Course Name:
EM SC 100S: Earth & Mineral Sciences First-Year Seminar
Semester:
Fall
Campus:
University Park (UP)
Instructor:
Where are the Libraries?
The University Libraries comprise 36 libraries at 24 locations throughout Pennsylvania (locations and hours) - and, we deliver! The online resources of the Libraries are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from any location via the Libraries website.
The following resources are available at the Fletcher L. Byrom Earth & Mineral Sciences Library:
The CAT, short for catalog, contains information on the over 5 million books, journals, documents, videos, music and more owned by the Libraries. The CAT does NOT provide a listing of journal articles -- for that you should use LionSearch. For more information about using The CAT, consult the Quick Guide to the CAT. For more information about using LionSearch, consult the LionSearch FAQ.
Tip #1: Use the I WANT IT button in the CAT to have things delivered for pickup or to request an item already in use.
Tip #2: My Library Account shows you what you have checked out and allows you to renew your books without coming to the library. You can borrow up to 200 items; most items can be charged out until the end of the current semester before needing to be renewed.
The Penn State libraries use the Library of Congress call number system to shelve most items in the libraries. Below are two examples of this call number system.
If we do not own something or if all Penn State copies are in use, we'll attempt to get it for you - for free! Use ILLiad to request items not owned by Penn State. Most items arrive within 7-10 working days. Photocopies are scanned and emailed to you; books and other loans will be delivered to the library of your choice for pickup.
Tip #3: Use the E-ZBorrow service to borrow books which are always in use at PSU. E-ZBorrow draws from other academic libraries in our region so materials arrive quickly (3-5 days).
How do I find articles on my research topic?
Articles can be found by using LionSearch or one of our many specialized databases.
(Reminder: You cannot search directly for articles in the CAT!) The Libraries subscribe to several hundred databases that can help you locate journal articles and other resources. LionSearch will search many of these databases at one time, as well as searching the CAT. Some of these databases include the fulltext of the article while others link you to the fulltext. (Be aware that "fulltext" can mean a page image (i.e., PDF), text only, or other combinations of text and graphics.) Research guides are available to help identify the best databases for your topic.
Tip #4: Databases are better resources for most research than Google. Use them! Lionsearch is a single-search gateway to our licensed databases.
| GOOGLE* | LIONSEARCH (and databases) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Easy | Easy |
| Quantity | Lots of results; some junk | Lots of results; Grouped by type of publication (scholarly, etc.), age, fulltext availability and more. |
| Authoritativeness & quality | Quite variable - requires evaluation | Clearly identifies scholarly material. |
*If you must use Google,try Google Scholar.
Learning to choose appropriate information resources is an important skill. See How to Evaluate Information for help in selecting quality resources. Additional information on conducting an effective information search can be found on the library's Research Resources page.
Tip #5: Learning to use scholarly versus popular resources is an important skill. Impress your professor by using scholarly resources! Use LionSearch or, on the Try These First webpage, try the Academic Search Complete database for scholarly and popular articles on most topics. There are lots of fulltext articles in this database too!
Other subject databases include:
or try Access World News (Newsbank) for newspaper articles.
Tip #6: When using databases or the CAT, use
to quickly locate fulltext and/or where items are at Penn State.
Tip #7: Citation management tools can help you organize citations and format them into the proper style for a particular journal. For information on citation styles and citation tools, see the Libraries' Citation and Writing Guides research guide.
When you have a citation to an article, you can find the article through LionSearch or the CAT. The first step is to figure out which piece of the citation to search. Ask yourself if it is a book or a journal article? For journal articles, look for two title-like entries - one for the article title + another for the title of the journal (or book) it appeared in. Always use the second title-like entry to search in the CAT.
Tip #8: In some styles, the italicized, underlined, or bold text is the text to search in the CAT. Do not include any volume designation or numbering when you search the CAT. That text isn't searchable.
Tip #9: In LionSearch you can find a citation by using the Advanced Search page to enter the article title and/or the journal (publication) title.
In the following examples, what text do you search in the CAT?
Strain rates from snowball garnet
C. Biermeier and K. Stuwe. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, vol.21, no.3 (April 2003) pp.253-268
Title: Climate change in northern Africa: The past is not the future
Author: Claussen M.; Petoukhov V.; Brovkin V., and others
Source: Climatic Change 57, no. 1-2 (2003) p.99-118
The Stately Cycles of Ancient Climate
Richard A. Kerr. Science, vol.252, no.5010 (May 1991) pp. 1254-1255
Tip #10: Ask for assistance! Librarians are available at many locations, online and onsite, to help. Our aid is free!
