Library

Contact Information

Main Building

Sister Rose Hobbs, RSM, MA, MLS – Director

Phone: (518) 438-3111, ext. 215

Fax: (518) 453-1366

Email: boucharde@mariacollege.edu (Thurs. evenings/weekends)
guadronm@mariacollege.edu (Mon.-Wed. evenings)
roseh@mariacollege.edu (days)

Library Mission

Download: Monthly Calendar and Newsletter

Download: Maria College Campus Summer Hours Schedule

The mission of the library is to support the educational programs at Maria College and facilitate learning and research activities among students, faculty and staff.  The library staff seeks to fulfill this mission and make holdings and facilities user-friendly by providing attractive, accessible reading and stack areas, providing competent assistance to students and faculty, offering instructional services on the use of the library, and organizing and maintaining a collection that supports Maria’s programs.

The library has approximately 59,000 books, with new titles added each year.  In addition, 225 periodicals and 20 newspapers are available to students and faculty. Maria’s library has added an eBook collection in 2011 which features a collection of Occupational Therapy titles. The eBook collection will be expanding with additions in the other academic programs.

About the Library

Maria’s library consists of the main reading room, the stacks and the periodical room, and staff members are available to help students locate materials.  Students need a Maria College ID to borrow books.  Books may be taken out for one month, and overdue notices will be sent via email at the beginning of each month through Web Services.  Students are responsible for the replacement costs for books that are lost or badly damaged.  Alumni are always welcome to use the library’s services and resources.

Required reading for classes is usually placed “on reserve” at the circulation desk.  Unless specified by the instructor, these materials may not leave the library.  A list of instructors and their reserve materials is kept at the desk.

Two self-service copy machines are available for students’ use; the cost of copies is 10 cents per page.

Hours

Library hours are posted on the bulletin board outside the library and in the general office.  Typically, the library is open whenever classes are in session.  The calendar and monthly newsletter, FYLi, is avaibable on this page.

Library Orientation

Faculty members are encouraged to schedule library orientations for their classes.  These orientations include tutorials on how to use databases and information on the resources that are available.  Individuals and/or small groups may be scheduled as needed.

  1. Schedule a Library Session
    * Required

Inter-Library Loan

Students may use most of the libraries in the Capital District through inter library loan or through the direct access program.  CaDiLaC Online contains lists of all locally held books and periodicals.  Using a direct-access card, which is available through application with the librarian, a student may borrow directly from other libraries.

Peer – to – Peer File Sharing Policy and Copyright Law

Policy: Maria College prohibits the unauthorized distribution fo copyrighted material. The unauthorized distribution of copyrighted mateial including peer – to – peer file sharing, may subject a student to civil and criminal liabilities as listed below:

“Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, withoutpermission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 fo the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). THese rights include the right ot reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work with authority constitutes an infringement.”

Law: Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anhone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $75o.00 and not more than $30,000.00 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000.00 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretioin, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Section 504, 505. Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250.000.00 per offense.

Students who violate the Maria College policy regarding unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material will be subject to the Regulations  Concerning Violation fo the Code of Conduct as outlined in the Maria College Student Handbook.

For more information, please see the Website of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov especially their FAQ’s at http://www.copyright.gov/faq.

  1. Archives - Special Collection - Digitization Project

    In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Maria College in 2008, a special collection of historical titles has been compiled and reclassified.  The purpose of this special collection is to support research, learning and teaching by collecting, cataloging and preserving unique titles of interest to Maria College, the Sisters of Mercy and the broader academic community.

    These titles are classified as “Special Collection” because of their research potential, uniqueness, rarity, early printing, limited availability, autographed editions and/or physical fragility.  These books, both fiction and nonfiction, may vary considerably, with a concentration on, but not limited to, early American History and Catholicism.  Also included is a small collection of children’s books.  The collection came from sources such as the college, local convents, schools and churches.

    Rare and unusual titles include Ordo Baptizandi Aliaque Sacramenta Administrandi, a priest’s missal for the sacrament of baptism in Latin, copyright 1686 and published in London by Hen. Hills.  Also included is The Key of Heaven, compiled by Reverend J. F. Lang, an exquisite little brass and purple velvet bound collection of prayers for priests, in superb condition, copyright 1885 by Greil, Wildermann and Company, New York.  The cover has a striking cross made of mother of pearl and brass.

    In February 2009, Sister Eleanor Little, Archivist of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Northeast Community, donated 18 archival boxes of black and white photographs, documents, correspondence, publications and newspaper articles pertaining to the history of Maria College.  Sister Rose Hobbs, Library Director, recently received approval from the Capital District Library Council (CDLC) for the Maria College Library to participate in a statewide digitization project funded by a grant and coordinated by CDLC.  The New York 3Rs Association’s digital heritage website, www.newyorkheritage.org, connects more than 160 digital collections.  Images for the site are contributed by libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions.  Maria’s library staff members are thrilled to have the opportunity to add historical photographs and documents to this important website for New York state history.  CDLC’s digitization project may be viewed at http://contentdm.cdlc.org./.

  2. APA Format

    When writing essays or research papers in which you use the words or thoughts or ideas of another person, you must credit (document) the source of those words or ideas.  At Maria College, we use the APA (American Psychological Association) documentation style in which you must briefly credit the sources of words or ideas within the text of the paper using in-text citations, and then you must fully identify and credit the sources at the end or your paper on the References page.

    Below you will find links to assist you in creating in-text citations and Reference pages from Research and Documentation Online – 5th Edition, Diana Hacker, Barbara Fister

    Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
    http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resources/560/01f/

    FAQs about APA style:
    http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/

  3. Electronic Resources

     There are many electronic resources available to help students with their research and coursework.  Some of the most helpful resources are listed below.  If you need to access these resources off-campus, please contact the library.

    Phone: (518) 438-3111, ext. 215
    Email: askthelibrarian@mariacollege.edu

    There are pamphlets available in the library which give information for off-campus access (passwords) to the databases.

    A-to-Z Electronic Journals
    A-to-Z is a simple, easy-to-navigate browse and search interface for all print and electronic resources in the library’s collection.  Use the Index tab to view a list of databases.  Use the Subject tab to browse a list of subject areas covered by the titles in our collection.  Click a subject category to view a list of all titles in that category.

    Capital District Library Council
    CaDiLaC Online is CDLC’s virtual regional catalog.  This catalog allows users to enter searches for books and journals in local Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs) maintained by CDLC member libraries.  Search results are returned to the user online.  Printed results allow students to gain information as to where the title is held locally.

    The Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
    A database service offering information about children’s books, videos, and audio books, ranging from early childhood to novels and nonfiction for young adults.

    CREDOreference
    A complete reference collection with access to full text of best reference books, including images, sounds, concept maps and more.

    EbscoHost
    Consists of several databases providing full text coverage of hundreds of journals and book reviews.

    Gale Databases
    ~ Health and Wellness Resource Center and Alternative Health Module
    ~ Custom Newspapers
    ~ Business and Company Resource Center
    ~ National Newspaper Index
    ~ New York State Newspapers
    ~ Twayne’s Author Series

    Grolier Online
    Access to Encyclopedia Americana, New Book of Knowledge, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Roget’s New Thesaurus and The American Heritage Dictionary.

    Healthology
    A database bringing leading experts together in the creation of unique, interactive online programs for consumers, patients, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals.

    Nursing Reference Center
    This database offers conditions and diseases, patient education, labs and diagnostics, and drug and reference information from top publishers, Davis’ and Taber’s guides.

    Occupational Therapy NetLibrary eBooks
    Besides being available on you PC or laptop, you may also access these eBooks n the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Sony Daily Edition, Sony Digital Readers (PRS-300, 505, 600 and 700BC), or the COOL-er. The list of compatible devices will expand over time.

    Salem Press brings online access to award-winning reference works:

    Salem Health
    ~ Cancer
    ~ Genetics and Inherited Diseases
    ~ Magill’s Medical Guide – 6th Edition
    ~ Psychology & Mental Health

    Salem History
    ~ 50′s
    ~ 60′s
    ~ 70′s
    ~ Milestone Documents of World Religions

    Salem Literature
    ~ Critical Insights: Toni Morrison; Maya Angelou:
    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

    Salem Science
    ~ Encyclopedia of Global Warming

    Westlaw
    A comprehensive legal database available to paralegal students.
    See instructor/librarian for password.

  4. Mobile Applications

    Use these links when you want to find resources on your phone or other hand-held devices.

  5. Online Resources

    Links to other libraries, museums, newspapers and magazines, reference publications and Internet search engines and web directories.

    Libraries

    Museums

    Newspapers and Magazines

    Current newspapers and periodicals are on display in the periodical area at the rear of the reading room.  They are filed alphabetically until they are bound or discarded.  A list of periodicals and their locations is available at the reference desk.  Library staff will retrieve microforms and assist students in using microform readers and printers.

    Reference

    Search Engines and Web Directories