- Book catalogs. The best-known areBooks in Print,
Forthcoming Books, and theCumulative Book Index. - Newspaper indexes. Several large-city newspapers provide
an indexed list of all articles they have published. Your library
may even have past issues of one or more available on
microfiche. - Periodical indexes. To find out if any magazine articles
have been published on your subject, go to a periodical index.
The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature, which indexes
articles published in the most popular American magazines,
may be one with which you’re already familiar. - Vertical file. Here’s where you’ll find pamphlets and
brochures. - Guide to U.S. Government Publications, American
Statistical Index, and Congressional Information
Service Index. These are all useful for locating government
publications. - Computer databases. Widely used indexes are available,
covering American and world history, art, biology, philosophy,
religion, psychology, engineering, and much more. - The Internet. Most magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias,
government organizations, and so forth have websites that
can be a starting point for your search. They often have links
to other sites where you can find full-length articles and
stories, biographic information, and the like.
Set aside solid blocks of time for your research. And remember:
It’s better to schedule a handful of extended trips to the library than
15 or 20 brief visits, better to do a solid few hours online than 10
minutes here and 15 minutes there.
126 How to Study