Montgomery College Libraries > Pat Semple, Librarian > EN102 Techniques of Reading & Writing II, Prof. Zaheer

As we discussed in the library instruction session, here are some reminders about how to locate books and articles in the library. Having trouble? Send me an e-mail at pat.semple@montgomerycollege.edu and I will do my best to reply to you within 24 hours.

Find Book In Catalog: Go to the library's homepage, find the link for MC Library Catalog, and set "Select Search Type" to Keyword Boolean. Use keywords (tend to be nouns), Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and punctuation (parenthesis used with OR, quotations marks for phrases):

computers AND security

pain AND marijuana

"death penalty" OR "capital punishment"

Set One Limit: Remember that one of your options is to limit your search to a particular campus, to the last five years, to e-books, to video (DVDs, VHS tapes), or to audio (CDs, cassette tapes).

Renew Books Online: Go into MC Library Catalog and use the My Acccount button at the top of the page.

Help: Speak to the reference librarian on duty or call the reference desk:

Germantown: 240-567-7853

Rockville: 240-567-7130

Takoma Park Silver Spring: 240-567-1536

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Encyclopedia Britannica Online

 

Gale Virtual Reference Library

 

xreferplus

 

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Here are a few good places to start your search for journal articles on any topic that might be considered controversial:

Comprehensive Collections

Academic Search Premier

Covers all subject areas.

Expanded Academic ASAP

Covers all subject areas.

National Newspapers

For opinion pieces, include the word "editorial" in your search expressions.

Selective Collections: By Topic or Discipline

Opposing Viewpoints

Use blue Subject Headings on opening page to search by topic. Can also be searched using Boolean search expressions; select "Search By Keyword."

SIRS Knowledge Source

Scan the list of "Leading Issues" for the subject that best describes your topic. Can also be searched using Boolean search expressions if you select "Keyword/Natural Language."

Project Muse

Limited to scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

Searching: Here are some sample searches using keywords and Boolean operators:

children AND violence AND (television OR tv)

juvenile AND "death penalty"

"same sex marriage" AND amendment

"gun control" AND legislation

"self image" AND (commercials OR advertisements OR ads)

(gender OR race) AND stereotypes

Sorting: Results can be sorted by date (most recent first) or relevance (highest occurrence of keywords).

Printing: For trouble-free printing, use the Print button in the database.

Help: Read the Help or Search Tips information for the database; speak to the reference librarian on duty; or call the reference desk:

Germantown: 240-567-7853

Rockville: 240-567-7130

Takoma Park Silver Spring: 240-567-1536

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The library has a six-page handout on the MLA Works Cited Page.

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