When s
tarting your research, it is important to spend a little time doing some initial background reading on your topic to get a good overview, develop a basic understanding of key facts and get a better sense of the various issues related to the topic. This background review will also assist you in clarifying your research thesis and generate a list of potential search terms to use for locating further information on your topic.
A good place to begin is by using Reference material. "Reference works" is an overall term for resources that take an introductory approach to a particular subject and generally include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, almanacs, atlasas and other introductory texts. Reference works are usually written by scholars and contain the essential information you should know before beginning more in-depth research.
In the ECC Library, print reference works can be found in the 1st Floor East Reading Room and are items that cannot be checked out from the Library. However, we also have digital versions of many reference works that can be accessed via some of the Library's databases (listed below).
Note: Sometimes the term "reference" is used to refer to books that cannot be checked out from the Library.
Step 1. To find reference works (in print and ebooks) search the OneSearch discovery tool, available on the Library Website, using the "Advanced Search" option.
Step 2. Enter your search term(s) in the text fields at the top of the page. Select the options for "Books & Media (ECC)" and/or "Books" as the Material Type.
Step 3. Refine your search results using the options on the left-hand side of the results screen. Click on the drop-down menu arrow under "Location" and select "REFERENCE Coll."
Step 4. Use the provided Location information for finding print reference books in the Library and the "Available Online" link to access available e-books.
The Library provides you with several databases that offer access to online Reference e-Books:
An eBook database, providing background information on every major subject 1200+ quality reference titles. The collection contains dictionaries, bilinguals, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles.
Gale Virtual Reference Library offers an online collection of premier reference eBooks including encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
A collection of eBooks on a variety of subject areas including career exploration, literary criticism, historical primary documents and notable speeches, and science encyclopedias that are published by Salem Press.
General encyclopedia containing over 25,000 entries. Included are images and brief biographies.