English 12 - Research

All the tools and tips you will need to successfully complete your 12B research project!

Books & eBooks

Books at the Library

Looking for materials that live physically in our library? Search here.

Remember, the online catalog is sensitive to misspellings.

Keep your search simple. For example, if I want to know more about a specific battle during the Vietnam war, I am just going to search "VIETNAM WAR" , scroll through the book titles looking for a relevant title and then use the TABLE OF CONTENTS and INDEX of the book to locate information on the battle.

Find:
Search Titles Search Authors Search Subjects Search Keywords Search Series

External LinkAdvanced Search - Try combining search terms, like VIETNAM + BATTLES, using the ADVANCE SEARCH.

The reference collection is a great place to get your hands on quick statistics, history, and current information. The quickest way to find what you want in reference is to BROWSE. This is true of our library and is a helpful skill when using public and college libraries too.

Below is the category breakdown for the Dewey Decimal System. Consider what category is the best place to start browsing and take a look at what is there!

  • 000 - Generalities
  • 100 - Philosophy
  • 200 - Religion
  • 300 - Social Sciences
  • 400 - Law                         
  • 500 - Sciences
  • 600 - Applied Sciences (like medicine, architecture and cooking!)
  • 700 - Art and Recreation
  • 800 - Literature
  • 900 - Geography and History

Some ideas for good reference resources include:

  • The CQ Researcher - R 051 CON
  • Statistical Abstract of the United States - R 317.3 STA
  • Constitutional Amendments - R 342.7303 PEN
  • Taking Sides - R 361.1 TAK

 

There are many full-text books available to you online. These include reference books, textbooks, fiction and non-fiction. Most are searchable, which makes them very handy to use.

Start with the External LinkVirtual Reference Library (password: trav_log) on the library webpage. You have used this source for years, so it should be familiar, but more importantly, it includes thousands of volumes of information we could never house here in the library!

Remember that reference articles are often written by experts and have been heavily edited for accuracy. This is information you will want to include in your annotated bibliography!

Google's vast collection of digitized books is available for free online. Type your search terms into the search box.  At the list of results, click the "preview or full view" box.  (Often the "preview" books have all but one chapter available in full text!)