FRCC’s new library live-chat is there whenever you need it.
We’ve all been there. It’s the middle of the night, you’re trying to finish an assignment that’s due the next day.
Maybe you’ve been scrolling through Google results and nothing seems quite right for your topic.
Or maybe your teacher said you needed one secondary source and one primary source, but you aren’t sure which is which.
Or you found an article you want to read, but it’s asking you to pay $30 to see the whole thing. (Yikes!)
What do you do???
Chat with a Librarian!
Available now, all FRCC libraries are offering 24/7 live chat with librarians to answer questions like those above, and more! Ask your questions and get answers from a real live human, one-on-one, whenever you need it.
LibChat is a helpful resource for our students, faculty, instructors, and even staff to get help when and where you need it—and fast. Whether you’re brainstorming search strategies or wondering how to tell if something is a peer-reviewed article or trying to share a subscription article with a classmate or coworker, we can help!
We can help with more than research questions too. Because librarians are nosy information seekers, we can point you in the right direction for a variety of questions about the library and FRCC. If we don’t know the answer, we can help you find it!
Skeptical? Not sure this will work? Go ahead, give it a try!
Why Use This Tool?
There are so many ways you can use FRCC’s new LibChat. Here are some concrete examples:
For Students
Find Reliable Sources
College course assignments often require that students read, summarize, and apply research from academic sources, like journal articles. Don’t take a risk using unverified websites found through a Google search.
FRCC Libraries already subscribe to hundreds of databases that include trustworthy sources. You can find just the right resources for your projects in our online collection. Ask us which databases and journals we recommend for your topic!
Get Help Using Databases
If you’ve ever searched a database, you know they have their own special language! It takes creativity and persistence to get what you need out of them.
Librarians know how to use these databases efficiently, and we love to share these tricks with students. We can walk you through it on LibChat.
Ask Research Questions
When you’re using these databases and don’t have time to come to campus or to set up an appointment, LibChat is a quick way to get ahold of librarians to ask your research questions.
For Faculty
A Guide to the Library’s Resources
Students aren’t the only ones with busy, round-the-clock schedules. Ever work on your syllabus or class planning in the middle of the night? This library chat can also be used by faculty and instructors to get answers fast about our collection and services.
Course Development
Librarians on chat provide guidance so you can find high-quality information for your course development and instructional materials. The 24/7 chat can be especially useful for locating stable links (authenticated permalinks) to online articles and activities, so students go exactly to the book chapter or journal article you want them to use.
Lesson Planning and Ideas
Many of the FRCC libraries’ new databases include classroom activities, from case studies to technical skill videos. These handouts and links can complement class discussions and enhance students’ learning. Use the chat for suggestions related to your discipline or course subjects!
For Staff
Library resources aren’t limited to the Academic Affairs division! Anyone with an S number (including staff!) can access library resources.
Professional Development and More
Library resources include trade journals and other professional development resources vital for keeping up with the latest trends and needs in higher education. Don’t pay for that journal or news article!
Log in to library resources, set alerts, and read about changes at other institutions’ leadership, enrollment and persistence, student engagement and support needs, or first-generation students’ viewpoints about community colleges.
So Much to Explore
Reach out the FRCC library staff or use the live chat to make sure you know the breadth of journals, magazines, ebooks, and other online resources available to you while working within the Colorado Community College System.
How Do I Access It?
In addition to the chat link on the main FRCC libraries page, each campus library website embeds the LibChat throughout our research guides. The chat also pops up as a little blue chat button in the libraries’ EBSCO Discovery Service, which searches the majority of our databases at once.
Is It Really Available 24/7???
Yes—and we are real-life library staff members, not bots, answering!
As part of the Colorado Online initiative, the 13 community college libraries joined together to purchase large subscriptions to 80+ databases and other library software. These subscriptions mean that more students in Colorado will have access to the same level of quality information and more library services.
Librarians Working Together
One of the new software platforms that all students have access to is a 24/7 live library chat co-operative. Colorado Community College System librarians have joined this co-op, along with librarians across the US the UK—and they work together to cover the chat service all day and night!
FRCC librarians provide answers to our frequently asked questions so that other co-op librarians can help our students and employees. If co-op librarians aren’t sure how to answer, they just file a ticket and FRCC librarians follow-up with more details.
We’re Here for You
Even with 24/7 chat, real human librarians are still available at all three FRCC campuses! Click your campus’ library webpage below to find our locations, emails, and phone numbers:
- Boulder County Campus Library
- Larimer Campus (Harmony) Library
- Westminster Campus (College Hill) Library*
*Online students are invited to use the Westminster library.
Give us a call, request a video chat, set up an appointment, or drop into our libraries in person—we love visitors!
Tailored Library Instruction
FRCC’s librarians love to help our students find just the right resources for assignments and projects. We also love to work with instructors to provide tailored library instruction for their courses.
Just let us know what you’re looking for (asynchronous, in-person, or online) and we can make it happen!
- Boulder County Campus Library Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9am-6pm; Friday: 9am-5pm
- Larimer Campus Library Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9am-8pm; Friday: 9am-6pm; Saturday: 9am-5pm; Sunday: 12pm-5pm
- Westminster Campus Library Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9am-8pm; Friday: 9am-5pm; Saturday and Sunday: 1-5pm
But Wait… There’s More!
Regardless of how you access our services, the library has so much to offer in-person and online FRCC students, instructors, and staff:
- Physical items and online items like ebooks, streaming films, and online journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.
- Private study rooms and more spaces to study and collaborate.
- Computer labs and printers.
- Course reserves, like textbooks, DVDs, and models required for classes that you can borrow for a short amount time.
Ask a librarian today!
