Library User Manual

University Library

User Manual

Revision Date: 1/3/12

For questions or comments regarding this product, contact Phillip Parker, Jason Morrow, Jonathan Oliveri, or Steven Hamilton, on Team D of ENG/221.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: About the Library 3

Chapter 2: Accessing the Library 4

Chapter 3: Library Services 5

Chapter 4: Choosing a Resource 6

Chapter 5: Using Search Terms 10

Chapter 6: Additional Resources 12

Chapter 7: The Center for Writing Excellence 14

Chapter 1: About the Library

The University of Phoenix Online Library was built to satisfy the needs of the students. Since the student body is a diverse group of students that are also working professionals, a physical library in a set location will not always work for their needs or their schedule. As such, the Online Library was born.

The Online Library features some of the latest and greatest in internet technologies backed up by an array of web resources that the students can utilize. The Online Library, being part of the online campus, is available 24/7 from anywhere that a student has internet access, and has a number of features aside from simple document look up.

The Online Library has many features that can help students learn and achieve their goals, such as: Ask a Librarian, Request a Specific Document, view the Library Handbook, and a tutorial for researching. The library also includes a full-featured search engine and houses the Center for Writing Excellence and Center for Mathematical Excellence. All of these features added up help to provide both the students and the faculty with the tools they need to succeed.

Chapter 2: Accessing the Library

University of Phoenix has made the online Library an easy to use resource as well as making it easy to access. The first step when accessing the Library is to login to your student or user account. Then, from the home page, simply click on the tab labeled "Library" along the top of the page. In order to access the Library and all of its features, you must be enrolled as a student or faculty member of the university and possess an Individual Record Number or IRN.

Chapter 3: Library Services

As can be seen above, once entry is gained to the Library, there are a plethora of features available to be utilized by the student. Using the University Library feature allows the student to search through material to find information that is useful to them. The eBooks link provides online access to textbooks. Both the Centers for Writing and Math Excellence can be found in the Library as well. These resources are invaluable to students as they provide ways not only to help understand how to achieve results, but can also help to ensure correct and accurate work. The Element K tutorials section of the Library is used to provide extra coursework provided by the Element K website. There is also a section of the Library devoted to providing labs geared towards broadening the students learning experience. In addition to all this, the Library has a learning team tool kit which is useful for students working in this environment, as well a useful links section that provides quick links to the most popular features of the Library such as the reference generator and the page for submitting papers for review.

Chapter 4: Choosing a Resource

From this screen the user can enter a search keyword or select a particular resource from the list provided (shown below). Users may also choose a resource by subject or view all resources in alphabetical order. There is also a link if looking for a specific publication.

On the top left of the page you will see a link to the "Ask a Librarian" service (as described in the Library Services section). Search FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions) are listed with a link on the right side of the page. A Research Tutorial is available for those that need assistance in operating this search function. The Library Handbook is available for download for those that wish to learn more about this amazing resource.

At first glance, this may appear to be the only way to find information in the library, but by using the links provided below, the user can access a wealth of knowledge from a list of Generalized resources, including EBSCOhost, Gale PowerSearch, and ProQuest. There are also additional resources listed for those looking for specific documentation.

General Resources

Resources available here focus in all subject areas and provide links to full text articles. Resource descriptions (shown below) can be enabled by clicking the Expand link. These resources are good for researching material in all subjects, and each has some unique collections of periodicals and journals.

EBSCOhost

This basic search of EBSCOhost features four ways of searching keywords and phrases. By selecting Boolean/Phrase, search behaves as it would in a typical search engine. The user can also select to search for all or any of the keywords defined. SmartText Searching allows whole phrases to be search criteria, but limits the search to EBSCO databases only.

Advanced searching allows for multiple Boolean/Phrase criteria, and provides additional limiting factors