Contact Corliss
- Corliss Lee
- Office Hours: By Appointment
- Contact Info:
510-768-7899
Read an introduction to the campus libraries for undergraduates.
Set up your computer for off campus access to library databases.
Need a map of the campus libraries?
Each library has its own hours. Click on the calendar for each library to view a month at a time.
Search an article database to find citations (title, author, title of journal, date, page numbers) for articles on a particular topic. The Library gives you access to over 200 article databases covering different disciplines.
1. Think about which academic disciplines might write about your topic. Examples: literature, film, anthropology, history...
2. Find the appropriate article database by subject (academic discipline or department). Look for "Recommended" databases.
Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject
Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject > H > History > America: History and Life
To search, start with a word or phrase (two or more words together)
Narrowing: think about places, people or groups, time periods, aspects or events that might help you narrow your topic
Examples:
1. women's suffrage
2. add another term in the search box below: california
3. for time period, click on search options and add in "historical period from" 1800 to 1900
to limit by years of publication, add to "published date from" January 1980 to December 2010
4. modify search instead of "california" try temperance
5. modify search instead of temperance try periodicals or newspapers or journalists
6. if that search seems too broad, change "select a field" to "subject" next to your search terms
Library home > Articles > General Article Databases > JSTOR
REMEMBER: JSTOR doesn't include articles from the last 3-5 years!!!
Advanced Search
1. immigra*
irish
(* = truncation/wildcard symbol: immigra* retrieves immigrant, immigrants, immigration, immigrating...)
2. to narrow your search further, add another search term, or try searching for your terms in the titles of the articles:
immigra* (item title)
irish (item title)
advanced search also allows you to limit to certain years of publication (1980-2010, for example), to specific disciplines (ex: African American studies) etc.
The full text of some articles is available online via the Library's article databases. For other articles you'll need to find the physical library location and call number of the journal.
The easiest way to do this is to use the UC e-links feature which is available in many (not all) databases.
When you find an item you're interested in, click on the UC e-links icon, which will lead to links to full text if available, or else a link to the Next Generation MELVYL catalog. Click on the Next Generation MELVYL link to search for the library location of the journal.
Watch the UC e-links movie! (4 minutes). For assistance in reading a Next Generation MELVYL record for a journal title, go here or ask for assistance.
To find books, DVDs, maps, sound recordings, manuscripts, and much more - everything except articles - use a library catalog.
OskiCat = most UC Berkeley libraries
MELVYL = all UC campus libraries, including all UC Berkeley libraries
What's the difference? more details here
For each item make sure you know the name of the physical library, call number, and whether or not it's checked out, library use only, etc.
Call numbers are on the spine of the book; learn how to read them so you can find what you need on the shelves.
If you want to use Google for research, use Google Books or Google Scholar.
Use the Advanced Search for more searching options.
Please note that Google Books search results do not necessarily include the full text of the book; some include no text at all, some include a limited preview (only some pages of the book).
When you use Google Scholar, make sure to update your Scholar Preferences (see below) so you'll be able to use UC e-links to find the UC Berkeley library locations/online availability of the articles.
Step 1: If you haven't already done this, set up your proxy server access by following the directions at http://proxy.lib.berkeley.edu/. When you get to a point where you are accessing resources that the Library pays for, you will be prompted for your CalNet ID and password. For more help see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/tutorials/proxy.html
Step 2: Change your “Scholar Preferences.” Access these by clicking on the small icon in the upper right of the screen.
Step 3: In search box next to "Library Links," type in University of California Berkeley and click on “Find Library”
Step 4: Check all the boxes next to "University of California Berkeley"
Step 5: Click on "Save Preferences" at bottom of page
Other ways to get help: in person, by e-mail, using specialized chat services
And of course: e-mail Corliss or email Theresa (Bancroft Library)
