Finding
Library Catalogs
cat·a·log: noun: 1. a systematic,
usu. annotated, list of books, merchandise, or
the like that is available in or from a source
such as a library or mail order merchandiser.
--Wordsmyth Dictionary-Thesaurus,
2003. [http://www.wordsmyth.net/]
When you don't find a needed source on the Internet,
a citation can be used to find the source somewhere
else, typically in a library. The source for discovering
what a library owns and where they keep it is
a catalog.
The library catalog is a database of everything
a library owns; but its records don't include
article titles, and rarely include chapter titles.
So, don't search
for article or chapter titles.
Search for book, journal, magazine, or newspaper
titles.
| |
Sample
periodical citation |
The Environmental Impacts of a Border Fence. By: Cohn, Jeffrey P.. Bioscience, Jan2007, Vol. 57 Issue 1, p96-96 |
Don't
search the library catalog for ... |
"The Environmental Impacts of a Border Fence ... "
the article title. With what you have already
learned about citations, you know where the
article is published; it's in the Bioscience, so ... |
Search
the library catalog for ... |
Bioscience.
This will tell you whether the library can
provide access to the journal and where it's
shelved. When you get there, you will be looking
for volume 57, issue 1, 2007. |
| |
Using items from the last exercise, in the quiz
on the right, see if you can tell which element
you would search in a library catalog.
|
