Online Reference Help

Butte College Library

Online Workshop Series

Online Reference Help

Getting research help from home or after regular Library hours

In this presentation we will take a look at virtual reference services at Butte College and across the nation. Assignments don't always get done during business hours, but librarians are on call 24 hours a day to help.

For current students and staff, reference assistance is available 24 hours a day through our virtual chat service, as well as by telephone, e-mail, and in person during our regular hours.

How to reach us

From any Butte College Library page (http://www.butte.edu/library), click on "Ask-a-Librarian"

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How to reach us

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If it is during our regular hours, it might be best to call us directly or stop by the reference desk. If you can wait a day or more for your answer, email is one way to ask us. You can also click on "Ask Now!" to launch a virtual chat with a one of the librarians in the national cooperative. We'll look into both of these options and more here.

E-Mail answers from Butte College Library

An email reference service for current Butte College students and staff
Answered by Butte College librarians
From any BC Library page, click the Ask a Librarianlink

Please use the email form from the Butte College Library web page to make sure we get all the information we need to help answer your question.

Live Chat -- Questionpoint

Answered by librarians throughout the U.S.
Followed up by Butte College librarians if you log in from our site.
Butte College: http://www.butte.edu/library/
Butte County Library: http://www.buttecounty.net/BCLIBRARY/
Meriam Library, CSU Chico: http://www.csuchico.edu/library/

Butte College participates in the QuestionPoint Cooperative which offers reference service by Internet chat around-the-clock, 365 days a year. Butte County Library and CSU Chico also participate in the cooperative.

Be sure to let the librarian know if you are NOT enrolled or don't have a public library card so (s)he can look for free sources for you.

Live Chat -- QuestionPoint

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Fill in your information on the right hand side of the screen.
Be sure to include your question as well as an email address if you'd like a transcript of the chat sent to you when you disconnect. The transcript will have all the links, databases, and search terms the librarian suggested in the chat.

Live Chat -- QuestionPoint

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The left side of your screen will change as the librarian sends you some possible resources. You chat by typing in the right hand frame, much like many messenger programs you may already be familiar with.
Don't bookmark in the middle of the session, as you could cause a disconnect. You'll get a transcript with all the links if you have provided an email address.

Government Information Online

Virtual chat & E-mail
"Government Information Online allows users to ask a librarian to help you find information about absolutely any government information topic!"
Nearly twenty Federal Depository libraries participate
http://131.193.153.128/

There are some free public service chats available as well. Government Information Online is staffed by professional government document specialist librarians but can help with almost any question.

Ask a Librarian -- Library of Congress

The primary mission of the Library of Congress is to serve Members of the Congress and thereafter, the needs of the government, other libraries, and members of the public. The Library's staff will respond to reference and information requests in accordance with this mission.
Correspondents are encouraged to use local and online resources. For those seeking further assistance from the Library of Congress, the staff will respond to their reference and information needs to the extent possible.

Ask a Librarian -- Library of Congress

Please note that the scope of the services does not include: compilation of extensive bibliographies, requests for information connected with contests, completion of school or work assignments, translations or research in heraldry or family history.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/

E-Mail -- Internet Public Library

Service is free to all -- questions from around the world and people of all ages
Questions answered by trained library science graduate students and professional volunteers (mostly librarians)
Uses free sites and sometimes refers to print or subscription sources (local resources when possible)
Please use a different resource if answer is needed within 3 days
http://www.ipl.org/

What is the Internet Public Library?

Internet Public Library link

A public library for the world wide web.
A website containing collections of nearly 45,000 links
An e-mail reference service
An educational and research laboratory for librarians
Located at http://www.ipl.org/

Collections at the IPL

Internet Public Library

Links to free online sites
All links selected and reviewed by library science graduate students --- must meet collection criteria
Sites are indexed and abstracted
Subject collections as well as special features and exhibits
http://www.ipl.org/

Online Reference Resources

Reference sites recommended by
Butte College Library:
BC Library Home Page > > Web Resources >> Web Links
Internet Public Library Ready Reference
Best Free Reference Sites (Recommended by American Library Association)
Best Online Reference Sites

The Internet brings billions of bits of information to you, though it is not all reliable information. Here are just a few librarian-selected sites with good information.

Handy Reference Sites

Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com (Online literature and reference including biographies, quotes, encyclopedias and other reference books.)
Dictionaries & Thesauri: http://www.yourdictionary.com/
Statistics --- The Statistical Abstract of the US: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab
Statistics --- FedStats: http://www.fedstats.gov/
How Stuff Works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Other Libraries

Find these and other library links from
BC Library Home Page >> Web Resources >> Other Libraries

Online archive of California: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/
Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu
Merck Online Medical Library: http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html
California State Library: http://www.library.ca.gov/
Smithsonian Institution Library: http://www.sil.si.edu/

Butte College Library Databases

Here are a few of our subscription reference materials:

Users access the Library databases via the Internet but most of these resources are not free on the World Wide Web.

The Library pays subscription fees to provide these for our students and staff.

Off-campus database access

If you are at home and want to use our subscription databases, you'll need to log in first. Click "Off-campus Access" from the Library Home page

Off-Campus Access

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To log in from off-campus, follow the instructions on the page. Your username is your last name plus the first two letters of your first name, all in lower case and without a space. Your password is the last four digits of your Student ID Number if you are a student; or the last four digits of your Social Security Number if you are faculty. Then click on "Submit Query".

Thanks!

You've reached the end of our Online Reference Help tutorial.

Thanks for stopping by, and remember . . .

When in doubt, ask a Librarian!