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Distance Learning Library Services

Frequently Asked Questions

About  our services
What is a Distance Learner?
What's the EIC?  Is it different than STL's Distance Learning Library Services?
What Research Assistance Services are available to distance learners?
How quickly are phone and e-mail messages returned by a librarian?
Can I meet with a librarian in person?
May I travel to the New Paltz campus or call the main library for assistance?
I live near another SUNY college. May I use that library instead?
What is BlackBoard, and how do I get to it?

ERES 
What is ERES?
I don't have an ERES password.  What do I do?
I'm going to teach a distance course.  May I place materials on ERES?

Our databases & E-journals
What's my NPCUID?
Where are the Databases??
How do I find databases in my subject area?
What do I need to do to get onto the databases from home?
What's the difference between a citation, an abstract, full text and full image?
My article isn't in full text or full image.  What should I do?
How do I find out if a journal is available at STL in print? 
How can I find out if you have a journal online?
Are there free-to-access e-journals that are not found in STL's databases?
Are ERIC documents available online?

Getting articles delivered to you
You don't own my article, either in print, microfilm, or in a database.  What do I have to do to get the article?
I'd like an ILLIAD account, but I don't have a LIBRARY NUMBER.  What do I do?
Other Illiad Information

Etc...
I have other Questions. How do I get Answers?

What is a Distance Learner? New Paltz Distance Learners are those who are taking a course either online or at one of New Paltz's extension sites.

What's the EIC?  Is it different than STL's Distance Learning Library Services? The EIC is STL's branch library;  it was created in 1994 to serve the unique needs of extension learners in the Orange County area.  The EIC is housed at New Paltz's extension offices at the Southwinds Annex in Middletown, NY.  Distance students can make an appointment to use the EIC independently or with a librarian.  The space is used to search our databases, collaborate on group projects, and as a multimedia classroom.

"Distance Learning Library Services" describes the growing suite of resources available to New Paltz's Distance Learners, of which the EIC is one part.  Distance students are also eligible for document delivery through our ILLIAD system, personalized research assistance, library instruction, and technical assistance in navigating our many online resources.
 
 

What Research Assistance Services are available to distance learners?  Distance Learners can get personalized research assistance by contacting the Distance Learning Librarian:
Phone: (845) 257-2699 or (845) 956-4426
FAX: (845) 257-3712
e-mail: ref@newpaltz.edu
AOL IM: eicnp

MSN Messenger name EIC_LIBRARIAN

The librarian can assist you in assembling a research strategy, suggest useful databases and other resources, and provide the answers to basic questions.

The librarian frequently travels to extension sites throughout New York State.  If you think your class or group can benefit from an instructional session, please have your instructor contact the librarian to set up an appointment.
 

How quickly are phone and e-mail messages returned by a librarian? Most messages are returned within twenty four (24) hours.  Remember:  E-mail is dialogue.  It might require more than one e-mail response to assist you, so please plan accordingly.
 
 

Can I meet with a librarian in person? Yes!  A librarian can travel to the EIC in Middletown, or to the site where you take a New Paltz course.  Or, if you prefer, you can travel to New Paltz to meet  with a librarian at STL.  You can arrange to meet individually or with classmates, as a group.  Please contact the librarian to make an appointment.
 
  May I travel to the New Paltz campus, or call the main library, for assistance?  Yes!  No matter where or how your course meets, you are welcome to do your research at the Sojourner Truth Library.  If you're going to come to campus, you might consider obtaining a SUNY Card so you can check out books.  You might also desire to take our Virtual Tour before traveling.  And be sure to check our hours, too.

Depending upon your project, you may wish to meet with a librarian who specializes in your field of research.  To make an appointment, you can fill out our Consultation Request form, or contact the Distance Learning Librarian for a referral.

And you can call the library's Information Desk at (845) 257-3710.  A librarian is available at the Desk throughout the week.

I live near another SUNY College. May I use that library instead? Yes. As a SUNY student, you are able to visit any other SUNY library to get research help, use databases "in house", and to check out books and other materials. Remember that every SUNY is different in its borrower policies--some require that you present a paid New Paltz invoice or ID card to receive materials. Some services, like remote database access, online research help, and Interlibrary Loan may not be available to visiting students. And collections differ from library to library. If you find that a local library better meets your research needs, please tell us, and we'll work on improving our services. If it doesn't, consider using our collections and research tools.
You can search all of the SUNY Libraries' catalogs at the same time. Click here to get started

What is BlackBoard, and How can I get to it? BlackBoard is what we call "courseware": it is a cyberplace where you take classes, pick up class notes, meet online with your instructor and classmates, and more.  If you are taking an online class through SUNY New Paltz, then your course may be using BlackBoard.  BlackBoard is available at http://blackboard.newpaltz.edu/ Some classes that meet in person also use BlackBoard for supplemental discussions.

NOTE: You should have received instructions, either online or through the mail, if you are to use BlackBoard.  BlackBoard is not a library service, so we can only offer limited support.  For questions about BlackBoard, contact your instructor, or contact SUNY New Paltz's Academic Computing Department (845)257-3597 or http://www.newpaltz.edu/acad_computing
 

What is ERES?  ERES is our electronic reserves system.  Instructors often place their course reading lists on ERES. They are  accessible through our website [http://lib.newpaltz.edu].  ERES documents are often in .pdf format, and require that you have the Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin installed on your PC.  To access ERES, click here.
 

I don't have an ERES password.  What do I do? ERES passwords are shared between instructors and their students.  If you were asked to get something from ERES but forgot your password, please contact your instructor.

For more information about ERES, please click here to get to ERES,then click the link to the Help Pages..

I'm going to teach a distance course.  May I place materials on ERES?  Of course!  We strongly encourage faculty to place materials on electronic reserve.  To do so, download and complete the ERES forms and then either hand-deliver, mail, or e-mail the materials to STL (You'll need to make arrangements with our Reserves staff beforehand.  Call Darlene Alessi at 845-257-3716 for details) 

What's my NPCUID? Your New Paltz Computer User ID, or NPCUID, is a username and password that enable you to access our resources, as well as campus systems like npmail, my.newpaltz.edu, and Blackboard.  If you're a Distance Learner, you may have received your NPCUID in the mail along with your course materials.  If not, check the Academic Computing website, or call them with questions regarding your NPCUID (845) 257-3597.

Where are the Databases??  Databases that will assist you in finding journal articles, e-books, and other materials are available under "Databases" at the Sojourner Truth Library Website [ http://lib.newpaltz.edu]. You can also locate databases by subject area, or locate subject-based  databases & web links chosen by our librarians.

How do I find databases in my subject area? STL's website has an organized list of databases, along with links to Internet sites and suggested Reference books, all arranged by subject.  To link a list of databases by subject only, click here.  For a menu of databases, sites, etc., click here.
 

What do I need to do to get onto the databases from home?  If you are a New Paltz student and want to search our subscription databases, you need to have a NPCUID.  Your NPCUID is made up of a username and a password: it is also the account that gives you access to New Paltz Webmail and Blackboard.  Questions regarding NPCUIDs are best answered by Academic Computing.   Next time you click on one of our databases, you'll be prompted for your account information.

What's the difference between a citation, an abstract, full text and full image?
A citation is just the basic publication information about an article or book:  titles, authors, dates and places of publication, page numbers... .  All of our databases provide citations, but many include more value-added features.  For example, many citations also have abstracts, or summaries of the item.  A growing number of our databases also provide full-text access. This means that you can also view the text of the article, usually with graphs and other visuals that appeared in the original.  Citations with full image allow you to view a digitally-scanned image of the item, exactly as it appeared in the original print publication.  You will often need Adobe Acrobat Reader or another plug-in to view in "full image". Remember:  You can learn a lot about an article just by carefully reading a citation and abstract: author affiliation, publication dates, quality of the study, and size of the article can all be found in a citation and abstract.  A careful reading can help you decide whether you'd want to read the full article.

How do I find out if a journal is available at STL in print?   To locate a journal that may be in our print collection, search the STL catalog.  Use the ADVANCED search mode to look for the title of your journal, then select "serials" from the Format Menu. The results will tell your if we own a publication in print or microfilm, and where your issue is in the library.  Distance learners may then travel to campus, or order the article through ILLIAD.  

How can I find out if you have a journal online?

1. If you're in one of our databases and you see a link that says "PDF Full Text" or "HTML Full Text", then your article should appear immediately when you click those links
2. See the citation & abstract, but no Full text link? Click the Find it at New Paltz link. Find it at New Paltz will help you discover whether your article is online (and in which database) or whether it is part of our print collection
3. If Find it at New Paltz can't find the artcile online or in print, you can order it through Illiad.
Already have the citation? Want to find out we own a journal, whether online or in print? Use our Find Journals tool!
4. If you know the publication information (e.g., article & journal title, dates, author) you can locate your article with the Citation Linker!

Are there free-to-access e-journals that are not found in STL's databases? Yes. Even though our databases contain thousands of journal articles, there are many e-journals and e-zines that are available on the "free" WWW as well.  Here are some sources for locating them:

The Directory of Open Access Journals [DOAJ] indexes journals that are freely-available on the 'net, but still meet certain scholarly criteria. 
 [ http://www.doaj.org/articles/040208]

Other Free-to-access resources include
AERA-SIG (education-related journals)
BUBL (primarily library & information science. NOTE: click on "BUBL LINK" to access a web diectory)
Biomed Central (Medicine & Health)
Highwire Press (a cooperative; many subjects)

Are ERIC documents available online?  Yes, many ERIC documents (from about 1996 to present) are now accessible through through the FirstSearch and EBSCO versions of ERIC.  To access ERIC and ot=ur other databases, click here.
TIPS:
* At this time, many ERIC documents are not available through ERIC.ed.gov
* Not all ERIC documents are available in full text, regardless of how recent they are
* ERIC documents have an ED accession number (e.g., ED 444444).  ERIC citations with an EJ number are journal articles, and are not documents.  If your ERIC EJ citation isn't in full-text, use Serials Solutions to locate it in another database, or search our catalog for the paper subscription.
 

My article isn't in full text or full image.  What should I do?  If your search yielded citations, but no immediate full text, there are a few things you should do:
1) Look for your journal in our A to Z Serials Solutions list.  This list describes the full-text holdings of all the journals in all of our databases.  If your article isn't in full text in one database, use Serials Solutions to see if it's in another one.
2) Check The STL catalog to see if we have a paper or microfilm subscription to your journal.  If we do have it, you can travel to New Paltz, or, ONLY IF you are a distance learner, you can order the article through ILLIAD.
 

You don't own my article, either in print, microfilm, or in a database.  What do I have to do to get the article?  You can order the article through ILLIAD, our document delivery service.  Remember:
1) ILLIAD will only send you articles.  Book delivery is currently unavailable (you may, however, arrange to pick up a book at STL)
2) You must first set up an ILLIAD account.  Just fill out the on-screen form
3) When you fill out your account form, be sure to specify that you are a Distance Learner
4) You'll need a LIBRARY NUMBER to complete your form.  This is found on the front of your SUNY New Paltz ID.  Don't have one?? Read below.
 

I'm trying to get an ILLIAD account, but I don't have a LIBRARY NUMBER.  What do I do?  First, make sure you don't have a number:  your LIB Number is found on the front of your New Paltz student ID ("SUNY Card").  Most numbers begin with "22821...".  If you do NOT have an ID card, you can do one of several things:
1) Travel to campus and to have a photo ID made at the CAS office in the Student Union Building.   A photoless ID is also available through the mail: please contact CAS for more information
2) Call the Distance Learning Librarian at (845)257-2699.  Distance learners may be eligible to receive a special library number.

For answers to additional ILLIAD questions, see the FAQ and HELP sections of the ILLIAD site
 
 

I have other Questions.  How do I get Answers?  Many other distance-related questions can be answered by visiting the at Distance Learning Library Services Homepage
Remember that you can contact the Distance Learning Librarian:

(845) 257-2699 (voice mail available)
ref@newpaltz.edu

Other Resources:

Sojourner Truth Library [SUNY New Paltz main campus library] (845)257-3710
Continuing and Professional Education [course-related questions] (845) 257-2900