Library FAQ

All students and staff at ECC, as well as any residents (18 years or older) of our district (Community College District #509), are eligible for borrowing privileges. A physical ID is required to check out physical library materials (e.g. books, DVDs, etc.).  Once you get your ID from Student Life, you can to come to the Library Circulation Desk to register your barcode. You can also register online using the following form.

Community Borrower Library Card Procedure

For off-campus access, you sign in with your ECC username and password, as if you are logging into AccessECC or D2L. If you are already signed into AccessECC or D2L, you will not need to sign in again. You do not need to activate your library barcode in order to sign in to library databases  and eBooks from off campus.

If you have any questions about your library card, please contact the Circulation Desk at 847-214-7337.

If you are a student or staff and are having issues logging into the databases or eBooks, please contact the Reference Desk at 847-214-7354.

 

Students, faculty and staff may access the databases and eBooks off-campus with their AccessECC ID and password. The exception is Palace Project; you need to register your Student ID barcode to access that database. Here are instructions for downloading the Palace Project App.

Community patrons do not have off-campus access to the databases.

Generally, the 2nd floor of the library is the Quiet floor. 

Study rooms in the library cannot be reserved; they are “checked out” on a first come, first served basis for three-hour increments. 

 

Currently the library has three networked black and white laser printers available for student use (2 in the downstairs C119 computer lab and 1 upstairs). The library does not charge for printing but does limit printing to 15 pages.

See this FAQ for color printing options.

When a Student Lab Aide is unavailable, please see the librarian at the Reference Desk or staff at the Circulation Desk.

The two databases below will provide a good starting point for exploring the pros/cons of a topic. If you topic is history related, try Issues & Controversies in History.

Opposing Viewpoints

Issues & Controversies

 

Database and eBook access is available on-campus to everyone. However, only registered students, faculty and staff may access the databases off-campus using their AccessECC ID and password.

Student Network Computers are located in the center of the first and second floor of the library and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. However, priority is given to students doing academic work.  Internet, word processing and networked software are available. Downloading of programs is prohibited. Students are advised to bring a flash drive to the library if they will need to save material. Campus computer use guidelines are enforced.

Community members can use the computers with a 2 hour pass--contact the Circulation Desk (847-214-7337) for more information and to obtain your pass.

 

 

Circulation Desk: circdesk@elgin.edu
Reference Desk: libref@elgin.edu

Color copies are available for $.20 cents/side. Copies need to be paid for with cash. See the Student Lab Aide for assistance.

Black and white copies are $.15 cents/side.

The Academic Library and Learning Resources Center is located in Building C. Short term parking is located just outside the Library's front entrance.

Campus maps and driving directions

If your Student ID is expired, then your library card is expired. You can obtain a new Student ID from Student Life if you are a current student.

If you have questions about using your Student ID/Library card beyond the expiration date, please contact the Circulation Desk at 847-214-7337.

Articles from the periodicals may be available on one of our online subscription databases. The reference librarians can assist you in determining which databases may include the periodical you need.  You can check Journal Search in I-Share for the journal title. Articles may also be available through Interlibrary Loan or I-Share.

Yes, wireless access is available for anyone who wishes to bring their own laptop or mobile device. Electronic devices that allow WiFi connectivity such as a laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet can connect to 'hotspots' in the library to gain Internet access. An e-mail address is required or AccessECC username and password is available for log-in. The library staff is not able to troubleshoot problems accessing the wireless network. 

Check first to see if your item is available by searching I-Share. If not, we will request the material from another library, called Interlibrary Loan, and it will be sent to the ECC Library for you to pick up. In most cases, there is no charge and the material is generally here within a week to ten days. If the other library assigns a charge, we will contact you before ordering it.

Refer to the website for up to date information on hours and closures.

Circulation Desk (847) 214-7337
Reference Desk (847) 214-7354 
Interlibrary Loan (847) 214-7141

 

The student network computers include Microsoft Office which has Word. To access Word, go to the Start menu, choose Programs, click on Microsoft Office and then select Word. Please see the Student Lab Aide for Assistance.

If a Student Lab Aide is unavailable, please see the librarian at the Reference Desk or staff at the Circulation Desk.

Your Student ID serves as your library card.  Your library card will expire when your student ID expires.  For example, if your ID was issued on 10/12/2024, your ID AND your library card will expire on 10/12/2027. 

Renner Academic Library and Learning Resources
Building C
Elgin Community College
1700 Spartan Drive Elgin
Elgin, Illinois 60123 USA

ECC Library has subscribed to the NYTimes Academic Pass. This means that anyone with a valid Elgin Community College email address can sign up for free access to the NYTimes.com website and smartphone apps! It also means that you can cancel your personal subscription to NYTimes.com! (But first, read the “Restrictions” section below to make sure you want to cancel.)

How to Register for Your Free Academic Pass:

1. Go to the New York Times Academic pass page.
2. Click “Create Account” to create a NYTimes.com account using your student.elgin.edu or elgin.edu email address. If you already have a NYTimes account (free or paid) tied to your ECC email, you need to unlink your ECC email from that account before signing up for your Academic Pass. Log in to NYTimes.com, click your username in the top right corner, select “My Account,” and replace your ECC address with a non-ECC one. You can then use your ECC address to register for your pass.
3. After creating your account, you will be prompted to check your email. Look for the confirmation message, which should arrive within 15 minutes.
4. Click the link in the confirmation email. This will simultaneously verify your eligibility and grant your Academic Pass, which will provide access to NYTimes.com for 52 weeks.
5. If you don’t get the confirmation email, check your spam filter. If you still do not receive it, send an email from your ECC email account to edu@nytimes.com.

Ongoing Use: Once you have activated your Academic Pass, you should have full access for 52 weeks (364 days) with no further action on your part. If you see a message that you are reaching the limit of free articles on the site, you’re probably not logged in. Simply log back in.

Renewals: Once you have activated your Academic Pass, you should have full access for 52 weeks (364 days). If you are logged in and you see a message that you are reaching the limit of free articles on the site or an invitation to purchase, you may need to renew your Academic Pass. Please note: you cannot renew prior to the expiration date of your Academic Pass.

Smartphone Apps: Your Academic Pass includes access to the NYTimes smartphone apps. Also, once you have registered your Academic Pass, you can access nytimes.com on most web-capable devices.

Restrictions:

• Academic Passes do not include print copies, e-reader editions, Premium Crosswords, or the NYTimes Crosswords app.
• Academic Passes offer very limited access to articles from 1923 to 1980. However, ECC has access to that content through the library’s subscription to the New York Times Archive database, accessible on the library website.
• If you have a personal subscription that includes features not available through the Academic Pass, you may not want to cancel your subscription. (Or you might want to cancel only part of your subscription.)

Contact Beth Hultman, Public Services Librarian, at 847-214-7174 if you need further assistance.

Yes, research help is available from the Reference Librarians either in person in Building C,  by appointment, via chat, via phone at 847-214-7354, by text (855-523-3225 or 855-523-ECCL) or email. If you request an appointment, we will then check our schedule and assign the student to a librarian who will have availability during that time.  During the summer, appointments are available while the library is open Tuesday through Thursday.  On Mondays, support is available in person, by chat, phone, and email. 

All research appointments require one business day (24 hours) advance notice. 

Some faculty choose to place a Virtual Reference Appointment form into their D2L, Research Guides, or Embedded Librarian forums.  Please contact Stacey Shah if you would like to explore that option.