• BOOK REVIEWS

In some of the library’s databases, you can “limit” your search to book reviews.

To the right is an example of how to find book reviews in the database Academic Search Premier:

Select Refine Search

Scroll down to Document Type and select Book Review

Then, in the Find box at the top of the page, type in the title and author of the book.

Sometimes the fewer words you put in the search box the better your results.

Example:

1st Find box: romeo
2nd Find box: shakespeare

col. ill = color illustrations try also ill. (some col.)
ill chiefly col = chiefly color illustrations

try also chiefly col. ill.
ill. = with illustrations

col. maps = colored maps

Try also just map? to search both spellings map or maps

p of plates = pages with plates
photographs
exhibitions
picture books

Example: searching for color illustrations. Add another search term of interest. For example, in the next search bar, type plants

Children’s books are located on the 4th floor in the Curriculum Materials area.

Children’s books are searchable in the Catalog’s Basic Search by keyword, with location limit “Children’s Literature”

Put two or more words that go together in quotes when searching Basic Search mode.

Example: "charlotte's web"

See also the Children’s Literature Guide for more information on finding lesson plans and book reviews. See also a list of Caldecott and Newbery Medal winning books and a list of other Children's awarding books by award name.

In a few databases, you can limit your search to dissertations as in this example in PsycINFO.

Dissertations are what PhD candidates write as their final work in order to earn their doctorate. Most master students write a master thesis. Usually the university from where the student graduates owns a copy of the dissertation or thesis. Often that is the only copy. You can try to Interlibrary Loan a dissertation or thesis. Some are beginning to be posted online for free, but this is still rare.

You may want to explore:

http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/ Most dissertations and theses are available for purchase.

Also, the database WorldCat indexes dissertations and some master theses and sometimes links to the full-text. When searching WorldCat, add the term dissertation in one of the search bars.

In some of the library databases, you can easily refine (limit) your search to find just editorials:

For example, in the database Academic Search Premier, click on Refine Search and scroll down to Document Type and select Editorial

Then, in the Find box at the top of the page, type in your topic. Sometimes the fewer words you put in the search box the better your results.

In some of the library databases, you can easily refine (limit) your search to find just Literature reviews:

For example, in the database PsycINFO database, click on Refine Search and scroll down to Methodology and select Literature Review

Then, in the Find box at the top of the page, type in your topic. Sometimes the fewer words you put in the search box the better your results.

For example, If you were writing a paper on anorexia, a literature review article would summarize the top, seminal works, related to research on anorexia. Also referred to as a review of the literature.

You may want to explore American University Library's page on literature reviews: http://www.library.american.edu/Help/research/lit_review/index.html

A literature review is a type of article that reviews the current state of knowledge on a specific topic.

Follow the same search strategy as for a literature review above. In some databases the dropdown box will be labeled Methodology, in other databases look for a dropdown box
labeled Publication Type.

Follow the same search strategy as for a literature review above. In some databases the dropdown box will be labeled Methodology, in
other databases look for a dropdown box labeled Publication Type.

Using Primary Sources on the Web
Written by the Instruction & Research Services Committee of the Reference and User Service Association History Section in the American Library Association.

Library Research: Finding Primary Sources
(UC Berkeley Library) 

American FactFinder (U.S. Census Bureau)

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Print version (sometimes easier to use than the Web site):

• Title: Statistical abstract of the United States / prepared by the chief of the Bureau of Statistics, Treasury Dept.
• Published: Washington : G.P.O., 1879-
• Location: Reference Collection (non-circulating), 1st Floor
• Call Number: HA202 .U5
• USI Holdings: 1944/1945, 1964, 1968-2006(125th ed.)

Statistical Resources on the Web (Univ. of Michigan)

• USI YEARBOOKS AND CAMPUS HISTORY
The University Archives and Special Collections (3rd floor) has:

• an extensive collection of materials on the history of USI
• copies of all USI yearbooks that were published, 1971 - 1989
• THE SHIELD (USI STUDENT PAPER)
  • The Shield (1969 - present)
  • The Shield online (current and some back issues)
  • The Spartan Shield (1969)
  • The Roach (1966-1969)

• LESSON PLANS FOR PRE K-12
Find pre K-12 lesson plans on all subjects, on web sites, in books, or by using the ERIC database.
See the Children’s Subject Guide for more information.

• TEXTBOOKS FOR PRE K-12
Browse pre K -12 textbooks on many subjects, in the Curriculum Materials Collection (4th Floor).

• TEXTBOOKS NEEDED FOR CLASSES
The USI Bookstore sells the books needed for your classes.

Your professor may put a copy of the textbook on reserve for class use (see Course Reserves). The Library tends not to purchase textbooks as they change every semester. Check the library’s Catalog to see if the library owns the title.