Frequently Asked Questions

The Library’s current hours are available on the Hours page.
Direct link to this FAQ on hours.

The SUNY Online Help Desk should be your first point of contact to get help with all aspects of the Brightspace learning management system (LMS). The SUNY Online Help Desk is staffed with experts who can assist with:

• creating course content (e.g. assignments, quizzes, discussions forums, attendance, etc.)
• answering questions pertaining to course delivery (e.g. navigating discussions, grading assignments, adjusting release settings, working with the grade book, etc.)
• help students navigate and work with the system
• and more!

You can contact the SUNY Online Help Desk during their extensive service hours, including evenings and weekends. Updated hours are posted to their website and available at the “SUNY Online Support Services” widget in Brightspace.

• Main Website for the SUNY Online Help Desk
  • at the LMS Support Request page, click on the “Request Service” button
• SUNY Online Help Desk phone number for Brightspace assistance: 1-844-673-6786

Please visit their website for more information and check out the SUNY Online Support and Resources site for additional support.

Link to FAQ: How do I get help with D2L Brightspace?

For policy details and complete directions on how to place library materials on physical reserve, please see Course Reserves.

Direct link to this FAQ on Reserves.

Current Purchase College students, faculty, and staff who present a valid Purchase College ID card may borrow library materials according to the loan periods specified on the Borrowing & Renewing page.

Due to system limitations and the COVID situation, the following affiliations will not be able to borrow books and materials:

• Friends of the Library
• Manhattanville College students and faculty
• Students and faculty from SUNY institutions
• Faculty from WALDO (Westchester Academic Library Directors Organization) institutions

Guests, alumni, and community members not affiliated with the above institutions do not have borrowing privileges. Due to COVID, use of the Library’s on-site materials is also limited only to current Purchase ID cardholders; guests are not allowed to visit the Library.

Direct link to this FAQ on borrowing. 

As a Purchase College student or employee, you are eligible for a Westchester Library System card (public library card). A WLS card allows you to borrow materials and access electronic resources including Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning), Overdrive (ebooks), kanopy (movies), Hoopla (ebooks, movies, music), audiobooks, and more!

If you are a Westchester resident, you will need to apply through your hometown library to obtain a card.

If you are not a resident of Westchester County, but you are a member of the Purchase College community, you can apply online through Harrison Public Library or Purchase Free Library. Both libraries are in the Town of Harrison and both serve our school as crucial partners. The online application takes minutes and you will generally have your card in 1-2 days. If you have any issues with the online application process, please email us and we will contact the Purchase Free Library for backup.

See this FAQ for full WLS card signup details.

Yes, there is WiFi (wireless internet) in the Library that both guests and Purchase affiliates can use. Both are managed by CTS.   There are two WiFi networks with the following names:

Please see our Wi-Fi Heat Map for coverage areas in different buildings.

PurchaseWiFi:  Students, faculty, and staff should choose the “PurchaseWiFi” network. The username is your Purchase email username (firstname.lastname WITHOUT the @purchase.edu) and the password is your Purchase email password.  You should only have to enter your username and password once to have access.

PurchaseGuest: Guests and visitors to campus should choose the “PurchaseGuest” network.  The password changes at least twice a year.  You can ask a library employee at the Circulation or Reference desks for the current password or view the Guest Wifi page.

Note that PurchaseGuest network is limited; it enables you to view webpages and use most apps, but not to use high-bandwidth services like Skype, video streaming, etc. On mobile devices, the guest network may also prevent off-campus email accounts from refreshing (such as Gmail or the Mac OS mail app). To get around this, access your email via a web browser, rather than an app or mail client.

For more info, see the Connecting to Wireless Page.

Please see the Student Projects guide which includes information about submitting senior projects, capstone papers, and master’s theses. It covers setup of the Student Project Portal space, the research process, locating senior projects from past years, formatting the project, and final submission steps.

Direct link to this FAQ on student projects.

All Library fees are paid through Student Accounts. Go to My Heliotrope for further information on paying your bill. The Library cannot accept payment at service desks.    

If you have any questions about fines, please speak to a Circulation Supervisor, either in person, by calling (914) 251-6401, or by emailing lib.circ@purchase.edu.

If you have graduated or no longer have a current More Card, and need to pay an outstanding fine, contact lib.circ@purchase.edu

Note: The Library no longer charges overdue fines, but you can be charged a replacement fee for lost items. See policies for Lost Library Materials.

Direct link to this FAQ on paying fines. 

Please visit our computer lab resources page for more information on computers, software, and printers in the campus Library labs.

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Moodle-to-Brightspace Course Import

If you want to move materials from Moodle to Brightspace, please see the Moving Courses from Moodle to Brightspace page.

Brightspace-to-Brightspace Course Import

If you want to move course materials from a previous Brightspace course into a new Brightspace course, directions can be found at the official Brightspace Higher Education Instructor Knowledge Base: “Import, export, or copy course components”

You will usually want to use the “Copy Course Components” option.

Watch the short “How to Copy Course Components” tutorial on YouTube.

Link to this FAQ: How do I import/copy/move materials from a previous Moodle course into a new Brightspace course?

You are encouraged to link directly to the Library’s subscription databases and online journals, just as you would link to any website or resource on the Internet. It is especially important to link directly to library databases/articles from Brightspace courses. This is a best practice for a number of reasons:

• Ensures accessibility: Many databases offer text-to-speech options and provide stable, searchable, and accessible PDFs. Databases also upgrade & improve content regularly.
• Builds research skills by familiarizing students with various database interfaces.
• Ensures compliance with copyright.
• Reduces amount of time faculty spend scanning course materials.
• Increases database usage/traffic, which helps the Library justify database renewal costs.
• Encourages students to take advantage of value-added features such as citation generators, exporting to citation managers, and alternative file formats (PDF, HTML, ePub, etc).

To make resources from the Library’s subscription databases and online journals available to students who may be remotely accessing Brightspace (or other platforms) from off-campus, you must include the EZProxy prefix code in the item’s URL.

The EZProxy prefix code is: http://ezproxy.purchase.edu/login?url=

This prefix code must be placed before the rest of the URL in order to make the article available from off-campus. To do this:

1. Locate the article in the Library’s online databases/journals
2. Look for the document’s persistent URL (also called a permalink, stable URL, or document URL) within item record. Never use the URL at the top of the browser bar!
3. Copy and paste the EZProxy code into the URL field when adding a new link in Brightspace
4. Copy and paste the article’s persistent URL after the EZProxy code

Example:

When using JSTOR, click on “copy the stable URL” in the article record. Paste the EZProxy prefix in front of the JSTOR stable URL. It should look like this: http://ezproxy.purchase.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23361974

Please note:

• Unlike other databases, permalinks from the Library Discovery Search do not require the EZProxy prefix. These permalinks will work from off-campus.
• Some databases already embed “Purchase” or “ezproxy” into their permalinks or stable URLs; If you see “ezproxy” or “purchase” in a URL, you can simply copy-and-paste the entire link. No need to add the EZproxy prefix twice.
• When remote (off-campus) users click on an EZProxy URL, they will be prompted for Database User Authentication and will login using their username (firstname.lastname - without @purchase.edu) and Purchase email password.

Direct link to this FAQ on ezproxy.

Readers on Student Projects (senior projects, capstone papers, and master’s theses) can manage project invitations and move quickly between student project spaces in the new MyHeliotrope submission system.

Turnitin is a plagiarism prevention tool that is available to all Purchase College students and instructors. You must be a current Purchase College student or instructor to access our version of Turnitin via Brightspace (requires current Purchase College login).

Students: Login to Brightspace to access the Turnitin Self-Checker, located in the main Purchase College Brightspace Navbar.

Instructors: Your link to the Turnitin Self-Checker is located in the “More” menu. You can also create Turnitin assignments in your courses using the Turnitin Assignment Guide and the “Assignments and Turnitin” article at the official Brightspace help documentation.

The Turnitin Self-Checker allows Purchase College students to check rough drafts of papers, essays, and assignments for originality and proper citation. You can use the Similarity Report generated by Turnitin to identify paraphrases or citations that need revision before your final draft is due.

Click on the “Add a File“  > “Submit” buttons to upload your document for analysis by Turnitin:

Note: only current Purchase College students can access Purchase College’s Turnitin Self-Checker. You must have a current Brightspace/email account to login. There is no Guest access available.

• Purchase College Brightspace
• Submit and Manage Assignments (Students)
• Turnitin Student Hub
• Assignments and Turnitin (Instructor)
• Instructor guidance for the assignment workflow in D2L LTI 1.3

Direct link to this FAQ: How do I use Turnitin to check my own drafts for originality?

Instructors no longer need to add the ThinkingStorm connection to individual courses. A link to ThinkingStorm is available to all students via the Purchase College Brightspace Navbar.

ThinkingStorm is an online/virtual tutoring platform utilized by many colleges. It provides 24/7 access to professional tutors online for many subject areas. 

Link to this FAQ: How do I add the ThinkingStorm Online Tutoring connection to my Brightspace Moodle course?

Students: though there are other reasons why you may have been suddenly dropped from your courses on Brightspace, one of the most common culprits is that your Mandatory Immunization Requirements may not be filed properly with the College. Please contact the Registrar and/or Health Services if you have any questions.

Please note that any activities you have completed or work submitted in your courses will be restored upon resolution of immunization records and re-enrollment in current Brightspace course spaces.

Link to this FAQ: Why have I suddenly been unenrolled/dropped from my courses on Brightspace?

Masks are not required in the Library but are encouraged/optional. This is in keeping with CDC guidelines and Purchase College policy.

See the Library’s mask and social distancing policy for full details.

Direct link to this FAQ on masks.

The Interlibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database (ILLiad) is the resource sharing management software used to process all interlibrary requests at Purchase College. The ILLiad system allows users to place requests, track requests, check due dates, request renewals, and view interlibrary borrowing history.

Direct link to this FAQ on ILL.

The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center is located in the Purchase College Library, on the lower level.

Link to this FAQ about the TLTC.

No, you do not have to submit a paper copy of your Student Project (senior project, capstone paper, or master’s thesis) to the Library. All projects are submitted digitally via the Student Project Portal, a submission system within MyHeliotrope. (The process no longer takes place in Moodle). The Library does not require and will not accept paper copies of Student Projects.

Link to this FAQ on paper student projects.

The DVDs are on the First Floor next to the Reference Area. The Academic Film Collection is to the right of the Reference Desk. The Popular Film Collection begins after the Academic Collection and Blu-Rays and wraps around on the shelves to the left of the Reference Desk. More information about finding films and video at the Library.

Direct link to this FAQ on DVDs.

Yes! Vending machines with snacks, cold beverages, and coffee are located in the 2012 Lounge on the first floor.

Eating and drinking are allowed only in the 2012 Lounge. Please enjoy, but kindly clean up after yourself. If you experience problems or errors with the vending machines, please contact the Circulation Desk. Refunds are issued by the More Card office.

Direct link to this FAQ on vending machines.  

Please see the Special Collections & Archives page for more information.

Yes, the Library has a popular reading collection! You can browse fiction, nonfiction, leisure reading, and bestsellers on the popular reading shelves located on the first floor, to the right of the Reference Desk when you’re coming down the steps from the Library entrance. Books in the Popular Collection are shelved alphabetically by author’s last name.

You can search for specific books in the popular collection online using the Library Discovery Search . You can find graphic novels in the catalog as well or browse the graphic novel collection, located directly across from the popular reading shelves.

 Direct link to this FAQ on the popular reading collection.

Yes, the Library has graphic novels and comic books. They are located on the main floor, just beyond the Reference Desk. For more information is available at the Graphic Novels collection page.

Direct link to this FAQ on graphic novels.