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Research Assistance
Getting the Most Out of the Library
Using the Library effectively can save you significant time and effort.
Remember that the Library, like all information today, is constantly
changing – adding
new services, adding new databases, enlarging the web site, and connecting
students to new electronic resources. It is not a static environment. Here
are some strategies and tools for making the Library work for you.
Connecting With A Librarian
Getting connected early on with a librarian can make you more scholarly
and productive in your research. There are several ways to connect with
a librarian. If you are working on your thesis, contact
Eliz Breakstone, the Honors College librarian. Eliz can answer your question or
find the best subject librarian for your topic. If you have questions about
the Library and its resources, start with the Reference
Service (Knight, Science, Architecture & Allied Arts) or use the email
reference connection. Chat
reference help is also available for general questions.
Honors College Librarian/Getting Help
Eliz Breakstone , Honors College Librarian
ebreak@uoregon.edu
Knight Library Reference, 346-1818
Subject Librarians
The UO Library, like most large academic libraries, hires librarians
who specialize in subject areas. Make an appointment with a librarian
subject specialist, and you have made an excellent information
connection. We have subject specialists in history, psychology, literature,
business, art, philosophy, biology, chemistry, political science, etc.
Each discipline has its own information channels; learning about the way it is organized
in your discipline will make your research much more productive.
Email Reference
Send us your questions
via email and get an answer by the next day. Email reference is particularly
good for questions regarding UO resources, services and policies.
Chat Reference
Librarians throughout Oregon provide answers to reference questions via
a highly interactive chat service. It
is best for general
Ask-A type questions. If you have question about
University of Oregon
library services, use our
Email Reference instead.
Doing Research
Journal Articles
Journal articles often provide the critical primary or secondary information
about a topic. The Library subscribes to over 100 different databases
in a myriad of areas. Academic Search Premier is
a strong general & interdisciplinary database that indexes 4500 journals
and provides full text for 3600. In-depth scholarly rearchers should
also consult the specialized
databases essential to their areas. Check
out the Databases & Indexes section
on the Library’s
web page for your discipline.
New - Find full-text easily with the FindText service
available through the Library Catalog and most of the periodical databases.
Read the FindText
FAQ and see how effectively you can locate full text.
Articles Not Owned by UO
The UO owns 15,000 periodicals,
but there may be critical items we don't own. You can usually get the article
sent to you in 3 – 4
days. Simply use the Interlibrary
Loan service form. Remember to include your email account on the form
since most of the articles are being transmitted electronically. You receive
and email telling you to go a secure web site and "pick up" your
article.
Books Not Owned by UO
The UO owns over 2.5 million books, but there are bound to be
some we don't have. In addition, if the UO book is checked out, missing,
or on
reserve you can get it in a few days. Putting a request into Summit (Orbis
Cascade) can get the books from 22 libraries in the Northwest, including
the University of Washington, sent directly to the UO in 2-3 working
days. You keep them for 3 weeks and can renew them online for another
3 weeks.
Try it to expand the richness of your research.
If Summit (Orbis Cascade) does not own the books you need, use the WorldCat
database.
WorldCat is an incredible catalog of over 52,000 materials owned
by libraries throughout the U.S. and some European libraries. These books
usually arrive in 5-7 working days.
Government Information
Topics concerned with public policy issues or international relations usually
require the use of government documents. Government
documents are important
sources
of statistical data, legal and regulatory
information. The Library receives documents from the United States government,
the State of Oregon, Canadian government, European Union, and the World
Trade Organization. Government information is an area where you definitely
need the assistance from specialized Documents Librarians.
Dissertations
Finding a dissertation written on a topic may be fantastic for your
research, especially if you are working on a issue that is just emerging
or if
you are having difficulty locating information on your topic. Dissertation
Abstracts, a database devoted to M.A. and Ph.D. theses in the United
States, can quickly provide an abstract of the thesis or dissertation.
You can also quickly request that the UO borrow the
dissertation through interlibrary loan (usually 7 – 10 days). Check
out the Dissertation
Guide to get the scoop on dissertations.
Annual Reviews
Many disciplines have annual
reviews that present an overview and
extensive bibliography of the critical areas in the discipline. In other
disciplines these reviews may be called Annual Reviews Of..., Advances
In ...,
or specific titles such as Year’s
Work in English.
Discipline Research Guides
Scholarly research in a discipline requires an in-depth knowledge of the
major research tools, including reference books, journals, and highly
regarded web sites. Get a quick focus by consulting the discipline-specific
research guides developed by the subject librarians.
Specialized Encyclopedias
Specialized
encyclopedias are incredibly rich sources.
They can give answers to specific questions, provide context for issues,
and be
a great
jump
off
to important
resources on the topic. Most specialized encyclopedias are in
the print reference collecctions in Knight, Science, and the Architecture & Allied
Arts Library. There are also a few available electronically.
Oxford Reference Online
Grove Dictionary of Art
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Women’s Studies Encyclopedia
Scholarly Web Sites
Web searching usually gives you too many sites and low scholarly
value. Get the best academic sites by checking the Research
Guides by discipline
or the great scholarly web site,
Internet Scout.
Primary Sources
Primary Sources are often a major focus for in-depth research.
The UO has primary sources in many disciplines that provide a rich and
diverse window on history, political issues and gender issues. The Primary
Sources Guide gives quick access to the array of resources.
Special Collections
Special
Collections is a treasure trove of manuscripts, diaries, photographs,
and university archives. It can be a wonderful place for finding that remarkable
piece of history and investigating its unique story. You may be surprised
at the breadth and depth collected by the UO - from rare photographs of
northwest native americans to the papers of Jane Grant, the co-founder
of the New Yorker.
Special Services
Creating Your Own Bibliography
Developing your own bibliography electronically as you do your research
is a great time saving device. The Library Catalog
and almost every database have ways to mark the citations you need and
send the information directly to your email or save it to disk.
You
don’t
have to worry about writing down the exact information needed for your
paper’s bibliography and footnotes.
EndNote and Procite are digital tools that can make developing bibliographies
and footnotes even more efficient.
Once you have the EndNote or Procite software loaded on your computer,
you can seamlessly send information from the Library Catalog and periodical
databases
into
your own database. After the data is captured you can manipulate it in
many ways with the software.
Determining the Scholarly Influence
You can now investigate the influence of an author or a topic on the larger
discipline by finding out how many times a particular author or article
is cited by others. They are also very useful for interdisciplinary topics.
The database Web
of Science (covers
social sciences and sciences)
while Arts & Humanities
Search (covers humanities
and arts). Remember
to
use
a "cited author" search to find out who is citing whom.
Cool Library Extras
Off Campus Access to
UO Databases
Wireless Access
Laptop Check Out
Camera Check Out
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