What Resources Does Park Library Offer to Students?

Park Library at the Hussman School of Journalism & Media provides four main categories of student resources: loanable media equipment, scholarly and news databases, research and style tools, and additional access perks like free newspaper subscriptions and Libby. Most of these are aimed at current UNC Hussman students, and some resources (particularly databases and subscriptions) require a VPN connection or library login to use from off campus.

Equipment

The library lends media gear for student use, and the site separates this into two actions: browsing what's available and reserving it.

• Reserve Equipment — the booking entry point for checking out gear.
• Equipment — the general listing of what the library holds.

If you need cameras, audio recorders, or other production gear for a class project, start with the equipment listing and then place a reservation. Plan ahead: equipment is shared across the school, so popular items go early in the semester.

Scholarly Articles and News Databases

This is the largest group of resources, split between academic search tools and news archives.

Scholarly and general databases:

• Academic Search Premier
• Business Source Premier
• Communication & Mass Media Complete
• A combined search across all three
• Google Scholar

News databases:

• America's News
• U.S. Newsstream
• Mainstream U.S. News
• Wall Street Journal
• Historical Newspapers

The site also links a Connect to VPN option alongside these databases, which tells you off-campus access depends on the VPN. If a database asks you to log in or won't load, connect to the VPN first before assuming the resource is unavailable.

Research Tools and Style Guides

For data, audience research, and writing standards, the library points to:

• Simmons Insights — consumer and audience data.
• Statista — statistics and market data.
• AP Stylebook Online — the standard style reference for journalism students.

These support both reporting assignments and market/audience research, so they're worth bookmarking early rather than hunting for mid-deadline.

Guides and Help

The library organizes instruction through:

• Course Guides — resources tied to specific classes.
• Subject Guides — resources grouped by topic or beat.
• Guides & Tools — the broader tools hub.
• Standards & Policies — the rules that govern use of library resources and facilities.

If you're stuck, there are two appointment paths: Schedule an Appointment and Schedule at Davis. Use these when a database isn't behaving or you need help shaping a research strategy.

Additional Resources

Beyond the core collections, students can access:

• Libby — plus a Libby Help Guide for setup.
• Free NYT Subscription
• Free WP Subscription

The subscriptions are listed as free resources through the library, but they still route through the library's access system — expect to authenticate rather than simply signing up on the newspaper's site.

Quick Reference

One practical note: the library recently launched a new website, and according to its own news post the changes are "mostly aesthetic," with information in roughly the same locations as before. If you had bookmarked a specific database page, it should still exist — just re-navigate from the Central Resources page rather than assuming the link moved.