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       Shirley Knight                             Anne & Patrick Chang, Instructors

       sknight@ramapo.edu                  INTD 101-38

       x7315

 I. Library Homepage: http://library.ramapo.edu

• Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.

• First Year Seminar homepage  Information on library research for all FYS classes.

.II. Finding Books at the Potter Library

• Catalog: use this to find books, periodical titles (NOT articles ), government documents, reserve items, music,and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. This may take a few seconds to load.

• Use the Basic Search to find material using Keywords
  • For example: search for "New York City"or "New York City Manhattan" to locate a broad range of materials the library has on these keywords
  • When you find an appropriate title, click on the Related Records tab located at the top of a catalog record to see which Library of Congress subject headings are discussed in that particular book/DVD/periodical

OR

• Search the catalog using Subject Browse feature if you know the relevant Library of Congress subject heading, for example:

• New York City
• New York (N.Y.) History
• Central Park (New York) N.Y.
• Metropolitian Museum of Art (New York) N.Y.

Tips

1. Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
2. If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Related Records tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
3. Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.

III. Reference Material

• The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).

The Encyclopedia of New York City	Ref F 128.3 .E75 1995
Passport's Guide to Ethnic New York: a complete guide to the many faces & cultures of New York	Ref F128.18 .L397 1995
Broadway: its history, people, and places: and encyclopedia	Ref F128.65 .T5 B56    2004
One Thousdand New York Buildings	Ref F128.37 .B76 2002
The Street Book: an encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street names and Their Origins	Ref F128.67 .A1 M6 1978

IV. Electronic Resources

•  Use the below Databases to locate print and electronic journals in the

            library's collection

(Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Refereed articles have been reviewed by a selected panel of experts in the discipline covered by that journal).

Both of these links can be found under QUICK LINKS on the library's homepage.

Tips

1. Always switch to the Advanced Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
2. Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT and Quotation Marks when running a search. For Example: "New York City" and Manhattan
3. Always check your Spelling if the database results are zero.
4. Use the Subject Terms or Thesaurus link, if available, to find the best terms to use in a database.

  V.  Web Sources

• Use the following Subject Resources under Art, Film and Music to locate supplemental information on your topics

• Mark Harden's Artchive
• Movieweb.com
• New York Public Library- Selected Music Resources on the Internet

 VI.   Web Site

•  A Suggested resource for additional information

• New York Public Library for the Performing Arts http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/lpa.html

• Use Evaluating Websites to determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper.

VII. Bibliography

• Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources for the MLA"Works Cited" citation style guidance.

Need more help? Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574

Use QandA NJ: a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.