Library Orientation

How to do library research, collect background information, and get research help from the library.

Or for more detailed assistance, click here.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Understanding the basic facts and other background information about your topic makes it easier to search and identify what you want to research. The easiest place to find this information is through our reference sources. These sources include specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, pro and con arguments on current issues, images, quick biographies, and statistics.

RESEARCH GUIDES

If you are not sure where to search in the library for information on your topic or are unsure how to do college library research, the research guides created by the librarians at BobCat Library can help. These guides collect resources and tips for effective research at CLTCC. Some guides are for finding research in whole subject areas, while others teach general research skills.

• The default research guides page organizes by guide list, so that you can browse all available guides. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see all available guides.

RESEARCH HELP

The librarians are happy to provide research assistance for your projects and papers.

Librarians can help you:

• Select search terms.
• Identify where to find articles, books, and other library resources for your topic.
• Use library and web search tools more effectively.
• Evaluate the quality of what you find.

We are available to help via email or phone. For more information contact the Librarian at 318.487.5443 ext. 1137.

How to access databases and get full text articles.

ACCESSING DATABASES

As part of LOUIS: the Louisiana Library Network, the Library is able to subscribe to many different databases that search the indexes of thousands of journals to help you find articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. 

1. Begin at the BobCat Library homepage and click on Databases A to Z. 
2. From here, you will need to select a database. Some databases search materials in a specific subject (ex. nursing, law, etc.), while others search specific formats of information (ex. ebooks, news, etc.).
3. When you click on the name of the database, you may be prompted to enter your LoLA username and password (the same information you would use to log in to Canvas).

Still not sure which database to pick? Try one suggested in a Research Guide for your subject or contact the Librarian.

GETTING THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN A DATABASE (FULL TEXT)

Once you have found the description for a useful article in a database, you need to retrieve the article itself. The full article is called the "full text" in a library database.

1. Next to some articles, you will see words like Full Text, PDF Full Text, or HTML Full Text. You can click on any of these to see the entire article on your screen. Most databases will allow you to download a copy of the article.

CITING YOUR SOURCES

Citing your sources is important because it gives credit to the person who originally published the idea, and it allows the reader to check your evidence. Your instructor should tell you which citation style to use (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

Resources:

Use BobCat Library's Citation Styles LibGuide for recommended websites and style guides for citing your sources.

How do I find out what books are in the library?

Click here to search the new Online Public Catalog (OPAC)!

One Search provides one-stop searching for books, eBooks, journal articles, DVDs, and more.

To access the CLTCC Library and LRCs' electronic resources, you will need to use your LoLA username and password.

How to cite sources in APA, MLA, Chicago, and other citation styles.