What resources can I use apart from books and periodicals that I find in QMUL library catalogue

1
What resources can I use apart from books and
periodicals that I find in QMUL library
catalogue?

• Bibliographies and indexes
• Other libraries
• Electronic journals

2
Bibliographies and indexes

• they list books and/or articles in periodicals
  and books
• they can be in printed or electronic form

3
Use them to-

• search for literature by subject or author
• find book reviews
• get ideas for your own research topics
• check bibliographic references
• particularly useful for finding periodical
  articles.

4
How do I find out which databases I can use?

• The library database pages on the world wide web
• Library leaflets

5
Royal Historical Society Bibliography

• Covers the history of Britain, Ireland and the
  British overseas
• Books, articles in books and journals are all
  included
• References from 1901
• http//www.rhs.ac.uk/bibwel.html

6
IBSS the International Bibliography of the
Social Sciences

• Covers books periodicals from 1951
• 2400 journals and 7000 books per year are indexed
• Updated weekly
• Good for contemporary history
• http//www.bids.ac.uk/
• ...but this will change over the summer

7
Web of Science

• Covers all subjects, but is divided into Arts
  Humanities, Social Sciences and Science
• Altogether, 7500 journals are indexed
• The database contains references from 1970
• Its very up to date - updated weekly
• On the world wide web at http//wos.mimas.
  ac.uk/
• Sometimes referred to as Web of Knowledge
• Covers all subjects - surprisingly useful for non
  -contemporary history

8
Connecting to IBSS and Web of Science

• from any student workstation
• From any pc outside the campus linked to the
  world wide web
• direct to web address or use links from QM
  library web page
• BUT....
• You need an ATHENS username and password

9
Searching tips for all databases

• Dont expect miracles!
• plan your search in advance
• think of keywords to describe your subject
• think of synonyms, wider terms, alternatives
• start your search simply and then refine it
• be prepared to experiment to get the best results
  in terms of numbers of references and relevance
• Use SFX button to check availability of full text
• Use the HELP screens when you are searching

10
What to do with your search results

• Use the SFX button, if it is available, to check
  our ejournals, our catalogue and other libraries
• Check the QM catalogue or use the periodicals
  finding list
• Check the QM library list of electronic journals
• Use the links to other library catalogues on QM
  librarys web-pages
• Union List of Serials to find serials within
  London University libraries

11
COPAC

• access to the merged online catalogues of 24 of
  the largest university research libraries in the
  UK and Ireland the British Library
• includes the University of London Library,
  Institute of Historical Research (SAS) and the
  LSE
• covers books and periodicals
• no password needed
• http//copac.ac.uk

12
British Library Public Catalogue

• http//blpc.bl.uk/
• use it to locate material or as a guide to what
  exists
• you can use the British Library if the material
  you require is not available easily elsewhere
• Take your QM card, some id with your address and
  proof of your signature to the BL and join there.
  No other documentation from QM is needed

13
Interlibrary Loans

• We dont automatically get interlibrary loans for
  undergraduates
• If its available in London, even if just for
  reference, we expect you to use it there
• Doing historical research often entails using
  other libraries
• But - some material is only lent between
  libraries - eg theses. And - some is difficult
  to get in London
• See me - youll need the support of your
  supervisor

14
Electronic journals

• Go to the librarys electronic journals web pages
  to see the full range of electronic journals
  available at QM
• http//www.library.qmul.ac.uk/journals/index.htm
• Or check the library catalogue to find our paper
  and/or electronic holdings of particular titles
• We have bundles of journals from Oxford
  University Press, Cambridge, Blackwells,
  Elsevier.

15
JSTOR

• An electronic archive of journals
• Back issues not current
• Usually back to the start of publication
• Journals such as Renaissance Quarterly, American
  Historical Review, Journal of Modern History,
  Past and Present, Journal of Contemporary History
• Available off-campus with ATHENS username
  password
• http//uk.jstor.org/ or link from the QM
  librarys webpage

16
Newspapers

• Electronic files of the UK broadsheets back to
  the beginning of the 1990s on Proquest
• Times Digital Archive 1785-1985
• Times on microfilm Times Index fills the gaps
• http//www.library.qmul.ac.uk/collections/newspape
  rs.htm
• for more information
• British Library Newspaper Library in Colindale
  has a huge collection of newspapers from UK and
  abroad

17
Databases at Senate House Library

• http//www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/databases.asp
  
• Academic search premier full text of over 100
  journals on all subjects
• America history life search for references on
  the history of the US Canada
• Historical abstracts world history, except for
  US Canada
• You need a Senate House borrower card to login
  remotely

18
A few suggestions

• Leave yourself plenty of time particularly if
  you need material which is not easy to obtain
• Keep full details of everything that you read
• sort out an ATHENS password before you leave for
  the vacation, so you can use e resources from
  home.