The Ensor LRC features over 130,000 volumes and other print materials in its physical collection. Combined with the eBook collection, online databases, and other resources, you have access to well over a million resources and items to help you in your research and topic. However, we do not have everything, especially when it comes to archival resources. Our archives is limited to the college's history and some collections from the surrounding area. Fine if you want to do a topic on that, but not so good if you want to go beyond. Additionally, our collection cannot meet the rigorous expectations of your history professors. In order to conduct your research thoroughly and efficiently, a visit to a major research university like the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville is a must. Furthermore, there are other options to receive materials as well.
As mentioned previously, the LRC is not a research library and our collections are not comprehensive. As such, you will need to seek out other sources to help you in the completion of this research paper. Below is a short list of other archives, collections, and organizations you should explore as you conduct research for your project.
While the LRC's collection can help you in your research and many of the resources you will ever need in your academic career are available here for your access and use, from time-to-time you may run into an issue with a resource we do not have or have access to. This is especially true when topics you are focused on narrow and become more specialized. When this situation occurs, you can rely on the library's interlibrary loan service to get items for you.
The library uses a system called Tipasa to request interlibrary loans. Our catalog searches not only items we have access to at Georgetown, but libraries worldwide. If you see an item that you would like to consult that we do not have access to, there will be a link to request the item through interlibrary loan.
If the item is electronic, you will receive an email that your item is available in your folder. If it is a physical item, the email will let you know it has arrived and is ready for pick up at the library's circulation desk.
Georgetown College is a member of the Federation of Kentucky Academic Libraries (FoKAL), a group of academic libraries across the commonwealth that work together to provide access to information and materials for all our students. Through this relationship, students at every academic institution have reciprocal borrowing privileges at every other academic library in the state. For example, you as a Georgetown College student could go to the University of Kentucky and check out books from their collection using your G-Card. The same can be done at Northern Kentucky University, Bellarmine, Murray State, Midway, Centre, etc. This is a way for you to gain access to materials that you may need while working on your project and interlibrary loan is not an option. If you have any questions about how this process works, please contact a librarian.
You can never start too early!
Gathering historical resources and understanding your paper topic will require a large amount of reading and time. For this reason it is imperative that you start early to allow yourself the time needed to visit other librariares, order inter-library loan articles, and even request books to be purchased for the Library. Good luck researching!