- home > library
Library F.A.Q.
How do I access the databases from home?
To access certain restricted online resources (such as article databases and encyclopedias with a red lock icon) from off-campus, Holland College staff and students will be asked to enter their Holland College username and password. If you don't have a Holland College username and password, you can enter your library barcode number in the username field, and leave the password field empty.
Please temporarily disable any firewall software on your computer such as Norton Firewall before attempting to access restricted online resources from home, otherwise you may encounter problems accessing these resources. Remember to enable the firewall software after you are finished.
If you encounter any difficulties, please contact staff at your nearest library or e-mail us at library@hollandcollege.com
How do I cite a personal communication?
Personal Communications - letters, memos, lectures, email, interviews, and telephone conversations
Cite personal communications in text only. Provide initials and surname, and provide as exact a date as possible. Do not include personal communications in your References list.
A. Smith also claimed that many of her students had difficulties with APA style (personal communication, January 4, 2009).
or (A. Smith, personal communication, January 4, 2009).
How do I find books?
When you need to locate information sources at Holland College, a good place to begin is Horizon, our library catalogue. It lists books, videos, electronic books, magazines, government documents, and a variety of other materials held by all programs in all of our campuses.
You can find our online catalogue at http://library.hollandc.pe.ca.
If we don't have the title you want, check out these options.
How do I find videos?
When you search the library catalogue, you can add the terms DVD or videorecording to your search.
For example if you were looking for videos about marketing you would use this search:
marketing and videorecording
If you were only interested in DVDs about marketing you would use this search:
marketing and dvd
How do I get a library card?
If you are a current student of Holland College, your student ID card is also your library card. Activate the barcode on the back of your ID card at your centre's library or contact us at library@hollandcollege.com.
If you are not currently a student or staff member of the College, you can register as a borrower by filling in and printing the External Borrower Information Form. Drop the completed form off at any of the College's libraries. Please be prepared to present proof of identification (e.g. a driver's license).
How do I login to the library's online catalogue using my Holland College username and password?
You can use your student Holland College username and password (that you use to sign into SAM, Groupwise, computers etc.) to login to the catalogue. This allows you to place holds on library material as well as seeing what you have signed out and renewing your books, DVDs etc.
Because we use a "self-signed" security certificate, you will get warnings from your browser. Follow the browser prompts to allow you to add this unsigned security certificate and to proceed.
Select one of the following links to login to the library catalogue depending on where your program is located:
Tourism & Culinary Centre Students
Staff Login
Holland College instructors and staff can login by selecting the appropriate link. Please note that staff must first visit the library to get their borrower record updated.
Tourism & Culinary Centre Staff
Problems with your login
If you are unable to login with your username and password please check with library staff. If you know your library barcode number, you can follow the link below to login.
Logon with your library barcode number
You can also login with the library barcode that is on the back of your student ID card (the number beginning with 238...) or your library card if you are a part-time or outside borrower. If you have a student ID card, this number must first be scanned in by library staff to activate it.
How do I renew items I have signed out?
The loan period for most items in our collection is one week, although some high demand titles may have been assigned shorter loan periods. If you need to keep materials for longer than the loan period, it is very important that you renew those items.
You may renew your loans in-person at any of our library locations. If you prefer, you may also make a renewal request online.
To make a online renewal request, visit our online catalogue and click on the My Account tab or Login link. You will then be prompted to enter your 14-digit barcode number (enter without spaces). Once logged in to your account, click on either the Checked Out tab or Items Out link. A list of your loans should appear. Click the box beside each title that you wish to renew, and then click on the Renew button at the top/bottom of the list.
Please note: we regret we cannot renew any items for which there are pending requests or in cases where the maximum number of allowable renewals (5) has been exceeded.
How do I request an Interlibrary Loan?
It is the policy of the Holland College Library Services to provide Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Services to the faculty, staff, and students of Holland College. The I.L.L service supplements the resources of the Holland College Library Services by making available books and periodical articles located at other libraries. Interlibrary Loan is governed by codes for cooperation: certain core data are required to process a successful request, and the service is dependent on the goodwill of the cooperative libraries. I.L.L. service does not replace program-related collection development.
All Interlibrary Loans are processed through the Charlottetown Centre Library. Individuals may submit ILL requests in person, in a form on our website, or directly from EBSCO citations in our online databases. All requests must be verified by library staff; that is, a fully documented bibliographic reference must be presented. A photocopy of the citation will expedite the processing of paper requests.
Although most lending libraries charge a flat administrative fee plus actual cost for ILL service, at the present time there is no charge for Interlibrary Loans at Holland College. Holland College Library Services currently absorbs the charges for this service, that is, expenses incurred for verification, location identification, communication, and document delivery. However, patrons are responsible for any costs incurred due to loss, damage, and overdue fines as well as additional charges for rush orders.
Materials borrowed via this service must be related to curriculum, professional development, or staff research. Requests of a personal nature should be directed to the Confederation Centre Public Library, UPEI, or other libraries as appropriate.
In most cases, Holland College Library Services will fill requests through libraries within Canada and, whenever possible, the Atlantic region. The library will also choose the lending library with the least expensive administrative fee. Users who require expedited service will be expected to cover the cost of the expedited service.
Materials are normally available within 1 to 3 weeks, but may take longer depending on where the request was sent and whether or not the item is available at the time of the request. Therefore, patrons should be made aware of the time factor and warned to do their research in advance.
Materials, with the exception of serials, are available for loan to other libraries at the discretion of the Head Librarian.
How do I request something that another borrow has signed out?
You may make an in-person request for library materials from any campus at any of our library locations. If you prefer, you may also make an online request.
To make an online request, visit our online catalogue and conduct a search for the material you desire. Once you have identified an item of interest, simply click on the Request Item icon that appears next to each title on the list of titles or the full bibliographic record for an individual title. The list screen looks like this:
You will then be prompted to enter your 14-digit barcode number (enter without spaces), your desired location for item pick-up, and any other note or instruction you may wish to add.
When the material is available for pick-up, you will receive notification from the library by e-mail, telephone, or in person. Requests are usually held for three working days. If you no longer require the material, please advise your nearest library or cancel the request online in the My Account feature. To do so, visit the library catalogue, click on the My Account tab, enter your barcode, click on Holds, select items for cancellation, click on Cancel.
I am a distance student - what services are available?
Circulation Services
When you register at Holland College as an off-campus learner, please contact library services to set you up with a library account and to assign you a library barcode. Please email library@hollandcollege.com and include your contact information, mailing address, and the program you are enrolled in. You can use your library barcode to login to the Holland College Library's online catalogue at http://library.hollandc.pe.ca/ where you can request books, and renew books that you have signed out.
We will ship requested items to out-of-province borrowers via Canada Post, enclosing a postage-free return label. If you are studying in-province, we will ship items to your nearest Library branch. You may borrow up to six items at a time from us, and you may renew your loans up to five times, provided there are no pending requests for the items. The loan period for out-of-province distance learners is longer than normal (usually about one month), in order to compensate for shipment times. Although we do not charge late fees for overdue items, you will be charged for replacement of any materials that are lost or damaged.
When you request a book and you are studying in-province, select the library where you will pick up the book. You will be notified by email when it is ready for pickup. If you are studying out-of-province, please email library staff at library@hollandcollege.com to request material and include your full mailing address and distance education program you are enrolled in as well as detailed information about the book(s) including author, title, year and call number.
If you have any trouble requesting material from the online catalogue, please contact Holland College Library Services at library@hollandcollege.com
Reference (Q&A) Service
Have a question that needs an answer? Send it along to one of our trained library staff. You can call us at 902-566-9558 or any of the numbers listed on our Contacts page, email library@hollandcollege.com, or chat with us real-time using the chat box on our homepage.
Off-Campus Access to Restricted Online Resources
Some Holland College online learning materials, such as our article databases or encyclopedias, are by subscription only and are licenced for use only by currently enrolled students and staff. When you attempt to access any resources with a red lock icon from off-campus, you will be prompted to enter your Holland College username/password. If you don't have a Holland College username and password, you can use your library barcode number. At the login screen, enter your library barcode number in the username field, and leave the password field empty. Resources with a green lock icon are free to use and do not require a username/password to access. For more information on off-campus access to restricted resources, please click here.
What services are available for external borrowers?
Holland College is pleased to offer circulation services (excluding interlibrary loan) to members of the Island community who are not enrolled students or staff.
In order to borrow from our collections, you will need to register at one of our resource centres and present some valid identification. If you wish, you can download our registration form here and bring it with you when you make your first visit. Once registered, you will receive a borrower card with a 14-digit barcode number. You can use this barcode number to make requests in our online catalogue or to request online renewals of items you have borrowed.
You may borrow up to six items at a time from us, and you may renew your loans up to five times, provided there are no pending requests for the items. If a student or staff member requests materials signed out to you, however, we reserve the right to recall those items before their due date. You should also know that, although we do not charge late fees for overdue items, you will be charged for replacement of any materials that are lost or damaged. Holland College may also decline to lend materials to users who are perpetually in arrears or who do not respect the terms of loan.
Users who do not have easy access to a Holland College resource centre may prefer to use the islandlibraries.ca service. At islandlibraries.ca, if you are an Island resident with either a public or UPEI library card, you can search all major PEI library collections (the public service, UPEI, and Holland College), and can request that items be sent to you for pickup at your "home library" location. A secondary service available on the site, Isle@sk, allows users to post questions to librarians from UPEI, Holland College, or the Provincial Library Service.
We regret that we cannot provide study space or Internet access to those who are not members of the Holland College staff or student community.
What services are available for Holland College alumni?
Did you know that you can still use Holland College Library Services after you graduate? Here's what we offer...
Circulation Services
In order to borrow from our collections, you will need to re-register at one of our resource centres and present some valid identification. If you wish, you can download our registration form here. Once registered, you will receive a new borrower card with a 14-digit barcode number. You can use this barcode number to make requests in our online catalogue or to request online renewals of items you have borrowed. You may borrow up to six items at a time from us, and you may renew your loans up to five times, provided there are no pending requests for the items. If a currently enrolled student or staff member requests materials signed out to you, however, we reserve the right to recall those items before their due date. You should also know that, although we do not charge late fees for overdue items, you will be charged for replacement of any materials that are lost or damaged. Holland College may also decline to lend materials to users who are perpetually in arrears or who do not respect the terms of loan.