Resource Help

1. Choose a topic/subject that interests you. Determine the research question; i.e., state your topic in the form of a question. Make it as clear and as concise as possible. For example, if you are researching the topic of sanctification, you might ask: “What are evidence of sanctification/the sanctified life? OR “Is sanctification a one-time experience?”

2. Write down key words or terms concerning your topic.

3. If you have trouble finding a topic, peruse relevant journals/periodicals to get ideas.

4. If you still cannot think of a topic, request help from the librarian.

1. Peruse reference material (e.g., encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.) in the library for information on your topic/subject. Note materials listed in bibliographies as potential sources of information on the topic.

2. Check your textbook, reserve books, and class notes also for background information.

Updated 3 July 2026

1. Search subject headings in the Christian Periodical Index available through EBSCOhost (requires login) to find journal articles. The index gives the title of an article, the title of the journal, its date, volume and issue numbers, and the page(s) on which the article is found.
2. Search the subject index in the bound volumes of Today’s Pentecostal Evangel found in the Reference Room or online go to Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center at https://ifphc.org/. A search under subject headings will provide the title and author of an article and indicate the issue in and page on which the article is found.
3. Acquire a public library card from the county in which you reside. Having a public library card allows you to ask for the password to access NC Live. Through NC LIVE, you, as a citizen of North Carolina, have online access to a diverse collection of electronic resources including complete articles from over 16,000 newspapers, journals, magazines, and encyclopedias, indexing for over 25,000 periodical titles, and access to over 25,000 online print and audio books. Included among the many databases available through NC LIVE are: ProQuest Central, America’s Newspapers, CQ Weekly, Daily Life Through History, Encyclopedia of Animals, Eric (Education), Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Gale Virtual Reference Library, Health Source, History of the 20th Century, LearningExpress Library, Master File Premier,  MEDLINEplus, NetLibrary, Newspaper Source, North Carolina Encyclopedia, PsycINFO, ReferenceUSA, Sanborn Maps North Carolina, Serials Directory, Twentieth Century American Poetry, World Data Analyst, WorldCat. NC LIVE is available free of charge to library patrons, students, and educators from public libraries, community colleges, the state’s university system, and members of the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. NC LIVE can be accessed from within an affiliated library or from home. Native American Bible College faculty and students are encouraged to obtain a public library card.

Updated 3 July 2026

The online catalog provides information about the materials found in the library. Such information includes the call number (giving the location of the item), the author of a work, the title, publication data, the size of the work (e.g., pages and height for books, length in minutes for videos/DVDs/audio cassettes/CDs), subject headings, and so forth. Some records will include a summary of the contents of a work. Links to related subject headings and to e-books which LRCC Library owns may also be part of the record, making it easier for the user to navigate.

Online Catalog: Searching

Lumbee River Christian College uses the Surpass Library Automation System for keeping library records and hosting an online library catalog. Through the Surpass Catalog accessible via Internet, library users can search for LRCC Library holdings.

1. Search the library online catalog for materials on your topic. There are two kinds of searches possible:

· Simple searches (author, title, subject, or keyword)

· Advanced searches (with Boolean operators and in any MARC–machine-readable cataloging–field) For instruction on Boolean logic see Boolean Searching on the Internet by Laura B. Cohen.

2. To locate material that your search produces, note the call number. The call number will give you the location of the material. The call number generally consists of a Dewey Decimal Cataloging subject number and a three letter abbreviation for the last name of the author or the first three letters of the title (excluding the first word if it is an article; i.e., the word “A,” “An,” or “The”) if the work is edited, anonymous, or has more than four authors. There may also be a prefix before the call number. The following prefixes are used in the LRCC Library and the significance of each is given below:

· R   – Reference book found in the Reference Room. (Note: Reference videos/DVDs, reference audio cassettes/CDs, and reference CD-ROMS are filed in their respective areas, not in the Reference Room.)

· V – Video found in the stacks area immediately inside Stacks Room.

· D – DVD video found in the stacks area immediately inside Stacks Room.

· C – Audio Cassette found in the AV Room.

· CD – Compact Disc shelved with audio cassettes in AV Room.

· CDR – CD-ROM found in the filing cabinet for electronic sources in the AV Room. You must request the help of the librarian/library assistant to access this type of material.

· SER – Serials (e.g. periodicals, journals, magazines). Current issues are found in the Reference Room. Past issues are in bins in the AV/ Periodical Room.

Search the vertical files for subject headings related to your topic. When using vertical file material, pull the entire file folder on the subject. DO NOT pull individual articles out of the file folder.

Please DO NOT SHELVE OR FILE material(s) you have pulled. Please LEAVE MATERIALS ON THE TABLES in the study areas. The librarian/library assistant will be happy to return materials to their appropriate location.

There are many excellent resources online, but you should not rely solely on them. They can/should be used in addition to the materials you find in the LRCC Library. CAUTION: Anyone can post anything online. Not all information online is reliable. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate Websites before accepting information from them as authentic and credible. To help you evaluate Websites, access sites listed in LRCC’s Online Resources page at:

Please check LRCC Library’s Online Resources Webpages for more excellent resources for research assignments.

1. What is plagiarism?

• According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, plagiarism is a fraudulent act, involving stealing and lying, and includes any of the following:

• Stealing and passing off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own • using (another’s production) without crediting the source • committing literary theft • presenting as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

• More details on plagiarism are available at the Plagiarism.org. Please read the important and very helpful information on that site. According to U.S. Law, plagiarism is a serious offense and must be avoided.
  
  
  
  

2. How can plagiarism be avoided?