Finding Books, Articles, & Other Resources

	Step 5: Finding Books, Articles, & Other Sources
Reference Desk (413) 774-1509	Research Guides \| Library Home

Finding books in library catalogs

Books synthesize and analyze information from many sources and are a good place to start your research
Start by searching the Boyden Library catalog
Use the subject search to locate all the subject headings in the catalog that include the subject
Use the keyword search to narrow your search by combining multiple concepts with Boolean operators (AND, OR)--AND narrows; OR broadens
Subject headings are good search terms in the catalog and research databases--collect all subject headings identified during searching
See Boolean Logic and Keyword Search Concepts for help with searching more efficiently
Use other library catalogs to locate materials not owned at the Boyden Library
Use Interlibrary Loan to obtain those materials
Use the bibliography of any book to identify additional resources and use ILL to obtain them if they are not available in the library
Keep collecting major concepts or keywords from every source you browse

Finding articles in research databases or periodical indexes

Databases are electronic indexes
Access to information by subject is a primary advantage of an index
Some research databases provide the full text of all articles--others provide full text for some articles and citations for others
Some research databases provide reference articles in addition to periodical articles
Research databases became available in the 1980's--many do not include older articles (primary documents prior to the 80's)
Some databases provide scanned articles from publications prior to 1980 or the text of older primary documents
The Boyden Library subscribes to a variety of historical databases
The handout History Databases at the Boyden Library describes each database and how to search it
Use the unique search capabilities of each tool to search most efficiently--subject search if the tool provides that option
See Searching Skills for help with understanding what databases are and how to search efficiently
Keep collecting major concepts or keywords from every source you browse
Use the reference lists of all articles to identify additional resources
The electronic Periodical List is a finding tool for the periodicals owned by the library in paper, microfilm, or microfiche format
Consult the Periodical List when full text is not available in the databases or a citation for a good article is identified in a bibliography or reference list
Use Interlibrary Loan to obtain articles not available in the library

Finding Internet resources

Start the search for Internet resources by exploring the quality websites for U.S. History--the list includes primary sources, digital collections, historical maps, historical statistics and more
Rather than using a search engine, explore subject directories for quality websites--the sites have been selected and evaluated by librarians and academics
Use the advanced searching capabilities of regular search engines to narrow your search using Boolean logic, by domain (.edu, .gov, .org), and more
Try using "special collection" or "archive" in your Internet search to find libraries that collect materials on your topic--some of these materials may be digitized
All Internet sites must be evaluated based on authorship, publishing body, point of view or bias, presence of references, accuracy, reliability, and currency

Resources

Evaluating Resources

Documents

Step 5: Finding Books, Articles, & Other Sources