Library Basics: Home

Houff Library provides access to many great information resources - both print and online.

• Online Library Databases: Access over 140 online library databases through the Houff Library website.
  • Our databases provide online access to full-text ebooks, scholarly/academic journal articles, magazine articles, newspapers, encyclopedias, videos, and more!
  • Access databases off campus by clicking the name of the database and logging in with your myBRCC username and password
• Print Books and Magazines Through the Library Catalog: Over 30,000 print books and 15+ popular print magazines in our library. Use the library catalog to search for books and other materials.
  • Our print book collection is focused on academic materials to support learning and instruction but we also offer a variety of books for leisure reading for adults, young adults, and children
  • Our print reference collection provides access to encyclopedias, guides, handbooks, and more. You may want to use our online reference resources as well.
• Research Guides: Created by your librarians help you get started with your research and locate sources for your projects and papers. 
• Writing & Citing Guide: Citation guides and handouts to help you format papers and cite sources.
• Ask a Librarian: Need help? Contact a Librarian 24/7 through our online reference service.
• Interlibrary Loan: We don't have access to a material that you want? Submit requests for books and articles not available at our library.
• Off-Campus Access: Even from off-campus, BRCC students, faculty, and staff have access to library resources and support using your myBRCC username and password.

Why is it important to make use of library resources, instead of relying solely on the general internet? There are many advantages to using library print and digital resources over those that you find on Google or Google Scholar.

• Library resources will always be free to you. While you can find a ton of free resources on Google, there are many that may ask you to create an account to access, or make you to pay to see the entirety of a resource. General Google results are often inundated with advertisements, which while harmless, can often be distracting or overbearing. You will not have to create an extra account to access library resources while you are a student at BRCC, and you will never have to deal with advertisements in library resources. 
• Many professors will require peer-reviewed journal articles, and there is no easy way to limit your results in Google or Google Scholar to guarantee that you are seeing academic, peer-reviewed materials. Google can provide you with millions of results, but you will have to spend a lot of time verifying that those resources can be trusted as good, bias-free research. Library databases make the research process a lot easier for you.
• Library databases include built-in filters that allow you to effectively adjust your results to match the needs of your assignment. Want to make sure that you are only seeing full-text, peer-reviewed academic journal articles? There are filters for that. Need an article written within the past five years on a specific subject area? There are filters for that.
• Tired of algorithms? Library database results are based on relevancy to your search terms and active filters rather than a complex algorithm involving your personal internet search history and what is popular at the moment. This relative search neutrality allows you to see results from multiple perspectives and build your research from the ground up. Academic research usually requires you to understand the full spectrum of a concept, rather than building a thesis on a biased perspective or information set. 

Houff Library Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 
Friday: 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Always check the Library Homepage for current hours and information on any holiday closings. 

The online library is always open! Ebooks, online articles, digital media, and course research guides are available at brcc.edu/library. If you are off-campus, you will need to sign in using your myBRCC login credentials. You can find more information about off-campus access on our website. 

Contact us at ​(540) 453-2247 or library@brcc.edu or stop by G236/2nd Floor Houff Student Center.

Need help? Ask a librarian! Options include a live chat 24/7.

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Need to schedule a one-on-one meeting with one of our librarians to get help with research or citation assistance? Check out this video on how to schedule an appointment via EAB Navigate. 

Prefer to use your phone? Download the Navigate Student App in the App Store or on Google Play. Then log in using your MyBRCC username and password.