Does the library have the textbooks I need for my classes?
Answer
Textbooks needed for courses are normally purchased through the Harrisburg University Bookstore.
The library provides access to some textbooks needed for classes. To see if the library has the textbook you need, try the following:
- First go to the Library's homepage and search for the book in the main search box.
- You can search by the book's title and author.
- Alternatively, search by ISBN if you have it. An ISBN is a unique identifier number assigned to each book and will be made up of 10 or 13 digits, e.g. 978-0-306-40615-7.
- If it is not found there, go to the Library's A-Z Databases list (you can also access this list by clicking Browse Databases on the Library's homepage):
- Change the second drop-down menu labeled "All Databases" to "Textbooks". A list of databases that provide textbooks will appear. See brief video below for a visual on how to change this.
- Based on the descriptions provided underneath each database, search the databases that cover your program area for the title you need.
If you find the title you need, ensure that the edition and publication date match the textbook listed on your syllabus. Textbooks are frequently re-issued with different chapters and new information every few years. You may not be reading the assigned material if you have the wrong edition.
If you do not find the title you need either in the bookstore or in the Library, talk to your professor.
A number of websites have digitized public domain (no longer copyrighted) material and make it available for download. The items on the following websites occasionally have textbooks available are legally available for free:
- Hathi Trust: http://www.hathitrust.org/
- The Internet Archive: http://archive.org/