Using Library Resources

Finding Library Website

Library Home

OPAC

• Online Public Access Catalog

• Catalog of all of the materials held by both our Queens and Brooklyn library

• Default is the Simple Icon Search but you can change it to Advanced Search Mode

• On the simple Icon Search, you can search by Author, Title, Subject, or All. All is the default

• Check on item status and availability

Icon Search

Advanced Search

Hover on Search to reveal

drop down menu

Library Databases

Library Databases • We have over 30 databases

• They contain the full-text of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, and books.

• They are not the Internet! Please do not tell students they cannot use anything they find online and lump databases into this!

• Most databases have scholarly/peer-reviewed filter. You can retrieve information that has authority and is credible

Database tips

• Do not use Natural language-the way you naturally think. This works with Google but is not good for databases

• Brainstorm Search terms!

• Phrase searching- putting things in quotes

• Use Boolean operators

Boolean Searching AND-using “AND” with two search terms will give

you results that include both search terms Ex: Diabetes AND Children NOT-used when you want to bring up information

with one keyword but not another Excludes words from results. For example, search for: Virginia NOT “West Virginia” OR-can be used to broaden a search You can use this if there are multiple terms that describe what you’re looking for Ex: “Domestic Violence” OR “Domestic abuse”

Multidisciplinary Databases

EBSCO Academic Search Premier:

• Full text for over 4,700 journals

• More than 4,000 peer-reviewed, full-text journals

• Covers the expansive academic disciplines now being offered in colleges and universities

Finding Academic Search Premier

Subject Specific Databases

Business Source Premier: • The industry's most popular business research

database, featuring the full text for more than 2,200 journals

• Includes Company Profiles, Industry Reports, • Market Research Reports, and SWOT analyses Business Insights Essentials: • user-friendly business tool that delivers

authoritative company and industry information, articles, and statistical data.

Business Source Premier

Opposing Viewpoints in Context

• Premier online resource covering today’s hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration, to violent video games. Opposing Viewpoints in Context is cross-curricular and supports different subjects including science, social science, and current events

• Gives both sides of an issues and let’s students make up their own minds

General Reference-Credo

• Vast, online reference library, providing access to the full text of over 600 hundred highly regarded and popular titles including encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks.

• Subject coverage is especially diverse and equipped to address all key disciplines

• Examples of titles available include: Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary