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Resources Available at the Library
To begin, go to the Library’s web site: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/  or Your Search Strategy

SUBJECT HEADINGS

THE LIBRARY CATALOG

Search the library catalog for books related to your topic. Select a topic and create a search statement. Find a book and then its call number. Remember: Books will have in-depth material but will be dated.  For example,  books on terrorism would all be published, pre-September 11.
 

Go into the Library Catalog and search by Subject Heading by entering your term and then clicking on .  Scroll down and click to other pages (if available) to view all the headings related to your main subject heading (see example of such list to the right).  Click on the links to headings that best meet your interest.
If instead of searching by Subject, you want to combine different terms such as: civil rights AND Afro Americans or Smoking AND Cancer, enter your terms with AND in between and then click on . See Your Search Strategy for more information

 

Enter your search statement here:  __________________________________________________
 
 

Books to Look at in the Library
The books you will often find may focus on only one viewpoint or one side of the argument to the controversy at hand.  Chabot Library has particular books that do focus on both the pro (for) and con (against) sides of the argument to many controversial topics.

CQ Researcher
        Chabot Reference Shelves: H35 E35
The premiere resource for hot topic issues in the past eleven years.  Search the index available at the reference desk and then look up article(s) related to your topic.  Books cannot be checked out but photocopiers are available in the Library.  Provides more rich information than the Issues and Controversies database (mentioned below).  Newer articles/essays from 2001 will be available at the Periodicals Desk.

To Browse titles in Series: Go to the Library Catalog Enter in the box the Title of the Series such as Opposing Viewpoints Click on  Scan results.  Titles in blue are ones held at Chabot Library.  Results will be displayed in more than one page.  Click on or  to view more results Write down the book title and call number and then locate the book in the stacks
To Browse Particular Topics in a Series: Go to the Library Catalog Enter in the box keywords for your topic, the word AND, then the title of the series Example: gun control AND current controversies Click on  Scan results.  Titles in blue are ones held at Chabot Library Write down the book title and call number and then locate the book in the stacks

List a Book You Have Found Here Look at the FULL record and make sure to enter all fields below.
                                                                             Also, Make sure the title is from Chabot:

**Title:	**Author:
Place of Publication, Publisher & Year:	Call Number:

EBSCO HOST PERIODICAL DATABASES	Ebsco Host from Home: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.asp
At the first window, click on	For login and password, contact the Reference Desk.

At the next window, place a check next to the database(s) of your choice and then click 
You will need to perform more specific searches here as there will be more material available.  Remember to use the connector, AND, in between your terms.  Remember: you want to search periodicals for more up-to-date material.

Enter your search statement here:  __________________________________________________

If you get results you do not want, click on  and perform a different search.

You can also search by ONE TERM at a time by clicking on You can double check your spelling of any words by clicking on

Reading the Results List Screen

Reading the Top of an Article

Results to evaluated web sites can be found by clicking on  on the top right of the Result List screen.

Title:  Bilingualeducation. Subject(s):  EDUCATION, Bilingual Source:  Phi Delta Kappan, May98, Vol. 79 Issue 9, p672, 6p, 1bw Author(s):  Rothstein, Richard Abstract:  Focuses on the controversy surrounding bilingual education. The arguments of proponents and opponents of bilingual education; The history of bilingual education; The mixed findings on bilingual education. If you find a really good article and want to find more like it, clicking on links next to Subject(s), Source, or Author(s) may help

Select an article from Ebsco Host and enter relevant information:

Author:	Title:
Title of Journal:	Volume, year, and page numbers:

Facts on File ISSUES & CONTROVERSIES

Chabot Library also has a database that addresses pro/con issues very similar to the CQ Researcher Series.  While not as detailed as CQ Researcher, Issues & Controversies does give a good overview of the controversial issue, different arguments made for and against the issue, related statistics and lists, and provides links to related topics and updates. When you get into the database, focus your attention on the left frame.  You can search for terms using the Full-Text Search form or select one of the many options under Menu Access. In Full-Text Search, enter your search strategy to obtain relevant overviews to controversial topics and/or related tables, historical documents, newspaper editorials, organizations and photographs.  Phrases such as "gun control" MUST be surrounded by quotes when searching Issues and Controversies. You can also search by browsing by selecting one of the Menu Access Items on the left.  Chabot Library recommends you select Indexes for a more comprehensive listing of topics (instead of Issues: Pro and Con).  Once you select Indexes, select either Table of Contents or Subject Index. Subject Index will lead you to topics by category while Table of Contents will lead you to an alphabetical list of Topics The other options on the left provide great supplementary materials for your topics.  By the Numbers lead you to reliable statistics, Source Documents lead you to important historical documents to your topic, Newspaper Editorials lead you to evaluated opinion pieces related to many controversial topics, Groups to Contact leads to an alphabetical list of organizations with their addresses, phone numbers and web addresses and Photos and Graphics lead you to an alphabetical list of photographs and an alphabetical list of other graphics (including charts and maps).

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe will lead you to mostly newspaper articles on your subject, some articles going back as far as 1977 (for newspaper articles during the Vietnam War itself, ask to look at our newspaper indexes and then view the article from our Microfilm, upstairs).  Make sure to select News, select a category, then after a search form appears, enter your search and select a Source from the pulldown menu.  This database is only available on campus. 
 

General News Go to News and then select "General News"	Enter your search terms, and from the Source pull down menu, Major Newspapers, and then click on
California News  (or other State News) Go to News and then select "U.S. News"	Enter your search terms, and from the State pull down menu, select California (or other state), and then click on
Transcripts Go to News and then select "Transcripts"	For transcripts of televised news sources, enter your search terms and from the Source pull down menu, select your desired news source, from the Dates pull down menu select a desired date range, then click on
Policy Papers Devoted to Controversial Topics Go to News and then select "General News"	Enter your search terms, and from the Source pull down menu select Policy Papers, then from the Dates pull down menu select All Available Dates, then click on

OTHER DATABASES

OFF CAMPUS/Full Text ACCESS: Logins and passwords are available on the small yellow sheet, copies of which are available at the reference desk.  Most of the articles have full text in our database products, but most often, pictures, graphics, and tables are omitted.

Enter your search statement here:  __________________________________________________

Select an online article from Facts on File Issues&Controversies, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, or another database, and enter relevant information:

Author:	Title:
Title of Source:	Volume, Year, and Page Numbers:

EMAILING/FINDING/CITING ARTICLES

EMAILING ARTICLE

If you are at home, or can only print, please click on any "print," "format for printing," or "print-friendly" option from the database, first, then once the screen has been reformatted, select "Print Preview" from the File pull down menu of your browser to make sure you are printing what you are seeing and to select pages to print.   At the Library, Please print as FEW PAGES AS POSSIBLE.

IN GENERAL, IF YOU ARE IN THE LIBRARY, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR ARTICLES INSTEAD OF PRINTING. Make sure you have the article itself on the screen.  Otherwise, you may be emailing yourself a list of citations. Click on the Email button.  It is available on the top of the screen of each database.  On the right are Email buttons as they appear in our many databases You may be asked to make certain selections.  If you want full text make sure it is selected and then click on "Submit" or "OK" Enter Email address and then select "Submit" or "OK"

Ebsco Host Encyclopedia Britannica No Email function is available.  Print article by first clicking on , then selecting Print from your browser Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe SIRS Knowledge Source Literature Resource Center Issues & Controversies No Email function is available.  Click Print Preview from the File menu of your browser to see what pages you want to print, and then click OK

FINDING AN ARTICLE IN OUR COLLECTION

PAPER COPIES:  Go to the Periodicals Desk which is next to the elevator. If on Ebsco Host, check Notes to see if we have the Year in paper or Microfilm, first

MICROFILM COPIES: If Ebsco Host notes Chabot has it on Microfilm, go to the green cabinets on the Mezzanine.  Microfilm readers are available on the wall.  For assistance in finding microfilm or using the readers, go to the Audio Visual Center desk on the Mezzanine.

If we do not have the title, do not despair.  Does Ebsco Host list another library having it?  Also, check to see if the Library at California State University, Hayward has the title by going to: http://aphid.csuchico.edu/lso/hayward/search.asp

The Library contains many reference books, which are useful for many purposes such as: providing you with an overview of a particular subject, leads to other good resources on your subject, statistics and facts, and directories to organizations or associations that can provide you with more information.
 

10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects, Reports, and Speeches Have no idea what you want to write about?  Spend an hour looking at many ideas from this resource and we guarantee you will find some inspiration!	Available at the Reference Desk
Encyclopedia of Associations This source lists tens of thousands of associations, many dealing with one side or the other of major controversial issues.  Each listing gives a short description and includes an address and phone number, along with Web site address.  Most associations would be happy to send you information materials and/or promotional brochures describing their specific point of view.	Reference Desk: HS17 G33
Encyclopedia of Bioethics This five-volume reference tool covers controversial ethical issues in the medical and biological areas: e.g. abortion, euthanasia, drug abuse, cloning, etc	Reference Shelves: QH332 E52
West's Annual of American Law This legal reference tool for non-lawyers provides background information on controversial subjects from a legal perspective	Reference Shelves: KF154 W47
Statistical Abstract of the United States This convenient reference volume offers current statistics on the social, political, and economic organizations of the United States	Reference Desk: HC202 U58
World Almanac This almanac provides statistical and factual data on a broad and comprehensive level.	Reference Desk: AY67 N5
Statistical Resources on the Web If you cannot find deisred statistics from the Statistical Abstract of the United States, World Almanac or Issues & Controversies, go to this excellent directory to selected reliable statistic web sites	http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/frames/statsfr.html

 
 

Face it. The World Wide Web can contain good resources for library research, but trying to find them is a chore! There is just too much junk and misinformation or web pages that have information without having their facts verified. Take caution and evaluate each web site you come across carefully.

Chabot Library's Online Reference Shelf

For resources on the World Wide Web, start with these evaluated resources

Pros and Cons http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/pros&cons.html#Web

Editorials  http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/pros&cons.html#Editorials

Statistics http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/stats.html

Associations  http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/directories.html#associations

Sites that Select and Evaluate Quality Web Sites:

Below are five examples of search engines you will find on the left side of the Web Guides and Search Engines page.

Academic Info  http://www.academicinfo.com/

Virtual Learning Resources Center http://www.virtuallrc.com/

Librarians’ Index to the Internet www.lii.org

Scout Report Archives http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/archives/

INFOMINE http://infomine.ucr.edu/

Select Search Engines or Directories that will More Likely Lead you to Academic Web Sites
Start with the left side of the Web Guides and Search Engines page first, to find pages based on broad topics. Use the search engines listed on the right side to find pages devoted to specific topics, but keep in mind there is no "quality control" for what you will get, especially from using any search engine or directory, especially listed on the right side.  Remember, when searching you will want to surround your phrases with quotes such as "sex role" or "gender stereotyping" and to place the + sign before all your terms, whether as one word or a phrase:  +communication +"sex differences"

Web Guides and Search Engines http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/websearch.html

Look at especially:
Google  www.google.com
SearchEdu(Maxbot) www.searchedu.com
 

Take a look at the MLA Citation Handout.  Take note that when citing an article from a Library Subscription Database such as the ones listed above, you need to follow special instructions.

MLA Citation Handout  http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/cited.html

Article From a Library Subscription Database  http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/onlineref/cited.html#database

This handout is also available at the following address: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Library/handouts/Eng1A/Shen.html