Off Campus Access
FLITE Distance Education Library Services
Every person in this class will be off-campus at some time during your coursework. Our newly-designed Distance Education web site should help you with any questions you may have about reaching FLITE from wherever you are. Be sure to study it carefully and return to it often.
Finding Journal Articles for Research
To find journal articles on a
particular topic, use one or more of the Databases
available through the FLITE web site. These databases index thousands of journal titles. Some provide full-text, but others only provide citations or abstracts.
Some of the databases we recommend
you try include:
| General Databases | Education Databases | Related Databases |
Or, click
here to see all of our databases listed by name.
ERIC
ERIC, the Educational Resource Information Center, is the digital library provided by the Institute of Education Sciences of the Department of Education. ERIC has added a Find In a Library link that makes it much easier for everyone to find full-text articles.
FLITE now takes you to the web-based version of ERIC when you search, allowing the "Find In a Library" link to take you to the resources FLITE has paid for you to access, a major step forward in simplifying your searches.
Be sure to access ERIC through the FLITE web site in order to find your articles.
Please contact Kristy Motz if you would like one-on-one help using this valuable resource.
Getting the Full-text of the Research Article
Once you've found citations relevant to the topic you're working with and you need to get a copy of the articles, you'll need to verify whether FLITE owns the particular journal in which each article was published. Many databases now have a link called Find It which will take you to full text of an article avaiable in a different FLITE database. If the full text of the article is available, you will be able to find the article by clicking on the link.
If the only message you see is "Interlibrary Loan", you will need to order the article. By clicking on the red GO button provided, you will be directed to the ILLiad Logon screen. You will need to register the first time you reach the screen, by clicking on the words "First Time Users". Sometimes the red GO button will provide a link to the Online Catalog. This indicates that the journal is found in FLITE's print collection. Please make an Interlibrary Loan request and indicate you are an off-campus student (in the notes field) if you need this material made available for you.
Interlibrary Loan and MELCAT
Interlibrary Loan is a service provided by FLITE to request articles and books that FLITE does not own. Most often this service is used when searching for articles in FLITE databases, and you are directed through the "Find It" button to request the item. The first time you use this service, you will need to register with ILLiad, our Inter-Library Loan service. Click on the words "First Time Users" to register. You will complete a form, creating a username and password which will be used for future requests. Article requests are emailed to you in 5-10 business days (ferris email preferred), and books will be mailed to you if you are an off-campus student. On-campus students may pick up books at the Checkout Desk. Please identify yourself as an off-campus student in the notes field if you need articles that are found within the FLITE library.
MelCat is another library service throughout Michigan which works with participating libraries to deliver books a particular library may not own. Additional information and a step-by-step tutorial are provided by FLITE.
Find A Periodical
To look up whether FLITE owns a
particular journal, use the Find
a Periodical database to search for the journal title, such
as Journal of Research and Development in Education, The
American Educational Research Journal, or Journal
of Classroom Interaction.
Remember to use the journal title, not the article title
for your search.
Print and Electronic Reference Books
Reference books are a great way to gather background, explore topics, and gain a general understanding about a variety of topics. Printed reference books are located on the First Floor. We have quite a variety of items in our reference collection pertaining to education topics, so take a look in the L's (education section) for good reference materials on Education.
Many Education books are available within FLITE. Try searching
the Online
Catalog, for the keyword: "education".
You might also want to try other keywords that relate to "education",
such as "teaching", "learning", or more specific topics such as
"collaborative learning".
Electronic Reference Resources are found under Databases on the home page.
RefWorks
RefWorks is a online citation tool which allows you to import, enter, and develop a database for citations. Citations remain until you remove them, can be organized into folders, edited, and complied into bibliographies. Signing up for an account is quick and easy,. From the library's home page, direct RefWorks links are located under Student Services, Faculty Services, Instruction, and Reference. For more information please see the Refworks Tutorial.
Useful Guides
Guide to Searching ERIC
Database Guide to ERIC
Guide to Searching Education Abstracts
APA Citation Style Guide
FLITE RefWorks Tutorial
Research Guide: Education
On the Web
There are several good sites on the Internet for resources about education topics:
The Educator's Reference Desk
Michigan Educators' Resources (Formerly Michigan Teacher Network)
EBSCO Teacher Reference Center
If you have any questions regarding using the library for research,
Email Kristy Motz or click here for the general email reference form.
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the Oval Information Desk and ask for help at any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602 or chat with us.
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Last Update: January 17, 2008