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E-Resources
How do I access the E-Resources?
You might have direct access to the e-resources when you are inside a library or you can access the e-resources from anywhere using your public library card or POWER Library E-Card. Visit your local library website and look for POWER Library or go directly to POWERLibrary.org and select E-Resources.
What are E-Resources?
The e-resources in POWER Library are free access to newspapers, magazines, journals, image databases, STEM resources, resources for very young readers, eBooks, and much more! Many articles are full-text.
What E-Resources are Available?
The subjects covered include, but are not limited to: Biography, Business, Children’s Resources, Education, Find a Book, General Reference, Health and Science, Literature, and Newspapers and Magazines. To view the full list of e-resources, visit your local library website and look for POWER Library or go directly to POWERLibrary.org and select E-Resources.
Why should I use POWER Library rather than just surfing the web?
POWER Library gives Pennsylvanians access to authoritative, subscription-only information that isn’t available through free search engines or web directories. Publishers of the e-resources in POWER LIBRARY have carefully checked them for accuracy.
Chat With a Librarian
Can I get a transcript of my Chat?
Enter an email address (either at the beginning or during your session), and once your session has ended you will be given the option to email yourself a transcript of your chat.
Can I keep my Chat confidential?
You do not have to use your real name or enter your email (unless Emailing a Librarian). If you want a copy of your transcript sent to you, you can provide an email address at the end of the Chat.
How do I ask a question anonymously?
With Chat with a Librarian, you have the option to not enter an email address or your name. This allows you to remain anonymous. With Text a Librarian or Email a Librarian, the librarians will be able to see your phone number/email address.
How does Chat work?
With Chat with a Librarian, you have three options: Chat, Text, or Email. You can access all three options on www.powerlibrary.org/chat.
- For Chat with a Librarian, simply enter your contact information (if desired) and your question and ‘Start Chat’. Chat is available 24/7, so a librarian will respond as soon as they can, typically in less than a minute. But, depending on the complexity of your question, it might take 10 to 15 minutes for an answer, possibly more.
- For Text a Librarian, on your mobile device enter in the text number found on the POWER Chat page. Librarians are available Monday-Thursday 10-8, Friday 10-5. If you text during that time frame, you will get an answer shortly. If you text outside that time frame, you might not receive a response until the next morning or if it is after 3 on Friday, until Monday morning.
- For Email a Librarian, simply enter your contact information and your question and ‘Submit Your Question’. If you email us between 8-3 on Monday through Friday, we will usually respond within a few hours. However, if you email outside of that time, you might not receive a response until the next morning or if it is after 3 on Friday, until Monday morning.
What if my question takes a long time to research?
During live chat, if more time is needed to answer your question, a librarian may ask for your email address so that the answer can be sent to you later. During a text, if more time is needed or if your answer will be lengthy, a librarian may ask for your email address so that the answer can continue helping you there.
What is Chat with a Librarian?
Chat with a librarian is Pennsylvania’s statewide, live chat reference service, available 24/7. Chat has three components to help you when you need it, where you need it, and how you need it: Chat with a Librarian, Text a Librarian, or Email a Librarian.
Why am I being blocked from Chat?
Firewalls and filters can interfere. Check your settings to allow emails from chat@hslc.org and ask@springshare.comor contact your network administrator.
General Power Library questions
How reliable is POWER Library information?
Very. While we cannot ever be certain that all information in the POWER Library e-resources is accurate, you can be confident that it has been reviewed and compiled by subject experts and is more reliable than what you might find with a random search.
What if I can’t find an answer to my question?
POWER Library offers 24/7 Chat with a librarian. Ask a question, and you’ll either have an answer or be pointed in the right direction.
What is POWER Library?
Pennsylvania’s Electronic Library brings together in one place access to the collections and resources of libraries across the state.
Who can use POWER Library?
All residents of Pennsylvania can ask a librarian a question or search for a title, read an article, look through photos and documents, or find information that may not appear anywhere else on the web. Use of the e-resources requires that you are in a participating PA library or from anywhere using your public library card or POWER Library E-Card.
Who pays for POWER Library?
POWER Library is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Why is POWER Library a valuable service?
POWER Library offers Pennsylvanians and their libraries access to materials that they otherwise would not have. These resources are not available except as subscription services. The resources support the educational, professional, and informational needs of Pennsylvanians.
Why should I use POWER Library rather than just surfing the web?
POWER Library gives Pennsylvanians access to authoritative, subscription-only information that isn’t available through free search engines or web directories. Publishers of the e-resources in POWER Library have carefully checked them for accuracy.
PA Photos and Documents
How can I find out if an institution has additional content in their physical library/archives?
Often, contributing institutions only digitize and make available a very small portion of their collection. If an item in PA Photos and Documents looks promising, and after searching it looks like no other similar items are present, it is possible that the contributing institution has additional materials available that have not yet not been digitized or that they are holding in their collections. In this instance, it can be worthwhile contacting a contributing institution to see if they have any additional materials available. You can locate the owning/contributing institution for an item by checking the Details found below an object and looking in the Contributing Institution field. In some cases, contact information may also be included as part of an item’s record; otherwise a quick internet search should provide the necessary contact information.
How can the collection be accessed?
Access to PA Photos and Documents is available for free, without the need for a library card or other form of authentication, and is available at:
https://powerlibrary.org/collections/
For collections of the PA State Archives, please visit:
https://powerlibrary.org/psa/
How do I cite an item in the Photos and Documents collection?
When viewing an individual item, beneath the item itself and located to the right of the title is a Cite This button. Cite This generates three citation options: for MLA, APA, and Chicago style. (Note: these citations are automatically generated and may be incomplete; please double-check any automatically generated citations before using them.)
How do I see the persistent URL for an object?
To see the persistent URL for the object, click the Cite This button and locate the web address located in either the APA or Chicago citation. (Note: The persistent URL found in the citation may differ from the address listed in your browser’s address bar; the URL found in the citation should always be the one used for citations or in foot/end notes, as browsers occasionally add additional characters into displayed addresses.)
How many Collections are Available?
There are over 250 collections available.
What are the PA Photos and Documents Collections?
These collections are digitized photos and documents that are made available online by participating institutions throughout the State of Pennsylvania.
What is PA Photos and Documents?
PA Photos and Documents enables Pennsylvanians to search and browse the content digitized by libraries and other organizations across Pennsylvania. Digitizing aging and rare historical materials is important to preserving our collective history and traditions and to making them broadly available for research and study.
What Types of Photos and Documents are Included?
A wide variety of materials are available across the collections. There’s lots of Pennsylvania history including soldier’s diaries from the civil war. There are yearbooks, newspapers, and much, much more. The collections can be browsed by subject or by the name of the institution contributing the collection.
Why aren’t the Collections from my Library, Museum, or Historical Society Included?
Local institutions decide if they are going to contribute collections to PA Photos and Documents. The POWER Library does not determine which collections are included in PA Photos and Documents.
Books, Movies, and More in a Pennsylvania Library (Also known as Access Pennsylvania Catalog)
How do I search the catalog?
Here are tips on searching the catalog.
What are E-Resources?
The e-resources in POWER Library are free access to newspapers, magazines, journals, image databases, STEM resources, resources for very young readers, eBooks, and much more! Many articles are full-text.
What if I find an item I would like to borrow?
Ask your local library for the item and they will use the interlibrary loan system to obtain the item for you.
What is the Access PA Catalog?
It is a catalog containing the collections of thousands of Pennsylvania libraries. A single search will reveal materials held by public, school, academic, and special libraries throughout Pennsylvania.
