Author: Jennifer Hanft, Head Content and Information Delivery
More than 80,000 state employees work diligently for the State of North Carolina in 178 different state agencies. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached North Carolina, many state employees found themselves working in drastically different situations and environments, many even teleworking from home. Here at the Government & Heritage Library (GHL), we understand the importance of having accessible resources available to help you provide the best service to the public in these trying times. To assist with the research endeavors state employees across North Carolina engage in to help keep our great state running, the GHL is proud to announce the State Employee Research Guide (https://statelibrary.ncdcr.libguides.com/stateemployees)!
What is the State Employee Research Guide?
This research guide is a one-stop resource for North Carolina state agency employees that contains resources ranging from history to science and health and from technology to legislative and law topics—as well as historical and current newspaper databases. All of the online research tools linked in this guide are accessible to state employees from any location, making it an excellent go-to resource when on-site at work, teleworking from home, or traveling anywhere work may take them. While not comprehensive, this guide pulls together a number of other notable collections created and cultivated by GHL staff to help state employees work and research efficiently and effectively, anywhere.
How can the State Employee Research Guide help me with my work?
The State Employee Research Guide is a free resource that aids in researching topics in a variety of fields. At the top of the research guide, there are several tabs that will help you navigate through the guide: general topics like “GHL Essentials” and “News,” and specialized field areas, including “History,” “Legislation and Laws,” and “Science, Medicine & Tech.”
The “GHL Essentials” and “News” tabs provide links to resources that are beneficial for employees across all fields of work. The “GHL Essentials” tab covers resources that are good starting points for many different topics and types of research questions. This page includes a number of popular GHL resources, such as our Classic Catalog, Search Everything, and our E-Journal Portal. It also contains links to online sources for e-books and general, interdisciplinary databases that cover a broad array of topics, such as ProQuest Central, Research Library, and JSTOR. The “News” tab contains databases that provide online access to a selection of current and historical state, national, and international news sources. Here you can check out articles from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal or search news databases like NewspaperARCHIVE and Chronicling America.
The tabs on the guide for specialized field areas can help you locate sources that may pertain to your area of expertise or the specific field of your research need. The “History” tab provides recommendations for resources on U.S. and North Carolina history topics, as well as prominent historical databases, such as Fold3. The “Legislation and Laws” tab provides resources on current North Carolina laws, pending legislation, and court cases at various levels. The “Science, Medicine & Tech” tab provides links to databases that focus on biology, environmental science, medicine, psychology, and technology. Check out articles in BioOne, the Coronavirus Research Database, or PubMed Central, to name a few.
Will I need a library card to access resources in the guide?
Please note that several, though not all, of the resources mentioned in the guide, will require a library card for access. Look for a notation below the name of the resource explaining what type of card is needed for access. Databases with a designation stating they are available through NC LIVE can be accessed with either a North Carolina local library card or a State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) library card. Some resources, however, are only accessible with an SLNC library card. All North Carolina state employees are eligible to register for a free SLNC library card, and information on how to apply for the card can be found on the State Library's website at the following link: https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ghl/services/library-card. Under the heading "How do I get a card?" you will find a link to the application itself. Feel free to contact the Reference Team at (919) 814-6790 or slnc.reference@ncdcr.gov with any questions.
Need additional research assistance?
If you come across something during your research that necessitates assistance from a librarian, the “Get More Help” tab on this guide will point you in the right direction. If you have a quick question, you can find a chatbox on this page which will directly connect you with a GHL staff member Monday-Friday from 8 am-5 pm. Have a more in-depth question? You will also find contact information here for the GHL Reference Team, so you can reach out via phone, e-mail, or mail—or you can “Book-a-Librarian” for more in-depth research help.
We are deeply grateful for the invaluable services our state employees provide to communities throughout the state. If you have a suggestion on how the GHL can better assist you and your research endeavors, feel free to reach out to us: https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/contact-us.