BOOKS

If you are looking for a specific book:

• Begin by searching SIMON, which is a catalog of all items Collins Library owns, subscribes to, or provides access to.

• Should SIMON not have the book you are looking for, search SUMMIT, which is a catalog of items owned by several regional partner academic libraries. Most books requested from another SUMMIT library will arrive in less than a week.

If you are looking for books on a particular topic:

Keyword Searches: Enter a variety of terms in SIMON that you think describe your topic. When you call up a record that seems promising, mine its subject terms to find similar items. To do this, simply click on one of the subject headings listed in the record for the book; the next screen will list all the books in Collins Library that share this subject term.

Subject Searches: Familiarize yourself with the Library of Congress Subject Headings and the call numbers associated with them. Library of Congress Subject Headings are not always predictable and sometimes may reflect previous generations' biases. Nevertheless, searching by subject headings remains the most efficient and effective way to find exactly what you seek. Here are some examples of subject headings on the topic of American women in the post-war period.

• Antonius Marcus, 83?- 30 B.C. -- In Literature
• Cleopatra, Queen Of Egypt, d. 30 B C
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Antony and Cleopatra

When you find a subject heading that describes what you are looking for, you can run searches on SIMON or SUMMIT and/or go up to the stacks and browse the shelves within that call number range. Never underestimate the effectiveness of browsing!

Your research process MUST include a search of the relevant periodical literature. Books, valuable as they are, cannot contain all of the information and scholarly study and interpretation out there. The library subscribes to hundreds of journals, whether in print or electronic versions (or sometimes both). Through Interlibrary Loan, you also have access to thousands more journal titles.

Database Searching:

Always search more than one database!

How to select a database: A to Z list, by subject, general and reference, full text. If you have no idea where to start, go to the Research Gateway, select the appropriate subject, and see what databases are listed there. If you are doing interdisciplinary research, you should consult more than one subject on the research gateway.

Key databases for Classics 104

Search Methods:

Almost all databases can be searched by keywords. Try as many keywords as you can think of to describe your topic. Once you have located an article that fits what you are looking for, look at its subject headings (called "descriptors" in some databases). Conduct a new search using these subject headings and you will get much more focused results.

Obtaining Articles:

There are three methods for obtaining the actual articles you wish to read.

Method 1: In some databases, you will be able to link directly to the full-text article. If given the choice between a PDF or HTML version of the article, always choose the PDF format. This will give you an exact image, including page numbers, of the article as it appears in the paper journal.

Method 2: If a direct link to full text is not available, then check the Journal Locator to see if the library subscribes to the journal. Paper, electronic and microform holdings are included; be sure to check the dates of coverage for each format.

Method 3: If the article you want is not available full text through the database nor is available in paper format in the library, then request the article through ILLiad, the library's Interlibrary Loan request sytem. Often you will receive an electronic version of the article in less than a week.If you've never used ILLiad before, you will need to register; simply click on "First time users" and then fill out the form.