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Syracuse University Libraries

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Welcome to Syracuse University Libraries

Syracuse University Libraries are here to help support you and your academic success. This guide does not strive to be comprehensive, but instead provides quick access to some of the most helpful and widely used services and resources that we offer to online students. If you have any questions about how SU Libraries can support you and your work, we invite you to contact us using any of the methods listed in the "Need Help? Ask Us!" box on the left side of this guide. This guide is one of hundreds of research and course guides that SU Libraries staff have created to support you and your learning

Top 10 (or So) Most Helpful Resources at SU Libraries

Libraries Search
A search tool for most of the Syracuse University Libraries’ collections and other resources beyond Syracuse University Libraries. Includes articles, books, journals, maps, sound recordings, archival materials, government documents, and more. Use for searching for articles. Narrow or expand results using multiple search refinements.

Journals and Other Periodicals
Search our browse our print and electronic journals, magazines, and newspapers available through the Syracuse University Libraries.

Databases A-Z
A list of databases available through the Syracuse University Libraries. Includes databases containing articles, images, data, and videos. Search for a database by title, subject area, or content type.

Research Guides 
Discover research tools, explore the research process, and locate helpful resources for a wide variety of academic topics and specific courses. Click on the "By Type" tab to see additional options. Created by your friendly librarians at Syracuse University.

Subject Librarians
Looking for specialized resources for your class or major? Reach out to one of SU Libraries' many subject librarians to support your research and learning.

Course Reserves
These are books that your professor reserves for your class.  Currently they are provided electronically if available.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Looking for a book, article, or other resource that is not be available at SU Libraries? Need a chapter scan from one of the print books we have in our collection? These services and others are available through interlibrary loan.

Research Strategies and Approaches
Wondering how to approach the research process or evaluate sources? Curious how to craft a thesis statement? Need help with citation styles such as APA and MLA? Then these videos and tutorials will help you develop strategies and approaches throughout the research process. Off-campus viewers will be prompted for NetID and password. 

Working from Off Campus? 
Check out our services and resources that help support your remote learning. 

Glossary of Library Terminology
Confused by library terms? Consult this guide for help.

Library Rights for Online & Distance Students

In 2008 the Association of College & Research Libraries adopted a set of standards designed to help academic libraries to better support online and distance students. The Standards for Distance Learning Library Services are a response to several critical factors, including:

  • the rapid growth of higher education learning opportunities that take place outside the traditional classroom;
  • greater recognition of the need for library resources and services at locations other than main campuses;
  • growing concern and demand for equitable services for all students in higher education, no matter where the "classroom" may be, or in the absence of a classroom at all;
  • a greater demand for library resources and services by faculty and staff at distance learning sites;
  • and the expansion and advancement in technological innovations in the transmittal of information and the delivery of courses.

A key section of the Standards, the "Access Entitlement Principle," communicates the rights that college and university students, faculty, and staff have in accessing library services and resources:

"All students, faculty members, administrators, staff members, or any other members of an institution of higher education are entitled to the library services and resources of that institution, including direct communication with the appropriate library personnel, regardless of where they are physically located in relation to the campus; where they attend class in relation to the institution’s main campus; or the modality by which they take courses. Academic libraries must, therefore, meet the information and research needs of all these constituents, wherever they may be. This principle of access entitlement, as applied to individuals at a distance, is the undergirding and uncompromising conviction of the Standards for Distance Learning Library Services."