Frequently Asked Questions about Library Services
Allegany College of Maryland

1. Am I eligible to borrow materials and use ACM’s Library services?

If you are enrolled in any ACM course, (including Distance Learning and Early College), you are eligible to use any of our Library services. You may:

• Borrow books, periodicals, videos, compact discs, DVDs, government documents, and more
• Receive personal assistance in finding materials in-house and online from Library staff
• Use Library computers for research
• Use online resources via your own computer through the Library's web site



2. How do I get an ACM Library card?

If you are a registered ACM student, you may stop by any campus Library and ask a staff person to issue you a Library card. It takes just a few minutes and there is no charge. If you are a distance learning student who is unable to visit in-person, contact a Librarian by email to work out a way to receive a card. Click here for a list of email addresses of Library staff: http://www.allegany.edu/library/libinfo.shtml#staff

You will need a card to borrow materials as well as to access certain online resources. Community members may also get Library cards, please ask for assistance.

3. I attend a Pennsylvania campus; may I use the Cumberland Campus Library?

Yes, any ACM student may use and/or borrow materials from any of the 3 campus Libraries: Cumberland (main collection); Bedford County ( Everett ), PA; Somerset Campus (at Somerset County Library), Somerset , PA. You may visit any Library and you may also request materials from one Library to be sent to your local campus Library via our inter-campus courier. See below for further information on Interlibrary Loan Requests.

4. How do I find what books are available on a specific subject?

If you have a computer with access to the internet, you may use our online Library catalog. This catalog includes books, government documents, periodicals, videos, compact discs, DVDs and other materials that are located in all three campus Libraries. You do not need any special access code to use this catalog. However, if you would like to borrow materials, you will need a valid ACM Library card. (See above.)

To use the online catalog, type this address in your browser’s URL window or click on this link: www.allegany.edu/library This will get you to the ACM Library home web page. Then, click on the Library Online Catalog box.

5. How do I locate the item once I find it in the online catalog?

Once you locate an item in the catalog, click on the title link and scroll down to the bottom of the screen for information on Library Holdings. This will give you information on which campus the book is located in, what the book’s call number is and also if the book is in the Library, or already borrowed and due on a certain date. Books are shelved in the ACM Libraries using the Library of Congress classification system. Once you have the call number, follow the shelving signs in the Library to locate the book on the shelf.

If you wish to browse the shelves for books on a particular subject, check the list of Library of Congress Classification categories. Copies of this list are usually posted around the Library or you may click here: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html

Or, ask a Librarian to suggest where you might look. Please also ask for assistance if you cannot locate a book that is supposed to be in the Library.

6. For how long may I borrow a book or a video? Are there overdue fines?

For information on Library circulation policies, click here http://www.allegany.edu/library/libinfo.shtml#circ

7. I found a book in the online catalog that I would like to borrow, but it is available at a different campus. May I still borrow it?

Yes, you may submit an interlibrary loan request right online. Go to the Library’s home page: www.allegany.edu/library Then, click on the box marked, "Interlibrary Loan Requests." Next choose the option for borrowing books or videos. (Note: information on borrowing articles follows below.) Type in the necessary information. It is a good idea to print out the record from the catalog first for your own records. Be sure to scroll all the way down, complete your name and contact information and submit the request once you have completed the form. The interlibrary loan staff person will pull the book for you, contact you about when you should receive it and send it by inter-campus courier to the Library on your campus. You may pick up and return the book to the Library on the campus you attend. There are no fees for this service. 

8. What do I do if I cannot find a particular book in the online catalog?

You may still contact the Interlibrary loan staff who will assist you by checking to see if the book is available from another library that will loan it to you. Follow the steps described above to fill out an interlibrary loan request for a book.

9. How do I find nonprint materials, such as videos, etc.?

Nonprint materials are cataloged the same way as books and can be located in the online catalog. If you wish to search ONLY nonprint items, you may limit your search from the beginning by clicking on Nonprint collection, video collection, etc. Please ask for assistance if you need help.

10. How do I find out what magazines and journals the Library subscribes to?

A list of the periodicals the Libraries receive is available online at the Library’s web site. Begin at the ACM Library home page: www.allegany.edu/library

Next click on the box, Information about our Library, on the left side. Scroll down and click on "Periodicals List". This is an alphabetical list of all of the periodicals the Library subscribes to and how far back we keep them.

11. How do I find encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference materials?

All reference books are cataloged and included in the Library’s online catalog. You will note that the call numbers of reference materials always have REF in them. Reference materials must be used in the Library; they cannot be borrowed.

12. How do I find articles in magazines on specific subjects?

The best way to locate articles on a subject you are researching is to use the online databases. These are online indexes to articles from thousands of magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, research reports and government documents. In many cases, the entire article is available online. Our Library pays for subscriptions to several databases on numerous subjects. You may access these directly using on-campus computers and from home using your ACM Library barcode number. First, go to the Library home page: www.allegany.edu/library

Then, click on either the "Online Databases" box if you are on campus or click on the box "Off-campus access to Online Databases" if you are off-campus. If you are off-campus, fill in the required information to allow you to get to the database(s). You will need to enter your last name and your Library bar code number from your ACM Library card. 

If you are not sure which database(s) to search or how to set up a search strategy, please ask a Librarian to assist you. Note: there is a general subject index to the databases in the upper left corner of the On-campus online database page. Also, if you are not sure how to search within each database, you might try using the help buttons for specific search tips.

13. I found a reference to an article in an online database, but the entire article is not there. How can I get a copy?

Another campus Library might have the article in printed format. You may submit an interlibrary loan request for the article. Start at the Library’s homepage: www.allegany.edu/library Next, click on the box marked “Interlibrary Loan Requests.” Choose the option to request an article (as opposed to a book). Complete the form and submit it. If the publication is available in the ACM Library, a staff person will retrieve a copy of the article for you and send it to your local campus Library via intercampus courier. There is no fee if the article is available within our Libraries.

If the publication is not available in our collection, the Interlibrary Loan staff person will try to borrow a copy for you from another library. The copy will then be sent to your local Library via intercampus courier. You will be notified when to expect it and if there are any photocopying charges involved.

14. How can I learn more research skills?

You are encouraged to ask a Librarian for assistance when you have a question or are working on a research assignment. There are also several tools that are available online to help you learn general research skills on your own. From the Library homepage: www.allegany.edu/library click on the box marked “How to Do Research.” This page includes several links to helpful research skills information. There are general tutorials which describe basic research skills. There are Pathfinders, which are beginning guides to finding information on general topics including Art, Business, Health, Education, etc.

The How to Do Research page also includes links to information on how to cite resources, on plagiarism, on evaluating websites, on identifying popular vs. scholarly publications, etc. These are all skills you will need to be successful in your college assignments.

We suggest that all new students spend some time browsing this page before you begin a research project. It will be time well spent!

Also, if your entire class is working on a research assignment, speak to your instructor about setting up a Library instruction session for your class. A Librarian can provide instruction on how to use the specific resources for your subject.

15. Why can’t I just search the Internet, for example, by using Google?

Internet search engines, such as Google, can be quick tools to access some web sites. However, they have several shortcomings. For research papers and other college assignments, you should be citing published articles in reputable publications, such as research (scholarly) journals, reputable magazines and newspapers. These publications are not all covered by Google and other similar search engines. Also, the Internet has no way of monitoring the reliability of web pages. Anyone can publish a web page; evaluating the information is up to you.

For better results in college assignments, you should search the online databases to which the Library subscribes. There are general databases, such as Academic Search Premier, which covers general interest publications (such as Time and Newsweek) as well as major scholarly publications in a broad range of fields. There are also databases that focus on publications in specific subject areas, such as health, social sciences, education, business, etc.

Sometimes researching a paper requires searching several databases and using multiple terms or keywords. If you are new to online searching, please ask a Librarian to help you get started. We are here to help you to be successful in your coursework and can help you formulate a search strategy.

In addition, the ACM Library home page provides lists of some reputable web sites that are useful for students. From the home page at www.allegany.edu/library click on the box marked "Web Sites for Students."

16. How do I contact the Library staff to ask for help?

You are encouraged to ask for assistance from any Library staff person. Hours of operation, phone numbers, email addresses and other contact information are available on Library brochures and on the Library website. Go to www.allegany.edu/library and click on “Information about our Library” box. There are separate links for each campus Library.

In addition, if you have a reference question during off-hours, when the Libraries are closed, you may also contact the AskUsNow! service. This is a network of Librarians from throughout the state of Maryland who are accessible 24 hours a day/ 7 days per week. Click on the AskUsNow! icon on the ACM Library home page for further details.

Submitted by:

C. Prezlock,

Library, ACM Bedford Campus

cprezlock@allegany.edu