Library Research Strategies

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Library Research Strategies

• PO 517 Liberalism, Democracy,
• American Foreign Policy
• PO 522 International Institutions, Public
  Private
• Prof. David Deese

Michelle Baildon baildon_at_bc.edu http//www.bc.edu/
libraries/services/ref-instruc/s-xbaildon/
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So Whats the Point?

• Yes, to learn about Quest, databases, etc.
• Yes, to learn how to find stuff for your papers
• Most important To get the big picture
• Whats the information landscape?
• Whats out there in the world?
• Whats here at BC?
• How do I find it?
• Who can help me?
• Youll have a clue for the rest of your lives

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First, a Whirlwind Tour of the BC Libraries Web
Site

• Home page
• Subject specialists
• Research guides
• Online databases
• Quest
• Electronic journals
• How do I . . . ?
• Tutorials

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Not All Information Is Created Equal

• What kind of source?
• Primary source
• Secondary source
• What kind of material?
• Books
• Journal articles
• Government documents
• Archival material
• Music
• Film
• Etc. etc. etc. etc.

• What format?
• Print
• Digital (online)
• Microfilm
• DVD
• CD
• Etc. etc. etc. etc.

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Different Information Is Kept in Different Places
at BC

• Books Stacks, Off-site Storage (Kenny-Cottle,
  NEDL, Newton Resource Center), and Other
  Libraries
• Reference Books Reference Stacks, Reference
  Desk, Reference Index Area
• Newspapers Current Periodicals, Online,
  Microfilm
• Journals Well get to that later
• Films, music recordings Media Center
• Government Documents Guess where? Gov Docs
• Archival material Burns Library
• Remember The call number is key!!

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Different Tools Find Different Things

• Catalogs Everything a library holds
• Union catalogs Everything that many libraries
  hold (see WorldCat)
• Indexes Show you where to find specific articles
• Take you down another level of specificity
• Finding aids Manuscripts and archival records
• These all go by the alias database

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Using Quest

• Basic search Good for title, author, keyword
• Use keyword to get LC subject heading
• Boolean logic (a.k.a. and or)
• Advanced search
• Combine searches
• Limit by language, format, library

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Using Quest (cont.)

• Requesting checked-out books or in-process books
• Create lists, save records
• Other catalogs Journal Titles Course Reserves
  WorldCat
• Check Quest Help!

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Finding Journal Articles

• What is a scholarly journal?
• Contains articles by academics
• Peer-reviewed
• What formats are they in?
• Some are in print
• Some are online
• Some are both

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Where are the journals?

• Current Periodicals
• Stacks
• Offsite Storage
• Microfilm
• Online

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Finding Journal Articles Tell Me How

• Finding articles the old-fashioned way
• Step 1 Find your article in an index
• Step 2 Find your journal in a catalog
• The crucial step in Quest VIEW HOLDINGS
• The miracle of full text and FindIt
• (Welcome to the 21st century)
• If you know exactly what article youre looking
  for, use Citation Linker on the Electronic
  Journals page

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Finding Journal Articles Databases

• Some databases are just indexes
• Some are indexes with FindIt buttons and/or
  links to articles
• PAIS International Worldwide Political Science
  Abstracts
• Some are indexes with selected full text
• Expanded Academic ASAP
• Some are collections of working papers, journal
  articles, etc.
• CIAO JSTOR
• There are many more . . . Please see
• PO517 522 Guide to Resources
• American Politics Research Guide
• U.S. Foreign Policy Research Guide
• Political Science Online Databases

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Finding Primary Sources

• Print sources
• Use Quest and WorldCat
• Digitized sources
• See Research Guides, Online Databases Page, Quest
  
• Think critically about free Internet sources
• Microfilm
• Use Quest Advanced Search and limit to microfilm
• Newspapers See U.S. History Research Guide
• Archival sources
• Archival Resources, ArchivesUSA
• In general Check footnotes and bibliographies
• For specific examples, see PO 517 522 Guide to
  Resources

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What if BC Doesnt Have It?

• How would you find something BC doesnt have?
• An index or database
• WorldCat
• Someone tells you about it, its in a
  bibliography, book review, etc., etc., etc.
• How do you get it?
• Interlibrary loan (ILL)
• Boston Library Consortium (BLC) card

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More Information on Bibliographic Formats

• Step-by-Step Guide to Doing Research Use a
  Standard Format for Your Bibliography
• Ready Reference Writers Resources
• At the Reference Desk
• Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of
  Research Papers. 5th ed. New York Modern
  Language Association of America, 1999. (O'Neill
  Reference Desk LB2369 .G53 1999)
• Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term
  Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed.
  Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1996.
  (O'Neill Reference Desk LB2369 .T8 1996)

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Want help from a real person?

• Contact Michelle Baildon or other subject
  specialists
• Visit or call (2-4472) the Reference Desk during
  these hours
• Email or online chat (Ask 24/7) reference help