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Research Guide for
Freshman Writing Seminars:
The Modern Metropolis
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Librarian:
Audrey B. Wright (abwright@princeton.edu)
instructions for setting up vpn connection to access library databases from off-campus
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Getting Background Information |
The resources listed here are only a sampling of what is available both online and in the General & Humanities and Social Science reference centers in Firestone. We have many more specialized reference works in all subject areas, so be sure to consult with a reference librarian early in your research!
Oxford English Dictionary (PU Only)
Encyclopedias provide in-depth background information about specific topics. Articles found in encyclopedias often provide references to additional readings and serve as a good basic introduction to a topic.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (PU Only)
Online version of the classic Encyclopaedia Britannica. Browse by alphabet or subject as well as search by keyword. This site also allows you to search the Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and Collegiate Thesaurus; and provides access to a world atlas, year in review and historical timelines.
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Searching the Main Catalog |
The Main Catalog is your primary tool for finding books in the Princeton University Libraries. The catalog also helps you find other materials, including videos, sound recordings, internet sites, and journals (the journal subscriptions- not individual articles). You can search the catalog by title, journal title, author, subject, or keywords.
Tips for searching the Main Catalog
To find an item when you know the title or author, use the Basic Search. Use the Guided Search to search by subject; forumulate terms based on your intuition, then look at the Long View feature to see the full record display. You'll see the offical library subject headings that have been designated to describe the item. When you find items that seem relevant to your topic, use these subject headings to find additional related items.
When you find an item you'd like to see, make a note of the location, call number, and status as indicated in the catalog record. See the list of location codes for help determining in which library collection the item is held. The call number shows where in the collection the item should be, and the status tells you whether the book is available or not. For more information on the call numbers used at Princeton and for help with locating a book in Firestone, see the Library Call Numbers & Locations page.
Beyond the main catalog, you have access to other Princeton library catalogs, as well as regional and worldwide catalogs via the Library Catalogs page. For information on how to obtain books from other libraries, see the Borrow Direct and Interlibrary Loan pages.
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General/Multi-disciplinary databases
This is a multi-disciplinary full text database covering over 7,000 scholarly and peer-reviewed journals in nearly every area of academic study including: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language & linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and more. Coverage goes back to 1965.
OmniFile is a multi-disciplinary database that provides indexing, abstracts, and select full text of articles in a wide variety of areas, including education, the humanities, the social sciences, science and technology, popular periodicals, business, legal periodicals, and library and information science. Indexing begins in 1982, abstracts in 1984, and full-text coverage in 1994.
Provides (mostly) full-text access to a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals from 1986-present.
Factiva
Full-text of many major national and regional newspapers, including the full-text of the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and the Nikkei Weekly. Some titles are abstracted only. Includes selected full-text and abstracts of many industry and general interest publications.
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Specialized Databases
Indexes journal articles published worldwide on architecture and design, archaeology, city planning, interior design, and historic preservation.
Provides access to full text PDF reports and documents generated by local government agencies, civic organizations, academic and research organizations, public libraries, and metropolitan and regional planning agencies in approximately 500 selected cities in the United States and Canada. Earlier documents are available on microfiche.
Sanborn fire insurance maps contain detailed information on urban structures, property boundaries, and streets. They provide historical information on the history, growth, and development of American cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
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REFWORKS--try this nifty time-saving tool! (here is a video of me Audrey teaching RefWorks--this isn't widely available)
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Princeton University Library