The Oxford guide to library research

Preface. What research libraries can offer that the Internet cannot (both resources and search techniques) ; Trade-offs of what, who, and where restrictions on free access ; Hierarchy of levels of learning ; Data, information, opinion, knowledge, understanding ; Wisdom separate ; Implications of format differences ; Nine methods of subject searching ; Patterns in inefficient searches --

Initial overviews : encyclopedias. Characteristics of encyclopedias ; Specialized vs. general encyclopedias ; Examples ; How to find articles in specialized encyclopedias ; Cross-disciplinary searching ; How to identify additional specialized encyclopedias ; Peculiar strengths of general sets --

Subject headings and the library catalog. Problems in determining the right subject headings ; Uniform heading ; Scope-match specificity and its modifications ; Specific entry ; Four ways to find the right subject headings ; Cross-references ; Alphabetically adjacent terms ; Subject tracings ; Browse displays of subdivisions ; Recognition vs. prior specification ; Use of three menu listings ; Precoordination and postcoordination ; Particularly useful subdivisions ; Miscellaneous tips on subject headings ; Narrowing a topic ; Proper names ; Finding foreign language books ; Pattern headings --

General browsing, focused browsing, and use of classified bookstacks. Alternative methods of shelving book collections ; The problems with shelving by accession number, by height, or in remote warehouses ; Serendipity and recognition ; General browsing vs. focused browsing ; Full-text searching and depth of access ; Lighthouse libraries example ; Searching for a single word ; Valery and Dreyfus example ; Inadequacy of Google Print as a replacement for classified bookstacks ; The complementary relationship of the library catalog and the classified bookstacks ; The catalog as the index to the classification scheme ; Trade-offs and remedies ; Exploiting the internal structure of the cataloging system ; The problems that result when the system is ignored ; Browsing in other contexts ; Importance of full texts of books arranged in subject groupings --

Subject headings and indexes to journal articles. Descriptors ; Separate thesauri ; Descriptor fields in online records ; Eureka databases ; Browse search feature ; FirstSearch databases and WilsonWeb counterparts ; Related subjects search feature ; Contrast of Eureka and FirstSearch softwares ; EBSCO Host research databases ; Search features ; Dialog and DataStar databases ; ProQuest databases ; Miscellaneous databases with controlled descriptors ; Cross-disciplinary searching ; Finding where journals are indexed and which journals are available electronically ; Identifying the best journals ; Problems with abbreviations of journal titles ; The change in cataloging rules for serials --

Keyword searches. Problems with controlled vocabulary searches ; Advantages of controlled vocabularies ; Problems with keyword searches ; Advantages of keywords ; Index/abstract-level keyword databases and printed sources ; Full-text databases ; Convenience vs. quality of access ; ProQuest databases ; EBSCO Host research databases ; InfoTrac databases ; JSTOR ; Project Muse ; LexisNexis ; Web sites on the open Internet ; Search engines ; Subject directories ; Invisible Web sites ; Google Print project ; Summary --

Citation searches. Finding where a known source has been footnoted by a subsequent journal article ; ISI indexes ; Web of Science ; Cross-disciplinary coverage ; Cycling sources ; "Reviews" of journal articles ; Additional features of ISI indexes ; Citation searching in other databases --

Related record searches. Finding articles that have footnotes in common with a starting-point article ; Examples ; Differences between CD-ROM versions and Web of Science --

Higher-level overviews : review articles. "Literature review" or "state of the art" assessments ; Differences from book reviews and encyclopedia articles ; Web of Science "review" limit capability ; Other sources of literature reviews --

Published bibliographies. Differences from computer printouts of sources ; Doing Boolean combinations without a computer ; Two problems in identifying published bibliographies ; Bibliographies not shelved with regular books ; Subdivision "

Bibliography" can be missed in library catalog ;

Finding bibliographies via the library catalog ; Finding bibliographies in Z class shelving area ; Other sources for finding bibliographies ; Guides to the literature ; Bibliographies not superseded by computer sources --

Boolean combinations and search limitations. Boolean combinations ; Component word searching within controlled subject strings ; Word truncation ; Proximity searches ; Limitations of sets ; Limiting by time periods ; Limiting by geographic area codes ; Limiting by document types ; Combining keywords and citation searches ; Boolean combinations without computers ; Precoordinated headings and browse displays ; Published subject bibliographies ; Focused shelf-browsing ; How to identify which databases exist --

Locating material in other libraries. Determining library locations of desired items ; WorldCat, RLG union catalog, National union catalog of pre-1956 imprints ; Other union lists and databases ; Web sites for identifying out-of-print books for sale ; Determining which libraries have special collections on your subject ; Interlibrary loan and document delivery --

People sources. Journalists and academics ; Inhibiting assumptions ; "Find if on your own" ; Advantages of people sources ; Listservs and discussion groups online ; Techniques for students ; Sources for identifying experts ; Associations and directories ; How to talk to references librarians --

Hidden treasures. Resources not shelved or cataloged with conventional research materials ; Microform sets and counterpart Web sites ; Web collections ; Government documents ; Particular importance of congressional hearings ; Archives, manuscripts, and public records --

Special subjects and formats. Biography ; Book reviews ; Business and economics ; Copyright status information ; Genealogy and local history ; Illustrations, pictures, and photographs ; Literary criticism ; Maps ; Newspapers ; Out-of-print and secondhand books ; Primary sources ; Standards and specifications ; Statistics ; Tabular data ; Tests (psychological and educational) ; Translations --

Reference sources : searching by types of literature. Reference questions vs. research questions ; Review of search techniques for research questions ; Type of literature searches ; Internet sources for fact searches ; Coverage of the various types of literature ; Understanding the formal properties of retrieval systems ; The discipline of library and information science ; Sources for identifying types of literature in any subject areas ; Concluding thoughts --

Appendix : wisdom.