ENC 1102

Introduction to Library Research

Professor Burns  

Librarian: Gary Parsons

** EZ-Proxy is necessary to access databases and electronic journals from off-campus

1. Finding Books:

FAU Libraries Catalog

Click on “Catalog” or “Books”. This source lists the books, government documents, videos, and other materials owned by the FAU libraries. It will tell you what books, DVDs and journals, etc. the library owns.

Search for Keyword(s): Searches for terms anywhere they appear in the catalog record. Search terms can be truncated with a ? e.g. addict? will search for addicts, addiction, etc.   Browse Organized Lists: Use this search when you already know an author, title or subject heading. Some of the available options include: Author’s Name: last name first, you don’t need to capitalize Title: if a title starts with “The,” “A,” or “An,” omit that and skip to the next word If you're not finding anything with a subject search try a keyword search instead.   Journals/Serials: This search lets you know if the Library has a certain journal or magazine. However, it does not search for articles in journals. To do this use a database instead (see below). After searching for a journal title, click on the "Location" line to see which dates the Library owns. (Note: not all electronic journals are catalogued in WebLUIS. There is also a link to a separate list of all electronic journals available at FAU). The Advanced search screen allows you to combine terms using "and, or, not" as well

2. Choosing your topic.

Databases by Subject.   This is a list of all of our databases organized by various general subject areas.

Opposing Viewpoints: 2003-present | Vendor: Gale Group
Contents/Info: Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center draws on the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources to provide a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.
 

        DON'T FORGET THAT USING DATABASES IS NOT THE SAME AS USING THE INTERNET.

3. Finding Articles
 

Databases

Access World News | Full Text  | Vendor: NewsBank
Contents/Info: Access World News from NewsBank provides full-text information and perspectives from over 600 U.S. and over 500 international   sources, each with its own distinctive focus offering diverse viewpoints on local, regional and world issues.

Expanded Academic Index: 1980-present | Some Full Text | Vendor: Gale Group
Contents/Info: Includes scholarly journals, news magazines and newspaper articles regarding arts and humanities, social sciences and science and technology disciplines.

JSTOR: Full Text | Vendor: JSTOR
Contents/Info: Journal Storage (118 scholarly journals in education, humanities, mathematics, science [including the General Science Collection and Ecology and Botany Collection], and social science disciplines)

LexisNexis Academic:| Full Text | Vendor: LexisNexis
Contents/Info: Accesses over a billion full text news, magazine, legal, and business articles and reports, including newspapers, magazines and government documents, state and federal laws and regulations, case law, newsletters, company and industry information.
Example: After database opens, select the “Guided News Search” tab. Select “Arts and Sports News”. Follow with “Book, Movie, Music & Play Reviews”. Put in the name of the movie, Grapes of Wrath. Sort by date or relevance.

OmniFile Full Text Mega Edition  | Some Full Text | Vendor: H. W. Wilson
Contents/Info:  Wilson OmniFile Full Text, Mega Edition is a multi-disciplinary database providing the complete content - indexing, abstracts, and full text - from six of Wilson's full-text databases: Education Full Text, General Science Full Text, Humanities Full Text, Readers' Guide Full Text, Social Sciences Full Text, and Wilson Business Full Text. Full-text articles from five additional periodical databases are also included when available: Applied Science & Technology Full Text, Art Full Text, Biological & Agricultural Index, Index to Legal Periodicals & Books, and Library Literature & Information Science Full Text. Full-text coverage begins in 1994. Each database has its own start dates for indexing, abstracting, and full text; start dates for full-text rights to individual journals vary within a database.

SFX Interconnects databases to look for full-text

Interlibrary Loan Can obtain materials not owned by the FAU Library

3. For further assistance:

In-Person: Feel free to ask questions at the Reference Desk when you are in the library and need help in using the library Phone: 561-297-3785 Email: lyref@fau.edu or us our Ask-A-Librarian form Chat/Instant Message: New! Add FauReference to your AOL Buddy List for Instant Messenger reference help, M-F, 9am-5pm