FTS: American Music and Popular Culture: Start

Research can be both exciting and frustrating. Fortunately, there are lots of people on campus who can help.

• Check with your professor 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.
• Connect with librarians for any and all research questions. There are many ways to get in touch with us. 

You can always email Julie with any questions or to schedule a meeting. I'm happy to help with any and all of your research questions. Or if you just want to chat about your topic & create a strategy for searching, we can do that, too. 

The Library has several other research guides that might help with your persuasive paper, depending on your topic. Here are some recommended ones:

• Guide to Fighting Fake News
• Guide to Fact Checking
• Guide to Music
• Guide to American Cultures

We've got a one-stop guide for doing citations in some of the major styles. You can always ask a librarian if you've got a tricky citation and aren't sure what to do. We also encourage you to visit the Writing Center for writing help.

To find books in our library, search the Library Catalog - you can also search directly via  the search box on the library's homepage.

When you find books that look useful, write down the Collection & the Call Number. 

• General Collection, call numbers A - PQ  are on the Third Floor 
• General Collection, call numbers PR - Z are on the Second (Main) Floor
• Oversize are on the Third Floor, Beck Hall side
• Reference are on the Second (Main) Floor, Beck Hall side
• Browsing are on the Second (Main) Floor near the entrance
• Young Adult & Children's Books are on the First Floor 
• AV materials (DVDs, etc) are on the First Floor

Once you are in the right area, signs on the sides of the shelves will direct you further. The system is a little tricky to figure out at first, so don't hesitate to ask for directions at the Information Desk (main floor of the library).

Browse the shelves when you find a useful book. Books are shelved according to topic, so chances are you'll find other relevant books nearby.

You can check books out at the Information Desk. This page has information about loan periods, renewals, etc.  And this page gives even more detail about finding books in our library.

To find articles, try these databases, which will connect you with all kinds of sources. You will probably find a lot of information (but sometimes you find no information!). Be persistent, try various search terms, and above all, ask for help if you're stuck. Send me an email with any questions or to set up a time to meet.

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. Use the Search Tips tab at the top of this guide for tips.

• 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 and is FREE for you. Consult the Tracking Down Materials tab for more information. 

If you want a refresher from our library session, the slides from class are posted here.