Step 3: Use Indexes to Find Books and Periodicals
Once you identify the research topic and identify background information, you can begin to locate resources such as books and articles.
Public Libraries: Accessible Online
Are you a member of a public library such as the one in Springfield, Massachusetts? If yes, then you can access many of the libraries' databases online. All you need is a valid library ID number. To view the databases available at the Springfield Public Libraries, click here. Locate a database of interest to you, such as the Expanded Academic ASAP, and select 'Remote Access.' You simply enter in your library ID number to access the online tool. You can search the online database for articles on your topic.
Need a library card? It is free! If you are under the age of 17, then all you need is a picture ID. You can use a Massachusetts Driver's license, school ID, or a PVTA bus pass. Learn more on the Borrower's Services section of the Springfield City Library website.
Limited Library Access? Experiment with Google Books & Google Scholar
If you have limited access to the library, then consider using Google Books and Google Scholar. Google is collaborating “with several major libraries to include their collections in Google Book Search and, like a card catalog, show users information about the book” (Google Books Library Project, 2008).
Google Scholar, on the other hand, is designed to provide users with a “simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations” (Google Scholar, 2008).
Interested in learning more about the differences between these two tools? Download the Table Comparing Google Books to Google Scholar, a one-page PDF from the University of California Berkeley Library.