Navigating Lone Star College Library Resources: A Comprehensive Guide

Lone Star College (LSC) Libraries offer a wealth of resources and services to support students, faculty, and staff in their academic and research endeavors. From borrowing materials to accessing online databases and receiving research assistance, the libraries are vital hubs for learning and discovery. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the resources available at LSC libraries, including information on obtaining an ID card, borrowing policies, online resources, and research support.

Accessing Library Resources

Identification Cards

ID cards for both employees and students are created in the library at the front desk. A photo identification (e.g. driver's license or passport) is required. The first ID is free. Faculty and staff need to bring photo identification (e.g. driver's license) and a completed form signed by their supervisor in order to get an employee ID. This form must be filled out correctly and signed by the employee's supervisor. Online and dual credit students can request a library account number without getting an ID card.

Borrowing Materials

The LSC library catalog allows users to search for books, e-books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and more. Items in the library are organized by call number. The call number is like an address for the item and allows you to quickly locate items. It begins with letters which correspond with the subject area, and then is followed by a combination of numbers and letters, ending with the year the item was published. The record will indicate if the item is in a special collection. Items in a special collection are shelved together and are not a part of the regular collection.

Renewing Materials

To renew one or more of your items, you can log in to your library account through the library catalog site, and, if the item is eligible, renew it for extra time there. Items that have been requested by other patrons (i.e. have holds placed on them) may not be renewed. Reserve items have shorter check-out times. At LSC-University Park, reserve items are mostly available for 2 hours, in-library use. Some items are available for 1 week at a time. Textbooks in the library's Reserve Collection are available for 2-hours, in-library use.

Fines and Holds

Students who owe excessive fines (from an accumulation of late fees or from losing an item) will have holds placed on their accounts. You will not be able to register for more classes until you pay off your fine. Faculty may have fines forgiven on overdue Lone Star College-owned library materials. Fines may be paid in cash directly to the library.

Exploring the Library Catalog

The library catalog is a powerful tool for locating resources. To effectively use the catalog, consider the following:

Basic Search Options

Select an option from the drop-down selector to the left of the search bar. By default, the catalog will search using the Keywords Anywhere. What this means is that if the user types in environment impact, the system will search for all sources that have any word/s that you have entered in your search; both individually or together, but not necessarily in that order. These word or word combinations can be located anywhere in the source record, i.e.

Author: Use this type of search if you know the author/s name.
Subject: Use this type of search if you are looking for a generalized topic/subject about something or someone.
ISBN: If you know the ISBN/barcode of a book, you can use this type of search to locate it.

Search Tips

Spelling is important! If you are unsure of the spelling of something check it before you start your search. Likewise, when searching using search anywhere or title, type as much information or complete word structure as possible. If a word is misspelled or partial, the system will either produce no results or ask you if you meant the correction provided.

Refining Search Results

Depending on your search criteria this menu will provide you with ways that you can limit or narrow/reduce the results to better meet your needs. This is helpful to choose viewing only the format that you would like i.e.

Understanding Item Records

Upon selecting a title, you will be provided with more detail such as Author, Publication Information, Physical Description, Subject Term, Publisher, and if this item has any Holds. Some resources provide further details below the record information such as a full summary, reviews, or table of contents. You may find other keywords found in the subject terms glossary to widen your search efforts. On this page you will also see which library holds this resource, the shelf location within that library, and if the item is available. If you select an electronic resource the http link will be available. Once you click the link to access the item you will be required to enter your library barcode. Lone Star students can also use their My Lone Star username and password; that option is found below the barcode field. Note; electronic resources sometimes are not available due to additional pay walls or the resource has a limited amount of check-outs due to license agreements.

Online Resources and Databases

LSC Libraries provide access to a vast collection of online resources and databases, accessible both on and off-campus.

LSC and HCPL Databases

Use this page for all the LSC and HCPL databases we have access to at LSC-CyFair. The most popular databases are at the top of the page. Alphabetical list of all LSC research databases. Note that a few databases are campus-specific and HCPL databases that LSC-CyFair students have access to are not included in this list. Search for a specific publication and see which LSC databases index and/or provide full text coverage. Search for physical items in LSC, HCPL, and Montgomery County Libraries. Place holds on items and schedule an appointment to pick them up curbside at LSC-CyFair Library.

Research Support and Tools

Citation Guides

The library offers support for various citation styles, including MLA and APA.

Downloadable and printable sample annotated bibliography in MLA format.
MLA Handout created by CyFair librarians. 2-page worksheet lists and provides blank space for each of the core elements needed to construct Works Cited entries in MLA.
MLA Works Cited list with citations for different kinds of career sources (like the OOH, CareerOneStop, an article from a database, etc.). Helpful for EDUC 1300 students needing to cite sources in MLA for a career project.
This playlist has videos on: formatting a paper in MLA (Word and Office 365), citing a textbook reading in MLA, citing journal articles from an EBSCO database, citing ebooks from an EBSCO database, and citing articles from the Credo Reference database.
We have help and resources available for both the 6th and 7th edition of APA.
Slides from the Chicago workshop taught by librarian Regina Vitolo for the Writing Center on Oct 7, 2020.

Evaluating Sources

Scholarly Journals vs. Used by LSC-CyFair librarians in a class lesson plan centered around students learning how to evaluate sources with the PROVEN acronym. Designed to be printed double-sided, the front of each worksheet includes the PROVEN acronym and guiding questions. The back of each worksheet has a different letter in the PROVEN acronym and guiding questions. Use by breaking the class into six groups and distributing copies of two information sources to everyone. Link to the YouTube playlist with all six videos in the LSC-CyFair Library's COVID-19 Misinformation Tutorial. If you want to embed the Techsmith Knowmia-enabled version with of this tutorial in D2L, contact a librarian. LSC-CyFair Librarians created this glossary to accompany the Online Library Introduction (OLI). Handout with examples of summary, paraphrase, and direct quotations.

Additional Resources

Equipment

Computers, electric devices, and sound systems are available for use in the library.

Printing and Copying

Items marked as "REF" are for in-library use only, but there are copiers and scanners available. Copies cost $.10 a page.

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