A demonstration of Birkbeck Library’s e-resources Birkbeck Library

Outline Why are electronic resources important? An overview of the eLibrary What are ejournals and how do you use them? Databases: why and how? How do you find and access ebooks? Access to e-resources from outside College

Why are electronic resources important?

Accessible without coming into the Library Accessible 24 hours a day Remote access using your IT services username and password Remember: the Library is more than its physical holdings eg. larger number of electronic journals than print journals

An overview of the eLibrary

Access and read over 35,000 electronic journal and newspaper titles Search over 90 research databases to find out what has been published in your subject area Look at past exam papers from 2002 onwards

Ejournals

What are ejournals? Ejournals are online versions of print journals ‘Magazines’ with academic content Usually published monthly or quarterly Contain current research – usually primary research Useful for getting a range of different opinions about a subject

Understanding a journal reference Windsor, D. (2006). “Corporate social responsibility: three key approaches”. Journal of Management Studies. 43 (1): Author DateArticle title Journal name Volume Issue Page numbers

Finding a specific article in an ejournal Make a note of the name of the journal Go to the Library web site and select eLibrary Type the name of the journal in the ejournal search box If the Library subscribes, a link to the ejournal will appear Select the year, volume and then issue that you require Ejournals are also listed on the library catalogue

Didn’t find the article? Make sure you entered the name of the journal, not the article title E.g. Novak, S. (2008) “How does outsourcing affect performance dynamics?” Management Science. 54 (12): 

Didn’t find the article? Make sure the date of your article falls within the date range for the link you have selected E.g. Novak, S. (2008) “How Does Outsourcing Affect Performance Dynamics?” Management Science. Vol. 54 (12): 

Didn’t find the article? If you have checked the title and date and still get a ‘no results message’, Birkbeck Library does not subscribe to the journal you require Contact the Help Desk about print journals, using other libraries or interlibrary loans

Databases

What are databases? Online tools to help you research your topic Many cover a specific subject, e.g. history Others are multidisciplinary Some contain the full text of journals, magazines and newspapers Others are index and abstract services but may link to the full-text if the Library has a subscription to the journal

Why use databases? If you don’t have a reading list or want to read further, you won’t necessarily know which ejournals to use You can type in a keyword or keywords to see what has been published in your subject area Helps you to identify relevant readings

What is wrong with just using Google? Anyone can publish information on the web No editorial control or third party reviews Is the information an appropriate level for academic study? How can you tell if the information is accurate? How do you cope with the amount of results?

Which database is best for my subject? Go to the Subject Guides at to see lists of resources that are best for your subject There is a guide for all of the main subjects taught at Birkbeck You can access the databases from these pages or from an A-Z list at

Which database is best for my subject?

Search tips… All databases have different interfaces but the same search principles apply Don’t just type in a string of words or an entire essay title Think about your search terms carefully before you start searching What is the key information that you are looking for?

Search tips… Consider alternative terms for the same concept Use truncation for variant spellings E.g. stress* will find stress, stresses, stressors, stressed, stressful Search for exact phrases using quotation marks Combine words / terms using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to focus results

Search tips: Boolean operators AND If term A is ‘art’ and term B is ‘Renaissance’, this search is more likely to find articles about ‘Renaissance art’

Search tips: Boolean operators OR If term A is ‘human resource management’ and term B is ‘personnel management’, this search will find articles that contain either term

Search tips: Boolean operators NOT If term A is ‘java’ and term B is ‘Indonesia’, this search will exclude articles about ‘Indonesia’

Ebooks

How do you find an ebook? A growing number of ebooks are available Find them via the Library catalogue You can also search whole databases of ebooks at We won’t usually have access to all the ebooks in a database You can usually print from ebooks but most restrict the number of pages

Exam papers

Exam papers are grouped by broad subject e.g. biological sciences If your subject is not listed, check the heading for your department Remember that some modules run alternate years so there won’t be an exam paper every year

Access from outside College

Accessing e-resources You need an IT Services username/password To log on to computers inside College To access e-resources inside and outside College You will be sent your ITS login when you enrol ITS Help Desk, ground floor, Malet Street: -Tel:

Access e-resources from outside College Register your computer by setting up a cookie Necessary for access to some e-resources One-off process Lasts 18 months Login in with your ITS username and password See

Setting up a cookie

Don’t forget print resources

Don’t forget about print resources! Books will still be an important part of your study, especially in arts and humanities Most book content is not available electronically Most ebooks restrict the number of pages you can download and / or print Use the Library catalogue to find information about books. Access via

Further help

Library web site: LIFE – online Library induction tutorial Visit, ring or the Help desk: Check your Subject Guide (online and in print) Your Subject Librarian