Now, we don’t want to alarm you, but it’s the fourth week of spring quarter. There’s a very good chance you might be working on some sort of paper. Whether it’s an extensive research paper or not, chances are you’re going to need to do some outside studying to do the best you can. Enter the library.
Not literally. Of course, your local public library is worth a visit every now and then, just to keep it going. But what we’re talking about is the SCAD library and its many resources for students. In fact, if there were a word for how many resources are available to you as a student, it’d be “resourcetastic.” Unfortunately, there’s no such word, so we’ll all have to make do with the phrase “lots and lots of resources.”
We’ve talked a little bit before about some specific databases SCAD libraries offer to students. Specifically, we looked at the big three: JSTOR, LexisNexis Academic and ARTstor. If those names aren’t familiar to you, or you don’t know how to navigate to them, feel free to check out the relevant post at this link.
But the library is so much more than just the databases. It’s people too, real people you can talk to and get help from at virtually any time. Well, maybe not at 11:59 p.m. EST just before the paper is due, but that’s exactly why they’re there at every other time.
And how do you get in contact with a real person? Simple, all you have to do is visit the main SCAD library page and look for Ask A Librarian in the menu bar. You can choose from a variety of different options including IM Chat, email, phone and in-person (if you’re into that sort of thing).
Note that reference librarians aren’t there to help you with your paper’s format/grammar. They’re there to help find sources that work for you. You’re free to come to them with either a general topic or a specific item in mind. Thanks to some strange and mysterious force we can only assume is magic, they’ll be able to find the source that suits your need.
But maybe you already have subject in mind, and maybe even a book, but you just can’t make it to the library? Then prepare to be amazed, because you may just be able to have that book on your doorstep. It’s called Ship-to-Home, and for the eLearning student, it’s one of the most valuable resources SCAD offers.
It goes like this: certain SCAD materials can be shipped or copied and sent to eLearners who are not near any SCAD campus. The key here is to request everything in a timely manner, because the library can’t ship overnight or rush. So yes, while it may be too late for those pesky midterm essays, you can still take advantage of this for finals.
To request Ship-to-Home materials, find the necessary information and forms under Library Services -> eLearning located on the SCAD library page.
The last major resource we’ll go over in this post is the SCAD Digital Image Database. Otherwise known as the art history student’s dream come true. As the name implies, the DID is a large, searchable online database that holds images of works of art available for all SCAD students. And it’s not just your standard visual art. Everything from performing arts and video is represented.
Every artwork you find on the DID comes with the necessary information to help cite it in a paper. With over 100,000 images and growing, there’s more than a good chance that what you’re finding will be on there. And isn’t it better to have all the right information as soon as you find the image instead of wading through Google Image search or taking a chance with Wikipedia?
To access the DID from the main library page, you should go to Library Services -> Visual Resources Center -> SCAD Digital Image Database.
The problem with writing about the SCAD libraries is that there really are too many things to write about. You could spend hours just navigating all the different databases at your disposal. That’s why communication is key.
Take advantage of the Ask a Librarian feature, or keep track of new library developments through the SCAD Libraries new Facebook page. You, your paper, and your professor, will be glad you did.
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