Monday, July 26, 2021

Library Resources for Continuing Education Students

There are many pathways to success at ACC, and one is through the Continuing Education (CE) department. Whether you are on a Fast Track to a new career, learning new skills to help with your current job, or even revisiting an old hobby, there's a CE class (and corresponding online library resources) for you!


Are you one of the hundreds of students who is pursuing a new career through ACC's Fast Track Program? The ACC Library has you covered!

If you are beginning one of the many, highly sought-after careers in the Health Sciences, check out our online database CINAHL Complete. It contains articles, books, dissertations, proceedings, newsletters, standards of practice, government publications, research instruments and patient education materials. Another great resource is Nursing Reference Center Plus, an evidence-based information resource including videos, images, and care sheets designed specifically for nurses.

Or maybe you're starting an essential career in the Applied Technologies field. Welders in particular should check out the AWS Digital Library, which contains all electronic standards, specifications, methods, and guidelines published by the American Welding Society. And everyone should explore articles from trade and industry magazines and journals in our Vocational and Career Collection.


ACC's CE department also has many great classes for those who are already in the workforce, but want to upgrade their skills or earn extra certifications.

Our amazing teachers are constantly learning themselves, and two of the databases we have to help are Ed.Flicks and Education Source. Ed.Flicks is a streaming video collection of early education career training videos while Education Source offers thousands of education journals, books, and conference papers. Coverage spans all levels of education and includes educational specialties such as multilingual education, health education, and testing.

Employees in all fields will often need to brush up on their computer and technology skills, which can be intimidating. Luckily the CE department and the Library can help! Check out articles from journals and magazines about computers, electronics, and the Internet in our database Computer Source. Or browse O'Reilly for Higher Education for study materials on computer languages and more.


Has the pandemic given you the opportunity to pick up a new hobby or even to revisit an old one? The ACC CE department offers many Lifelong Learning classes and the Library has databases to support them all!

Determined to finally master your grandmother's sewing machine or to turn your backyard into a relaxing sanctuary? Explore the Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center, which offers "how-to" instructions for Arts & Crafts, Collecting, Home & Garden, Indoor Recreation, Kids' Crafts, Model Building, Needlecrafts & Textiles, and more. 

Want to indulge your inner thespian? Check out Drama Online, which has written plays, video, acting classes, scholarly critical books, and audio plays. 

Or maybe you've watched enough Project Runway and want to give designing a try yourself! Fairchild Books Library is an eBook collection from fashion publisher Bloomsbury and covers construction, draping, fashion business management, history, illustration, journalism, marketing, promotion, theory, pattern making, styling, product development, sustainable fashion, textiles, and more.


No matter what path you're traveling, the ACC Continuing Education department has a class for you, and the ACC Library has resources to help you succeed in those classes! So, register for a class, explore a database, and start your journey to success today! 

Monday, July 12, 2021

Gale eBooks and Academic Search Complete -- a Great Place to Start Your Research!

Hi there! Do you have a research paper due this summer? Did your professor ask you to include a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article? 

Not sure where to start? 

Then check in with ACC Libraries for some assistance! You can ask us any question that you may have. We're here to help you!

For many research papers (but not all), the Gale eBooks and Academic Research Complete databases are an excellent place to start your search. 




Gale eBooks is a collection of online encyclopedias. It provides a broad, general overview on most topic areas. This is a tremendous alternative to Wikipedia (which you shouldn't use for a college level paper).  


Gale eBooks will provide you with reliable background information of your research topic. Once you have a couple of articles from Gale eBooks, you can change gears and start searching in Academic Search Complete.




With Academic Search Complete, you can find academic journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles and much more! Try different combinations of keywords in the main search bar. With the advanced search feature, you can make your search even more specific and granular. Give it a try! 

Once you've found an article that you like, click on the PDF Full Text link to view the full article.


Okay, so where do you find these databases? Click on our A-Z Databases tab, under the main search bar on the ACC Library Services webpage. From there, they are organized alphabetically.


If you are stuck and need some extra assistance, there are many ways that you can get in touch with us including our 24/7 Chat or Zoom a Librarian service. We are always here to assist you!