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Library Services

Reference Services

The Hartfield Library staff provides basic reference services to all students, faculty, staff, administration, and members of the community in HCC's three-county service region of Henderson, Union, and Webster Counties (KY). Some requests for information may require a reasonable time period in order to obtain needed information and therefore, not all requests can be handled immediately. Outside libraries and agencies may have to be contacted in order to fill the request.

  • The Reference Desk and Reference Collection are located on the main floor of the library.
  • Reference desk operates from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. (Additional assistance is available at the Circulation Desk until 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.)
  • Reference services are available by phone, (270) 831-9767, or by e-mail.
  • The Reference Collection features over 2700 volumes with strong holdings in Biographies, Business, Literature and U.S. History.

Interlibrary Loan Request

What are Interlibrary Loans?

Interlibrary loans (ILLs) are materials loaned between libraries. Usually these materials are books or articles. Only rarely do libraries loan out audio-visual materials. If you need an item that we do not have at HCC, we will contact other libraries to see if they will loan it to you.

The speed and cost of ILL requests vary from library to library. Most libraries do not charge fees for ILL items, although a few do. (KCTCS libraries do not charge ILL fees.) Requests typically are sent and received in about 3-5 working days, though sometimes it may take a little longer.

How do I find items to request through ILL?

PrimoVE is the name of our electronic card catalog. Voyager allows patrons to search for books held at HCC or the other KCTCS libraries. If you want articles, the library also provides access to a number of electronic databases which index the articles published in periodicals. While many of these articles are available in full-text, some are not. HCC also has printed indexes which list articles. ILL s are a good way to get articles which are otherwise not available in full-text.

How do I find out which libraries have what I want?

Generally, you do not have to know which library has an item, the library staff can do that. However, if you would like to know more about this process, please consult the following information:

  • When using PrimoVE, if you do not limit your search to Henderson CC, PrimoVE will automatically search the catalogs of all the KCTCS libraries.
  • The record of every item in PrimoVE shows where the items is held this is called the location. Note that the location also indicates in what part of the library the book can be found. Books listed in stacks are those that can be checked out. Books listed as reference or on reserve will generally not be loaned out.
  • If you cannot find enough books in the KCTCS library system, the WorldCat database (available through the Kentucky Virtual Library) lists books held all across the United States. Be aware, however, that some of the libraries listed through WorldCat do charge fees for ILLs.

How can I request items through ILL?

You may request ILL items either by filling out an "Interlibrary Loan Request Form" at the library or by making an electronic request. ILL request forms are available at the Circulation and Reference desks.

Simply fill in the appropriate information and be sure to identify the material you want delivered.