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OER

What are Open Educational Resource (OER)? How do they benefit students and faculty? How are they being used at BC3, and how do you find and incorporate them into a BC3 course? Read more.....

Search Box Central

Search the BC3 Library catalog for print books, ebooks, DVDs and other resources in the BC3 Library’s digital and physical collections. Read more

Reference databases are

A great place to start your research
Provide definitions, introductory information, facts, vocabulary/keywords, names
Preferred over Wikipedia by your instructors
Include citations for your bibliography!
Collection of encyclopedias, reference databases, issue topic databases

Reference Databases

Credo Reference
Credo Reference provides Topic Pages, which offer background information on a particular topic that can give you an easy starting point and pathways for further research; Access to hundreds of in-depth subject encyclopedias and handbooks covering every major subject from Accounting to Art History and Shakespeare to Einstein; and Mind Maps that visually show relationships between topics and keywords.
Salem Press
Provides full-text online access to a range of reference works published by Salem Press in the areas of health, history, literature, and science
Gale Virtual Reference Library
This is currently a collection of four online reference resources: Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness, Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health, Posthumanism: The Future of Homo Sapiens, and the St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture.

Issue Topic Databases

CQ Researcher
CQ Researcher provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. The reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and short "sidebar" features round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.
Issues and Controversies
Explore current issues and events with in-depth articles made to inspire thought-provoking debates. Topic pages feature the latest related news coverage from Reuters® as well as a variety of helpful background information, from the key pro/con arguments to chronologies of related events to primary documents. Updated weekly.

ProCon.org - web source that focuses on the pros and cons of controversial issues.

Find articles in EBSCOhost's General Databases (Academic Premier and MasterFile Premier).

Or search the library's Subject Databases

Business Source Premier
GreenFILE
Health Source - Consumer Edition
Health Source - Nursing/Academic Edition
Literary Reference Center Plus
Collection of literary criticism and primary literary sources.
Military & Government Collection
Newsbank
Full text articles from over 800 U.S. newspapers including local newspapers like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Butler Eagle.
OVID Nursing Collection
Professional Development Collection
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
PubMed
Database of medical journals.
Religion and Philosophy Collection
Vocational and Career Collection
EBSCOhost's Vocational & Career Collection is designed for vocational and technical libraries servicing high schools, community colleges, trade institutions and the general public. This collection provides full text coverage for nearly 340 trade and industry-related periodicals.
Westlaw
Database of legal journals and primary sources that include statutes (laws) and court cases.

Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes scholarly literature across an array of disciplines including peer-reviewed academic journals and books, conference papers, theses and dissertations. Some of the resources are freely available full-text, others you will need to request using the library's Article or Book Request Forms.

Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month

Join us as a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma tells the story of the Choctaw Code Talkers. The 19 Choctaw soldiers were the first to use their native language to confuse the enemy, making a marked difference in the outcome of World War I.

The virtual talk will take place on Thursday, November 6 @12:45PM.

Ask Us

Fall Semester 2025 Hours

Monday- Thursday 8:00am-6:00pm

Friday 8:00am-4:00pm

Librarians are available and ready to assist with research or technical questions. Stop by the library or contact us by Email: library@bc3.edu or by using the Ask/Request/Schedule options in the menu below.

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Day of the Dead Celebration at the Heaton

Day of the Dead Celebration

Help us celebrate and remember our deceased loved ones by bringing in a photo or memento of them to place on the library's Day of the Dead altar.

Wednesday, October 29-HFLC Upper Level