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These are some basic strategies to get you started in your search for information.

If you have any queries about where to start with your research, what tools to use and how to use them, contact a subject librarian

Locating Books

Finding Books for Assignments, Essays, etc.

Introduction

    Generally, information for undergraduate studies may mostly be found in books. To find the books relevant to your subject area, you will need to use Voyager, the Library's online catalogue.
     
  • You can use Voyager in any University of Auckland Library, or from home if you have access to the Internet.
  • Guides to using Voyager are available at the Desk in the Architecture Library.
  • You can use Voyager to search for:
    • authors you know
    • books you know
    • subject areas you are interested in
    • material on Short loan for your papers
  • Voyager can also show you where to find dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases and other reference books.
    These are often excellent starting points when you don't know your subject area well.

1. When you have found a book that looks interesting:

  • Note the "STATUS".
  • Note the "LOCATION" and the "CALL NUMBER", so you can find the item on the shelf.

    •  

 2. To borrow the book for home use:

    Take the book and your University ID card to the Desk and Library staff will issue it to you.

    If you want to know more about borrowing from the Architecture Library, look at our information on Architecture Library Lending Services
     

Locating Journal Articles

Introduction

Articles published in periodicals (serials, journals, magazines, etc.) are one of the most important sources of current, topical and relevant information for your studies.

This guide explains briefly how to locate articles from your reading lists, and more importantly, how to find periodical articles for your reading , essays, and research with the help of specific bibliographic tools. The most common types used are:

Indexing publications (usually referred to as "indexes")

    Print Indexes usually provide basic descriptions of articles relevant to your field - the author, article title, journal title, volume, issue and page numbers. This is just enough information to be able to then check to see if the Library has the article.
Abstracting journals (usually referred to as "abstracts")
    Abstracts provide the same information as Indexes, plus they provide a description of the contents of the article, usually written by the article's author.
Electronic databases
    Many print indexes and abstracts are now available in electronic format, making them quicker and easier to scan for information. Some databases now provide the full text of the article.
Here is a simple strategy to find research information using these pointers to research information.

1. Select the appropriate pointer to your research information

    To find current and historical information for research, you should select the abstracts, indexes and/or electronic databases relevant to your subject area.

    To select electronic research resources:

  • Use the Library website's Subject Guides information to select the electronic resources most appropriate for your subject area.
      •  
      This lists all the electronic resources provided by the University of Auckland Library, how to access them, and where to get help for using them. You may then need to find out whether the Architecture Library has the information the database has referred you to. To do this, go to step 3.
    To select print research resources:
  • Some abstracts and indexes are not available in electronic format, so you still need to consult the library's print indexes and abstracts to find articles.

    •  The following is a listing of information on the print research resources available in your subject area in the Architecture Library.
2. One way to find information in abstracts or indexes is to look up subject headings
      Abstracts and Indexes usually feature a listing (index) of subject headings or key words. To find the relevant articles look up the subject heading or keyword index.

      If unsuccessful, try looking up:

    • broader terms - maybe you’re using words that are too specific
    • narrower terms - maybe you’re using words that are too general
    • synonyms or other related terms - try to think of other terminology . Thesauri and other lists of subject headings are useful for this purpose.
3. Copy the details of the article you want to get hold of
      The minimum information required to find an article is:

      1. Full title of serial (most indexes and abstracts provide a listing of the full titles of the journals they cover.)
      2. Volume number and/or date
      3. Page numbers

4. Look up the serial title on Voyager the Library's online catalogue

    For example, to find Architectural Review,
    select Serial Title search and type architectural review

5. Note the "LOCATION", "CALL NUMBER" and  "LIBRARY HAS" on Voyager

    Serials in the Architecture Library are arranged in alphabetical order on the shelves following on from the book collection. Serials kept on Short loan are noted on Voyager in the OTHER INFO and  STATUS fields of the holding screen (as shown above).

    Titles held in other libraries around the system will be noted in the LOCATION field.

 6. Find the required volume on the shelf

    All serials are shelved in alphabetical order, according to their title. The year of publication and volume number are generally printed on the spine of the volume.

7. Find the article on pages given

    If the page numbers are unknown:
  • use the table of contents at the front of the journal
  • or check the author/title index, usually at the back of a the last issue of a journal volume.

8. If you cannot locate the volume or article you need

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Comments to Simon Coates
 Last updated:  28 September, 2009