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What
are periodicals?  |
Periodicals
are continuous publications such as journals, newspapers, or magazines.
Issues are usually produced regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly,
semiannually) and each issue contains one or more articles. There
are thousands of periodicals in existence. Consult Magazines for Libraries REF Z6941 .M23 for more information.
Periodicals
may be categorized as : popular magazines, trade/professional journals,
scholarly journals, or newspapers. You may need to include any or all
of these types in your research. This comparison
chart explains the differences in the types of periodicals and
may make your research easier.
One
place to locate more information about periodicals is ingentaconnect.com Search engines such as Google may also be useful in locating a journal's website where back
issues and articles may exist. (Look for a link to "archives" or
past issues.)
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| Where
are the Library's periodicals listed? |
The Library's catalog includea complete holdings information for all of the periodical
titles the Library owns including newspaper, journals and magazines. The
Library's periodicals may be available in print, microfiche or
microfilm, or online in a database.
Even though these titles have a call number in the Library's catalog, periodicals are shelved alphabetically by their titles.
The library also provides a printed list of its periodical holdings which can be found near the current periodical shelves. An online version of this list is also available. These lists are not as up to date as the library catalog.
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| Where can I find journals and magazines in the Library? |
Depending
on factors such as age, format, and subscription status, titles and issues
may be found in different areas
of the Library:
- Current Periodicals and Back Periodicals - arranged alphabetically by title on shelves near the south windows in the main library
- Newspapers - stored for a short time at the Circulation/Reserve Desk. Retention periods vary.
- Microfiche and Microfilm - stored alphabetically by journal title in the metal cabinets
located near the copiers
- Storage - very old issues of some titles are kept in the basement. Ask for assistance to see these.
- Iin an online database.
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| How
do I find articles? |
The fastest way to find an article published since the 1980s is to use an article database, even if you just want to see what is contained in the print publications sitting on the library's shelves.
Articles published
in journals, magazines, and newspapers are indexed in both printed indexes and in online databases. Depending on the topic, both printed and online sources may
be used to do a comprehensive search.
Articles published
in the 1980's and earlier can generally be found only by looking through a
printed index, although many online databases are adding this kind of content. A few printed indexes are still available in Logan Library near the Reference Desk.
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| Using
the Library's Print Indexes |
If
you prefer working with print instead of onine (or you are doing research
on the 1980s and earlier), the Library still has a few printed indexes to the
periodical literature that was published before the Computer Age began. Essay
and General Literature Index, Humanities Index and Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature are all located near the
Reference Desk.
- To
begin, choose the subject index appropriate to your topic. The title reflects the content.
- Use Reader's Guide to the Periodical Literature for general topics.
- Choose the time period in which you are interested because some indexes hold a year's worth of data.
- Look for your topic alphabetically
in the pages of the index. Try looking for synonyms also.
- Copy the page or write down the citation.
- Check the Library catalog to see if the Library owns the specific
issue cited.
- Ask for assistance if you have difficulty reading the holdings information for a title.
- If the title is found in the catalog, locate the journal or ask for assistance.
- If the title is not in the cataloog, ask a Librarian how to request the
article on Interlibrary loan.
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