Start with your home library (Ozuna Library, Palo Alto College)
There are dozens of local academic libraries and SAPL branches available for your use
A TexShare card is good anywhere in the state. Vacationing in Galveston? Check out a book!
Use the tabs at the top to navigate the sections of this guide:
Other Area Libraries & TexShare - Links to websites and online catalogs for San Antonio Public and local colleges and universities, and information on the TexShare program.
Interlibrary Loan - Can't find the book you need locally? Interlibrary Loan to the rescue!
Free eBooks - There are a lot of books - especially older books - freely available on the web. We show you where to find them and how to read/download them.
Palo Alto College Library has more than 100,000 books, videos, and journals on its shelves, and access to thousands of additional books in electronic format. Our collection is designed to meet the needs of the average student, and was built with this college's degrees and programs in mind. But it would be impossible to have every book for every need on hand. That's why we make it easy to get books, articles, and other materials from libraries in San Antonio, from across Texas, and even from libraries all over the world. If you are looking for a specific title we don't have, or need a book on a special topic that our collection doesn't cover, we'll help you get what you want.
Q. Palo Alto doesn't have the book I need, but it's available at SAC (NVC, SPC, NLC). Can I get it from there?
A. Yes! Your student ID functions as your "library card" and can be used to check out materials from any of the Alamo Colleges.
Q. Do I have to actually go to SAC (NVC, SPC, NLC) to get the book? Can't they send it here?
A. No, you don't have to drive across town, unless you need the book quickly. If you fill out the Interlibrary Loan form, the book will be sent to PAC, usually within a week.
Q. Can I go and check out books at other colleges? What about the public library?
A. If you have a San Antonio Public Library card (which is freely available to all residents of Bexar County), you can use that to check out materials from any public library branch. You can also obtain a TexShare card (see "Other Libraries & TexShare" tab) and use it to borrow materials from many area colleges and universities, as well as SAPL.
Q. Do I have to go all the way to, say, UTSA to get the book I need?
A. Nope. Interlibrary Loan saves the day once more. Just be aware that it can take a week or two for books to arrive, even if they're from libraries in San Antonio. Also, there is no guarentee that a specific library in town will lend us the book, so the time lag may be greater as the request gets passed to libraries further away.
Q. I really want a book that PAC doesn't have, but I don't have the slightest idea who else might have it. Can you find it for me?
A. Yep. Interlibrary Loan again. We'll do the work to find a library willing to loan us the book. If you've got the time to wait, we can get that book from almost anywhere.
