Library Help and F.A.Q.

The Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook includes the following statement:

"… academic dishonesty or plagiarism or willful falsification of scientific educational data that is represented as scientific or scholarly research. One way to avoid committing the offense is to always cite your sources in your work."

There are several websites that provide assistance to writings about plagiarism, proper citation, and formatting using various style manuals. Following are a few of the better sites:

Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online provides the appropriate style manual for various disciplines and also includes sample papers and reference lists in the various style manuals http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/home.html

In addition to style manual advice, the Purdue University Writing Lab has advice on grammar and writing styles http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Another useful website that will take the publishing information you have and put it into the appropriate style manual is Son of Citation Machine http://citationmachine.net

The John A. Logan College English Department staffs a Writing Center to assist students in writing papers. Its hours vary each semester. Its website includes tutorials on writing papers and instructions on using the MLA format. http://www.jalc.edu/departmentpages/english/writing_center.php

Research guides are continually being updated and more are regularly added. To have one created on a particular subject, contact one of the reference librarians. The guides are available in PDF formats. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view these, please visit our Software Downloads page to get the software.

• Research using JALC LIbrary Resources (PDF of PowerPoint slideshow)
• Research using JALC LIbrary Resources (PDF of PowerPoint handout)
• Access to Library Resources from off Campus
• Art
• Business
• Computer Information Systems
• Computer Science
• Construction Management
• Criminal Justice
• Dental Hygenist/Assistant
• Education
• Literature
• Massage Therapy
• Multiculturalism
• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Psychology
• Sonography
• Sustainability

The Library and the database vendors develop and publish tutorials on using the databases. To have one developed on a particular topic, please contact one of the reference librarians.

• Ancestry Library
• Contemporary Literary Criticism
• CQ Researcher
• Credo Reference
• EBSCO Databases
• Heritage Quest
• OCLC Databases
• Today’s Science

Your OneCard is your Library Card. To borrow materials, students who are currently enrolled at John A. Logan College must bring their "One Card" and a photo ID to the circulation desk in the library to set up a library account. When you set up your library account, you will select a PIN. When requesting or renewing material, use the barcode on the back of your OneCard as your Library Card Number and your PIN enter "Your Account".

To access the databases from off campus, you will need to know your Student ID number (or your Employee number) so that you can log on.

Visit our Staff page.

Please call the library at Extension 8388 for the following phone numbers:

• 618.985.3741 Williamson County
• 618.549.7335 Jackson County
• 618.937.3438 West Frankfort Area
• 618.542.8612 Du Quoin Area

We welcome your suggestions and ideas! You may contact us in person at the library, send an email, or call us at any of the numbers above, ext.8338.

To borrow materials, students who are currently enrolled at John A. Logan College must bring their "One Card" and a photo ID to the circulation desk in the library. Library staff will activate the "One Card" to be used as the library card. Faculty and Staff who do not receive the "One Card" will request a library card at the circulation desk. Students who do not receive a John A. Logan College "One Card" should contact the Business Office. To borrow materials, students who are currently enrolled at John A. Logan College must bring their "One Card" and a photo ID to the circulation desk in the library to set up a library account. When you set up your library account, you will select a PIN. When requesting or renewing material, use the barcode on the back of your OneCard as your Library Card Number and your PIN enter "Your Account".

Circulating Collection – Students and Community Users may borrow materials from the library for three weeks. The Faculty and Staff loan period is four weeks.

Reference – most of the reference collection does not circulate. Items with a purple spine label may check out for overnight use.

Periodicals – current magazines and journals do not circulate. Past issues circulate to Faculty & Staff only.

Genealogy – material in the genealogy area belongs to the Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois and does not circulate.

As part of the Heartland Library System, materials may be requested from other libraries in the system using individual ID card barcodes and PINs. Depending on availability, items usually are delivered within three days. If you do not find what you are looking for in the Heartland Library System or through our Online Databases, please ask a Librarian for assistance. Requesting materials located in the I-Share and the WorldCat catalogs require completion of book request forms either online or via the printed forms located at the circulation desk. Article request forms can be completed for materials not available in full text from one of the library databases.

• Online Article Request Form
• Online Book Request Form

Items from the John A. Logan College Library may be renewed in person, over the phone, or in the library catalog's "My Account" if they have not been placed on hold by another person. Materials borrowed from libraries other than one in the Heartland Library System require staff assistance for renewal. When renewing material, use the barcode on the back of your OneCard as your Library Card Number and your PIN enter "Your Account".

Overdue Fines for circulating collection items are 10 cents per day; fines for overdue materials from other libraries may vary. Fines for reserve items are noted in the reserve section. You MUST have a Library card to borrow reserve material – even if you are just using it to make copies. Fines for reserve material are: 2–hour library use only – $1 an hour; Overnight, 3–day, 5-day, and 7–day – $5 a day.

Community Borrowers, non-students who live within the John A. Logan College district, may apply for a Community Borrower Card. A photo I.D. and proof of in-district residency are needed. The cost is $1.00 per year.

Instructors may put items on reserve for their classes. The circulation period of reserve material is determined by the instructor and will be either, two-hour library use only, overnight, three, five or seven days. The Library does not purchase textbooks; however, Instructors may provide us with one or more which will be located in the reserve section behind the circulation desk. You MUST have a Library card to borrow reserve material – even if you are just using it to make copies. Fines for reserve material are: 2–hour library use only – $1 an hour; Overnight, 3–day, 5-day, and 7–day – $5 a day.

Reference Librarians provide orientations and/or instruction throughout the semester. We tailor the presentation to a particular subject area (English, History, Nursing, etc.) or provide information on an Information Literacy topic (search strategies, evaluation of Websites, etc.) or combine topics to meet instructional needs. Sessions may take a full 50 minute period or possibly just ten to twenty minutes. Faculty may contact one of the librarians to schedule a session. Judy Vineyard at ext. 8404; Adam Rubin at ext. 8279; Rebecca Bostian at ext. 8338; or e-mail us at library@jalc.edu. Since these sessions are customized for specific classes or assignments, they take time to prepare. We will do our best to accommodate last minute requests but cannot guarantee them.

Individual sessions to learn more about particular resources can also be scheduled.

The Library computers are available for conducting research. First priority of these computers is for the research use of John A. Logan College students. If a computer is needed to serve this purpose and someone is not using a computer for research, they will be asked to end their session. Printing is 10 cents per page.

There are also typewriters available for public use.

There are two copy machines for general use. The cost is 10 cents per page.