Library F.A.Q.

How Do I Assess My Collection Needs?

Whether your program is new or established, Library Services can help you develop a great collection of supporting materials.

We start by looking at your curriculum and then assessing your collection needs in terms of their "fit" with your current or desired:

  • subject areas and skill requirements
  • learning styles
  • learning environment (practical, theoretical, etc.)
  • level of materials (introductory, intermediate, etc.)
  • volume of materials
  • cyclical patterns of use
  • relationship with other College programs
  • accreditation requirements
  • articulation agreements
  • blend of physical and digital materials
  • information seeking patterns of learners in your program and your occupational area

Collection assessment, like curricular analysis, is an ongoing task and requires regular attention. To help you with this process, we can prepare reports that analyse your collection on the basis of factors such as circulation (actual usage), subject strengths and weaknesses, volume, and age of materials. 

In addition, we can help you optimize access, manage your collection, and make the best possible use of budget dollars.  For example, we can set up reserve collections or modify standard loan periods for high-demand items, integrate online materials, and set up off-campus access for protected (licensed) digital collections.  To help develop budgetary plans, we assess factors such as the average per item cost of materials in your field, the average "shelf life" of materials, and the student-to-item ratio of the collection.

If you would like to schedule analytical reports or need help with your collection plan, contact your Library Liaison.

How do I find video/dvd material for my program?


Most videos, whether purchased or rented, are licensed only for private, individual viewing --- and videos which you copy from a live broadcast are certainly not meant to be used outside your home!  Even if you do not charge a direct admission fee, showing a video to a group in public is considered a performance. For a fee, a vendor selling to an educational institution will include "public performance rights" in the contract of sale or rental. If your plan is to show the video/DVD in your classroom, then you must purchase public performance rights for the item.

Many of the vendors listed below indicate whether or not the price includes public performance rights. A good place to start your search for audio/visual material is Global Books in Print. To limit your search to just audio/visual material, select the Video radio button on the basic or advanced search screen; deselect Books.

Vendors

 

Feature Films

To show a feature film to your class, you will need to purchase a license.  Audio Ciné Films Inc. and Criterion Pictures are the primary distributors of feature films in Canada. You may want to review Criterion's FAQ on Questions and Answers about Copyright for Non-Print Material: Educational.

How do I link to articles / streaming videos in SAM?

Anytime that you find an article from one of the Ebsco databases that you wish to link to, click on the "Permalink" link on the right side of the full article view (where you see other option links like print, email, save etc.) and copy and paste the URL into SAM. Students can access this article from anywhere. Have a look at this PDF file to see how it is done.

For articles in the following Holland College Library databases, you will need to copy the following to the beginning of the URL (please not that it is https not http) and then follow the instructions below for each database and add it's URL to this base URL:

https://rpa.hollandcollege.com:2048/login?url=

  • ScienceDirect - Get the URL for the article by clicking on the "Export citation" above the full title record, and in the next page, select "ASCII format" and then click on the "Export" button. Copy the URL within the parentheses (), but leave out the parentheses.
  • CPI-Q - Copy the URL found at the bottom of the article in the "Document URL" section.
  • AccessScience - Copy the URL in the browser's address bar.

Example from ScienceDirect:

Base URL = https://rpa.hollandcollege.com:2048/login?url=

URL from instructions above =

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
B6V6V-4DB5DRS-2/2/3cc01049abb56b4a40a224f6c1a9259f

Combined URLs to put in SAM =

https://rpa.hollandcollege.com:2048/login?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/B6V6V-4DB5DRS-2/2/3cc01049abb56b4a40a224f6c1a9259f

For articles from other resources, you can generally use the URL found in the browser's address bar without needing to include the base URL. Look for a "Share" button or something similar first. You only need to include the base URL if it is a restricted resource (It is listed in the library's databases with a red lock icon). Test it out first or check with library staff because some links to articles from the library's restricted resources (e.g., Conference Board of Canada) may not work.

Please note that your are NOT allowed to upload the PDF files of the articles into SAM. You can only add links to the articles.

Films on Demand streaming videos

There are 2 ways to add Films on Demand streaming videos into SAM: You can include links to the videos or you can embed them. To add links to Films on Demand streaming videos into SAM, copy and paste the URL found in the Title URL box below the video and NOT the URL displayed in your web browser's address bar. To embed  a video, click on the "Embed this Video" button and copy and paste the embed code into a document using the "Source" icon in the editor. You can get more information from this help guide from the Films on Demand website.

Problem with Internet Explorer 8 and 9 and Films on Demand

If users access Films on Demand videos in SAM using Internet Explorer 8 or 9, they must configure Internet Explorer to explicitly allow all cookies otherwise they will see a Films on Demand login page which they will not be able to get past. This is done under Tools -> Internet options -> Privacy -> Advanced and then clicking in the “Override automatic cookie handling” to put a check mark in the box and then ensuring that both First-party cookies and third-party cookies are accepted and finally making sure the “always allow session cookies” box is checked. Here is a youtube video that shows you how:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_RUlRqNwWA

 The other option is to recommend to students that they use FireFox to access lessons in SAM. Other browsers that work without reconfiguration include Opera and Chrome.

YouTube videos

You can also choose to link to YouTube videos in SAM or embed them. To link to YouTube videos in SAM, click on the Share button below the video and copy and paste the URL in the box below. To get the embed code, click on the Embed button and copy and paste the embed code into a document using the "Source" icon in the editor.

Remember that you are responsible for ensuring that any YouTube content that you include in SAM does not violate copyright and that you use it in the terms set out in the YouTube Terms of Service. You should also be familiar with Holland College policies on copyright. You can find links to these policies in SAM under Staff Compass -> Essentials -> Library Services -> Copyright Information.

Please don't hesitate to check with library staff if you have any questions.

 

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 ILL 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.  ILL 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.

What is the Liaison Program?

The Holland College Library Liaison program teams library staff members with learning managers and other staff by subject area.  Here are some ways your liaison officer can help:

  • attend program meetings to learn more about your subject area, program objectives, and learning environment
  • report on your current collection, including gap and strength analysis and identification of benchmarks
  • develop plans and budgets for future collection growth
  • identify new trends and materials in your subject area
  • help with the transition to a more digital, 24/7 learning environment
  • answer research-related questions
  • provide instruction on information-related topics
  • suggest information-related activities such as alternatives to term papers, ways to improve research skills
  • integrate library services with learning management systems
  • suggest ways to manage high-demand resources within your collection
  • process interlibrary loans
  • alert you to new educational technologies and tools, by means of our semi-annual liaison newsletter

Who is your library liaison?