Algoma University Wishart Library LIBRARY INSTRUCTION Algoma University Wishart Library

What is available at the Library? 107,000 volumes of books 12,000 government documents 250 current subscriptions to print journals, 20,000 electronic journals More than 40 databases are available, many of which provide full text articles.

WHERE TO START ? Need a plan Basic resources are…. Databases (journal articles) Catalogue (for books and Government Documents) Learn how to refine your search

How do I access the databases? From Algoma University: http://www.algomau.ca/library/ click on Online Tools and then Databases

for Electronic Databases. Research Strategies for Electronic Databases. Electronic databases use a "keyword" search as opposed to a search by subject. Some have a thesaurus which helps to locate subject terms. This means that you need to be as exact as possible when querying information. Then narrow the search and try searching again. Narrow your search further by choosing the source: Academic journals, Magazines, Newspapers etc. Use folders on databases to store articles and proceed with more searches using the suggested searching terms on left column.

Credible Resources? Popular: Cover current events Written in a straightforward and simple way Short articles and interviews Written by journalists and can be biased Pictures courtesy of Maclean’s, People and Canadian Journal of History Websites.

MID-RANGE JOURNALS Political, economic and social commentary Written for a general audience May reflect some bias Example:

SCHOLARLY ARTICLES Written by professors/subject specialists Based on their original research Peer reviewed Reasonable to trust the source Citations available Checks and balances against bias

iLink AU’s online catalogue Part of the Laurentian University system of libraries Library of Congress Classification System Flexible searching (keyword, subject, author, title) Evaluate holdings Available from anywhere through the library’s web site