at least two weeks in advance. Videos owned by Penn State can often be put on reserve for your class in our library for up to one semester. You may also want to check this list of sources of online videos available through library databases and elsewhere.
Articles, small sections of books, and other readings can be put online in the library reserve system. Students can access course reserves from library webpages and from within Angel. Reserve material requests should be submitted to Kathy Romig (ritabook@psu.edu).
Books, sample tests or projects, videos, and other types of materials can be made available on the reserve shelf behind the circulation desk. Reserve items may be borrowed for the period of time specified by the instructor, and often are limited to use within the library only. See Susan Stumpf (sms490@psu.edu) to place materials on reserve in the library.
All of the library’s databases can be accessed from anywhere using your Access ID and password. Mobile apps for some databases are available and can be found on University Libraries’ Tools and Widgets website.
If you are searching within a database like ERIC, MLA or Biological Abstracts, look for a link labeled “full-text” or “pdf.” If no link is present, use the Get It! button, which will link to the full-text if we have online access elsewhere, or to our ILLiad article request service if we don’t. Requested articles are placed in the borrower’s online ILLiad account for viewing, usually within 48 hours.
To locate the full text of a specific article, use Citation Linker, found on the PSLV library homepage. Citation Linker uses the Get It! system to link to or request an article. If you need any help obtaining the full text of an article, please ask a librarian. In general, if you need an article the library can get it for you.
Many types of resources can be added to Angel to guide your students to the best research sources. We can provide links to databases, video tutorials, handouts, and other materials for you to add as content, or a librarian can be added to your course in Angel to create a “folder” of library resources. For a demonstration of how other instructors have used library resources within Angel, contact Judy Mishriki (jmishriki@psu.edu).
Absolutely! Please contact Judy Mishriki (jmishriki@psu.edu) with any research questions. Our databases include research articles, current and historical news articles, art images, dissertations, historical diaries, music, and much more. We can also help with publication information (e.g. Is this journal peer-reviewed?) and tools for gathering, managing, and formatting citations.
We always welcome collection suggestions from our faculty for books, DVDs and other materials. In general, materials should be relevant to courses offered here at Penn State Lehigh Valley and not already owned by Penn State University Libraries. Suggestions may be for specific titles or for a subject in need of coverage. Contact Dennis Phillips, (djp3@psu.edu) or Judy Mishriki (jmishriki@psu.edu) with recommendations.
If you have additional questions, please ask a member of the library staff. We are here for you!
