GENERAL ADVICE ON USING THE LIBRARY
TO HELP US HELP YOU BETTER
- Remember: Research TAKES TIME. Be sure to set aside enough time for your research.
- Be sure to have a copy of the relevant parts of these instructions with you as you work.
- When you ask for help, be able to tell us at what point you are in these instructions. Be smart! Get a strategy!
RESEARCH STRATEGY
- Reference Room
- Online Catalog
- Periodicals Indexes
- Remember: We're ALWAYS going to begin in the Reference Room. Let's go there now!
STEP 1: THE REFERENCE ROOM
The Reference Room is where you will find the general background information that will help you become acquainted with your topic. Read it before you proceed any further in the research process so that you can become familiar with any important terms that you will need to recognize.
In order to know how to navigate the Reference Room, you need to know how to use the Library of Congress Classification System. The books and many other materials in Roberts Library are classified according to this system, the same one that is in use in most other academic libraries in the United States and Canada. A more detailed description of the topics listed below can be found on the posters conveniently displayed in the Reference Room.
Think about your topic, and head for the letter that best fits it.
The letters to the left are the first letters of the "call numbers." Be SURE that you know how to read call numbers. You can use them both in the Reference Room and in the General Collection. In the Reference Room, however, remember that all call numbers are preceded by "REF" or "R" to designate them as reference books.
| A | General Works |
| B | Philosophy; Psychology; Religion |
| C | Auxiliary Sciences of History (CT - Biography) |
| D | History: General and Old World |
| E | History of the Americas (the Western Hemisphere) |
| F | History of the Americas (the Western Hemisphere) |
| G | Geography; Anthropology; Recreation and Sports |
| H | Social Sciences |
| J | Political Science |
| K | Law |
| L | Education |
| M | Music |
| N | Fine Arts |
| P | Language and Literature |
| PR | British Literature |
| PS | United States Literature |
| Q | Science and Mathematics |
| R | Medicine |
| S | Agriculture |
| T | Technology |
| U | Military Science |
| V | Naval Science |
| Z | Bibliography and Library Science |
After you read the material you have found in the Reference Room, the next step is searching the online catalog.
STEP 2: SEARCHING THE LIBRARY CATALOG
- The Web URL for our library catalog is: http://gil.mgc.edu
- AVOID the "Basic Search" option. It is very imprecise.
- Choose "More Search Options," and search according to the following directions:
- Type your search term in the "Search for:" box.
- Using the horizontal arrow at the bottom of the screen, scroll to the right until you see the "Search in" box.
- Change the drop-down menu to "Subject."
- On some monitors, you might need to scroll down to find the search button. Click on it.
Class and character in Faulkner's South / Myra Jehlen.
| Author: | Jehlen, Myra. |
|---|---|
| Title: | Class and character in Faulkner's South / Myra Jehlen. |
| Publisher: | New York : Columbia University Press, 1976. |
| Description: | ix, 181 p. ; 22 cm. |
| Notes: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Subject(s): |
Faulkner, William, 1897-1962 --Criticism and interpretation. Southern States in literature. |
| Location: | GENRL COLL/2nd. Floor |
| Call Number: | PS3511 .A86 Z858 |
| Number of Items: | 1 |
| Status: | Not Checked Out |
STEP 3: PERIODICALS INDEXES (AND OTHER ONLINE INFORMATION)
In the periodicals indexes, you will find citations to articles that have appeared in magazines, journals, or newspapers . Occasionally, these articles may be available full-text through GALILEO. If the article you need, is not available full-text, you will need to:
First determine if it is available in this library. (Check our periodicals holdings.) If it is not available here, request it through Inter-library loan.
PERIODICALS INDEXES ON GALILEO
REMEMBER: Searching periodicals indexes is the most complex part of the research process. Do not attempt it until you have completed Step 1 and Step 2 of the Research Strategy and you are very familiar with your subject.
*DOZENS* of periodicals indexes are available to you on GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning Online). At this point, you may need some help to determine which one(s) will be best for you to use.
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING ONLINE PERIODICALS INDEXES:
- On the GALILEO homepage, you will find the topic areas listed on the left of the screen.
- Select the topic area that best fits your subject (for example, "Arts and Humanities"for a literary topic).
- Select the specific index that is most likely to cite the kinds of articles you need. (It might be a good idea to ask for some advice at this point.)
- Experiment with the search terms you use. The first one may not always work. Try different terms (or combinations of terms) until you find the most helpful citations. Again, please do not hesitate to ask for advice at this point.
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
Occasionally, you may want to go beyond traditional print resources and look for information on the Internet that only exists in an online format. (Do not confuse this "Internet information" with citations or full-text from a periodicals index.) There are many ways to do this. Here is one simple way:
- On the Galileo homepage, select "Directory" from the top menu bar. When that action opens a window, select "Internet Directory."
- From the list you are given, select the "Yahoo" directory. (An alternate way to "Yahoo" is to select "Open" from the top menu bar and type in the following URL: www.yahoo.com .)
- Try Yahoo's subject index first to locate your topic. Avoid the search engine as it is very difficult to use well and may give you a good deal of irrelevant information.
So, now you know the basics of getting around the library. Please take one more step and answer a few questions to make sure that you've mastered the important points...