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ENGL 130 - Academic Writing

How to Use and Find Books

The library has a large and growing collection of scholarly books. Books are often a good place to start your research because they can give you an introduction or overview of a subject, offer in-depth and thorough information, and historical background. Scholarly articles have an assumed audience of experts. You might need to know specialized vocabulary and be familiar with the subject to fully understand a scholarly article. One strategy for research is to start with books and move on to journal articles. If you need even more basic introductory information a reference resource, such as an encyclopedia, is a great place to start. 

To find books in the library you will use the library catalog. Use simple key words. For the example below I used the words prison and America. You can also search by tile, author, or subject. To locate a print book you will need to know the location and the call number. To find more books about a subject click the subject links. You can also save or email yourself the record for the book by using the permanent link available on every record. For information about online (e-books) see the next tab. 

To view online books in the catalog limit your search to Online Resources as seen below. The library record will also indicate if a book is online or available as a print copy in the library. 

The Library also has a collection of 85,000 ebrary ebooks covering all subjects. These books may be downloaded to your computer, Apple, or android device. Visit the ebrary database or add ebrary as a keyword in your search in the catalog.

Meriam Library | CSU, Chico