Coffee Break: The 2:00 am blues – getting help 24/7

So far we’ve talked about topics of our choice. Hopefully they’ve been helpful in your Writing class this summer! We invited questions last week, but didn't receive any -- I hope that means everyone is finding great resources. From experience, though, I'm pretty sure at least a few people will discover critical questions at the last minute. Let's look at ways to get the answers you need, exactly when you need them.

If the library's open, feel free to call the reference desk -- at Sylvania, the number is 503-977-4500. A PCC reference librarian will be happy to help you.

If you can’t think of a question now, but a critical one comes up at 2:00 am upon which your final paper depends, don’t freak out! In this age of Internet access, you can ask a librarian anything, any time through virtual reference services. L-Net connects you to a librarian any time of the day or night. You won't always get a PCC librarian, but you'll almost always chat with a college or university librarian who's an expert researcher.

When you ask a librarian for help, he or she will ask you a few questions. She'll want to know where you've looked for answers, what kinds of information you need, and how much you're looking for -- a two-page essay and a ten-page research paper need different resources. If you're just starting out and need places to look, that's fine -- the librarian doesn't want to repeat what you've already tried, and also doesn't want to overload you. This is the kind of work reference librarians love, so give us a chance!

Summer quarter is rolling by quickly, and next week we’ve got a special treat for those of you enrolled in 10 week courses -- We’ll be taking a second look at the Internet to discover so much more than Google. Search the invisible web with Dogpile, discover really useful and reliable web sites and portals, and even search visually with various search engines. If you haven’t heard of these terrific tools, be sure to tune in for super savvy searching to support your academic success and beyond!

See you next week, Sheila and Robin, Fusion Librarians