Before you start looking for sources for your paper, it pays to do a little research on the library itself. These basic questions about your library can start you off.
- Does the library have a pamphlet mapping the library's holdings and resources and explaining its services?
- Where is the reference desk and what hours is it open?
- If the catalog is computerized, is there a brochure explaining its use? Can you search the catalog from your computer at home or from the campus network?
- Where are periodicals kept and how are they arranged? Where are the indexes or computerized databases for locating articles by subject?
- If the library doesn't have a book or article that you need, can you order it through interlibrary loan?
- Are there quiet places to work on your research? Are there study carrels — usually small cubicles with desks in the stacks — that you can use while working on your research paper?
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