Library Class Handouts

SOURCES OF INFORMATION IN THE PILGRIM LIBRARY ON THE ENVIRONMENT
FOR BOTANY CLASS (Aug. 2006)

PERIODICALS -- most recent information

Scholarly journals vs. popular magazines
Scholarly journals -- published by learned societies for the purposes of disseminating information in their fields.

Popular magazines -- published for profit by commercial publishers to make money

OhioLink databases – www.defiance.edu, then click on “Library,” then “Ohiolink databases.” Or, go to Ohiolink’s web page, www.ohiolink.edu, then click on a choice under "Find articles and more with OhioLink databases"

• Can access from off-campus, 24/7
• Must be registered Pilgrim Library patron in good standing
• Select DC from list of institutions (use OPAL if DC not in list)
• Enter your name and barcode from ID

Some Full text databases:

• Academic Search Premier (general, includes popular and scholarly journals)
• AccessScience (online science encyclopedia)
• Lexis/Nexis (news, business, legal, medical articles)
• Business Source Complete (articles from business magazines and journals)
• SIRS Researcher (articles on social issues/current events)
• Electronic Journals Center (EJC) (full-text scholarly articles)

Others:

• Science Citation Index (citations from 5700 science journals)
• Applied Science & Technology Abstracts (journal articles on applied sciences)
• Accunet/AP Multimedia Archive (JPEG press photos, searchable by subject)
• Biological Abstracts/BIOSIS Previews (biology journal articles)
• Biological and Agricultural Index (biology and agricultural journal articles)
• Medline (medical journal articles, useful for health aspects of science issues)
• Alt Health Watch (articles on alternative medicine)
• Oxford Reference (full-text dictionaries/encyclopedias from Oxford U. Press)
• [also others, depending on your topic]

Interlibrary loans of periodical articles:

• Article you want not full-text in a database?
• DC doesn’t subscribe to that journal in paper form?
• Make sure article is in English
• Print out citation from database
• Bring printout to circulation desk and fill out request form
• You’ll receive photocopy of article you get to keep
• Can take up to 10 days to arrive
• Usually we can get at no cost to you

BOOKS

REFERENCE BOOKS - Less up-to-date than periodicals but good for background information

Reference Q 121 .E53 2001 Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
Convenient one-volume encyclopedia, useful for basic information on a topic.

Reference Q 121 .M29 2005 McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
Useful as a starting point for background information on scientific subjects. Also available as an Ohiolink database, called “AccessScience.”

Reference Q 123 .C68 1999 Oxford Dictionary of Science
Handy resource for finding definitions of unfamiliar scientific words.

Reference QC 854 .D860 2001 [Oxford] Dictionary of Weather
Definitions of weather and climate-related terms.

Reference QC 854 .E523 1996 Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather
Good source for introductory info. on climate-related issues like acid rain, ozone, greenhouse effect, etc.

Reference QC 981 .A49 2002 Facts on File Weather and Climate Handbook
Definitions of weather and climate terms; biographies of scientists in the field.

Reference QH 302.5 .D5 2000 Oxford Dictionary of Biology
Handy resource for finding definitions of unfamiliar life sciences terms.

Reference QH 332 .E52 1995 Encyclopedia of Bioethics
Analyzes issues pertaining to bioethics, including environmental issues such as population ethics, biodiversity, etc.

Reference QH 540.4 .C66 1994 Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ecology
A good place to find definitions of ecological terms.

Reference QK 9 .P460 1990 Penguin Dictionary of Plant Sciences
Good place to find definitions of botanical terms.

Reference QL 9 .C66 1999 Dictionary of Zoology
Useful source for definitions of unfamiliar animal sciences terms.

[Reserve] RA 1213 .T76 1991 Toxics, A to Z: a guide to everyday pollution hazards
Discusses health and environmental effects of toxins.

Reference RA 1224.5 .T873 1999 Poisons and Antidotes Sourcebook
Useful source for information on how various pollutants affect the human body.

Reference RA 1270 .P4 B73 1992 Basic Guide to Pesticides
Lists chemical class, persistence and toxicity of pesticides.

Reference T 11 .O94 1991 Oxford Dictionary for Scientific Writers and Editors
Lists spelling and describes the use of scientific terms when writing papers.

BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY'S GENERAL COLLECTION

Online Public Access Catalog -- on computers in Reference Room, main floor; or at http://cat.opal-libraries.org/search, or use the direct link from the Pilgrim Library’s web page. Most science books in the Pilgrim Library are on the lower level, in the section with call numbers starting with Q (science/math), R (medicine), S (agriculture), or T (technology)

Interlibrary Loans for books or media

• DC doesn’t have book or video you want?
• Use the Search OhioLink button to check OL’s holdings
• Check to be sure copies are available
• Click on Request this item
• Choose Defiance (or OPAL if DC not in list)
• Enter your name and barcode from your ID
• Item should arrive in 3-4 working days
• If not in Ohiolink’s catalog, we may still be able to get for you from outside Ohio--Ask at circulation desk for a request form

PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE LIBRARY STAFF IF YOU NEED FURTHER ASSISTANCE!

Barb Sedlock, ext. 2487, bsedlock@defiance.edu
Mary Bishop, ext. 2483, mbishop@defiance.edu