LIBRARY GUIDE
English 15 & 30

Contact: Judy Sandt, Reference Librarian
Location: PSLV Library
Email: jsandt@psu.edu

quick links:

University Libraries/The CAT/E-Resources A-Z /E-Resources by Subject/MultiSearch/Citation Linker/ProQuest/Gale Virtual Reference Library/CQ Researcher/Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center/ILLIAD/Research Toolkit

finding books

The CAT is Penn State's online catalog of over 5 million volumes, as well as videos, audio cds, maps, musical scores, dissertations, newspapers, journals, and more.

Students may borrow books from any Penn State campus. To search all Penn State libraries, choose ALL from the In Library menu. To order books from other campuses, use the I Want It button at the top of every detail page.

Go to the CAT

Search Tip: To locate information on a subject, try the Topic: Title + Subject search. The Quick Guide to the CAT includes basic search information.

Libraries Borrowing Policies:
Loan periods are usually four weeks, and can be renewed online using the "My Library Account" link at the top of the screen in The CAT.

Books can be recalled for another user. Respond promptly to library notices to avoid fines. For more information see the University Libraries Lending Code.

Books Elsewhere:

If you need a book not owned by Penn State Libraries, it may be available from another library. Check WorldCat, with 38 million items in libraries around the world. To order a book while in WorldCat, users registered with ILLIAD can use the ILL icon at the top of the page.

Note: Books requested from other institutions may take longer to arrive and have shorter loan periods.

finding articles

To locate online articles from scholarly journals, newspapers, and other sources, select a resource from the E-Resource List. To identify which e-resource on the list to use for your topic, try:

Suggested E-Resources:
Three of the most popular e-resources offering the full text of articles on a wide variety of topics are listed below.

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Get the full text of articles

Many of the resources listed above include the full-text of the article. If a Get It! button appears with the title of the article, click it. If any of the Penn State online resources offer the entire article, you will be able to link from the Get It! screen

If full-text is not available, click ILLiad on the Get It screen. The ILLiad request form will be automatically generated with the citation information. Just click submit. Generally articles ordered via ILLiad are available online within 24-48 hours.

If you have the citation of an article and want to obtain the full text, or if you want to check whether full text for a specific journal is available, use Citation Linker.

finding Internet info

The Internet is a valuable information source if it is used wisely. Remember that anyone can publish anything on the Internet, so look critically at all sites.

When using a search engine like Google, try the "Advanced Search" option for more search limits. Enclose phrases in quotes (i.e. "Penn State").

Evaluation Checklist
Sites for evaluation in class

You can also avoid long hours of searching and shoddy information by using "best of the web" sites and "hot topics" sites compiled by researchers and librarians.

finding reference sources

Reference books are usually referred to for aid and information rather than read cover to cover and generally do not leave the library. Types of reference books include dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, directories, and atlases.

Many reference sources are now available online. On the E-Resource List, Gale Virtual Reference Library offers full-text of many encyclopedias and other reference works.

To identify a reference work on the shelves of the library, consult The CAT. Do a Keyword Search and select Reference Book from the Material Type menu. Limit the search to the Penn State Lehigh Valley Library.

Penn State's E-Resource List A-Z includes many references sources. Some examples are:

NetLibrary also includes many online versions of reference books. To find a reference work on a topic, try search for the subject and the terms encyclopedia or dictionary.

finding MLA style

Humanities: Documenting Sources (MLA Style) - Formats for print and electronic sources from Diana Hacker's guide.
MLA Style for Citing Print and Database Sources - Includes sample citations for typical print sources as well as ProQuest and other database citation. (Acrobat file)
DocsCite - Choose a style and document type, enter the information, and DocsCite will automatically produce an APA or MLA citation.

finding help

For additional library research assistance, stop by the library reference desk or email Judy Sandt, jsandt@psu.edu.

last updated September, 2006