Library 101 Tutorial

How do I access databases from off-campus?

• Log in with your NetID username and password. This is the same username/password that you use to log into the computer lab computers, NetStorage, etc. Note that this is not your EagleNET username and PIN.
• If you don't know what your username/password is, then go to accounts.ewu.edu.
• If you have problems, contact tech support at 509-359-2247.

How do I check out stuff?

• Your EagleCard is your library card. Just bring it with you to the Circulation Desk on the Main Level at JFK (or the Second Floor at Riverpoint) to check out most library materials.
• Go to the JFK Lower Level Services Desk to check out laptops and other equipment. See Equipment Checkout for more information. Spokane Academic Library has some laptops that you may check out.

How do I find a particular journal, magazine, or newspaper?

Go to Find a Journal, Magazine or Newspaper and type in the name of the source (not the article title). 

How do I get help with my research?

For personalized consultations, use the Ask a Librarian contact info in the box on the right.

Where is the library?

• The JFK Library is located in the heart of the Cheney campus, on the Quad, in between the Science Building and Williamson Hall. Need a map of the Cheney Campus?
• Library hours

Can I study in the library? 

• There are a variety of spaces on all three floors of JFK, including group study rooms, smaller study carrels, and collaboration spaces. Visit this webpage to see all three floors. 

Where are the materials my instructor put on reserve?

• Books, videos and other materials are on reserve at the JFK Circulation Desk (Main Level).
• View a list of reserve materials, including e-reserves, via the EWU Library Catalog. Ask your professor for the password to access materials on e-reserves.

Where is the fiction shelved?

• On the Upper Level under the P’s
• On the Main Level near the front entrance. 

EWU Libraries are here to help you in a number of ways!

• JFK is a place for study and group work. 
• Use a computer, printer, or scanner. 
• Checkout equipment - we have over 200 laptops, as well as digital cameras, projectors, and more, courtesy of the tech fee. 
• Read, watch or listen to something that isn’t a textbook! JFK Library has lots of popular/leisure reading, as well as a large collection of DVDs and CDs.
• Get help – ask a reference librarian anything face-to-face, email or telephone. Or request a virtual appointment. 
• Visit Thomas Hammer Coffee.
• And last, but not least. . .

Locate Quality Information

There is more to doing research than what you can find via Google. A lot more! This tutorial is focused on locating, evaluating, and citing articles and books – traditional sources of information that your professors expect you to use in your essays.

Why isn’t all of the information in the library on Google? Because, invariably, quality information costs money. Google is designed to locate what’s available freely on the web.

Can you find articles and books on Google? Yes, some articles and books are freely available, but Google doesn’t organize information by type or quality. It organizes information by keywords, and ranks according to popularity. And popularity does not automatically equal quality. So you end up fishing for jewels in the sea of data.

But if you use the library's online resources you can quickly locate articles and books, or fish for jewels in a jewelry box. They save you time and effort in your quest for quality information.