HIST 102 - Kristin Leaf
- Searching for Books
- Subject Headings
- Reference Books
- Searching Online Databases
- Web Sites
Getting Research Help- Citing Sources
- Avoiding Plagiarism
Searching for Books on Your Subject
Use the GCC Library Online Catalog to find books on your subject. See example below.
Subject Headings Related to Your Topics
Notice that in the example above, we specified that we're looking for books on the Subject of art and the Renaissance, with the keyword Italy appearing somewhere in the book record. But how do you know which Subject Headings to use when searching for books? Below are some suggested examples, chosen specifically for your assignment, but remember that there are many more. Also notice that some Subject Headings can be guessed; for example, since there is a Subject Heading for English fiction - 19th century, you can assume that there is also a Subject Heading for German fiction - 19th century, etc.
Anarchism |
Ideology |
When searching for books using Subject Headings, go to Basic Search in the Library Catalog and use the Subject Browse option. This allows you to look at all the Subject Headings near the one you searched for. See example below. Note that you do not need to add capital letters or punctuation in the Subject Browse search.
Reference Books
Reference books are a great place to find information on your topics, and one of the best ways to locate reference books is to browse the appropriate call number range. Use the call number ranges listed below to decide which area of the reference collection to browse. For example, if you're writing about music in the Renaissance period, you should start with the 700s because that's where the music reference books are. Note that the reference books are on the main floor of the library near the reference desk. Reference books cannot be checked out.
DEWEY DECIMAL CALL NUMBER RANGES
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy & psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences & mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts
800 Literature & rhetoric
900 Geography & history
Searching Online Databases
The GCC Library subscribes to various online databases that you can search from both on and off campus. (When searching from off campus, you will be prompted to enter your student ID number and your birthdate as a password). There are databases that have articles from reference sources and others that have articles from journals and newspapers. To locate the database that is right for your topic, look at the Database Descriptions & Guides page.
One database may look different than another, but they all work in basically the same ways. They all have:
- A text box where you type your search terms
- Limiting options that allow you to specialize your search
- A Search button that you click to start your search
- Help features in case you're confused
Below are some examples of GCC Library databases search screens. These are not the only databases available; they are just examples to get you started.
GroveArt
ProQuest Database
Web Sites
These are just a few recommended web sites to get you started.
Art Images for College Teaching (AICT) -- Covers ancient times to 20th century.
The Classical Music Pages -- Includes history, biographical information about composers (with portraits and short sound examples), explanations of the various musical forms and a dictionary of musical terminologies.
Cold War International History Project -- Includes a virtual archive, documents and papers, etc.
Creating French Culture -- Covers the 8th to the 20th centuries.
Encycopedia of 1848 Revolutions -- Click on Table of Contents or Introduction to begin.
Islamic Culture and the Medical Arts -- Information from the National Library of Medicine.
Jewish History Resource Center -- Search by time period, topic, etc.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution -- Includes topical essays, images, documents, songs, maps, etc.
Web Gallery of Art -- Covers European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1100-1850).
Getting Help with Your Research
The GCC Library provides research assistance in various formats.
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH ASSISTANCE:
You can always come to the reference desk to get individualized assistance whenever the library is open. To learn more about research help, visit our Ask A Librarian web page.
WORKSHOPS ON RESEARCH:
The GCC Library offers free, one-hour workshops to help students become better researchers. You can sign up for workshops and attend at your convenience. To see a workshop schedule and to sign up for workshops online, visit the Workshop Schedule web page.
ONLINE RESEARCH GUIDES AND TUTORIALS:
Check out the Research Guides and Tutorials web page for more online tools to help you do research.
FINDING BOOKS AND ARTICLES FROM OTHER LIBRARIES:
As a student at GCC, you are also able to check out books at the Pasadena City College Library and the California State University Los Angeles Library. To search their online catalogs, go to the Search Other Libraries web page.
If you still cannot find the book you need, or if you need an article not available in the GCC Library, you can use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to request the book or article from another library. The book or article will be sent to the GCC Library for your use.
Citing Sources
The GCC Library provides some brief, online guides about the MLA and APA citation styles. Notice that there are separate guides for citing print sources and electronic sources. You can also use the library catalog to search for style manuals, which have more in-depth information. The two most frequently used style manuals for MLA and APA styles are:
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(808.02 G437m, 2003) - Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(808.06615 P976, 2001)
Another good source of information for citing sources and writing research papers is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) from Purdue University. Check out the various links available at this site.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Glendale Community College has a Policy on Academic Honesty that all students are required to follow. It is your responsibility to know this policy (it's available in the GCC Class Schedule). When doing research, you must be particularly careful that you do not plagiarize another writer's ideas or words. The GCC Library provides an online guide to Avoiding Plagiarism to help students recognize what is acceptable when quoting, paraphrasing, and citing other people's work.
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.
To download a free copy click here.
Last Updated 3/21/08 djm
