| Although researching and writing a college paper has | | | | provides a direct link to the library's online holdings. |
| never been child’s play, it was a bit more | | | | 2. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) |
| straightforward and less complicated before the | | | | Some libraries partner up with others and form |
| advent of the Internet. Aspiring student researchers | | | | groups called consortia. These consortia provide |
| simply visited their university’s library, where | | | | access to one another's holdings - this is where ILL |
| they could easily check out a few relevant books | | | | comes in. When you search your library's catalog, |
| after consulting the card catalog and use a periodical | | | | most likely you're simultaneously searching the |
| index to find a journal article or two. Nowadays, | | | | catalogs of your library's consortia as well. These |
| there are many more choices in addition to those | | | | libraries include not only university libraries, but also |
| regular, “old-fashioned” standbys. Still, | | | | public, school, government, corporate, and institutional |
| the Internet has yet to render the library obsolete! | | | | libraries. If you find a resource that isn't available at |
| The World Wide Web has become a boundless | | | | your "home" library, you can either borrow it or |
| source of information, bringing knowledge to the | | | | obtain a copy from the library that houses it. |
| homes of millions. Yet, despite the tens of billions of | | | | Many libraries offer this service online, but if you |
| pages available online, it's a mistake to conclude that | | | | have any questions or are unable to locate an online |
| everything is available (somewhere!) on the Web. | | | | form, it can be done at your library's reference desk |
| Contrary to popular belief, the entire world's wisdom | | | | as well. If you aren't affiliated with a library (or if you |
| is not online and free for the taking. Some | | | | need a resource that belongs to a library that your |
| information will cost you, while other resources are | | | | own library isn't associated with), you might be able |
| nowhere to be found. | | | | to borrow or order it for a fee. |
| Additionally, the Web is rife with misinformation. | | | | 3. Academic Databases |
| Unfortunately, many students not only turn first to | | | | Academic databases are privately owned or |
| the Internet for their research needs, but they are | | | | proprietary databases that charge users a fee to |
| also handicapped by their inability to distinguish | | | | search their holdings or retrieve full-text documents. |
| reputable resources from unreliable ones. While use | | | | While members of the public can pay to use these |
| of the Internet can make research more convenient, | | | | services online, students have ready access to |
| it may also result in carelessness. Students are better | | | | dozens of proprietary databases that their libraries |
| served by beginning their research at the library and | | | | subscribe to. These academic databases can cover a |
| using the Web as a secondary resource. | | | | wide range of subjects, from business to the |
| Fortunately, the Internet has also changed the way | | | | humanities, and offer everything from citations and |
| in which the supposedly passé library | | | | abstracts to full-text documents. A single company |
| functions. While you may still see drawers upon | | | | may produce several different databases, and |
| drawers of card catalogs, most libraries have also | | | | different databases may include some of the same |
| made their catalogs available online. Computers have | | | | materials (including journals, articles, or even smaller or |
| facilitated interlibrary loan (ILL) as well. Likewise, | | | | more specific databases). |
| paper journals and microfiche persist, but these | | | | Before you can choose the right database, you need |
| resources are supplemented with subscriptions to | | | | to have a general idea of what subject you'll be |
| online academic databases. Ultimately, libraries have | | | | researching. Then, browse your library's site for a |
| used the Internet to provide the best of both worlds | | | | database that covers your desired topic. Most likely, |
| - the reputable resources available at the library, | | | | you'll have several promising databases from which to |
| digitalized for greater accessibility. | | | | select. Don't be discouraged, and don't rely on just |
| 1. Online Catalogs | | | | one - try them all out! Although some of their |
| In all likelihood, you've probably already used a card | | | | coverage may overlap, you'll probably be able to find |
| catalog, even if it was way back in elementary | | | | unique resources in each of them. |
| school. While catalogs do still exist, the good news is | | | | While students veer towards databases, especially |
| that most of them have been digitalized. Now | | | | those that provide instant access to full-text articles, |
| available online, they're much easier to access and | | | | this is a grave mistake. As expansive as they may |
| search. If you can connect to your library's computer | | | | be, academic databases don't usually include books, |
| system remotely, you can even browse their | | | | dissertations, or multimedia materials. Their coverage |
| holdings from your dorm room! | | | | generally only dates back to the 1970s, and they |
| Online catalogs generally consist of records of the | | | | don't provide exhaustive coverage of most disciplines. |
| library's holdings (books, journals, dissertations, | | | | Even worse, the full-text articles sometimes contain |
| manuscripts, etc.), as opposed to the holdings | | | | mistakes, including typographical errors and omissions |
| themselves. A record can include any of the following | | | | of sections of the article - or even the entire article |
| information: author, title, publisher, date and place of | | | | itself! Ideally, you should supplement your use of |
| publication, journal title, subject, and keywords. | | | | full-text databases with databases that only provide |
| You might be tempted to dismiss catalogs since they | | | | citations or abstracts. Then, you can use your library's |
| don't provide instant gratification - immediate, full-text | | | | online catalog to locate hard copies of the materials. |
| access to all available resources. However, you can | | | | If the sources you're interested in aren't available at |
| access many of the holdings either via online | | | | your library, it's very possible that you're librarian will |
| academic databases or in the library itself - all it takes | | | | be able to help you track them down. |
| is a little detective work! | | | | The next time you need to do some research, make |
| Other libraries offer access to their catalogs as well. | | | | the first stop your library as opposed to your laptop! |
| WebCATS ( is an index of over 18,000 libraries' | | | | Far from being supplanted by the Digital Age, libraries |
| catalogs. You can browse them by geographical | | | | have integrated new technologies into their services, |
| location or search the index by keyword. Each entry | | | | making them more useful than ever. |