Finding and Using Books
Books are a great resource for general background and in-depth coverage of a topic. They can be very useful when you need a broad overview of a topic, or if your topic is historical.
Books and eBooks can be found in the UConn Library's collection using the Library's General Search, found under the Find tab on the Library's homepage or directly at http://search.lib.uconn.edu.
Books from any UConn Campus library can be pulled and held for pickup at the library circulation desk of your choice. See the Requesting Materials for UConn Campuses box on this page.
If you aren't able to find what you need within the UConn Library's collection, you can search and request books from WorldCat. WorldCat search results are from library catalogs around the world. To learn more about using WorldCat, see the Requesting Books Not Owned by UConn box on this page. Please note that licensing agreements do not allow libraries to loan ebooks; WorldCat can only be used for print materials.
Finding Books Using the Library's General Search
To find books, use the Library's General Search, found under the Find tab on the Library's homepage or directly at http://search.lib.uconn.edu.
The Advanced Search provides many more options for creating your search; we recommend starting with the Advanced Search to make searching easier. Use the Advanced Search link next to the basic search box.
The Library's General Search searches across a broad spectrum of resources. To find only books and ebooks, select Material Type: Books in the Advanced Search
Finding Books on a Topic / Keyword
Keyword searches look for your term(s) in the title, author, description, and subject fields. Using the Creating Keywords guide, enter your key words and phrases in the search. Remember to Refine and Revise your search based on your results.
If you find books that might be useful, look at the subjects listed in the Details tab. Those subjects can be used to find more books on your topic.
Finding Books by Author or Title
If you are looking for a specific title or author, you can set your search to look for your term(s) in just those fields. Choose either Title or Author/creator to search title and/or author terms.
Reading a Record
Records provide information about materials and their locations, in print or online.
The Find on Shelf link displays the physical location of the item and its loan policy if you have signed in. The policy will depend on your status (student, faculty, etc.)
How do I find a book in the Babbidge Library using the call number?
The Details link provides more information on the item.
The View It link provides access to online versions, if available. Clicking on "Online Access" in the record will also open the View It link.
Requesting Materials from UConn Campuses
The Request Service delivers items from UConn's collections to the campus library of your choice.
Requesting Books Not Owned by UConn
Search WorldCat to find and request items owned by other libraries.
Request items by clicking on Request Item.
Items can take anywhere from 2-14 business days to arrive.
UConn Library does not own or provide access to all books featured in this research guide. For some titles, clicking on the title link will take you to the record in the UConn Library, for others, it will bring you to the record in WorldCat. If UConn does not own a title, you may request it as an interlibrary loan; for more on that process, go to the Interlibrary Services page on the UConn Library website.
Articles as research inquiry : Focused and detailed
Why use articles instead of or in addition to books? Depends on your needs.
Where are articles found? In periodicals which are found in databases.
A Periodical -- as its name might imply -- is something that appears periodically, namely daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc. Each time they are published, the content is completely new and different from any previous issues.
How do articles differ from books?
Peer-reviewed article title | Newspaper article title |
"Strength training versus robot-assisted gait training after incomplete spinal cord injury: a randomized pilot study in patients depending on walking assistance" from Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation |
"The Skinny on This Hot Workout: Fans Gain Seam-Busting Bulk." (Wall Street Journal) |
Search Tips
To find the two articles above, the keywords used were -- strength training.
When searching for articles in databases, do not write a question or sentence. Use specific relevant terms (mainly nouns) in separate boxes and perhaps add synonyms all in one box with OR between them. Say we wanted to add an age group to be more specific. Example:
Line 1 : Strength training
Line 2 : college students OR adolescents (using synonyms increases your number and breadth of search results)
Line 3 : (if you have any other qualifier)
Most of our databases allow you to add even more lines. Each concept on a separate line! Your results will improve.
Now it's your turn.
Question: Where can I find journals discussing global marketing topics?
Go to the Library's Journal Search:
Search by Title, ISSN, or enter your keywords.
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