Background Information
Refer to general and specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries and/or textbooks for authoritative summaries that provide an overview of the topic, identify and define key terms, and identify key people.
Take note of references to books and journal articles.
Books
Look in the Library of Congress Subject Headings for appropriate and specific subject headings; then use those terms to do a SUBJECT search in our on-line catalog.
You can search by KEYWORD in the catalog if you are unable to locate an appropriate subject heading.
Look up books mentioned in bibliographies (see part I. above).
If our catalog doesn't provide access to appropriate or sufficient resources, try area libraries (UNC-A's catalog is linked from the Library Catalogs page of our website) or inquire about Interlibrary Loan (see
part IV. below).
Go to the Library Catalogs page.
Periodicals/Journals
To find articles on a topic, use a periodical index. An index will tell you in which journal or newspaper (title, date and page) the article can be located.
Research Library from ProQuest, Academic Search from Ebsco,
and Expanded Academic ASAP from Gale InfoTrac are indexes to scholarly journals magazines and newspapers on a wide variety of topics.
A broad assortment of indexing, abstracting and full-text databases are
linked from our Periodicals & Newspapers web page, as well as a list of
print indexes for articles prior to electronic coverage.
Once you have found references to articles on your topic, check the MHC Periodicals Holdings List. This will tell you if we have the journal, where it is located, and the format (microform, bound, computer full-text).
If the journal is not available in our collection, check the MCLN Periodicals Holdings List, which tells which journals are available through MCLN, the Mountain College Library Network.
To get journal articles from a MCLN library, ask a librarian at the Research Assistance Desk for a MCLN request form. Articles are free and often received within 24 hours.
If you cannot find what you need through MHC or MCLN, inquire about interlibrary loan (see below).
Go to the Periodicals & Newspapers page.
Finding Information on the Internet
The Internet can and will provide a researcher with access to a wide variety of information.
It is important to always evaluate your source for its currency, accuracy and accountability. For some guidance, see
our research guide Evaluating Websites.
Check for useful sites on the Electronic Resources page of the Library web site.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan (ILL) request cards are available from the Research Assistance desk. Please expect at least TWO WEEKS from the time the ILL is requested until it is received. You will be notified when the material arrives.
Items received have the following charges: books are $1.00 per title; articles are $3.00. Ask at the Research Assistance Desk for more information.
UNC-Asheville
UNC-A's Ramsey Library catalog is linked from Library Catalogs page on the Renfro Library web site. MHC students and faculty can ask at the Research Assistance Desk for a UNC-A guest borrowers card. Guest cards are issued for one semester. Please have your MHC ID with you when requesting a guest card.
Please remember -- If you need help during your library research, a librarian is available at the Research Assistance Desk during posted hours, or by appointment.
Go to the UNCA Ramsey Library web site.
