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Student Guide to the Library A Service for Distance Learners
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| We believe you will find that
borrowing physical materials from the collection is also easy and
convenient. Your primary access point will be the PBA library website. In
this guide you will find help in navigating this “busy” site and mining the
wealth of information we have to offer. We will make every effort to
communicate effectively with you. Please let us know how we can improve this
page or any of our services by giving us feedback at library@pba.edu.
To open the PBA Library main page in a new window: http://library.pba.edu. Sections of this Guide: BOOKS JOURNALS ELECTRONIC RESOURCES CONTACT US |
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If you are off campus or not using PalmNet as your Internet
Service Provider (ISP), you will need your PalmNet User ID and Password to
access many of the links below and on the main Library web page.
(For detailed instructions for remote access, look for a link that says
Off-Campus Library Use)
(electronic or hardcopy)
Most links in this section can be found under “Books” at the top and center of
the PBA Library home page.
PBA makes over 45,000 electronic books available to you through
NetLibrary. To use this
collection off campus you must first create an account while on your local
campus. You may search for ebooks by using the NetLibrary link or the PBA
Library Web Catalog.
To find a book in the PBA Library, check our
PBA
Library Web Catalog. Then, use the
Library Materials Request Form,
a link under “Extension Campus/Distance Learners” on the right side of the
library home page. The normal loan period for PBA students is 28 days. We will
provide an additional 2 weeks (14 days) for the transport of materials (Total
lending time for a book will be 42 days). Materials requested will be mailed
directly to your home and can be returned in the jiffy bag it came in. A
pre-paid label will be provided or you can bring it to the Orlando campus and it
will be returned for you. There is a limit of 99 items per person.
To
borrow a book from another library we encourage you to
obtain a library card
from the Orange County Public Library System and use their Interlibrary Loan
(ILL) service as that venue will result in faster service to you. The
Locations link on their
main menu has a map with addresses, hours, and phone numbers, so you can find
the branch most convenient for you.
If you would prefer that we place the ILL request for you, please use the
forms on the PBA Library home page
under “Tools for Library Use” in the right-hand column. Bear in mind, however, that
shipping materials first to West Palm Beach and then to you may result in longer
waits and shorter loan periods.
is
a worldwide database which will tell you which libraries own a particular title.
It can also be used to locate items held by the PBA Library if the PBA Library Web Catalog
is unavailable for any reason.
Need an encyclopedia, dictionary, thesaurus or a book of quotations?
has the full content of 150 reference books, with over a million entries.
Need the most authoritative definition?
is "the definitive record of the
English language."
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 To find magazine or journal titles and determine which issues and volumes are available at PBA, use the links under Serials at PBA in the middle column toward the bottom of the PBA Library home page. |
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| If the periodical is a paper or microform item in the PBA collection, you will see complete holdings details. If it is an online title, you will be linked to the database(s) with full text articles from that particular journal. | ||
To request a copy of an article from a journal we do not own, we believe you
will get the best service by using the InterLibrary Loan
department of your local public library. Again, if you would prefer that we
place the ILL request for you, please use the links below or the
forms on our website under “Tools
for Library Use” in the right-hand column. Bear in mind, however, that it will
require extra time for us to send the materials to you.
PBA
INTERLIBRARY LOAN LINKS:
HOW TO DO IT
REQUEST AN ARTICLE
REQUEST A BOOK
REQUEST A RENEWAL
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 The PBA Library
subscribes to a wide variety of online databases, covering general topics
and subject disciplines, many with full text. The PBA Databases by Subject
section of our web site describes them, so you can identify appropriate
resources for the topic you are researching. |
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 The Orange County Public Library
System lists available databases in the
Virtual
Library submenu on their web site. |
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Additional databases are available through the Florida Electronic Library. (Access requires a public library card.) |
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 For expert assistance, please get in touch with the PBA Library staff. |
Phone | (561) 803-2227 |
| Fax | (561) 803-2235 | |
| library@pba.edu |
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For Orlando Students: |
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Before 6 pm, you can dial the Orlando campus at: 407-226-5955 or 800-323-7627 and you will transferred to the library as a local call. |
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After 6 pm you can email the library,
requesting we call you. Or you can make a brief long distance call to 561-803-2227 and library
staff will gladly call you back. Whether you use email or phone, please
indicate why you are calling so that we can have the right person respond. |
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Are you more comfortable with chat or instant messaging (IM)?
Use
.
The link is on the PBA Library home page at the top of the left hand
column. There are two ways you can contact a librarian with your questions:
Click on “chat” and your question will be answered by one of the many librarians
around the state of Florida who participate in this service (not necessarily one
of the PBA Librarians). They all have access to the PBA Library databases and
can help you with sources specific to PBA. . The chat service is available 10
a.m.- 10 p.m. ET, Sunday – Friday and 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Click on “email” and your question will come directly to librarians at PBA (as
long as you have gone through the PBA Library home page). You may submit your
question via e-mail 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
In both cases, please identify yourself as a PBA Distance Learner or Orlando student so we are able
to provide you with the best service.
We consider it a privilege to work with you on your learning goals. So please, let us know
how we can be of assistance.
You are the reason we are here!
Return
to library.pba.edu Go to the main
University site www.PBA.edu Go to top of page
Members of the PBA Library staff are very eager to help you with all of your
library and information needs! As a distance learner or
extension campus student, you may wonder how you can feel connected to
a library that has a physical presence in West Palm Beach. We're as near as
your phone, fax machine, or computer! And we are also
very much an online library, and distance is no barrier for our electronic
resources, which can be accessed from your campus, home, or any place you
connect to the internet, any time of day or night. 
