The Virtual Reference Collection

The Virtual Reference Collection
User’s Guide

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WHAT is the VRC?

The Virtual Reference Collection– “VRC”–is a library of licensed,
Internet–accessible databases selected by professional librarians in Suffolk County. Online encyclopedias; full-text articles from newspapers and magazines; primary source history documents; photograph collections; “Opposing Viewpoints” including court cases, statistics and media transcripts; science biographies, essays and diagrams; timelines; health pamphlets; medical dictionaries; and citation style guides are just some of the specific resources that you have access to from the Northport-East Northport Public Library’s Virtual Reference Collection.

WHEN can the VRC be Accessed?

The Virtual Reference Collection is available at all hours when the Northport and East Northport Public Libraries and all other Suffolk County Public Libraries are open, as well as 24 hours/seven days a week from your home computer.

HOW is the VRC Accessed?

•To use the Virtual Reference Collection in the library, ask a reference librarian. The librarian will help you get started searching and printing.

•To use the Virtual Reference Collection from your home computer you need a Northport-East Northport Public Library Card or a card from your
Suffolk County home library.

1. Begin at the Northport-East Northport Public Library homepage www.nenpl.org

2. Click on the Virtual Reference link on the blue bar.

3. Click on Library Card Barcode Access.

4. Choose a “VRC” category.

5. Choose a database within that category.

6. Enter the barcode from the back of your library card. Press the Enter/Return Key.

7. Begin your search. The articles and information that you find on the
“VRC” databases may be printed, e-mailed or saved on a disk.

WHY is the VRC Unique?

Check out the “Newspapers” link and find Newsday articles dating back to 1985. Find New York Times articles dating back to 1851. Find United States and International newspapers including the San Francisco Chronicle (California), the Rocky Mountain News
Colorado), the Evening Standard (London) and the Times of India.

•Check out the “Magazines” link for full-text articles from hundreds of magazines.

• Online “Encyclopedias” include web links related to the topics that you are searching.

•Access primary sources for U.S. historical material, from precolonial times to present, with “History Resource Center.”

• The “Citation Style Guide” link leads you to web and print publications that help you properly cite the research materials you’ve used and include in your footnotes/endnotes and bibliography.

For additional assistance with the Virtual Reference Collection or any research pursuit, visit or call the library to consult with a professional librarian.

Whether you are studying late or up at dawn, the Library’s reference service never closes. Real Librarians are available day and night through our new service—Answers 24x7.

Answers24x7—real Librarians in real time—will help you locate reliable information.

• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Connect live with a professional Librarian
• Get help researching facts and information
• Service available to Suffolk County residents

The Reference Librarians of Answers24x7 are available to answer your question using electronic resources, or to provide assistance searching the Internet. They can help you find information, articles, books, and much more.

To use Answers24x7 go to the Library’s website at www.nenpl.org and click on the Answers24x7 link. Please have your library card ready—you will be asked to type in your barcode.

151 Laurel Avenue, Northport, NY 11768 (631-261-6930) / 185 Larkfield Road, East Northport, NY 11731 (631-261-2313)
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Last modified April 2, 2008
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