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College English
Prof. Lenzetti
September 27, 2007 and October 2, 2007
Guide for finding sources at the George T. Potter Library
Leigh Keller
x7316
- Library Homepage
- Find Books
- Reference Material
- Find Articles (Databases)
- Interlibrary Loan/Journal Finder
- Bibliographies
- Websites
- Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.
II. Finding Books at the Potter Library
- Catalog: use this to find books, journal 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.
- Search the catalog using Keywords to find material
- For example: search for feminism to locate a broad range of material and look for ideas for your project
- Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
- If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the "Subjects, etc." tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
- Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.
Tips
III. Reference Material
- The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).
- Some useful materials for your projects:
| Encyclopedia of ethics | Ref BJ63.E45 2001 |
| Encyclopedia of American Studies | Ref E169.1.E625 |
| Encyclopedia of multicultural psychology | Ref GN502.E63 2006 |
| Fight like a girl : how to be a fearless feminist |
Ref HQ1236.S37 2007 |
Tips
- Use reference books to browse for project ideas and to get started on your research.
- Use the Bibliographies at the end of encyclopedia entries to find more information on your topic.
IV. Electronic Resources
- Some useful Databases for your projects:
| JSTOR | Comprised of the full-text of more than 500 academic journals. |
| America: History and Life | History of the United States and Canada from pre-history to the present. Links to JSTOR full-text and use Primary Catalog link to search our library holdings. |
| Expanded Academic | A multidisciplinary database that contains many full-text articles. |
| Psychology Journals | Searchable, full-text of major psychology journals |
| Academic Search Premier | A multidisciplinary database that contains many full-text articles. May also limit to scholary (peer-reviewed) journals. |
(Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Refereed articles have been reviewed by a selected panel of experts in the discipline covered by that journal).
Tips
- Always switch to the Advance Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
- Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT when running a search. For Example: feminism and art
- Always check your Spelling if the database results are Zero.
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V. Interlibrary Loan
Both of these links can be found under QUICK LINKS on the library's homepage.
- Interlibrary Loan: allows students to borrow a book or article that the Potter library does not own. There is a link from the Journal Finder page.
- Journal Finder: this provides information regarding if a journal is available full-text online, in print in the library, or available on microfilm.
VI. Bibliographies
- Use Citing Sources for examples of "In-Text Citations" and "Works Cited"
- Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources to get call numbers for paper copies of syle manuals.
VII. Web Sources
- Evaluating Websites: to determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper.
Need more help? Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574
Use QandA NJ a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.
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| George T. Potter Library | | 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah NJ 07430 | (201) 684-7575 | Design by Tibor Csokasi and Jon Jon Chua; Sketch Provided by Jon Jon Chua |
Please send your suggestions and comments to: Liz Siecke |