Seminar in Natural Science (online)
Finding Sources: Choices and Challenges
In today's information-saturated society, there is no shortage of sources or ways to get to them. In the not-so-distant past, researchers often had to travel to libraries or depositories to retrieve sources on-site; now, much of this information is available electronically, and the next decade should see a manifold increase in the kinds of sources we can access online. It's an exciting time of transition, and a great time to be a student! When I was first a college lad, back in the fall of 1985 (What a geezer! Can't you just see my long white beard and stooped shoulders?), libraries still used card catalogs. Some of you may remember these relics, as well. Our facility at Illinois Wesleyan University had a couple of computers over in a corner, but they were just starting to get the book collection online, and the computers were next to useless if you wanted to get something done. We've come a ways in 17 years!
A few remarks about the two primary ways you'll retrieve sources as an undergraduate researcher: the library and the world wide web. At this point in the information revolution, you need to be comfortable using both tools, for they each have their respective uses, strengths, and conveniences.
Using the Library: Observations and Tips for Stack-Surfing
Think the advent of the web has made the traditional academic library obsolete? Think again! If anything, the library is more important (and useful) than ever, because it's a repository of organized, catalogued, and highly retrievable information geared toward scholars (if it's a university library, that is), while the web is still a comparatively chaotic and confusing place (more on that later). In fact, the library as research facility has adapted to new informational technologies quite nicely (if a bit sluggishly at times) and effectively uses online tools to help scholars find sources.
So what will you find in, say, Roosevelt's library? A short list of key resources that are still highly relevant to any good researcher:
- Books of all kinds
- Periodicals, including scholarly journals, mainstream magazines, and newspapers (see this analysis of the different types of periodicals)
- Reference works, mostly in book form
- Archived materials on microfiche/microfilm
- Maps and government documents
- Databases (e.g., card catalogs, journal search engines, etc.)
- Knowledgeable reference librarians
To find sources amongst all these riches, you could stroll into the library (located on the 10th floor of Roosevelt's Auditorium building, by the way--a glorious and historic space) and just hope you bump into something good. You'd be much better off, however, using one of the many search tools the library provides. Some of the most important ones include:
- I-Share: Electronic (now web-based) card catalog for finding books at RU, searching the stacks of over 60 college and university libraries across the state, and ordering interlibrary loans
- Journal Databases: Web-based search tools which allow
you to locate journal articles, many of which now are available
in full-text format. Depending on the database you choose, you
can access everything from scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles to book reviews to
newspaper reports through these search tools. Some of the more
useful and versatile databases include:
- Infotrac
- First Search
- EBSCO host
- JSTOR
- IBIS
One thing to note about the journal databases is that some of them (like First Search) are actually collections of many different databases, each of which can look for different types of articles. Often these different databases are organized by subject areas, which can be really handy for focusing in on a topic. Additionally, each of the databases works slightly differently, which means you have to spend a little bit of time getting used to the capabilities and limitations of each database.
Along with reference works (specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, concordances, bibliographies, and other tools) which can give you a broad overview of a given topic, books and journal articles are two of the most important sources you can tap into as a researcher, for the simple reason that most respectable scholarship appears in book and/or journal form.
Accessing the Library Via the Web
So how do you tap into these riches if you're an online student and don't have easy access to the library facility? Easy. The vast majority of materials in the RU library are searchable online, including books and journal articles. Thus, most of your searching can be done from your own computer, although a few databases are only available in the library. You still must come to the library to pick up books, but you can have a book delivered to the Robin campus if that's more convenient than going downtown. As for journal articles, many are available now in full-text format, which is the epitome of convenience. Others must be retrieved in person at the library; still others (from journals the library doesn't own) can be ordered via interlibrary loan.
For details on how to use the Roosevelt library as well as these specific databases, spend some time working through the library's online tutorial. From the tutorial page, look through the sections on how to use the library and its services, how to search for books, and how to search for journal articles. Note that the RU library is easily accessible via a tab link within RUOnline, as well as from a link on our 391 Links page.
A final word--for now, anyway!--about our library: Don't underestimate the value and power of a university library, even one as modest in size as Roosevelt's. Compared to community libraries (with the exception of the really good ones, like the Chicago Public Library), university libraries have far more extensive collections, deeper interlibrary loan networks, more scholarly works of all kinds, and more powerful and sophisticated databases. Even if you recognize the same database (e.g., Infotrac, Lexis-Nexis) that you've used at a public library, Roosevelt's version is the "hyped up" edition only available to colleges and universities. So use your library . . . it's a powerful resource!
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Last updated
02/25/06