Online Degree Program

Online Degree Program Research Guide

The McCartney Library offers a variety of resources and services to support Online Degree Program students. Have a question? Ask a librarian!

Contents of this guide

Use Library Services

Request home delivery of books

Online students and faculty who live more than 30 miles from the Beaver Falls campus may order up to five books per month from the McCartney Library collections to be shipped to their home or office.
The McCartney Library provides the shipping to the online student or faculty member free of charge.
The online student or faculty member is responsible for returning the books to McCartney Library (either in person or by mailing the items back to the Library). Items must be shipped so that they arrive at the Library by their due dates, and the patron is responsible for any damage done to the items due to improper packing for shipping.
To order books, fill out the Ask a Librarian form. Please include your name, Geneva College ID number, mailing address, and a list of the desired books.
Journal articles can be sent through email; they do not count toward the five item per month limit and do not need to be returned.

Request articles not available at McCartney Library

Have you identified articles that you would like to read, but that the McCartney Library does not own? We are happy to order articles for you from another library. Simply fill out the interlibrary loan form and we will email the article(s) to you as they arrive. Articles often are available within a day or two!

For physical books, we encourage you to visit your local public library to inquire about InterLibrary Loan. This will save you time in shipping, and you will be able to obtain your materials faster and more efficiently. Also keep in mind many online books are listed in the library catalog, which you can read immediately.

Do you have questions about Interlibrary Loan, or about how to identify resources for your project? Ask a librarian!

Find information

Use the library catalog to find books

Search the library catalog to locate books related to your research topic. If you identify books that you would like to check out, you may either visit the McCartney Library in person, or order the books to be shipped to your house.

In addition, you can login with your Geneva account to review due dates or to renew books that you have checked out.

Ask a librarian if you have questions about searching the library catalog, or read this guide.

Use databases to find articles

Databases help you find journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, and much more on your research topic.

Browse the complete list of databases on the Find Articles (Databases) page. Organizational Leadership, Human Resources, and Management majors may want to focus on the business databases, Community Leadership and Christian Ministry majors should start with the Bible & religion category, and Human Services or Child and Family Services majors should begin with the social sciences databases.
Access the databases from your home, office, or anywhere else you have an internet connection by following these instructions.
Feel free to ask a librarian if you have questions about selecting, accessing, or searching the databases.

Find Applied Research Projects

Although you cannot access past online students' Applied Research Projects from home, you can search the library catalog to create a list of interesting papers to examine before you make a trip to McCartney Library. Simply follow these instructions!

In the library catalog type “applied research reports” (with quotes) in the search box and click on the magnifying glass to search. This will retrieve a complete list of all the applied research reports that we have at McCartney Library.
To limit your search to a topic, type "applied research reports" and a keyword or phrase. Examples: "applied research reports" and "employee retention" OR "applied research reports" and volunteers and retention
Once you have identified Applied Research Projects that you would like to read, visit the McCartney Library to look at the projects. If you are unable to visit McCartney Library, you can order a photocopy of the bibliography or another portion of a paper (up to 35 pages) by requesting it following the instructions for ordering McCartney Library materials.

Find a library near you

All public libraries exist to provide information to their users. The collection of a library near you, particularly large city libraries, may have materials that are relevant and useful to your research. Searches in WorldCat show other libraries that own an item. Once you find an item look for the "Other Availability & Holdings" link to see libraries worldwide that own the item, and you can sort that list by being near your own location.

Need research advice? Ask a librarian!

Email: Fill out the Ask a librarian form or send your question to ref@gregorybgallagher.com
Phone: Call the library at 724-847-6563
In person: Visit the library during most open hours to consult with a librarian face to face