LIBRARY E-RESOURCES ELECTRONIC BOOKS & DATABASES

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Oswald Kelly
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1 LIBRARY E-RESOURCES ELECTRONIC BOOKS & DATABASES

2 CONTENTS E-resources 3 Which database should I use? 4 The databases EbscoHost 5 Gale Group databases 6 ProQuest Science Journals 9 Index New Zealand 9 Informit New Zealand Collection 9 PapersPast 10 Reference Sources 11 Contact Details 12 2

3 E-RESOURCES WHAT ARE E-RESOURCES? An e-resource is any information that the library provides in electronic/ online format. The TPP library has purchased subscriptions to two types of e-resources in order to provide them to students free of charge: electronic books and databases. E-resources cover a wide range of topics and formats - books, magazine, journal and newspaper articles, biographies, video and audio clips, and reference material. The content has been digitised and stored in the e-resources so that you can easily search, find and retrieve what you are looking for. ISN T EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET? No. Many publications are not available in full online without a paid subscription. WHAT WILL E-RESOURCES PROVIDE THAT THE INTERNET CAN T? EPIC e-resources provide easy access to a rich array of information that you will not find for free on the net. You can download, print and this information for your own private use and study. WHY CAN T I JUST USE A SEARCH ENGINE LIKE GOOGLE? The internet is a great resource. But anyone can put anything on the internet, which means there is also a lot of irrelevant, incorrect and out of date content. The EPIC resources were chosen because of their ease of use, usefulness, and the quality of the content. In most cases the resources contain information that has been evaluated by professional editors, and selected from respected publications and established magazines and journals, including peer-reviewed journals. WHERE SHOULD I GO TO FIND THE BEST INFORMATION FOR ME? To find the best information for your needs you should use a variety of sources. By using search engines like Google or Google Scholar, the EPIC resources, and books and magazines in your library, you are sure to find information that meets your needs. NEED HELP? ASK YOUR LIBRARIAN! Librarians have the skills to help you find the best source of information, whether it s online or in print. HOW DO I ACCESS THE DATABASE? You can access the EPIC suite of databases from any TPP computer, either by using the icons on the desktop (these will take you straight into a specific database), or by typing in the urls listed in this brochure. 3

4 WHICH DATABASE SHOULD I USE? This will depend on which course you are doing and what type of information you need. As a starting point, have a look at the table below: Gale: In context Gale: Academic One File EBSCO: Masterfile EBSCO: Australia & NZ reference centre INDEX NZ Informit Papers Past Proquest science Gale: Science issues in context Gale: Biographies in context Encyclopedia Britannica Beginner friendly Academic New Zealand Science Biography Full text Newspapers Magazines Journals Photos Reference Books 4

5 THE DATABASES EBSCOHOST ( EBSCOHost comprises a number of databases, which can be searched either separately or all together through the MasterFile premier platform. The databases include full-text copies of articles from a huge range of books, journals and newspapers. They can all be searched in the same way, using either a simple author, subject or title search, or a Boolean search (the boxes are provided) which combines several mixes of keywords. Australia / New Zealand Reference Centre Newspaper and magazine articles with an emphasis on New Zealand and Australian titles. Includes most major New Zealand daily newspapers. This database includes leading Australia/New Zealand periodicals and international periodicals in full text; full text reference books; over 80,000 full text biographies and an Image Collection of over 510,000 photos, maps and flags. This should be one of your first ports of call when you are researching New Zealand material. MasterFile This multidisciplinary database provides access to more than 2,000 general reference publications with full text information dating back to Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFile Complete also contains full text for more than 1,000 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 502,000 photos, maps & flags. 5

6 GALE GROUP DATABASES ( per_tppl) Academic OneFile Academic OneFile is probably the first choice of TPP s databases for serious academic research. It is a source of millions of peer-reviewed, full-text scholarly articles and other sources across a wide range of academic disciplines. Although it includes material from newspapers and popular magazines, its primary focus is on the more academic journals and books. The database can be searched by subject or keyword, and specific titles can also be searched. You can filter your search by specifying full-text only. Other filters include specifying only peer-reviewed articles; type of source (e.g., book, newspaper, magazine etc.); and date of source - this latter filter can be useful for students who have been told to use material no older than a particular date. The topic finder can be used to broaden or narrow a search (usually searches need to be narrowed). It sets out related searches and aspects of the search which will help you fix on exactly what you are looking for. In many ways, Academic OneFile is an alternative to EbscoHost s Premium MasterFile database, although the latter is aimed at a slightly more popular market (it is primarily for public libraries, rather than academic libraries targeted by Academic OneFile). The two databases have a different coverage of publications so both should be utilised for in-depth research. General OneFile Whereas Academic OneFile focuses on academic and/or peer-reviewed journals and magazines, and is aimed largely at academic researchers, General OneFile offers access to news, magazine and periodical articles across a wide range of general interest topics, and is aimed at a broader audience. The database is very useful to researchers - it indexes many academic and peer-reviewed journals - but it includes more general material as well, including many newspaper references, which may be equally useful for your topic. The database is searched in exactly the same way as Academic OneFile, and offers the same filters. Student Resources in Context This database is particularly useful for students who are making the transition from high school to tertiary level study and are researching their first assignments. The database includes material from a wide range of up-to-date, reliable and objective sources: academic journals, magazines, newspaper articles, encyclopedias and other reference books, images and videos. It is, however, easier to navigate than some of the more general databases, and the layout makes it easier to find exactly what you are looking for. It also includes a number of editorially curated topic pages on popular subjects (for example, breast cancer, autism, pollution, marketing, fashion) which can provide you with an excellent starting point for your research. Each article includes links to related content and some topics offer fact-boxes of basic information. 6

7 Opposing Views in Context This is another database aimed specifically at students. The database looks at a variety of social issues, organised by topic under a number of broad headings: business and economics, science, technology and ethics, society and culture, and war and diplomacy. Also featured are a number of current national debate topics which are updated regularly. While the material is not dissimilar to that in Student Resources in Context, the value of this database is that it addresses each topic from a variety of continuously updated viewpoints. These viewpoints might come from full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites. This approach means it is possible to quickly and easily locate several different opinions on an issue, which can then be used to formulate an argument in answer to the question posed in an assignment. Science Issues in Context This database is organised into topics grouped under broad subject groupings. Each of these gateway pages includes an overview, unique perspectives articles written by experts, reference, periodical, primary source and statistical information. Podcasts, video and interactive graphs enhance each portal, along with links to vetted web sites. This database is very easy to navigate and it draws together a lot of useful material in a way which makes it very accessible. Science Issues in Context does include some of the same information available in the other Gale databases, but it also covers new material. The broad subject groupings are biology (some of the topics included are the respiratory system, cell structure, bacteria and nutrition); chemistry (the brain, coal, alternative energy, antibiotics); earth and environmental science (extreme weather, minerals, mining, floods, wind); general science (ethics, theories and laws, psychology, hacking); health and medicine, maths, engineering and technology (algebra, metric system, data mining); physics and astronomy (thunderstorms). Global Issues in Context This database offers international viewpoints on global issues, topics and current events, organised into a series of broad subjects: business and economics, health and medicine, conflict and diplomacy, science and technology, environment and climate change, society and culture, government, politics and law, and women, children and family. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issues and country portals that bring together a variety of specially selected, highly relevant sources for analysis of social, political, military, economic, environmental, health and cultural issues. World History in Context A database designed for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events and topics in the history of the globe. The broad subject groups include biographies, economics, human rights, religions, countries, cultures and civilizations, events, periods and cultural trends, political constructs, movements and organisations, and wars and conflicts. While there is a surprising amount about New Zealand, the emphasis is mainly on the United States and Europe. 7

8 Biographies in Context A database which is strongly American in emphasis, although there are many references to influential people in the Third World. There are a few New Zealanders - Edmund Hillary and his son Peter and Katherine Mansfield for example. The biographies are grouped into slightly odd subject areas: Asian and Pacific Americans, inventors, politicians, singers, business leaders, notable women, scientists, writers and World War 2. Each biographic article is enhanced by links to articles, newspaper items, reference sources and images. PROQUEST SCIENCE JOURNALS ( The only ProQuest database we currently subscribe to is for science journals, as this fills a gap not covered by our other electronic holdings. ProQuest Science indexes over 1000 journal titles, dating back to About 760 journals are available in full-text. It contains nearly 3 million records. These are organised into a number of broad subject areas: general science; aerospace; engineering; computers; physics; telecommunications; transportation; military; and health sciences. The database is straightforward to search; you can use simple words, or phrases within inverted commas, then narrow or widen the search using the suggestions which pop up. Searching ProQuest is much more likely to bring up really relevant articles quickly than searching Ebsco s databases. All searches can be limited to either full-text or peer-reviewed or both, and it is possible to type in a date range for those who need to find articles only from the past five or ten years. 8

9 NEW ZEALAND SOURCES Index New Zealand This database is maintained by the National Library of New Zealand. INNZ provides descriptions and citations to articles in over 1000 New Zealand and South Pacific newspaper and journal titles from 1987 to the present. Some pre-1987 items have been added retrospectively. The index, which concentrates on popular journals, scholarly journals in arts, humanities and social sciences, professional and trade journals and newspapers, is ideal for general and research enquiries at secondary school level and upwards. Approximately 3000 new records are added monthly. It should be one of your first points of call if you are looking for New Zealand periodical literature. Index New Zealand is not, however, a full-text database. Each entry provides a brief abstract of the contents of the article, with full bibliographical details of the journal or newspaper in which it appears. The reader must then obtain a hard copy of the required article by another means. However, because so many journals and newspapers are now available digitally, more recent additions to the index often provide links to the full text of the article in sources such as Ebsco and Gale databases. If the full text is not available, you can check with the library staff, who can arrange to interloan copies of any articles required. Informit New Zealand Collection ( Our subscription to this database does not allow access to the full text of the articles included. You can, however, search the database and see the citations and abstract of articles from a range of academic journals. Coverage includes topics in economics, business, education, health, history and geography, law, literature, politics and performing arts. The database may be useful for in-depth research because it focuses solely on New Zealand and peer-reviewed sources. Consult library staff for assistance in acquiring the full text of any article which looks useful. Paperspast ( PapersPast is a free database, managed by the National Library of New Zealand. It has revolutionised historical and family research in New Zealand by making these invaluable resources freely available and easily searchable. The database contains more than three million pages of digitised newspapers and periodicals from all around new Zealand, covering the years 1839 to New titles are added regularly. Most of the major metropolitan newspapers are represented, including the Dominion and the Evening Post, the Press, Christchurch Star, and Lyttleton Times, the Otago Daily Times and Otago Witness, and the NZ Herald and Auckland Star. There are runs of several West Coast newspapers. Each issue of the newspaper is fully digitised, so you can search for any type of article in a newspaper: family notices, advertisements, editorials, short or long news articles, letters to the editor, shipping news, and so on. You can choose to search a particular newspaper title or issue, or you can search the entire database: the search engine is extremely simple to use, although you will get a lot of hits if you enter common names or words. You can then check through each article brought up by your search, and print or save copies as required. 9

10 E-BOOKS EbscoHost includes two collections of e-books, a general collection aimed at the everyday reader and a multidisciplinary academic collection, aimed at the researcher. Both collections include the full texts of thousands of published books. REFERENCE SOURCES Encyclopedia Britannica ( While Wikipedia is absolutely fine as a starting point when you are looking for information about a topic you are unfamiliar with, it should never be the only encyclopedia you consult. Wikipedia articles MAY be written by an expert, but you have no way of knowing; and although Wikipedia editors do check the material, it is not properly peer-reviewed. Encyclopedia Britannica, on the other hand, has an academic reputation going back many decades. Every article is written by a recognised authority, is fully peer-reviewed and edited, and includes proper citations, together with a bibliography for further reading. The online edition is updated regularly and can be guaranteed to offer current information. Oxford Music Online ( This database includes Grove Music Online (with all the Grove Music dictionaries), the Oxford Dictionary of Music and the Oxford Companion to Music. There are reference articles on musicians, composers, instruments and periods. All genres of music are covered, and you can search the database by subject, biography or image. There are currently 12 pages of entries on New Zealand music, including general articles, biographies of NZ music groups and musicians, and references to artists who have toured New Zealand. Oxford Art Online ( online.com/) This database includes Grove Art Online, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics and the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. There are reference articles on all forms of fine arts and kinds of artists, including architecture, design and traditional crafts. The database can be searched using art forms, geography, people, styles and cultures. There are currently 11 pages of entries on New Zealand, including a few general articles, and a large number of biographical articles. There are also quite a number of New Zealand images. 10

11 GLOSSARY Abstract: a brief summery of the argument presented in an article, book or other source Academic journal: a periodical which contains scholarly articles Biography: a resource which discusses the life of a person Citation: a source quoted within the text of an essay, report, or book to clarify, illustrate, or substantiate a point Digitised: data (text, images, sound) which has been converted into a form which can be processed by a computer EPIC: stands for Electronic Purchasing in Collaboration, a joint library purchasing scheme Full-text: means the entire text of an article or image or video or book has been reproduced, not just a summary Interloan: a library service which enables you to borrow a resource from another library without charge Keyword: a word used as a reference point for finding other words or information Multidisciplinary: covering more than one field of study Peer-reviewed: the resource has been checked and passed as meeting scholarly standards by other experts in the field Primary sources: original document or artefacts written or created at the time under study eg. letters, speeches, news film footage, government reports, creative works, pottery, furniture, clothing Retrospective: dealing with past events or publications Scholarly articles: articles written by experts, often from academic or professional institutions, which have been peer-reviewed Seconday sources: a source which interprets and analyses primary sources eg books, magazine or journal articles, histories, criticisms, commentaries, encyclopedias 11

12 CONTACT DETAILS TPP TPP Greymouth 0800 TPP INFO (03) tpp.ac.nz/library Private Bag 607 Greymouth Tainui Street Greymouth 7805 MAINZ Auckland (09) Victoria Street West Auckland 1010 MAINZ Christchurch (03) High Street Christchurch 8011 v THE TAI POUTINI EDGE Tai Poutini is nestled between the wild Tasman Sea and the grand Southern Alps. People who live on the West Coast know what it takes to live on the edge. Confidence, skills and a can do, will do attitude set them apart. TPP graduates are out there on the edge doing it! He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata! What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people!

The Library Reference Collection: What Kinds of Materials will you find in the Reference Collection?

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