Frequently Asked Questions

We use the term "online resource" to designate vetted resources that we subscribe to that are not available for free on the internet. Such resources may provide newspaper, magazine and journal articles as well as other data, information, encyclopedias, multimedia content, tutorials and other copyrighted materials. Most of our online resources are available with your library card with the exception of a few that are only available on computers in the library.

A secondary source is often found in books, textbooks, academic publications or documentaries that offer an analysis or interpretation from primary sources. They may also provide a second-hand account on an event or topic.

Primary sources are original documents such as a novel, photograph, map, music, poetry, data, oral history, first-person diary or research results. They are the raw material or first-hand information or source material.

You may reserve a computer by calling your local library. Reservations are made for 2-hour blocks of time and we hold your reservation for 15-minutes if you are unable to arrive at the start of your session.

BCLS pays for a range of subscription-based online resources so you don't have to. Our license for these products and platforms means they are restricted to those we serve. When providers ask you for your library card number, they are verifying that you are a member and have permission to access.

The library provides access to many online resources through subscriptions and licensing agreements. Many of our resource providers allow you to login to their platforms from outside the library. Remote access means you are able to use the online resource from outside the library – at home or at work – with your library card number. Resources that don't allow remote access must be used on-site on library computers.

Many of our online resources provide access to publications from magazines, scholarly journals, industry or trade publications or news publishers. 

In many cases the entire article is available through the provider. These full-text articles may be identified as "HTML Full Text" (read the text in-browser) or "PDF Full Text" (downloads a PDF file) or some combination of those. 

Sometimes the resource provider is only able to obtain a summary, abstract or bibliographic listing of the article or content. In this case, we may be able to obtain the article from another library.

If you don’t have a BCLS card, you can request a 2-hour guest pass. If no one has reserved a computer session, you may renew your session for another session. Guest pass users must provide identification.

Many of our online resource providers offer the option to save, print, download or email articles, information or other content from their platform. Some of the providers may ask you to create an account to save items.

Providers of our digital content do not allow you to download books, magazines or movies.

Yes. BCLS offers faxing at Burlington County Library (Westampton), Maple Shade, Pemberton, and Pinelands.

Faxing costs $0.50 per page ($1.00 minimum for a single page - cover sheet included).

Allow ample time for fax transmission