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Using CCC Library

CCC Library supports students, faculty, staff, and community members by teaching users how to find and evaluate information, providing access to millions of print and online resources, assisting with research, and offering space to learn.

Search Summit Libraries for books not held by CCC Library

Request articles, book chapters, and books through Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Borrowing books and articles from other colleges

Search scopes for CCC Library's catalogBooks

CCC Library shares an online catalog with 38 other Summit libraries, and you can borrow items from them. Requesting a book is as easy as clicking a button - and there are millions of items to choose from!

CCC Library's catalog searches three different sizes of content:

  • CCC Library: books, eBooks, videos, and other items at CCC Library
  • CCC Library + Summit: books, eBooks, videos, and other items available at CCC Library and 38 Summit libraries
  • CCC + Summit Libraries + Articles: books, eBooks, videos, and other items at CCC Library and 38 Summit libraries, and a sizable portion of CCC Library's article databases (but not all - much of EBSCO is excluded)

Articles

CCC Library's catalog does not have access to articles from the 38 Summit libraries' collections. To request an article that CCC Library does not have access to, you will always use Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

So when do you use Summit, and when do you use ILL?

  • Print books, DVDs, or other physical items listed in the CCC Library + Summit catalog as available at another college, but not CCC - use Summit.
  • Articles that you found on the internet or Google Scholar, or in a database that are not available in full text - use ILL.
  • Print books that are not in the CCC Library + Summit catalog - use ILL

Not sure how to check availability? Contact the Reference Desk at 503-594-6042 or reference@clackamas.edu, or chat with a librarian.

Have a question about where your Summit or ILL request? Contact Karina Young at 503-594-6328 or ill@clackamas.edu.

What is Summit?

Summit allows users to request books, DVDs, sound recordings, government documents and more from participating libraries in the Northwest. 

Requesting Summit items

If you find a print book, CD, or DVD that CCC Library doesn’t have, you can request it through Summit. Here's what to do:

  1. Type in search terms for the item you want using CCC Library Search.
  2. Choose "CCC + Summit" from the dropdown menu next to the search box, then select Search.
  3. Select the CCC Library users sign in for request options link. 
    CCC Library users sign in for request options screenshot.
  4. Log in using your full Clackamas email address and password.
  5. Learn how to get the item by selecting the item's title. 
    1. If an item has green text reading Available at..., it is available at CCC. 
    2. If an item has orange text reading Check holdings..., it is available through Summit. Select Check holdings to request the item. Move on to step 6.
    3. If an item has gray text reading Check holdings..., then the item is checked out from CCC Library but it is available through Summit. Select Check holdings to request the item. Move on to step 6.
  6. Select Request from Summit (2-5 days).
    Summit link screenshot.
  7. Select your Pickup Location.
  8. Select Request.
  9. Once completed, select Sign Out in the upper right corner of the page. Then, close your browser window to ensure that your account is closed completely.

CCC Library will email you when your Summit item is available for pick up. Use the scheduling link in that email to pick a time to pick your item up at Dye Learning Center. Items must be picked up within seven calendar days after they are available or they will be returned to the lending library.

If your Summit request cannot be filled, an email will notify you that your request was canceled. Instructions on how to request the item through ILL will be available on the cancelation email.

Community borrowers cannot use Summit, but they can request books through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

CCC students, faculty, staff, and community borrowers in need of books, articles, or other materials not available at CCC Library or through Summit Libraries can request those items from another library that participates in the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) program. Loan periods may be shorter than for our own materials, and renewals may or may not be possible. ILL is a free service.

All article requests should be submitted through ILL.

To request an article, first double-check that the article is not available from another database. The CCC Library Catalog is a good place to check!

Once you have determined it is not available at CCC, please fill out our Interlibrary Loan form (below) or contact Karina Young at 503-594-6328 or ill@clackamas.edu. Articles will be emailed to you within 3 - 10 business days. Include the following information:

  • Article name
  • Article author
  • Journal name, volume number, and issue number
  • Publication date
  • Article page range

To request a book, first double-check that the book is not available from a Summit library (use the search box on this page). If it is not (or if you are a community borrower), please contact Karina Young at 503-594-6328 or ill@clackamas.edu. ILL books arrive in 7-10 business days. Include the book title, author, publication date, and ISBN (if possible).

You may also stop by the library to fill out a paper request form.

Summit visiting patron program

Current CCC students, faculty, and staff can visit other Summit libraries to check out materials.

  1. At the other institution, users must log into their CCC Library account to verify their current active status.
  2. Once “adopted” by the other library, CCC borrowers can begin using the other library’s materials.
  3. Non-CCC borrowers can also be adopted at CCC Library. Once “adopted”, they may begin checking out CCC-owned materials directly from CCC Library.

FAQs

ILL Frequently Asked Questions


WHO may use this service?
CCC students, staff and faculty, including Distance Learning students. You will need either your library barcode or ID number (found on your CCC ID card or course registration) to request materials.
Clackamas County residents may also obtain a CCC Library card and use the barcode to place an Interlibrary Loan request.

WHAT can be obtained through ILL?
Participating libraries will generally lend books from their circulating collections and will send electronic versions of articles from journals, magazines and newspapers.

What can NOT be obtained through ILL?
Participating libraries will usually not lend reference materials, non-print materials, or whole issues of journals, magazines or newspapers.

HOW LONG does it take?
Requests for Physical items generally take 1-2 weeks. Uncommon items may take longer. Electronic articles can take a much shorter times, as can other materials available close by.

What if I need it tomorrow?
A reference librarian can help you determine whether the item is available for you to use at another library in the area. 

Will you mail it to me?
Students currently enrolled in a Distance Learning course may request that items be mailed to them if they are unable to come to the Library. By requesting mail service, you become responsible for any borrowed items; should it be lost in transit in either direction, you will be charged for replacement and processing.

What does it cost?
There is usually no charge; however, some lending libraries do require an additional fee. Please state on the request form the maximum amount you would be willing to pay ($0-$20) to obtain the item if there is such a fee. Pre-payment is necessary in the rare event there are no cost-free options. You will be contacted if this becomes necessary.

What information do I need to provide?
For a book: author, title, edition if it matters, publication year, and ISBN.
For an article: author, title, source (journal/magazine) title, volume, issue, date and page numbers. (please include ISSN if you have it)

What if I don't have all that information?
Ask a reference librarian to help you find it. Call 503-594-6042, email reference@clackamas.edu, or use our 24/7 chat service.

How many items can be requested?
For students and staff, there is no limit. We must limit interlibrary loan requests from non-student/non-staff to three requests per week, with a limit of nine per term.

How will I be notified when the materials arrive?
You will be contacted by email, phone, and/or regular mail.

Where do I pick up and return my interlibrary loan items?
Items can be picked up and returned at the Circulation Desk.

How long may I keep the items?
Each lending library puts its own due date on items that need to be returned. Three weeks is a common loan period for ILL items. Renewal may or may not be possible.

The full text of an article or book

If you are in a CCC Library system looking at an article you want, but don’t see the green ‘Full-text online’ link or a link to a PDF, you need to fill out an article request form, also called interlibrary loan. After we received your request, we’ll borrow the article from one of our partner libraries and email it to you – usually within a day or two. Contact a librarian if this doesn’t work.

If you found an article somewhere else and want to find out if you can read it through CCC Library:

  • Go to the CCC Library catalog and try entering the article’s title in the search bar. Make sure the search scope drop down is set to CCC + Summit + Articles, and be sure it is spelled correctly! After you hit search, click on the blue ‘Sign into your library account’ link and use your student email and myClackamas password to sign in.

  • Now look for your article in the results. It may help to use the ‘Refine my results’ sidebar to limit to the correct format type (book, article, etc.), publication date, author, etc. At this point, do NOT select ‘Full text online.’ Do this until you find your article (if it doesn’t turn up, contact a librarian). If your article has a link to ‘Full text online,’ you can click that, which will take you to a list of databases where that article is available. Select any of them, and it will re-direct you to your article.

 

If your article does not say ‘Full text online,’ but instead says ‘No full-text available,’ select that gray linked text. So long as you have signed in, you will be given the option to ‘Request this article through interlibrary loan.’ Select that link and fill out the form: CCC Library receives your request, borrows the article from one of our partner libraries, and emails it to you in full text! This usually takes just a day or two.

Clackamas Community College Library - 19600 Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon 97045
Reference: 503-594-6042     |     reference@clackamas.edu     |     Circulation: 503-594-6323
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