Ask Us

Most books are due at the end of the term. Each book contains a due date sticker, usually found on the inside of the back cover, that should show the due date for your books. You can also log into your library account from the online catalog to see what you have out, and when it is due.  Please contact the library for specific due dates for items you have checked out. Courtesy reminder notices are sent to your Central Penn email address a few days before items are due.

The Library is open from 8:00AM to 6:00PM Monday through Thursday, and 8:00AM to 5:00PM on Friday. Librarians are available by appointment after hours.

The library will be closed, along with all campus departments during national holidays. During break, call ahead to make sure the library is open before stopping by.

You can have 10 items checked out at one time. So, for example, you can have a laptop, 3 DVDs, 4 books, and 2 games checked out. Or you can have 6 books and 4 DVDs. Or 10 books. You get the idea.

DVDs and other audio/visual materials can be checked out for 7 days. There is a due date sticker inside the DVD case that should show the date your items are due. You can also log into your account from the Library catalog to see what you have out and when it is due. If you need more time, please contact us by the due date to request renewal.

You can look for books, electronic books, and DVDs by searching in our Online Catalog. You can search by title or author, or if you're not sure of the specifics, just use the keyword search. To narrow your search use the limiters on the left side of the page.
 

First, check with your professor to find out if there are any specific formatting guidelines that should be applied to the assignment. Your professor's requirements always override style conventions. See the library's APA Guide for other details on formatting your paper properly.

Yes. We have several laptops, an iPad2, and a Kindle Fire that can be checked out. These materials check out for 14 days. Because they are high-demand items, there is typically a waiting list to receive them. We notify patrons by Central Penn email when a device is ready to be checked out. Patrons typically have at least 48 hours to pick up a device before we make it available to the next person on the waiting list.

If you are looking for a specific book, search the library catalog by title or author. If you can't find the book, ask a librarian or fill out the online book & article request form. If we don't have the book you want, we may be able to find it for you at another library and have it sent here for you to borrow free of charge. PLEASE NOTE: The libraries that send us materials set the due dates and overdue charges for those materials.

The library is also happy to consider purchase requests. There is a box for annonymous requests in the library or contact the library if you would like to know the status of your request.

 

First, you can find articles in the library's subscription databases, like EBSCOhost Web and Gale Databases, which you can access from the library's page on the Central Penn website or from the library tab in Blackboard.

You might also look for articles in Google Scholar, where you are more likely to find articles from scholarly journals and other credible resources than if you simply search in a general search engine.

If there is a particular journal you want to consult, you can try to locate its website and see if it offers any articles free of charge (and if it doesn't, be sure to check with a librarian--we may have an online subscription to the article in one of our databases).

Finally, be sure to check the guide for your program to see if we've listed any other online resources that could be useful to you.

The library does not carry all of the required textbooks for courses that run at Central Penn, but you can check our course reserves in the online catalog to see if the textbook you need is available for use in the library. Just enter the first few letters of your course code (ENG for English, CRI for criminal justice, etc.), or scroll to see all course reserves.
To purchase textbooks, start at the College's Online Bookstore.

Yes, we have a copier/scanner in the library. You will need either a Central Penn Id or a Central Penn login to use the copier/printer/scanner.  Instructions are posted near the copier/printer/scanner. Printing and copying is free for Central Penn students.

You are responsible for upholding copyright law when making scanning or making copies (please see the copyright notice posted near the copier).

When a position becomes available in the library, the Financial Aid office is notified and the position is posted in there, in the library, and in the Student Central newsletter. The job posting includes a description of the position and the requirements for applying, which usually include filling out an application and your work-study program form, as well as submitting a current resume. The library director will contact eligible applicants via Central Penn email to set up an interview.

There are several reasons you may see a blank screen when attempting to access the online resources.

First, try a different browser. The Edge and Internet Explorere browsers are often not supported. We recommend using either Firefox or Chrome. Next, make sure that you have authenticated. You should see Central Penn's name at the top of the page. After clicking the link to a resource from the Online Resources page, if you were asked to authenticate, you should have entered your Blackboard user ID and password. If you did not do this, and if you do not see the authentication request when you click on the resource link again, close your browser, reopen it, and try again.
Also some of the resources require pop-up blockers to be DISabled, and Cookies to be ENabled.

If you still are unable to access the resources, contact the library via email and we will try to assist you during our regular hours.

We will be happy to help you, but your primary sources for help with writing assignments should be the Learning Center. The Learning Center is located in Bollinger 59 and can be contacted through their tab in Blackboard. They offer virtual appointments as well.

For help with APA please see the library's APA guide.

Each term, the library automatically creates accounts for all registered students, staff, and faculty at Central Penn. When you come into the library to check out materials, just show us your validated Central Penn student ID. We mail books to students, staff, and faculty who attend/teach online classes only, or who attend classes or work at locations other than Summerdale. In these cases, please use the Book & Article Loan Request Form to request items.

There are several options. Text us at 260-227-5733. Instant message us from the Online Resources page. Email us at library@centralpenn.edu.  Call us at 717-728-2500, or stop in  during regular library hours.

It depends on the kind of source. Citing an article is a little different from citing a book or e-book.We recommend using a reliable guide to citation to figure it all out. Look at the examples under Citation Basics in the library's APA guide. 
Another good online resource is the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines, and Purdue OWL's "APA Style guide"

Here are a few tips for avoiding plagiarism:

• Do your own work
• Cite as you write (don't lose citation information, and mark borrowed information so you'll remember to cite it later)
• Cite everything you borrow, including information from websites, song lyrics, poems, images, and so on
• Cite even when you paraphrase
• Use quotation marks and citations for direct quotes
• Don't overuse quotes or paraphrases
• See the library's Academic Integrity guide for additional help

Please see the library's APA guide which includes a  downloadable APA paper. Once you download the template, use your free Office account (through your Central Penn email) to save it for future use.

Keep in mind that each professor may have slightly different requirements for assignment formatting. Always check the assignment for your professor's specific guidelines, as these will override APA conventions.

Access the library's online resources, such as the EBSCO and Gale Databases from our Online Resources page or from the library tab within Blackboard. Click the link for the resource you want to access.

You may need to prove you are affiliated with Central Penn College by being redirected to a Blackboard login screen. Enter your Blackboard user ID and password and you will be redirected to the resource you were looking for. If you have issues logging in or accessing a resource please contact the library.