Distance Learning

Libraries are all about sharing.  If you need a book or an article that is not available at your campus library, do not give up.  In many cases, we can get that item for you from another library, whether it's from another San Jac campus, a local university, college, or public library, or even a library in another state.  Depending on the item and where the lending library is located, we often can get the item to you within a week or so.  You also can have borrowing privileges at other local libraries so that you can browse their collection to find and borrow what you need.

Take a look at the different options mentioned below to see which one will best meet your needs, and contact a librarian for more information.

If the item you need cannot be provided by a San Jac library, we can try to get it from another library through our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service.  Whether it is a book or a copy of an article you need, contact a librarian to let us know what you're looking for, and we will submit your request for you.  The more information you can provide about the item, the better your chances are of getting what you need quickly.  Some of the information we will need to submit your request are: 

If a lender has been located within this area or elsewhere in Texas, we generally receive your item in a week or less.  If the item must come from out of state, it most certainly will take longer.  Photocopies of articles are often provided in PDF or another electronic format and are emailed to the library; otherwise, paper copies will be sent by mail.

Pleast note that San Jac will never charge you for ILL service.  However, some lenders do charge a fee to lend an item or provide photocopies.  We will notify you if a lender intends to charge a fee so that you can decide whether you want to pay the lending library for it.

As the borrower, you will be responsible for any overdue fees or charges for lost or damaged materials.

San Jacinto College is a member of the TexShare Library Consortium, and one of the benefits that our participation affords you is the TexShare Card. The TexShare Card allows you to borrow materials directly from other TexShare libraries. 

To get your TexShare card, come to the Service Desk at the library and present your student ID.  We will issue you a TexShare card, which you can take (along with your San Jac student ID) to borrow items from another participating library.  You will be responsible for returning the item to the library from which you borrowed it, as well as any overdue fees or charges for lost or damaged items. 

How is TexShare different from ILL?  With ILL, we submit a request from our library to potential lenders; the lending library sends it to us, and you pick up and return the item at your San Jac  library.  With TexShare, you take your TexShare Card and San Jac student ID to a participating library, select and check out items there and return them to the lending library when you're finished.

Among the libraries in the area that participate in the program are the University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, Lee College in Baytown, all Lone Star College campuses, and Houston Public Library.  For a list of academic and public libraries in the state that participate in the TexShare Card program, visit the Find-A-Library page.  For more information on the TexShare Card, visit the TexShare Website.

Before you visit one of the participating TexShare libraries, be sure to call them to ask what their policies are regarding the TexShare Card.  They may impose some restrictions on the number of items you can borrow and how long you can keep them.