locating library resources

September 2008 Sharon Rankin, Rare Books & Special Collections Division

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Locating Library Resources

Presentation for “The Canadian North : Past & Present” class

http://www.makivik.org/eng/media/nunavik_maps.asp 2

Map

10 research tips

Sub catalogues Nesting and Truncation Limits Advanced keyword Locations – shelving map VPN FIND IT @ McGill P drive (1 GB) EndNote Information Services/Liaison Librarians

http://www.mcgill.ca 3

Searching the Library catalogue

Contents – what am I searching?

Answer: Record descriptions

BrowseKnown item search….begins with

KeywordLess known…..word(s)

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Library web site

Subject guides Anthropology Canadian History Communications & Media Studies Cultural Studies Quebec Studies

Course guides - CANS 407

http://www.mcgill.ca 5

Databases Shopping malls or boutiques (Canadian coverage)

Understand the database coverage – what am I searching? Citations and abstracts, sometimes full-text of the article

Formulating your search question into keywords Try out the search in several databases Adjust your keywords to suit the database, based on

finding a “good “ record!

http://www.mcgill.ca 6

Article Indexes & databases

http://www.mcgill.ca 7

Hubert Wenger Eskimo Database

University of Alaska Fairbanks

“Searchable database of 200 books and journal articles written by explorers, missionaries, ethnographers, and others who were among the first Euroamericans to travel among and write about Inuit/Eskimo peoples. It includes out-of-print and hard to find material, basic works descriptive of each Inuit/Eskimo and Aleut group, drawings, photographs, and maps.  ” (Trent University )

Article Indexes & databases

http://www.mcgill.ca 8

Arctic and Antarctic Regions (AAR)

Biblioline 1million recordsAn anthology of 12 files

“AAR is the world's largest collection of international polar databases. Coverage is multidisciplinary. A wide variety of sources are indexed including: scientific periodicals, monographs, proceedings of conferences and symposia, government reports, theses, dissertations, and books”.

http://www.mcgill.ca 9

Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS)

Arctic Institute of North America

“The Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS) database contains over 64,000 records describing publications and research projects about northern Canada.”

Article Indexes & databases

http:/http://www.mcgill.ca 10

Periodical Article Bibliography (PAB)

Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University Libraries

“The objective of the PAB is to make a major scholarly contribution in the form of a vast retrospective bibliography to the journal and periodical literature of Newfoundland and Labrador, and particularly to record it for the first time”.

Article Indexes & databases

Databases Canadian coverage

CPI.Q CBCA REPERE

Shopping malls Academic Search Premier Theses & Dissertations

Research Databases – Other Anthropological Literature

http://www.mcgill.ca 11

September 2008 http://www.mcgill.ca 12

Current

Nunavut

September 2008 http://www.mcgill.ca 13

Ceased

Nunavik

September 2008 http://www.mcgill.ca 14

Oldest

Current

Labrador

September 2008 15

Caninuit

http://www.libris.ca/inuit/go.exe

Rare Books & Special Collections Access to the collections http://www.mcgill.ca/rarebooks/collections/description/

Special Collections: http://www.mcgill.ca/rarebooks/collections/special/

Lande Canadiana Collection Map Collection Print Collection Tundra Books Children’s Collection

http://www.mcgill.ca 16

http://www.mcgill.ca 17

Primary collections McGill University Library

Library and Archives Canada (LAC)

University of Alberta Libraries

University of Calgary Library Arctic Institute of North America (AINA)

Trent University

University of Saskatchewan