FAQ: Home
Frequently Asked Questions
Finding materials
- Does the library have the textbook I need for class?
- If the library doesn't have the textbook, how else can I get it?
- Are there any courses that don't require textbooks?
- How can I find any book or article in the library?
Borrowing materials
- How long can I keep (a book, a DVD, a laptop, a calculator)?
- How can I renew my book when I'm off-campus?
Directions
Our normal hours are 9:00 AM-4:45 PM, but hours change on holidays and at finals. For a full calendar, click here.
Enter the sliding doors on the 3rd floor of the A building. For maps and directions, click here.
Getting help
- Who can help me with research in person?
- Where can I get advice about research online?
- I have questions about WRITING - who can help me?
- How do I cite my sources?
Tech
Subscriptions
Zero textbook courses
Certain courses at Hostos are now "zero textbook cost" courses. They have been designed so that you do not have to buy any books, and instead will read materials that are available for free.
To find these courses in OneSearch, click on "course attribute":
Then scroll down to select "zero textbook cost" from the dropdown menu:
Many colleges are now looking for alternatives to expensive textbooks, using what are called Open Educational Resources (OER). To learn more about OER projects at Hostos, please see this guide - it was written mainly for faculty, but may also interest you if you are a student interested in learning more.
Digital subscriptions - NYT and WSJ
FREE digital subscriptions to the New York Times and to the Wall Street Journal are available for all CUNY students, faculty, and staff. For both newspapers:
- You must use your Hostos email when you sign up.
- You do NOT have to be on campus to use your subscription.
- You may have to re-verify that you are still in CUNY and still at the same CUNY email address after one year.
- Go to nytimes.com/passes or click here.
- Click on “register”–make sure to use your Hostos email address as the email.
- Click on “create my account” after you’ve filled out your information.
- You’re not done yet! On the next page, click on “continue”, in order to get an email confirmation sent to your Hostos email.
- Check your Hostos email for the confirmation message – it should arrive within 15 minutes. If you don’t see it in your inbox, check your spam folder. If you still do not receive it, send a message from your Hostos email to edu@nytimes.com.
- Click on the link in the confirmation email to activate your subscription.
- Once you have created an account, always use your Hostos email address to log in to www.nytimes.com
If you’re looking for older articles, please note that this subscription will only let you download five articles/year published between 1923-1980. The good news is that you can use the New York Times Historical Database – this is a resource that Hostos Library already subscribes to. From here, you can access an unlimited number of older NYT articles published between 1851 and five years ago.
- Go to https://partner.wsj.com/en/register or click here.
- Select "student" or "staff" or "professor" to describe yourself.
- Enter your Hostos email and create a password. You should receive a confirmation email in your Hostos email inbox.
- You will be asked for your graduation date. If you end up graduating later than expected, you canr re-activate your subscription (the WSJ calls it a "membership") later.