Start here to look for library materials in UBCAT (our online catalog) and /or journal articles in online databases. Also find library hours, email reference and get other library or research information. The URL is http://www.bridgeport.edu/library and can be accessed from any computer with Internet access. To get to the library’s homepage from the UB website, click on Campus Resources and then Magnus Wahlstrom Library.

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Finding Books and Other Materials in UBCAT

All books, videos and other materials in the Wahlstrom Library are listed in the online catalog, UBCAT. You can search for an item by title, author, keyword, subject heading or journal title.

· To access the catalog, go the library homepage, http://www.bridgeport.edu/library/, click on UBCAT and then select Basic Search.

· Type in the exact title, author (last name, first name; e.g. Hemingway, Ernest), or keyword(s) and then choose the appropriate category from the drop-down menu to the right.

· When using keyword searches, connect every word with an 'and' (e.g. global and warming).

· If your search results in one or more library items found, you may scroll down through the listing to locate item(s) you would like to borrow.

· The item records will contain the call number and availability status.

· If the item is “not checked out,” write down the call number and retrieve the book from the shelves.

· Books located in the ‘Main Collection’ are on the third or fourth floor; specific location guides are posted throughout the library. Ask staff for assistance as needed.

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Finding E-Books

· The library subscribes to netLibrary, which provides access to 8,000 online titles, including classics of literature, in electronic format.

· UB students, faculty and staff must first come to the library to set up a netLibrary account that can then be accessed from any location.

· netLibrary can be found on the homepage of the library. Search by title, author, subject or keyword.

· To find netLibrary books in UBCAT, use the guided search screen and type in the keyword for your search and the keyword “netlibrary” in the middle box.

· Other websites that give access to free e-books are: Project Gutenberg at http://www.promo.net/pg/ and Online Books Page at http://www.digital.library.upenn.edu/books.

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Finding Books in Other Libraries

reQuest

· If Wahlstrom Library does not have enough materials on your topic, you can search in other Connecticut academic and public libraries by using reQuest, a statewide library online catalog.

· reQuest can be found on the homepage of the library. Search by title, author or subject by selecting from the dropdown menu and typing in your word(s).

· If you find useful books, they can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary loan forms are available at the reference desk on the first floor of the library.

WorldCat is another database that will help you identify titles owned by other libraries.

· Go to the library homepage and select Online Databases.

· Click on FirstSearch (available remotely) enter your UB username and password, and then choose WorldCat.

· Enter your search terms (e.g. alien abductions) and the materials on that topic will appear. Again, if you find useful items, they can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan.

Your Local Library

· Sometimes it is quicker to borrow materials yourself directly from another library.

· To access your hometown public library or the Bridgeport Public Library, use a search engine such as Google and type in the name of the town or the library and follow the links to their online catalog.

· UB students are allowed to borrow directly from the Bridgeport Public Library even if they do not live in Connecticut.

· Connecticut residents, using their public library card obtained from their hometown library, can check out books from any public library in the state.

Other College Libraries

· Other college library catalogs may also be accessed and searched via an Internet search engine (eg: Google) by typing in the name of the college and linking to the library.

· UB students cannot borrow items from other college libraries but the material can be obtained through InterLibrary Loan.

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Finding Videos and DVD’s

The library owns a video collection supportive of the curriculum. There are also some entertainment films, mainly Academy Award-winners and literature-based, in video or DVD format.

· Videos are listed in the online catalog, UBCAT.

· You can search for videos by title or keyword in UBCAT. Limit your search to videos or DVD’s by selecting "Videorecording" in the Quick Limit field.

· Videos are housed on the first floor of the library and can be checked out for one week or viewed in the library.

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Borrowing Books and Other Materials

· Books and other circulating materials may be charged out of the library using your UB photo ID card.

· Books circulate for one month and may be renewed once. Videos circulate for one week and may be renewed once. CDs circulate for 2 weeks and may be renewed once.

· Overdue fines for items not returned by the due date are: 10 cents per day per book and CD and 1 dollar per day per video.

· Patrons are reported to the University Bursar if books and other materials are not returned.

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Viewing Your Library Record

· Online, you can see what library materials you have charged out and their due date.

· Go to the library homepage, http://www.bridgeport.edu/library/, select UBCAT then choose Patron Information.

· Enter your library 14–digit barcode and your last name.

· A list of the items you have charged out, the items you have requested and their current availability, and any outstanding fines/fees will appear.

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Renewing Books and Other Materials Online

You can renew your library materials online if you wish to keep them beyond the original due date.

· Go to the library homepage, http://www.bridgeport.edu/library/, select UBCAT and then choose Patron Information.

· Enter your library 14–digit barcode and your last name. A list of items you currently have charged out will appear.

· Click in the box to the left of the item you want to renew and select "Renew Items".

· The due date will advance to the new due date.

· There is a limit of one renewal per item.

· If your renewal does not go through, call Access Services at 203-576-4746 for an explanation.

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Placing a Hold on a Borrowed Book or Other Material

If an item is checked out, a hold may be placed online.

To place a hold, first locate the item in UBCAT, click on the title, and select the button for “Request”.
Enter your barcode (the long number on the back of your UB ID) and last name.
The next screen will ask for your barcode again, click on Submit Request and the hold will be successfully placed.
Remember, holds should only be placed on items that are checked out.
You will be notified by mail when the item is available and it will be held for you for 7 days at the circulation desk.

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Finding Journal or Newspaper Articles Using an Online Database

In your research, you may need to find current and/or specific information from journal articles. The Online Databases are collections of journal articles from popular magazines and scholarly journals.

· The Online Databases are available by going to the Library Homepage and selecting "Online Databases".

· A listing of the databases will appear with a short description and information about access.

· Some databases are only available on campus and others require a UBNet ID account. Go to "Obtaining a UBNet Account" in this tutorial to learn how to obtain an account.

· After deciding upon a database that covers your subject area, select that database. If you need help choosing the best database to meet your research needs, please ask a reference librarian for help. You may need to enter your UBNet username and password to access the database.

· The first screen of each database has a 'search' or 'find' box. In this box, type the key terms that describe your topic or search. Separate each word with the word 'and'.

· You can limit your search by clicking on the box next to peer-reviewed, scholarly, or refereed. This will limit your results to only articles written and reviewed by experts in the field and found in professional journals.

· Click on 'search' and the database will display your search results.

· Some articles will be full-text (the entire article will appear on the screen) while others will simply be abstracts.

· To look at an article of interest to you click, on the title, PDF Full-Text or HTML Full-Text. You can then print the article, save it to a disk or email it to yourself.

· If the database only provides the abstract of an article, the library may subscribe to it. (See Finding Print Journal Articles in this tutorial.) If the library does not own the journal, you can order the article through InterLibrary Loan.

· If you did not get enough information on your topic, think of synonyms for your key terms and go back and enter those in the 'search' or 'find' box. For example: instead of ‘capital punishment’ try ‘death penalty’.

· Every database has a 'Help' option. You can click on this to find specific instructions for searching in that database. For further help, call the reference librarian at (203) 576-4747 or email at reference@bridgeport.edu

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Finding Print Journal Articles

Many periodicals can be found online but some are available only in print or microform format on the second floor. Consult the “Wahlstrom Library Journal Holdings” booklet to see if the library has the journal you need, including the correct year. These booklets are available on the first and second floors of the library. Photo- copiers and microform readers and printers are available on the second floor for copying journal articles. You may also type in the title of the journal in UBCAT to view current holdings.

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Finding Which Journals the Library Owns

You have a citation and you need the article. What do you do? Before you fill out the Interlibrary Loan Request Form, do the following things:

Check to see if we own the journal in print form.

Online via the library's Web Page (http://www.bridgeport.edu/library/) UBCAT Online Catalog, by clicking on "simple search" and choosing "journal title" from the options in the "Find Results In" field.

Physically at the reference desk, in the database search room and on the second floor of the Wahlstrom Library, there are copies of the Wahlstrom Library Journal Holdings List. At the Stamford and Waterbury extensions via the Wahlstrom Library Journal Holdings List found in the library.

How to read the citation information: E.g.: Journal of Education (found in UBCAT)

            Older Issues:     v.137 (1954/1955)-v.154(1971/1972)
                                  v.166 (1984)-v.179 (1997)
                                   MICROFILM v.1 (1875)-

            Tells us that we have this journal from 1954-1972 in print copies. There was a gap in our collection from 1972-1984 and we own 1984-1997 in print copies. We own v.1 (1875) until the current time in Microfilm.

If this information falls within the range of your citation, go to the second floor where you will find our journal collection.
Check to see if we own the journal in electronic format. From the Wahlstrom Library Web Page (http://www.bridgeport.edu/library/), click on the link labeled "E-Journal Titles".

The journals are arranged alphabetically; you can click the letter and scroll down the page or you can search for the journal by typing the name in the "find" box that is located in the top right-hand corner and click "search".

If your journal is found, you will see a screen similar to the following:

The journal searched for in this example, Journal of Education, can be found in the EBSCO database where it is full text from 1975-present. To connect directly to that title from on-campus, click on the link underneath it. It should bring you to a page with the journal holdings in that database and you should be able to browse by year and volume.

If you are off-campus, you cannot connect to the database from this link. Please do the following:

1. Write down the title of the database the journal was found in.
2. Go back to the library's home page and choose the online databases link. Enter the database that the journal was found in and search for that journal.

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Obtaining a UBNet Account for Remote Access to Databases

You will need a UBNet Account username and password to access some of the Library online databases in the library and remotely.

· To apply for a UBNet Account, go to http://www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet/.

· On the left sidebar, select "New UBNet Account" and follow the directions.

· You must type or copy your username and password exactly as they are given.

· Your UBNet Account is active 24 hours after you apply.

· If you wish to change your password, after 24 hours go back to http://www.bridgeport.edu/ubnet/, select Change Password in the left sidebar and follow the directions.

· UBNet Accounts are only issued once. If you have lost your account information or cannot obtain one online, please call 576-4322 or send an email to matanya@bridgeport.edu in the Information Technology Department.

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Using Interlibrary Loan for Books and Articles Wahlstrom Library Does Not Have

In your research you may wish to read a book or journal article that Wahlstrom Library does not have. You can borrow the books or articles from another library through the Interlibrary Loan service provided. To find out more about this service go to:

http://www.bridgeport.edu/Indexhtml/Library/ill.html

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About Reserve Material

Professors will often put books, photocopies of articles, and other materials on reserve in the library.

· The reserve module of the online catalog UBCAT allows you to check reserves by instructor, course number or department.

· Select UBCAT on the library homepage, then select Course Reserve and enter the information in the required fields from the dropdown menus.

· Reserves can be charged out at the reserve desk in the library (at the side of the circulation desk) for use in the library only, there is a limit of two hours if others are waiting.

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Internet Resources by Subject Selected by Librarians

The Wahlstrom Library Website maintains a listing of suggested Websites by subject area. The listed Websites were created and are maintained by educational institutions, government bureaus or professional organizations so the information is accurate and reliable. The suggested Websites are located on the library homepage at Internet Research by Subject.

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Finding Good Websites on the Internet

Websites from the Internet are often a good source of information as long as they are evaluated for accuracy, authority and timeliness. Generally speaking, dot.coms are not the best sources because of their commercial point-of- view. Usually, dot.org and dot.edu sites have more reliable information. A quality search engine such as Google will yield good results if you view the sites critically.

If you want pre-selected sites that have already been evaluated for authenticity and accuracy try:

Wahlstrom Library’s Internet Resources by Subject (http://www.bridgeport.edu/library/)

Britannica Internet Guide (available from the library online database page)

Infomine (http://infomine.ucr.edu/)

Academic Info (www.academicinfo.net)

Librarians index (www.lii.org)

For a list of search engines go to All Search Engines (www.allsearchengines.com)

For information on evaluating Websites go to:

http://www.rice.edu/fondren/tmp/netguides/strategies.html

http://www.citrus.k12.fl.us/lhs/RApage.htm

http://www.personal.psu.edu/dept/Eichelibrary/module/Web.html

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Websites to Help You Choose a Research Paper Topic

Choosing a topic for a research paper is sometimes difficult. There are some guidelines you should follow:

Make sure the topic fulfills the assignment
Make sure the topic is not too broad nor too narrow
Make sure books and articles are readily available to research your topic.

The Internet has some good Websites that suggest topics for research papers. They are:

http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/hotindex.htm

http://www.aquinas.edu/ie/topicsfall2003.html

http://www.isu.edu/library/research/topics.htm

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Websites to Help You Write a Research Paper

Writing a research paper can seem to be a difficult task. But you can make it easier by going step-by-step through the process – pick a topic, do the research, take notes, write an outline, write the paper, review and proof-read your paper, write a bibliography.

There are several good Websites that describe in detail how to write a research paper.
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/

http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/stepfirst.htm

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Websites to Help with Your Bibliography

Citing your sources of information gives proper credit to the original authors of the information. It also lends credibility to your work by showing evidence of your research. Additionally, references make it easy for your readers to locate more information. Most instructors will require a bibliography for your research papers.

There are proper formats or styles to follow for writing a bibliography. Usually you will use the MLA Style but for a psychology paper use the APA Style.

Samples of proper citations can be found at the following Websites:

http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/works_cited.htm - all styles

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/ugl/researching/citing/ - all styles

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocMLAWorksCited.html - MLA Style

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPAReferences.html - APA Style

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Have a Question? Email the Reference Desk

Reference librarians are available to help you in your search for information at any time the library is open. Additionally, an email reference service is available for your convenience. Send an email to the reference desk (reference@bridgeport.edu) and a reference librarian will answer your question within twenty-four hours or less. For immediate help, call the reference desk (203) 576-4747 during regular library hours.

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Research Consultation Service

Reference Librarians at the Reference Desk assist individual patrons in using print and online library resources to find information. For in-depth individualized research instruction, a consultation service is offered by the Reference & Instructional Services Department. To schedule a consultation, please call the Reference Desk at (203) 576-4747. Research assistance is also available without an appointment.

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Information Literacy

Information literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze and use information. To be information literate is important because you will need to be able to identify and access the best resources in your field, to keep current in your chosen field and to be a lifelong learner. College students are expected to be information literate when they graduate.

BILT (Basic Information Literacy Tutorial) is an online tutorial that serves as an introduction to information literacy. Complete the tutorial at your own pace and it will help you begin to learn how to access the information you need to achieve success in your college career. Go to BILT at http://fred.ccsu.edu/TILT/.

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University of Bridgeport, Magnus Wahlstrom Library
126 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604
203-576-4740
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University of Bridgeport Homepage Last Update: 23 August 2005