Education Dashboard (Master's): Find Sources & Information

• You can find articles by searching the Library's databases.
  • Search databases using the tips in the “Search Strategies for Databases” box, below.
  • Understand the scope of the database. Some cover multiple subjects and others cover a specific discipline. If you aren’t finding what you need, you might need to try another database.

• Off-campus? Most article databases are available by logging in with your UVA Wise username and password.
  • As long as you are a student, faculty or staff you can access our libraries databases from home. In order to do that, just click on the database or product that you want to search, and a box will pop up asking for your ID and password. That is the same as your UVA Wise email and password.
  • You can also Ask a Librarian if you are having difficulties accessing a database off-campus.

• Interpreting Database Results:
  • Once you perform a search, you'll see a list of results (articles that match your keywords). Most databases try to be like Google, which means your results will rank by relevance.
  • If you need recent articles, peer-reviewed (scholarly) articles, or if you only want to see articles which can be viewed online, you can limit your search. Use the database's function and search options.

Keyword Search:

A keyword search retrieves words or phrases from the important fields of the database records. In most databases a keyword search finds words in fields that have descriptive content, such as author, article title, source title (book, journal, magazine, or newspaper, subject/descriptor terms, and abstract. In some databases, additional fields may be included in the keyword search. And in other databases, a keyword search will search everything in every record.  Some keyword search engines allow you to specify which field(s) are to be searched.

A keyword search usually retrieves more items than a subject search, but they may not all be relevant. The computer is looking for the exact word you typed, not for the meaning or context of the word.

For example, a search on AIDS will retrieve items on...

• aids for the hearing impaired
• school aids
• AIDS (the disease)

A keyword search is the best method to use when:

• You are beginning your research
• You are searching for a new trend or concept
• You are not sure of the correct subject heading
• The database does not have subject headings
• You are looking for specific factual information

 Some search tips:

• Use only significant words, not common words, such as the, of, an, and that.
• Avoid using phrases such as "people with diabetes", or whole sentences, such as "How do people buy cigarettes if they are under 18?"

Subject Heading Search:

A subject search involves searching for subject headings/terms used in the library catalog or a library database. The library catalog and many library databases include subject headings/terms that are assigned to each record.

A list of subject headings, (also known as a subject thesaurus), ensures that all items about the same topic have uniform headings. Users can then retrieve all of the items on the same topic using a subject heading/term, even when there may be several other ways to state the concept. By using the subject heading/term, you will retrieve every relevant item for your topic. Searching with a subject heading/term retrieves items ABOUT that particular topic, and it is a more precise search than a keyword search.

For example, you may want to research the topic pet therapy.

Possible ways (synonyms) to state this topic include: 

• pet therapy
• animal therapy
• dog therapy
• therapy pets
• therapy animals
• therapy dogs
• pet assisted therapy
• animal assisted therapy
• dog assisted therapy

When using the Library's catalog, to search for books, the subject headings for pet therapy are:

• animals - therapeutic use
• pets - therapeutic use.

When using the Library's catalog or the Academic Search Complete database to search for articles, the subject headings for pet therapy are: 

• animal-assisted therapy
• dog-assisted therapy
• pet therapy
• therapy dogs

The subject heading for pet therapy may be different in other library databases.

How do I find a book on the shelves?

• Our books are organized by subject using the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System 
• Feel free to ask anyone at the Library's Service Desk on the 4th floor or any liaison librarian to help you find your book

What are those white labels on the spine of all the books?

• The white labels on the spine of the book displays its Call Number.  A Call Number tells you where a book it is located in the library.
  • Each number and letter refers to details about that book's subject and it's title and author.
• Call Numbers start with letters that match up with subject categories.
  • A Call Numbers beginning with NC:
    • The subject category, N, is Fine Arts  and  the subcategory, NC, is Drawing Design, and Illustration 
    • Think of NC like the name of street you live on. 
    • The combination of NC with other numbers and letters gives you the shelf "address" of a specific book.

E-book projects--Nonsubscription

ebooks@ibiblio
"Home to one of the largest 'collections of collections' on the Internet, ibiblio.org is a conservancy of freely available information, including software, music, literature, art, history, science, politics, and cultural studies."  This is an excellent place just to browse.

Google Books Search
Find full text and/or bibliographic information using the world's best known search engine to search though one of the largest collaborative digitization projects ever.  To find "Full Text Books," select that option before doing a search.

Internet Library of Early Journals
Browse through at least 20 consecutive years of British journals: 18th-century Gentleman's Magazine, The Annual Register, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society; and three 19th-century journals: Notes and Queries, The Builder, and Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.

LibraVox
A site designed to facilitate the sharing of audio books. It works like this; users select a chapter of a literary work that is out of copyright and in the public domain and record themselves reading it. Then the audio file is uploaded to the site and available for download.

Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library.  It is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works.  Most of the books in the collection are the full text of books that are in the public domain.  They have over 28,000 items in their collection and use open formats so that they can be used with almost any computer.  Most releases are in English, but there are some non-English titles available.

The Library has over 1,500 videos on DVD and VHS and more than 45,000 streaming videos online. The collection is about 65% feature films and 35% documentaries. 

Curricular Focus
The Library purchases video materials in direct support of curricular needs across all disciplines represented at the College. We purchase most titles requested by faculty if needed for classes. We also purchase materials that contribute to the broader study of media, including critically acclaimed titles, award winners, and films from specific studios and/or distributors.  

Services
The Library is committed to supporting the use of video in teaching and learning at the College. In addition to our extensive video collection and specialized viewing equipment and spaces, we offer a number of services to facilitate the use of the Library’s video collections. Liaison Librarians are available to consult with faculty and students to help locate appropriate video content for a class or research project, purchase new content, plan screenings or film festivals, and offer assistance with technical and intellectual property issues.

NOTE: Not all video sources are available off campus.