Course Syllabus | Library Resources | About this Project | Updated February 20, 2003

Searching for Books and Checking them out

How do I search in CONSORT for books?

  • exact phrase searching using words or keywords
    • second language acquisition
    • syllabic writing systems
  • boolean searching using words or keywords
    • AND (narrows) OR (broadens)
      • sociolinguistics AND gender
      • syntax AND preterite
      • syntax OR grammar
      • translation OR transcription
  • Subject headings and other controlled vocabulary (see examples)

 

Ohio5 Information Literacy Tutorial on Search Strategies

How do I check out books or request them?

How long does it take to get books not held by Kenyon?

Consort and OhioLINK Books--2-3 working days

How long can I check them out?

How many books can I check out?

No limit to number of books.

Can I find a summary or review of the book before I request it (online abstracts and books reviews in journals)?

Not all books are reviewed, and not all bibliographic databases contain summaries. However, please be aware that:

Many recent books in CONSORT have table of contents notes, and so list titles which should help you determine if a book will be useful

Book Review Index, Book Review Digest, the Index to Journal Articles, and any of the ISI Citation Indexes are places to check if a book has been reviewed and in what publications. Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe also allows you to search news/arts and sports, and book reviews that appear in major newspapers (e.g. New York Times Book Review).

Other subject-specific databases, such as the MLA Bibliography, also allow you to search for book reviews.

Check the web for reviews, but remember that the publisher's sites and book seller's sites are commercial in nature, and write their reviews to sell copies.