• Finding Books
• Reference Resources
• Articles
• Web Resources
• Research Tips

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Finding Books

Using Catalogs:

Use the Stewart Library Catalog to find the location and availability of books and other media in Stewart Library. Most of the books in the catalog are located on level two of the library in the General Collection under the call number QE.  Another resource to find books in libraries outside the Stewart Library is Worldcat.  It is a catalog of books, web resources, and other materials from a large number of libraries.  

From Bookstores:

Order books online from Amazon Books or Barnes and Noble. Also use Books in Print sources as needed.

Interlibrary Loan:

If we do not own a particular book or article you need, we will borrow it for you from another library through Interlibrary Loan.

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Reference Resources

Reference resources include encyclopedias, dictionaries and other materials you use to "refer" to. Use these resources to find background information on a topic.

Online Reference Resources

• AccessScience
• Topo Maps-Utah & Surrounding States (Ask for CD at Reference Desk. Ref Station #33)

Print Reference Resources (available in the Reference area on the 1st level)

• Glossary of geology (QE5.B38 1997)
• McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of the geological sciences (QE5.M29 1988)
• The Encyclopedia of field and general geology (QE5.E515 1988)
• The Encyclopedia of structural geology and plate tectonics (QE601.E53 1987)
• The Facts on File dictionary of geology and geophysics (QE5.L29 1987)

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Finding Articles

Online Journals Available at WSU

To determine whether the Stewart Library has electronic access to a specific journal, please check the Full Text Electronic Journals & Newspapers list. 

Article Databases

To find articles on your topic search article databases.  Each database usually covers a group of subject-related journals. Search by keyword in these indexes.  Databases covering the Geosciences area may be found using the Database Finder.

Good databases to start with:

Georef

Geobase

Science Direct College Edition

JSTOR

Browsing Current Periodicals

Current magazines and journals can be browsed in the Current Periodicals Area, in the QE section on the Main level. Bound volumes of older issues are found upstairs in the periodicals stacks.

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Web Resources

Here are some WWW sites to get you started. Most of these will take you to other links, so explore!

• AAPG
• Geology at About.com
• United States Geological Survey
• Yahoo! Directory Earth Sciences-- Geology and Geophysics
• American Geological Institute

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Research Tips

• Clearly identify your information need
• Identify key words and search terms to match your topic
• Develop search statements using advanced search techniques
  • Boolean logic, adjacency searching and truncation
• Use the Stewart Library Catalog to find books
• Use the Database Finder to find databases related to Science.   Then search these database to find journal articles.
• Go back to the online catalog to see if the journals are in Stewart Library and where they are located
• Use Interlibrary loan to get materials that are not in Stewart Library
• Use search engines to find Web information
• Carefully evaluate the information you find for usefulness and quality
• Revise your search terms and strategy to expand or narrow your results, be creative, look in other areas
• Once you have found information from an Internet site you can Email the documents to yourself, print or save them to a floppy disk 
• Use appropriate style to document and cite research
• Ask for Assistance at Reference, via phone or email

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