Information Sources: What are they and how do i find them?
A good starting point would be the Library catalogue.
As well as containing all the books, DVDS, CDs and periodicals that the library stocks, the catalogue also includes direct links to all our electronic resources, eBooks, and a range of useful websites. For tips on how to use it, see the next section.
What are the available resources?
Books
Books form the main body of most libraries' stock and are generally arranged by a system of class numbers separating the stock into subject areas. Hull College Libraries uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system.
Journals
Subject specific Journals or periodicals are published at stated intervals and are usually in magazine format. Hull college Libraries subscribe to a large variety of journals. Some of these are available in electronic format.
- Full list of HCL Journals (links to library catalogue)
Electronic Resources
Electrtonic resources, or E-resources, provide information in an electronic format. They can be an electronic version of something that also exists in print, for example magazines and books, or they can be a collection of resources brought together only in electronic form, for example a website or a database.
Internet
The amount Information available through an internet search is staggering, but equally there is a massive variation in the quality of information found there. See the section on effective internet searching (using Google as an example), and the section on on how to evaluate your findings.
eBooks
eBooks are fully replicated electronic versions of textbooks that can be accessed online.
The library stocks a wide range of course texts, and a growing collection of these are now available as eBooks.
eBooks are presented in an easy to read .pdf format, which can be read on screen or downloaded.
They are indexed with links to various chapters, sections, etc, and each text is fully searchable.
Within copyright allowance, you can copy-and-paste, and also print sections of the text.
Most of Hull College Libraries Ebooks collections are hosted by Dawsonera.
- Go direct to www.dawsonera.com
- View a full list of eBooks on the Library Catalogue
- Dawsonera helpsheet
We also have access to Ebrary, which hosts many more titles.
How do i find these and other resources?
- Search the Library catalogue.
- Full text databases – such as Infotrac can search through hundreds of journal articles simultaneously. You can read full text of these articles, print or save. For a complete list, see our eresources guide.
- Academic portals such as Intute and Pinakes provide access to web resources specifically for education and research. All material is evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists.
- Official gateways for central/regional government – see Directgov
- Search engines – Used to search the web for resources. They retrive a lot of information quickly. Google is one the most commonly used search engines in UK. Be aware that care must be taken when usung material found online. For a guide on the efficient use of search engines, see our google help page.
On to Step 3: Conducting a Search
