Navigating Salisbury University Library Resources: A Comprehensive Guide
Salisbury University Libraries serve as the central academic hub, providing students with the resources necessary for success. From research assistance to technology and quiet study spaces, the libraries offer a wide array of services and materials. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the library resources available at Salisbury University, enabling students and faculty to effectively utilize these tools for their academic pursuits.
Getting Started with Library Resources
The Salisbury University Libraries offer several resources to help users get oriented and find materials.
- Library Research Guides: These guides, created by SU librarians for specific subjects and courses, are a great starting point for research.
- A-Z Database List: This list provides a comprehensive listing of all databases licensed by the library, including those that offer full-text articles.
- Course Reserves: The Course Reserves site allows users to search for items being held at the library on reserve for specific courses.
- Call Number Locator: If you know the call number of a book, you can use this tool to locate it within the library.
The Research Help Desk: Your Personal Research Assistant
Located on the first floor of the Guerrieri Academic Commons, the Research Help Desk offers personalized assistance with research papers and projects. Staffed by knowledgeable librarians, the desk provides support in various areas, including:
- Searching for books and journal articles
- Identifying relevant databases
- Conducting effective searches
- Accessing e-resources such as e-books and online journals
- Locating items within the Guerrieri Academic Commons
The Research Help Desk is accessible through walk-ins, chat, and research consultation appointments. Librarians can provide in-depth assistance, such as identifying relevant books and articles, guiding users through library databases, and explaining the Interlibrary Loan service.
Key Library Resources and Databases
Salisbury University Libraries provide access to a wide range of databases covering various disciplines. While not every option is found in the Salisbury University Resource Finder (SURF), exploring these databases is crucial for comprehensive research.
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Business-Related Resources
Several databases are particularly useful for business-related research. These databases cover a wide range of topics, including marketing, management, accounting, banking, and finance.
- Business Source Complete: Provides indexing and abstracting for 1,000 periodicals with full text for more than 600 publications.
- Regional Business News: Provides comprehensive full text for regional business publications (including titles from Crain Communications).
Interdisciplinary Resources
These databases offer access to a broad range of resources across multiple disciplines, including the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
- Academic Search Complete: Offers access to an unprecedented collection of resources including journals, magazines, reports, books, and videos. Many are peer-reviewed and full-text.
- JSTOR: Provides full-text access to a broad range of resources about the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, including primary sources, images, articles, and books.
- Web of Science: Enables users to search current and retrospective multidisciplinary information from thousands of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world.
Specialized Resources
- SAGE Research Methods: A resource for both writing and finding case studies, SAGE Research Methods provides instructional datasets, 1,100 peer-reviewed cases, books, articles, and other tools to help with the research process.
- HeinOnline: Provides data from the Millennial edition, 2006. treaties, collections of classic treatises and presidential documents, Criminal Justice, Religion and the Law, and Women and the Law, etc.
- The New York Times (1851-2018): Provides full-text and full-image articles from the New York Times from 1851-2018.
Utilizing Specific Database Features
Many databases offer specific features that can enhance your research.
- Case Studies: When searching for case studies, use the advanced search tool and select "Case Study" as a Document Type. If this option is not available, try including it as a keyword or subject term in your search.
- International Statistics and Market Data: Within an Advanced search, enter your country name in one search bar and change the drop-down menu to Location -- LOC. International statistics and market data are available for over 36 countries. Easily incorporate charts or graphs into your report or presentation by downloading statistics to Powerpoint or Excel.
- Company Research: If you are doing company research, in many of our databases you can search by ticker symbol. Like knowing the ticker, knowing your company's NAICS code will help you locate industry and market information on library databases. You may have to try a few different keywords to find your NAICS code, for example, "Pest Management" won't return results but "Pest" and "Pest Control" will. Search the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system from OSHA.gov by keyword to find the SIC code that classifies your industry.
- Market Data: Use the Markets page to view a "Market Barometer" for daily, weekly, monthly, and annual performance data for different sectors. Provides up-to-date stock and fund information to research current or prospective holdings and see how investments work together. Provides up-to-date stock and fund information to research current or prospective holdings and see how investments work together.
Additional Tips for Effective Research
- SURF (Salisbury University Resource Finder): While SURF is a valuable tool, remember that not every resource is indexed. Consider exploring databases directly for more comprehensive results.
- "Find It" Option: The "Find It" option in databases will check other SU databases for the article or take you to an option to request the article via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
- Keyword Variation: Experiment with different keywords to find the most relevant results.
- Citation Style Guide: For help with citations and citation management, check out our Citation Style Guide.
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