The following items are accessible from the "QuickLinks" menu on the library's homepage:
Interlibrary Loan
Items not available in the library can usually be obtained at no cost to you from
other libraries through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). ILL requests usually take between
1-3 weeks.
Ask Us
You can chat with
a reference librarian M-F 1-4 and M 5-9. At the same link, you can set up a consultation
appointment or send a question via email (responses typically arrive within two
business days).
Printing
Current students can print for free in the library. To retrieve printouts, give
the copy shoppe attendant your MavCard and the number of the computer you printed
from. A limit of 30 pages will be printed at a time.
Reference Materials
Reference materials are the books on the first floor near the blue circulation
desk. These books provide background information, facts, statistics, quotes,
and other short bits of information. The books include subject encyclopedias,
dictionaries, and handbooks. For example, the library has dictionaries
for anthropology
and encyclopedias for archaeology. Such specialized materials will often give
more detailed information than general encyclopedias (e.g., Britannica) & dictionaries
(e.g., Oxford English
Dictionary).
Reference materials are arranged by call number and can be found by using the
MSU
Library Catalog.
Other Reference Materials for anthropology can be found online.
APPs & Theses
The Alternate Plan Papers and Theses done by other MSU students are shelved
by subject with the books on second and third floors. To find examples,
use
the MSU
Library Catalog and type your keywords (e.g., anthropology) in the search box,
followed by either "alternate plan" or "thesis."
Journals
Journals, magazines, and newspapers are located on the east side of the library
in the "Periodicals" area. (The direction you are facing when you first walk
in is North.) The items in periodicals are arranged by call number. Use the
Serials List to determine if a journal
is available in Periodicals or online. Graduate students and faculty may check
out periodicals for 24 hours.
Electronic Resources
The library provides access to over 200 electronic
resources, or finding tools available through a browser to find citations,
abstracts, and some full text articles.
1. Identify the major concepts of your topic and determine synonyms for each concept.
2. Select appropriate search tools. Consider the scope, medium and availability of search tool, search features available, and information given of research tools to assist with selecting which ones to use.
3. Try searching for your concept(s), refining your search as needed.
If you are getting too many results, try:
- adding more search terms;
- choosing unique search terms;
- using phrase searching (if available);
- including limits, such as date;
- restricting terms in your search results which are unrelated to your topic;
- using a different search tool; or
- asking a librarian.
If you are getting too few results, try:
- adding truncation symbols to search for other endings of the search term(s);
- checking your spelling;
- using fewer terms;
- choosing more common terms or searching for synonyms;
- using a different search tool; or
- asking a librarian.
