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