a q uick s tart g uide l ibrary r esearch. to learn something you have to know something who what...
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A QUICK START GUIDE
LIBRARY RESEARCH
•T O L E A R N S O M E T H I N G •Y O U H AV E T O K N O W S O M E T H I N G
• Who• What• Where• When
•T RY A N E N C Y C L O P E D I A• Print or on-line (either way)• Encyclopedia Britannica is a favorite• Articles are short, informative
• (read one in 3 minutes or less)• Best source for general information• Best place to learn the basics about almost
anything
Where do I start?
•CHECK THE CATALOG• Use the library web page to search for
Books, eBooks, Audio Books, DVDs & AV items
• Search by author, title, subject
•CR EATE A L I ST• Write down call numbers or print out your
search results• REMEMBER the call number tells you not
only where to find your book , but where to find books on that subject!!
•CHECK THE SHELVES• Even if your book isn’t on the shelf other
books on your subject or related subjects will be located nearby; use call number as a way to explore the library
•
What do I do next?Explore!
•TABLE OF CONTENTS = SUMMARY OF B OOK
• Chapter headings• Road map to book
•SKIMMING VS READING• Read introductions & opening
sentences/paragraphs• Read topic sentences & thesis
statements• Skim topic sentences to find
passages that look interesting• Look for key words: who, what,
when, where, why
Researching in BooksTable of Contents
•MANY SCHOLARLY B OOKS HAVE AN INDEX
• (Including the encyclopedia)• The index is located at the end of
the book (or in the last volume of a set)
• Use the index to find out exactly where to look & what to look for• Page numbers• Related topics & search terms
Researching in BooksTry the Index
“US, History of”
Volume U/V,pg. 190
•WE ALSO HAVE GREAT RESOURCES ON-LINE
• Start at the Library Page• Choose On-line Resources
• Full-text to thousands of books, magazines, even newspapers
• Keyword searching• 24/7 access• Passwords (for home use)
On-Line Resources
Use on- l ine databases to locate 1000s o f :
e-books journals magazines newspaper articles
On-Line Resources
Use avai lable tools & research more eff iciently
Abstract Subject terms E-mail or save
documents to read later
On-Line Resources