Like most libraries, our collection includes many different types of information resources: books, periodicals, reference materials, videos, maps, & audio recordings. For now, let's focus on the first three:
Resource | Different Formats & Types/Examples | How To Find / Access |
Books |
Formats: Print, electronic (ebooks) Types:
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Print - Search the Library Catalog, Note Call # & Request OR ebooks - Search the Library Catalog, Click on access link |
Periodicals |
Formats: Print & Online Types:
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Print: Browse the display and the shelves Online: Search the Library Databases |
Reference Materials |
Print & Online Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Almanacs, Handbooks, Biographical Resources, some Government Publications & more Oxford Reference Online, Merriam Webster Dictionary, World Factbook, Gale's Biography In Context |
Browse the Reference Collection in the Library OR Visit our Reference Page (opens in a new window) |
To Do: Now that you've seen an overview of what the library has to offer, take some time to gain experience using a few of the library's resource finding tools:
The library's collection is organized using the Library of Congress classification system. Each item in the collection is cataloged and assigned a call number based on its content. The call number, containing a string of letters and numbers, works very much like an address.
You find the address by searching the library catalog, just like people search Google, Yahoo or Bing to find an address for a place.
Each item record in the library catalog will show the call number assigned to that item. Note the call number, then use the guides on the end of each shelf to find the right "street" (the first one or two letters). Using the remaining numbers and letters, you should find the book in its proper place numerically.
Good to know: Since books are classified by subject, once you've found one on the shelves that meets your needs, take a minute to look at the books nearby. Chances are, they may provide useful information as well.
This page shows a list of broad subjects and the letters assigned to them.
To Do: You use the Library Catalog to locate materials (books & AV items) held in our Library's collection. Go ahead and try a keyword search in the box below for something you'd like to know more about (from the list you made earlier). HINT: A catalog search works best if you enter a noun or noun phrase (person, place, thing or idea).
The results list will open a new window and display books, information published in audio and video formats, and electronic books. If you find an item that is not available at your campus Library, you can have the item sent to your campus Library by placing a request using the online catalog.
To Do: Analyze the results of your search by answering the following questions.
Did you find an item about the topic? (if not, try a different search term OR topic) Is it a book, video, or sound recording? If a book, is it a print copy? (does it show a campus in the Holdings Information field?) |
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Yes, it's a print book (or a video or sound recording). |
No, it's not a print book. It's an ebook. |
Which campus? Do you see a call number? What is it? If it's located at a different campus, can you see a link to "Request a Book" on the page? |
Ebooks can be 'opened' immediately by clicking on a link. Can you find it? Go ahead and open the book. Turn a few pages. Check out the table of contents. Does it look like it could help you learn more about your topic?
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Go back to the Basic Search Screen (Click on New Search). We searched by Keyword. Notice that you can do other types of searches. Usually, the most useful searches are keyword, title, author or subject. Try your term as a subject search and compare the results. Did you get more or fewer results than with a keyword search? [Think about why that might be...you'll learn more about that later.]
If you've got a few extra minutes, look around in the catalog for a bit and see how easily it can connect you to a seriously large amount of information and resources. This will really make things easier for you in your future studies.
If you did not view the third video on the bottom of the Library Introduction (first) page of this module (in Box #6), please do so before you go any further. The link to the video is below. Thanks! See you back here in a minute!
The TCC Library subscribes to over 50 different databases, which are filled with articles (or sometimes just information about articles, a.k.a.citations). Here are a few tips to help you find and select the right database:
To Do: Get some experience using the library databases by completing the tasks below. (The links are set to open in the same window, but if you right click on them, you can choose to open them in a new tab or window, which may make it easier to follow the instructions.) |
1. EBSCOHOST is a company that provides several databases, some general and some very specific in the topics they cover. a. Find and list four different databases included in Ebscohost. b. Find a full text article about green living using an Ebscohost database. Print the first page.
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2. The TCC Library has a list of Databases by Subject. a. To find an article about bacteriology, what specific database might you use? (Bacteriology is a topic related to science.) Explain your choice. b. If you needed an article about the causes of stress and its effects on the brain, what specific database might you use?
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3. Academic Search Premier is a general database (covers a wide variety of topics).
a. Use Academic Search Premier to search for a full text article on one of your three topics of interest. Make a note of the number of results.b. Select one of the articles on your topic and open the full record by clicking on the title. With the item's full record open, find the citation information near the top of the record (article title, author, publication title, date, volume, issue, etc.). Just below that, there should be a "Subject" field. Look at the subject terms listed there...these should describe the contents of the article. Is there a subject term listed (other than the search term you used) that you could go back in and use to search for more articles on the topic? What about "Author Suggested Keywords?" Try a NEW SEARCH using one of those terms...this is a good way to get additional search terms that might help you find more of what you need! |
Imagine you have to write a short paper for your Introduction to Psychology class, using at least 5 different sources, 3 of which must be scholarly articles. Your instructor has said you can choose to research any disorder that interests you. You’ve read a little bit about bipolar disorder in your textbook, and it seemed to be the most interesting.
So you find a database on the library web site, and you enter "bipolar disorder" into the search box. Over 5000 article citations come up, and you're thinking this will be easy. Until you start reading the titles and find that you don’t understand what any of them are saying. You're very discouraged at this point because even though these articles SEEM TO BE about bipolar disorder, all of them are way over your head, written way beyond your level of understanding.
In fact, most scholarly articles written in the field of psychology will not explain the basics of the disorder. Most of them are about experiments and other research based on the study of psychological disorders. That will be the case in nearly all disciplines (subjects).
This is where reference sources can be VERY helpful. Encyclopedias, manuals, almanacs, dictionaries and other reference works provide foundational information that you can use to build your basic knowledge of something. Spending some time using reference sources can really help you better understand what you're reading in a scholarly article.
To Do: Use two of the specific online reference tools listed below to gain some general information about one of your topics of interest. Then read a short description about a few more great online reference sources and try your search in one of them also.
Metro Campus Library: 918.595.7172 | Northeast Campus Library: 918.595.7501 | Southeast Campus Library: 918.595.7701 | West Campus Library: 918.595.8010
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