English 106 ~ Spring 2005

Mary Zambreno

NOTE: If you are accessing this page from off campus, the links to most library databases will not work. To use these resources, go to the Library Web Page, where you can connect to Articles and Databases, Reference Sources, and Electronic Journals and Newspapers after providing your Elmhurst College technology account login and password. If you don't know your E.C. login or password, you'll want to see Computer Services, Room 107 CSTC. More help on accessing resources from off campus is available online.

Getting Started

  • I need background information on my topic -- where should I start?

    • Electronic Reference Resources
      • Britannica Online
      • Xreferplus - An online collection of 150 reference books covering many disciplines. Click here for a list of titles.
      • Gale Virtual Reference Library - an online collection of reference books, including Countries and Their Cultures, Dictionary of American History, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, among other titles.
    • Print Reference Resources
      • The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Reference R031 B862N1991 ~ A good source of background information and bibliographies. Look up your topic in the index to get started.
      • Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World, Reference R 307.03 E56
      • Encyclopedia of American Historical Documents, Reference R 973.03 E56
      • Encyclopedia of Education, Reference R 370.3 E56g
      • Encyclopedia of Political Economy, Reference R 330.03 E56p 1999
      • Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations, Reference R327.73 E56F
      • Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law [electronic resource] available through NetLibrary
      • Oxford Guide to the United States Government, Reference R 320.473 P314o
      • How else can reference books help me?
        • There are often bibliographies at the end of their articles; these bibliographies can lead you to other useful books and articles.
        • How can I find more reference books on my topic?
          • Try browsing the Reference section.
          • Browse the shelves around a particular book you like; call numbers tend to keep books on like topics together.
          • Search Illinet Online using your search term combined with the word "encyclopedia" or "dictionary."

      • Some Useful Databases
        • CQ Researcher ~ An excellent source for current hot topics. Each individual issue contains historical background, a timeline, current status, and potential future developments. The bibliographies are especially helpful in finding useful sources.
        • Lexis-Nexis Statistical ~ Search the Statistical Abstract of the United States and other resources for statistics; also available online

      • Statistics
        • Statistical Abstract of the United States, Reference R 317.3 U58S
        • A Statistical Portrait of the United States: Social Conditions and Trends, Reference R 306.0973 S797
        • Datapedia of the United States, 1790-2005: America Year by Year, Reference R 317.3 D96d 2001

      • Book Series
        • Current Controversies
        • Contemporary World Issues
        • Opposing Viewpoints
        • Taking Sides
          • These books discuss the pros and cons of a topic.
          • To find books in these series, simply do a Guided Keyword search for the title of the series in Illinet Online. See below for more on Illinet Online.

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Locating Books in the A.C. Buehler Library

  • How do I find books on my topic?

    • Use Illinet Online to find books held in the Elmhurst College library as well as books owned by 55 other Illinois libraries.
      • Quick Searches
        • A good way to start looking for books.
        • You can either look for particular items (such as a particular title), or you can do keywords searching.
        • Use the main words describing your topic.
        • For example, to find books about phonics, type the word phonics (with or without capitals).
        • The word phonics can be anywhere in the description of the item, like the name of the publisher.
        • To do a more focused search on, say, phonics and whole language learning, select Boolean, and type in phonics and "whole learning" .

      • Browse Subject Searches
        • A more precise way of searching.
        • Illinet Online uses Library of Congress Subject Headings (or LC subject headings) to arrange and organize information.
        • Subject headings are very specific; you can guess what they might be, but you can't make them up.
        • Some examples of subject headings:
          • Free enterprise
          • Globalization
          • Consumption (economics)
          • Consumers
          • Global warming--Government policy
          • Ethnicity--United States
          • Academic achievement--Testing--United States
          • Education and state--United States
          • Dewey, John, 1859-1952
          • Population
          • Ecology
          • Community
          • Minimum wage--United States
      • Guided Keyword Searches
        • Allow you more flexibility.
        • Click the appropriate tab, and fill in the blanks as desired.
        • You can change your searching options to look for either some or all of the words you've typed in, and to look in different areas of the item's catalog record.
        • For example, select as a phrase, type Current Controversies, and select Series Title.

    • Ordering books from other libraries ~ Illinet Online allows you to request books held by 65 other libraries in Illinois. 

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 Locating Articles in Library Resources

  • Which article databases are good starting places for my search?

  • This is only a description of an article -- where's the rest of it?

    The Elmhurst College Library offers articles in a variety of formats. If you can't find the full text article in a database, use the information from the citation and the following tools to find the article:
RESOURCE
TOOL
FORMAT
"Start of Magazine/Journal Title" Search
Print including bound periodicals, loose newspapers and current periodicals
"Start of Magazine/Journal Title" Search
Microfilm
Other Databases
Electronic Full-text

 

You can also call (630) 617-3173 or email the Reference Department to inquire about a specific title or ask a question.
If you cannot find an article at Elmhurst, you can request it through our online Interlibrary Loan article request form. Interlibrary loan can take 7-10 days.

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Writing, Citing and Evaluating Resources

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Last revised 16 March, 2005 by Ayanna Gaines, Assistant Reference Librarian
A.C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College