Locating Books:

          ü     Use ToroFind Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) .

ü       Use either your own keywords or Library of Congress Subject Headings
      to look for books on your topic.
      Libraries use Library of Congress Subject Headings to describe the contents
      of books and other materials list in the library catalog.
      For instance:

ü     Indian mythology-Mexico,  Indian Mythology- Central America,  
     Indian Mythology- North America, etc.

ü     Maya mythology

ü      Mayas - religion

ü     Indians of Central America - religion

ü       Mythology  African

ü     Mythology Sub-Saharan African

ü      Africa - Religion

ü     Creation - comparative studies

ü   Folklore Latin America

Leave out the dashes and commas when you type a search into the catalog.

Ask Library Reference staff if you're not sure what to look under for your topic!

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           Locating Journal Articles:

·  To find journal articles on a particular topic, use a special index called
    an electronic database.

•  Terms to know before you search in electronic databases:  

DATABASE: an organized collection of information, especially electronic information.

JOURNAL (also called SCHOLARLY JOURNAL): scholarly publication published for an academic audience; narrow focus, deeply researched, all articles approved before publication by a group of experts working in the same field as the author (this approval process is called peer review)

MAGAZINE: publication with popular interest articles and broad subject coverage

CITATION: the basic information you need to find or cite the full text of an article; includes article title, author's name, name of publication, date, volume & issue no. and page numbers.

ABSTRACT: a brief summary of the main content of an article

FULL TEXT: the complete article

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          Recommended Electronic Databases for Your Research on Creation Myths:

§    Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature: indexing, abstracts and high percentage of full text     articles from popular publications (Time Magazine, National Geographic) and scholarly ones such
    as Archaeology.

§  Academic Search Premier: indexing, abstracts and high percentage of full text articles from      journals in social sciences, humanities,  education, arts & literature, and ethnic studies.

§       Humanities Full-Text: covers 1984 to date; includes indexing, abstracts and selected full text in
     Archaeology, Art, Classical Studies, Folklore, History, Philosophy, Religion and Theology     
    (all could be useful for a mythology project); contains selected full text from 1995-date.

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    HOW TO FIND & LOG IN TO CSUDH LIBRARY ELECTRONIC JOURNAL INDEXES:

• Go to the Library Home Page at http://library.csudh.edu/.
•  Under Find Library Materials, click Journal Articles & Electronic Resources.
• If you already know which index you want, click the "Alphabetical List." button
  (Academic Search Premier is a good database to search first).
• If you need suggestions about which database to search, click "Subject List."
• When you click on the title of an index to log in to, you'll see this login screen:
  

Do a keyword search or a subject search in the database you logged into.

•  Did you find too many articles?

•  Use more specific search terms.

•  Limit by language, publication, date, full text, peer reviewed.

•  Use controlled vocabulary (look in the database subject guide or thesaurus).

•  Narrow your search with AND.

 

•  Did you find too few articles? None? Out-of-context?

•  Use different search terms, synonyms, alternate terms and phrases.

•  Check your spelling.

•  Use truncation (child* = child, child's, children and other words that begin
    with child).

•  Broaden your search by joining synonyms and additional search terms with OR.

•  Search in a different journal index.

•  Ask a Librarian for help!!!

         Selected Internet Resources

·         Bulfinch's Mythology: Full text of a well known 19th-century summary of Greek and
      Roman mythology.

·       Encyclopedia Mythica: Online encyclopedia of mythology

·     Online Books about Creation Mythology: Collection of electronic books
      maintained at the University of Pennsylvania

Remember to evaluate any websites you plan to use in your paper
(for help, visit the CSUDH Library page at http://library.csudh.edu/Evaluatinginfo.htm )

 

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