Getting Started on Research

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Ask a Librarian at the Library of Congress

Latourette Library’s home page (http://www.wciu.edu/library/) links to numerous electronic resources as well as print materials within our library. To access materials requiring a password, contact Services@wciu.edu for your password, which is available to WCIU faculty, mentors (adjunct faculty), staff, and students. Then click on the “Sign In” at the top right corner of the home page or this page.

The following resources are located on the Latourette Library home page. The Quick Links on top of page also link directly to your area of interest.

To return to this page after trying these links, hit the back arrow at the top of your web browser.

 

Find Articles

Electronic Articles

• FirstSearch (http://firstsearch.oclc.org/) is an online service composed of a number of databases and is password protected. Databases allow you to search for relevant articles. The ATLAS and WilsonSelectPlus databases are full-text, which means you can read the articles on your computer monitor. Other databases index many articles which you may request by contacting Latourette Library.

There is a tutorial on how to use FirstSearch on the homepage. Following “First Search Electronic Journals” click on "How do I use these?”

If you cannot read an article on your computer because you do not have Acrobat Reader, go to http://www.wciu.edu/library/pdf_documents.html for instructions on downloading this free software.

• EBSCO’s History databases index history reference books and are password protected.

• Theological Journals Search finds full-text articles fromover 250open-access (available free on the Web) journals and magazines related to theology and religion. While most of the journals are in English, some are in other languages.

• Latourette Library Internet Research Links are open to anyone.Search this database for your subject along with the words “journal,” “periodical,” “magazine,” or “newsletter” to find electronic periodicals. Many of the periodicals listed here are open-access (free for anyone to read on a computer).

• Library’s Reference page: See the list of Electronic Journals. Many of the periodicals listed here are open-access (free for anyone to read).

• Also on the Reference page, under each subject, some of the prominent journals and magazines are listed (whether open access—free to read on the internet—or subscription).

Print Articles

Articles in print form can be found in databases or by other means (your mentor’s or professor’s recommendation, etc.). Some of the print journals and other periodicals at Latourette Library are cataloged, but most are not. To find out if Latourette Library has the print article you need, please contact Library Services at library@wciu.edu. WCIU faculty, staff and students can request articles to be scanned and emailed to them. Articles can also be requested through interlibrary loan for WCIU faculty, staff and students.

Google Advanced Scholar Search

Google Advanced Scholar Search finds full-text scholarly articles, citations and books. Skim over the books and citations to get to the articles. Many of the articles are not directly available. C heck WCIU's FirstSearch to see if WCIU has access to that article. If not, an academic library near you may have it. For articles key to your research, WCIU faculty, staff and students may contact Library Services at library@wciu.edu to request the article through interlibrary loan.

Faculty Research and Writings

Lectures and articles by WCIU faculty and guest lecturers are made available to WCIU faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends in an online searchable database. This is password protected; request a password from Services@wciu.edu.

Find Books

Latourette Library Online Catalog

• In addition to password protected e-books, we have cataloged a number of academic-level open-access e-books. The latter are available to everyone. To find cataloged open-access books, type “open” into the location field.
  
• Print books can only be mailed to our students and mentors within the U.S., and the person is responsible for the books and return postage. If you wish to borrow a book, click in the small box to the left of the title. Once all books have been selected, fill in the information at the top of the search results to send the requested books.
  
• Find electronic books (e-books) in our catalog by typing “web” into the Location field along with specifics of your search (such as title, author, or keywords). Some e-books are open access (as shown in the location field), but most require a password.

Cataloged open-access books are currently focused on international development, area studies, and missions. To find open access books only, type open in the Location field.

WorldCat

WorldCat searches millions of books in library collections worldwide and is available as part of FirstSearch (password-protected) and also for anyone at www.worldcat.org.

Through FirstSearch some of WCIU’s books are indicated, so in those cases, you can see if Latourette Library has a book without searching our catalog. FirstSearch also has a database called WorldCat Dissertations.

WorldCat.org search results display the libraries near you that have the book you are looking for, including for the U.S. the number of miles to that library. To do this:

1. Click on the title of the book you want.
2. Click on the “Libraries” tab which follows the information on the book.
3. Type in your location in the Enter Location Information field. In the US, enter zip code. For other places, enter your country.
4. Hit the Enter key.

Reference Page

Find a listing of electronic book websites on Latourette Library Reference page under “Books: Free Online.” See also “Virtual Libraries” or “ Libraries.”

Google Advanced Scholar Search

Google Advanced Scholar Search finds citations and books, as well as articles, with links for you to buy the books. Google has previews of the books in which a phrase can be searched, and often the wider context can be viewed online. If you locate a book that would be especially helpful for your research you may order it directly from the Google site, or for those within the U.S., WCIU faculty, staff and students may contact Library Services at library@wciu.edu to request the book through interlibrary loan.

Further Research: Links to other websites

Latourette Library Reference Page

The Latourette Library Reference page provides links to quality websites for your research. The links are arranged by topic or category, for example, “Buddhism,” “Country Studies,” “Virtual Libraries” and so on.

Go to Academic Research to find links to tools for scholarly Web research, searching the Invisible Web, and more.

Latourette’s Internet Links Page

The Internet Research Links page provides access to a searchable database of web links on a variety of research topics.

• Search the database for subjects such as missions, unreached people groups, development, etc.
  
• Some of the most often researched subjects are tagged in the “Popular Categories” box on the right side. Click on any tag (subject) to access records in that subject.
  
• Current software searches on title and description rather than subjects, but we are working toward a better solution.

Updating links is currently awkward, but we are working to where we can easily update these and plan to do so on a regular basis. If you find a broken link (one that doesn’t work), please report it at Broken Links. The records are currently listed in no particular order. We are working toward prioritizing and refining searches. This reference page is an intermediate step towards a web links directory that will be eventually created on our website.

Don’t Know How to Do Something?

• Check our Tutorials page to find resources on how to develop and improve your research skills, study skills, internet search tips, Academic vs. Popular Articles, Using Primary Sources on the Web, general computer skills tutorials, and safe use of the Internet.
  
• Latourette Library is developing more tutorials on using our electronic resources that will be available to you in the future.
  
• If you need more information on, or assistance with, using the resources on our library webpage, or if you would like to order a book or article through interlibrary loan, please contact Library Services at library@wciu.edu.
  

Established May 5th, 2008
Latourette Library: 1-626-398-2155; library@wciu.edu
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