Taylor Wang

For students looking to better prepare for papers, final exams, or any study for that matter, Penn State Libraries are here to help.

PSU has one of the top ten most robust libraries in North America, and every Penn State student can access PSU Libraries online with their ID. During your years at PSU, the library provides an expansive range of databases such as eBooks, articles, journals, and even films.

PSU Libraries compiles a section comprising resources for every major available on campus. For liberal arts, students can access the world’s most extensive shared catalog, consisting of millions of records of books and publications. On the other hand, if you are a STEM major, PSU provides eBooks and dissertations that contain a variety of engineering topics. Most importantly, none of those resources is confined to the respective major; anyone interested in any field can access them.

PSU Libraries also offer guidance to available courses on every campus. For instance, under Abington, students can reference guidance for courses such as ENGL 15: librarians offer ideas for brainstorming, techniques for keyword research, and using MLA or APA format. This applies to a wide range of students because ENGL 15 is a compulsory writing course every student has to take.

In addition to online course guides, Penn State Libraries offer in-person appointments. According to Christina Murphy, a librarian at Penn State, “Students who need help can also schedule appointments with a librarian at Abington.” Contact the librarians for personalized assistance if you prefer one-on-one guidance.

If you run into issues like citing sources, librarians will ensure the sources you find are appropriate—and, of course, help is available to all disciplines.

Beyond reading material, Penn State Libraries provide a movie collection (Swank Motion Picture) for students who major in Film Studies. It consists of more than 500 films arranged alphabetically, and librarians regularly update them. Again, every student has access to them. However, if you are looking for the latest releases or shows, Swank Motion Picture is probably not the to-go option because Swank primarily includes movies with didactic purposes; they are often older.

Penn State libraries provide free access to resources that can be expensive for the general public. For example, under Penn State libraries, students have free access to JSTOR–a digital library that covers cross-disciplines resources–which costs 20 dollars a month if you subscribe.

Students pay considerable amount tuition; the school is providing perks for them. However, if you don’t take advantage of them, it is your lost. Make sure to take full advantage of PSU Libraries before leaving Penn State–as they will not be available upon on graduation–they are here to support your pursuit of academic excellence.