Find answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. Questions are organized by general theme accessible using the blue navigation buttons on this page.
You can access Northstar at libguides.clackamas.edu/northstar Ask a librarian how to "bookmark" a webpage in your internet browser so Northstar is only one click away next time.
Northstar is also listed as a "database" on our A-Z Databases page.
My textbook.
To see whether the library has your textbook, either visit us and ask a library employee or use our Course Reserves search to look up your course number (e.g., MTH 065). It is up to instructors to place copies of textbooks on Course Reserves in the library. Use your student ID and check out Course Reserves for use in the library. If you would like to purchase or rent a textbook, you can do so from the CCC Bookstore.
Books.
Try searching for the title of the book/eBook in CCC Library’s Catalog. Refine your search results to print books and eBooks using the Refine my results menu on the left hand side of the results page
A library database.
Looking for EBSCO, GVRL, or Films on Demand?
Access our library databases on our A-Z Databases page. Filter databases by subject (e.g., history) or by information type (e.g., streaming videos).
Articles from a library database.
There are multiple ways to do this.
If your instructor has told you the name of a specific database to use (such as EBSCO), access our library databases on our A-Z Databases page. Filter databases by subject (e.g., history) or by information type (e.g., streaming videos).
Use the CCC Library Catalog to search all of the databases at once. Be sure to narrow your results so that you are only seeing articles. More information on how to refine your results is available on our Research Help page.
Peer-reviewed articles.
Peer-reviewed articles are scholarly articles that have undergone rigorous editorial review. To learn more about peer-reviewed articles, go to our Research Help guide!
On the left hand sidebar of your search results page, you’ll see "Refine my results" and below that, "Availability."
Select the box to the left of "Peer-reviewed Journals" and click "Apply filters."
Your results should now have a small icon listed below the article title with a purple icon and the words "Peer reviewed."
A book to read for fun!
Yay! CCC Library has a growing fiction and literary non-fiction collection. We have all sorts of recommendations for fun books to read. Choose by genre - like romance, history, “you saw the movie…”, and more. We also have books recommended by reading level.
A book or article CCC doesn't have; the full text of an article.
You can get nearly any book or article in the world through CCC Library, even if we don’t own it. We borrow from our library partners on your behalf! Books
If you find a print book using CCC Library that CCC doesn’t own, we can order if for you through Summit.
If you have searched CCC Library for your book and cannot find your book listed, we’ve got you covered with Interlibrary Loan Articles
If you find an article using CCC Library that does not have Online Access or Full Text Available, but instead says "No full-text," you can order the article through Interlibrary loan by visiting the request form.
A research topic.
Finding a good research topic that you are interested in and is researchable can be difficult. We have many resources to help you choose a topic that will suit your needs.
You can find a permalink or stable URL in the library catalog or in a library database. In the library catalog
Click on the title of the item you are interested in. Look for the Send to heading. You can also click Send To in the menu on the left. Click the button labeled Permalink. It has a chain link icon. Once the URL is displayed, you can click Copy the Permalink to Clipboard and then paste the URL. In a library database
Each database looks a little different. Look for a button labeled Permalink, Stable URL, or Get Link. You can also look for a button with a chain link icon. You can also look for a Share button.
Something else!!
If you aren’t seeing what you need listed on this guide, reach out to us with your question. Our contact information is available from the Get Help link at the top of the CCC Library homepage. We have 4 ways you can get help!
24/7 Live chat with a librarian. Any time of day or night, you can enter a question into the chat box and a librarian somewhere in the world will respond to you, usually in under a minute.
Email CCC Library at reference@clackamas.edu. We will get back to you within one business day.
Call us at the reference desk at 503-594-6042 during business hours. Leave a message for a callback.
Except where otherwise noted, content in these research guides is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.