Gladhill Learning Commons FAQ

If you are having a hard time finding what you need, here are some hints for finding sources.

• Know where you are searching and what you will find there.
  • Our background databases are a good place to get started and find basic information on a topic.
  • The library catalog is great for finding both print books and ebooks, but it is not good for finding academic journal articles.
  • Academic Search Premier is a great resource for finding academic journal articles, but not a great place to find books or if you don't know a lot about your topic.
• Use synonyms of the main ideas for which you are searching. This worksheet is a good way of organizing your main ideas and their synonyms into different keywords.
• Try using quotes " " around multi-word search phrases. Instead of searching for organic food, search for "organic food". Using "quotes" around your search phrase will make it so you will only get results that match the exact phrase around which you put quotes.

Students are welcome and encouraged to contact the librarians at the Bess and Frank Gladhill Learning Commons in-person, via our Chat Service, or by sending an email through our Ask a Librarian service.

The video below discusses the strategic process of searching.