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Featured This Issue - November 2025
Food Resources
During this season of thankfulness and giving, please remember to take part in a little bit of self care and make sure your needs are met. And if yours are met please help us spread the word and serve our community!
College students face many hardships, one of which can be food insecurity. In an effort to make sure our students are taken care of PCC has our Aztec Resource Centers and other food resource opportunities. Be sure to take advantage of your resources and keep your needs met!
- PCC Library Compilation
- Tucson Love Letter - Food Resources
- PCPL Resources List
- This is Tucson - Food Resources
- KGUN9 - A HELPING HAND: Food resources in Southern Arizona
Click on the books below to see availability!
Beat the Stress of Finals Week—We’re Here to Help!
Final exams and papers don’t have to be stressful. The Library and Learning Commons have your back, and now is the perfect time to get a jump on your prep. Meet with a librarian at any of our campus libraries for help finding sources or shaping your research. Just have a quick question about citation formatting? Use our 24/7 live chat service anytime you need fast support. Need extra help or someone to walk through tough concepts with you? Tutoring (including a paper review drop off service) is available and free for all students. And when you’re ready to focus, don’t forget to reserve a study room for a quiet, dedicated space.
Set yourself up for success—reach out, get support, and finish the semester strong!
Tell us your favorite way to reduce stress!
November is Native American Heritage Month! Check out our guide for resources! Or check out Kanopy's curated list of Native American films!
Check out some of those films below. Just click on the film to begin watching!
Using AI to Find Quality Information
Did you know that our library databases have AI integration that allows you to find quality information easily? It’s true!
Megasearch
Megasearch has a new research assistant that allows you to ask questions in your own words. The AI translates your question into library search language the database understands to get you the most relevant results possible. This feature is called the Summon Research Assistant. And you can find it at the top of the page when you open Megasearch, or you can take a peek using this link: https://pimacc.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/research_assistant
Using Summon Research Assistant
To maximize Summon Research Assistant, you must ask clear, detailed questions about academic or scientific topics. Be specific and phrase your query as a question/request. Here are some examples:
- How does vitamin D deficiency impact overall health?
- Did Picasso's time in Paris influence his artistic style?
- How is climate change impacting tourism in Asia?
After you conduct your search, you’ll get an AI overview that provides a brief answer to your question using credible sources. You can’t cite this in your academic work, but you can click on “View related results on your library search” to see a list of articles that should be relevant to answering your question.
EBSCO Databases
Databases from the EBSCO provider such as Academic Search Premier and CINAHL now have a “natural language search” function that you can turn on. You’ll see the toggle switch right below the search bar. This allows you to search these databases like you’d search Google, rather than by using keywords.
Chat GPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and other Gen AI Platforms
Library resources are not freely available online, so generative AI platforms like Chat GPT do not have access to many of the articles that you have available to you as a student at PCC. Using generative AI to search for academic articles is like trying to find a vegetarian entree at a steakhouse–sure, you’ll find something, but there are much better options available at a different restaurant (AKA, by using the library databases instead).
What you can do with Gen AI is ask a question and have the tool create a list of keywords to help you search the library databases. For example, I can ask Chat GPT “What are some keywords I can use to find articles about women in Victorian society?” and then the AI generates a list of keywords I can copy and paste into a database like Megasearch or Academic Search Premier to find articles. This works really well and will ensure you find great academic articles!
OER - Open Educational Resources
The high cost of textbooks doesn’t just impact grades, it can also impact whether students have enough to eat. National surveys show that nearly a quarter of community college students experience food insecurity (McKibben, Wu & Ableson, 2023), and many report skipping meals or courses because of textbook prices (Hanson, 2022).
At Pima, faculty using Open Educational Resources (OER) and PCC Library materials are helping change that story. By adopting zero-cost or low-cost materials, we are saving students money that they can put towards food, transportation, childcare, and other basic needs. Eliminating textbook and material costs in courses is putting $$$ back in students’ pockets. It also contributes to more equitable, accessible, and sustainable learning.
Thanks to the dedication of our faculty and departments embracing OER, last semester alone we saved students over $1,227,500 in textbook and course material costs! Since we took on the challenge in 2017 to lower textbook prices, we have saved students nearly $17 million. That’s a lot of groceries!
STUDENTS: Want to know how to find courses with ZERO TEXTBOOK COSTS? Look on the Schedule of Classes for NO COST under MATERIALS. ZTC flyer
Programs, Events and Displays
Act One Culture Passes and Performance Passes
Find free passes to museums, botanical gardens, zoos, and performances all over Tucson and Arizona!
For more information check out our guide!
West Campus Library Happenings
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Desert Vista Campus Library Happenings
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Click on the books below to see availability!
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