Upper Level - Quiet!
General books - A -PQ
Oversized books A-Z
Music Scores
College and Church Archives
Main Level - Loud!!!
General books PR - Z
Reference books A - Z
Reference desk - ask questions here
Lower Level - Semi Quiet
Videos
Journals in print
Government documents
Microfilm
Our usual hours are
M-Th 8am - 1am
F - 8am to 6pm
Sat - 10am - 6pm
Sun - 11am - 1am
They are shorter during J-term and breaks, longer during finals.
Research Help:
Look for books using the catalog, then browse around the books you find. There may be similar books shelved nearby.
Be aware of publication dates. Old books aren't necessarily bad, but they may reflect old ways of thinking about things or have facts that are not up to date.
Don't be afraid of using books for your research just because they are long. Use the table of contents, introduction, and index to find which parts of the book will be useful.
We have a lot of databases. Your best bet for this class is to click on the Articles tab, then choose "Academic Search Premier," the first database.
Once you've found some articles, you'll probably want to narrow down your results. You can always add additional terms to your search to narrow the focus.
Also, on the left, you will see ways to refine your results by using the scroll bar to focus on recently-published articles or choosing types of articles. Newspapers are good for very specific news items or recent events. Magazine articles reflect a popular approach to issues and are often short and simple in style. Articles in academic journals report on research and are sometimes quite long and complex. Concentrate on the abstract (a one-paragraph summary that sometimes is at the beginning of the article), the introduction, and the last paragraphs.
When articles are not available as PDF or HTML files, there's a yellow "find it!" button that will search for the article in other databases or offer you a chance to get a copy from another library, a process that usually takes a day or two.
We still have some magazines and journals in print. The "find it!" button will tell you which articles are only available in print. Issues of magazines and journals can be checked out for a week.
First of all, don't panic! Research is difficult and nobody expects you to know how to do it all on your own. Check with your teacher if you aren't sure how to approach your assignment or want a second opinion on sources and strategies.
Stop by the Writing Center at any point during the process for expert advice from your talented peers. The Academic Support Center can help with issues such as time management and organization.
In the library, visit the Reference Desk (Library, main floor) and let us know how it's going. We're sitting there for a reason. Unless we're helping someone else, whatever we're doing is just killing time waiting for your questions. Don't be embarrassed - even seniors writing their theses ask us questions!
You'll find lots more as you explore. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like.
