English 190 Mathews Section 23 and 26

Here are answers to the questions you gave me at the end of our library session last week. Please feel free to contact me if you have other questions.

How do I sign in to access library databases from off campus?
Use your SLUNet i.d. and password. This is the same password you use for logging into my SLU.

Are SLU students allowed to use all three libraries?
Yes. You can visit and check out books from Pius, Law and the Med Center Library.

When can I use MOBIUS?
You can request a book from MOBIUS if SLU doesn’t own the book or if our copy is checked out.

Where do I start if I’m looking for a specific book?
Search the library catalog in the “find a book area” of http://libraries.slu.edu.
Select “title” from the pull-down menu, enter the title and click go.

How do I find the book once I have a call number?
Click on ‘Pius library’ in the location area of the catalog record for the book. This brings up a map of the floor where your book is shelved.

If you just have a call number, you can use the location guide to see where that call number range is located. Location guides are at the reference desk. The location guide is also available online. Click on the red “Resources for” tab and click on students to get to this. There are also call number ranges for each floor posted next tot the elevators.

Remember, if you can’t find a book that you are looking for, don’t give up! Ask for help at the reference desk.

Where is the best spot to study in the library?

This is a matter of personal preference. If you really like quiet, the Lewis Annex might be a good place for you or you could try the quiet study area on Level 2 of the AB Wing. It’s right at the top of the big staircase. The availability of electrical outlets for you laptop might affect where you go. There are outlets beneath many of the big tables in the iCommons on Level 1. There are also outlets on the large structural posts scattered through the building.

How do I cite sources?
Click on the red “Resources for” tab and click on students. Then click on “Plagiarism Resources” and click on “Resources for students”. You will find a section on Style Guides and Manuals on that page.

How do I decide if a web site is credible?
Look at the web site on evaluating web sites from the UC Berkeley library that I showed you in class. The url is on your handout.


How long can a book be checked out for?
The loan period for undergraduates is 21 days with unlimited renewals (unless someone else is waiting for that particular book). You can renew a book online using your ‘my library” account.

Do I always have to go through the library databases or should I use Google sometimes?

You will have a better chance of finding appropriate sources for a research paper if you use one of the library databases. Google does not cover scholarly journals in the same way that a library database does. Google can be a good way to find other sources of information such as a map, a company web site, an advocacy group or certain kinds of statistics for example.

How do I cite the databases? What is the difference among MLA, CBE and APA styles?

You cite an article, not a database. There are special rules for citing an article you accessed electronically. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) from Purdue has a nice summary on documenting electronic sources at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/584/02/

Click on the Research and Citation link on the right side of the main OWL page to see information about many different kinds of citation styles. Your instructor will usually specify the style guide you should use.

When should I use a database other than Academic Search Premier (ASP)? How do I choose?
It depends on the topic. ASP is just a starting point. You can review the databases by subject page by clicking on the yellow research tab, then the databases link.

How do I search the electronic reference book collections?
Go to the databases page and select either Gale Virtual Reference Library or Oxford Reference Online. These are two big collections. You will see a search box on the first page. This is where you can search the entire collection. You can also search within individual e-books.

How to I get to the full text online?
If you are in a database, there may be full text in that database that will be labeled “HTML full text” or “PDF full text”. In that case, just click on the link. If there is a link that says”linked full text”, click on that to get to the full text. Otherwise, click on the “find it at SLU” button which takes you to the Article Linker page, which is self explanatory. If SLU has access to the full text, you will see a blue link named “article”.

If you are not in a database, click on the “search for articles” link in the “find an article” area of the library home page. Enter the title of the journal in the text box on the next page. And click search. You will see where full text is available for that title in the result list.

Does Pius own the print version of every article that is available online?
No. It depends on the journal.