RMLS 342 - Mora
Finding Articles
Often, if someone creates a really cool program, they'll write an article about it. You might find examples on an organization's website or blog, or you might need to look in a magazine or journal. Many free resources can be tracked down using Google, or Google's Advanced Search.
FLITE has electronic access to lots of journals, magazines, and newspapers that aren't available for free online. To find articles in FLITE, use any of the databases available from the FLITE website.
For this project, these databases are probably your best bets:
- ERIC -
ERIC is short for Educational Resources Information Center. If your topic involves children or young adults, or is at all related to
education, take a look in ERIC.
- Academic Onefile - Academic Onefile has a little bit of everything in it. For most searches, you'll want to do an Advanced Search (not the default search screen). Make sure you look at your choices on the left when your results come up, or you'll miss half of what's there.
Finding full text when there's no full-text link
The Find-It links (also known as SFX or Check For Available Full Text links) will tell you if FLITE has access to an article, and link you to the article if we do.
Click here for a video tutorial on how to use Find-It links.
Finding a specific article
If you know a specific article that you want, but aren't sure what database it might be in, you can use the Citation Linker on the Journals tab of the FLITE homepage.
Click here for a video tutorial on locating and using the Citation Linker.
Suggestions to retrieve better results:
- Combine key phrases with AND or OR. Want to start a camp for paraplegic teens? Try
- (teenagers OR young adults) AND paraplegic AND (camps OR camping)
- If you have too few results:
- Add synonyms, connected to each other with OR.
- Take off some of the words you've connected with AND.
- Try running a broader search. (Disabled teens instead of paraplegic teens.)
- If you have too many results:
- Add more, relevant terms with AND.
- Delete some of the synonyms you've connected with OR.
- Try running a more specific search. (Paraplegic teens instead of disabled teens.)
Demographic & Market Info
If you're looking for demographics, check out these websites:
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Note in particular: "Arts, Recreation & Travel" in left menu.
County and City Data Book
Click on listings under "Selected Features from the 14th edition of the County and City Data Book"
Recreation & Tourism Statistics Update
A companion website to highly-recommended book - Outdoor Recreation for 21st Century America - A Report to the Nation : The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment.
Getting out of date, but still has interesting data.
American Fact Finder
Census data. Note that you can search by topics, race, or industry.
State and Local sources such as Michigan Local and Regional Goverment
See "Regional Planning Organizations."
Seidman College of Business Information Services (Grand Valley State University)
Click on "Demographic Profile".
Find schools in Michigan here: Michigan School Enrollments
I selected information at the county level. You can break down even further by school district and then by grade level. (Scroll down
to see counties.)
PRIZM Market Segmentation
There's a link to a PRIZM tutorial on the left of this page if you get stuck.
Citations
FLITE has a handy cheat sheet for APA style here.
If you have time, you can also get in touch with the Writing Center; they're experts!
Finding Books or Articles in Print
To find print journals (not articles, but the journals themselves) or books, search the library catalog. If you want your results to show only journals and not books or dvds or anything else, use the link that says FSU Periodicals in the gray box labeled Location. You will have to scroll down to see this box.
Need help searching the library catalog? Learn how here.
FLITE's print journals are on the second floor, and are alphabetized by title.
There are photocopiers in FLITE if you wish to make copies of articles you need for your classes.
If FLITE Doesn't Own What You Need
If you're looking for a book FLITE doesn't own, you can request it through MeLCat. It usually takes 3 - 5 business days for the book to arrive.
If you're looking for an article FLITE doesn't own, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan. We'll e-mail you when it comes in, usually within a week of your ordering it. Note: An item requested via interlibrary loan could possibly take up to 20 days to get here. Plan ahead if you think you might need this service!
Contact: Emily Mitchell / Email / Phone: 231-591-3730 / Office: FLITE 140F
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the Oval Information Desk and ask for help any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602, chat with us, or sign up for a one-on-one appointment.
Last update: February 6, 2012