AFR AM R1B: African American authors

The "right" tool for the job

It's hard to find what you need, if you're looking in the "wrong" place. Choose a resource that includes the kinds of materials needed.

Books & articles: You're likely to need the library catalog and an article database for your assignment. Which one, and when, depends on what you already know and the kind of materials sought.
- if you already have a citation for an item, or you want to find books on your topic, you can start with the catalog
- if you want to isolate articles or essays on a topic, you'll need to use an "article" database
- the details
Encyclopedias provide brief background information

Library catalogs

List what a library owns, its location and availability...

OskiCat is the UCB libraries' catalog
- books, journals, films, etc.
access via CATALOGS tab on UCB Library website

sample catalog record (with annotated highlights)

result for a journal (showing online and print copy)

reading call numbers (step by step graphic of process)

UCB uses Library of Congress classification system
call numbers represent subject focus of materials
(similarly focused material shelved together)
browsing materials adjacent to yours
is one way to discover more relevant materials

finding books tutorial (snippet from Research 101 tutorial)

Article databases & other electronic resources

access is via FIND INFORMATION tab on UCB Library website

electronic resources are viewable by subject or by the general (interdisciplinary) category
- Recommended sun = central, typically helpful resources
- the sidebar menu (links to other types of resources for the selected subject)
electronic resources can also be viewed by type (news databases, encyclopedias, etc.)
the database description =
- subject(s)
- type of materials
- dates of publication
- if results' full text is available

Each database contains a unique aggregate of sources (though, a specific source may appear in several databases). Some databases contain scholarly articles, some magazine literature, some news. Some contain it all. Article databases often include more than articles (chapters in books, etc.)A few more things you should know about article databases...- results identify where articles were published
(name of publication and any associated volume/issue/date info.)
- results do not equal what UCB owns
- sometimes results link to article content online
- Use UC-eLinks feature when a full text option is not provided

Where's the article?

Many library databases incorporate the UC-eLinks feature. You use it when a result's text is not provided by the database searched. It checks the UC-wide collections to see if the source is available elsewhere...

online (through a different database)
in print (at a library)
example database results with UC-eLinks

finding article text from a database (Research 101 tutorial snippet -- see slides 8 & 9)

Background information

Encyclopedias are often a good place to begin when you don't know much about a topic. They provide basic background information, the knowledge of which helps when searching for other materials: identify people, events, issues, etc. Entries may also have an associated bibliography that identifies other materials related to a topic.

Online Access...

review information in electronic resources section, above
link to e-resources by Subject > then use left sidebar menu to link to (subject specific) encyclopedias
or, link by Type > Encyclopedias and almanacs (all of them)

To find print encyclopedias, use OskiCat

WikipediaThis free encyclopedia is publicly editable and not a scholarly resource. Because anyone can write or add to an entry, the information may be innacurate or untrue. Through the very structure of its creation, it has dependability issues. Yet, it can still be a useful tool, if used wisely.Like other encyclopedias, it can be helpful in obtaining topical background, and entries often list sources for further reading (which you can see if UCB has in its collections). Use Wikipedia as a starting point for information you will verify in the course of your research via scholarly sources.

Last Update: June 01, 2011 16:09