Your Guide to Maximizing Your Use of Ryan Library from Off Campus

Did you know that you have access to countless resources AND personalized help from PLNU’s Ryan Library? And did you know that the vast majority of what’s available can be accessed remotely?

If you are a Point Loma Nazarene University student, faculty member, or staff person working or studying offsite, use this guide to make your research life easier – and more effective. 

Whether you’re working remotely for a short time during the COVID-19 pandemic or you always work or learn away from the Point Loma campus, this guide can help you make the most of the vast resources at your fingertips (yep, we mean that literally since you’re reading this online right now!).

Here’s the quick lowdown.

What’s Available from Anywhere

• eBooks
• Journal articles
• Encyclopedia articles and other reference content
• Streaming videos
• Academic films
• Help from your librarians

What Your Librarians Can Help With

• Finding what you need
• Research question feedback and refinement
• Resource recommendations
• Research process guidance
• Style and formatting help
• Citation questions and formatting

Now, for the most important information! 

How to Access Library Resources and Get the Help You Need

1. Go to the Ryan Library website. Many resources do not require a login, but for those that do, use your PLNU account.

“The great thing is that other than our physical books and periodicals pretty much everything we have and every service we have is available online,” said Denise Nelson, Ph.D., director of Ryan Library.

As a student, faculty member, or staff person, you can access more than 90 online databases for articles, e-books, and films using your PLNU log-in (this is the same as your Canvas log-in). These resources are always accessible. 
 

2. Check out research guides for help on where to start searching.

The library offers research guides dedicated to subject areas that group relevant databases. These include suggestions for how to use common resources that make sense in your discipline, including citation help. These can be a useful tool for graduate students and faculty as well as undergrads, so definitely check them out.

 

3. Utilize chat or email to get help – and not just technical help.

Chat and email can quickly connect you with a reference librarian who is eager to help. You already know librarians can help you find the resources you need, but they are also expert researchers who can assist you throughout your research process. Nelson noted that even without meeting face-to-face, a librarian can help you through screen sharing. Chat is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and again in the evenings Monday-Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. On the weekends or outside these hours, you can reach out to reflib@pointloma.edu. Nelson said a librarian is assigned each weekend to respond to emails. 
 

4. Ask to get help accessing print-only materials

In special situations, like California’s stay-at-home order, the library may be able to help you access materials that are normally only available in print. The librarians are doing their best to help students who may have been relying on a course textbook on reserve at Ryan Library. If that’s you, reach out.

“Based on fair use, it looks like the general opinion is that with the public health benefit of moving people away from physical resources, we can scan and send more than we would ordinarily,” explained Nelson. 

In situations where materials are too long to be scanned and sent, the librarians may be able to scan a book’s table of contents to help you determine if a given source would be of use. If it is, they may be able to send the book to you via snail mail.
 

5. In case you forgot, don’t go it alone. Seriously.

Now that you know how to get help, a really big suggestion is to actually get help! PLNU employs a knowledgeable team of librarians for this exact purpose, and they are ready to make your research life easier.

“I would just really encourage people to reach out,” Nelson said. “Making good use of tools and help frees up time that might have been poured into frustration into actually doing the work.”

Even for those who usually aim to figure things out on their own, there are more things to figure out than ever right now. How to access the library’s resources, refine your research question to get better results, or format your citations don’t have to be on that list.

Now that we’ve convinced you to make use of the library and to reach out to your friendly PLNU librarian for help, it’s time we introduce you to the people on the other end of the chat and reflib@pointloma.edu email!