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ENGC 090 - Murphy

What exactly is a periodical? 
A periodical is anything that is published periodically (from time to time or on regular intervals). Some examples include newspapers, magazines, journals, and newsletters. These could be published daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually. 

How to tell the differences between periodicals
There are several differences between newspapers, magazines, and journals. Each is written for a different audience; the appearance of the source is different; graphics will vary as well as advertisements. When determining what type of periodical, consider the following:

author audience

content
length appearance credibility

This chart  from Southern Connecticut State University Library is helpful when distinguishing between the different types of periodicals. Additionally, the two charts below can offer additional information when comparing sources. 

How to find a periodical at CMU
The easiest way to find a periodical at CMU is to use OneSearch. OneSearch is a good place to start your research as it searches everything that CMU owns. Pro tip: Make sure to limit your search using the Refine Results column once you get into your search. You can limit by newspaper, trade journal, dates, and even peer reviewed. 

Magazines are a type of periodical. Some examples of popular magazines include Time, National Geographic, Essence, Car and Driver, Forbes, The Advocate, Latina, Sports Illustrated. Magazines are usually written by a staff writer; the audience is usually the general public, and the content focuses on entertainment, current topics, or quick facts. 

How to find a magazine at CMU
The easiest way to find a magazine at CMU is to use OneSearch. OneSearch is a good place to start your research as it searches everything that CMU owns. Pro tip: Make sure to limit your search to magazine in the Refine Results column once you get into your search. 

 

Scholarly Journals
Scholarly journals contain articles written by and for experts in that academic field -- chemists, historians, doctors, professors. Some criteria for these articles include

  • often lengthy
  • contain technical terms, research and data
  • information and sources will be cited
    • both in-text and and the end of the article -- footnotes, bibliography, works cited, or references.
  • may be an abstract, a short summary, before the article.

Articles within scholarly journals may be referred to as an academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed article.You can find an example of the first and last page of a scholarly article here. 

How to find a scholarly journal at CMU
The easiest way to find a scholarly journal at CMU is to use OneSearch. OneSearch is a good place to start your research as it searches everything that CMU owns. Pro tip: Make sure to limit your search to scholarly journal in the Refine Results column once you get into your search. 

Additionally, from the library home page, you can click on A-Z Databases and find a list of all the databases CMU has access to. The first drop down menu (All Subjects) will allow you to sort these by subject. 

 

How to find a physical book at CMU
To find a book within the library, using the library catalog. From the library home page, you can toggle from OneSearch to Books and Media.  You'll see options to search three catalogs: Colorado Mesa (Tomlinson Library), Prospector, and World Libraries. Each has a different function, and each layer will encompass a broader scope.

Colorado Mesa option will return results that Tomlinson library owns. These resources can be physical items within the library, but also electronic resources that can automatically be accessed. 

  • Type in your search term and click Search.
  • You'll be taken to a new page.
  • On the left hand side, you can limit by Format. Choose Book.

Below is an example from a book search. Outlined in orange, you can see the location of the book. Most of the books are located on the third floor [CMU Main Books 3rd Floor]. Additionally, you'll see the call number [GV863.A1 S64 1986]
 

How to Decipher a Call Number
Like most academic libraries, books within Tomlinson library are organized by using the Library of Congress Classification System. The example 
GV863.A1 S64 1986 can be broken down like this
GV = alphabetically, go to the row of G first, then add the V
863.A1 = read the whole number first (863), then add A1
S64 = S represents the author's last name (Smith), arranged numerically
1986 = year

 

How to find an ebook at CMU
To find a book within the library, using the library catalog. From the library home page, you can toggle from OneSearch to Books and Media.  You'll see options to search three catalogs: Colorado Mesa (Tomlinson Library), Prospector, and World Libraries. Each has a different function, and each layer will encompass a broader scope.

Colorado Mesa option will return results that Tomlinson library owns. These resources can be physical items within the library, but also electronic resources that can automatically be accessed. 

  • Type in your search term and click Search.
  • You'll be taken to a new page.
  • On the left hand side, you can limit by Format. Choose eBook. (Some ebooks will also appear in Electronic). 
  • On the example below, you'll see that the location is CMU Electronic Access
  • Click on the title of the ebook.
  • Most likely, you'll be taken to the detailed record and below the information, you'll see Holdings: CMU Electronic Access: Electronic Resource Click Here. Once you click, you should be taken into the book. (If off campus, you might need to log in using your MavZone credentials.)  

How to find a film at CMU
To find a film within the library, using the library catalog. From the library home page, you can toggle from OneSearch to Books and Media.  You'll see options to search three catalogs: Colorado Mesa (Tomlinson Library), Prospector, and World Libraries. Each has a different function, and each layer will encompass a broader scope.

Colorado Mesa option will return results that Tomlinson library owns. These resources can be physical items within the library, but also electronic resources that can automatically be accessed. 

  • Type in your search term and click Search.
  • On the left hand side, you can limit by Format. Choose Video. (Some videos will also appear in DVD as well as Electronic). 
  • When you click on the title of the film, you'll be taken to the detailed record.
  • Below the information, most likely, you'll see Holdings: CMU Electronic Access: Electronic Resource Click Here. Once you click, you should be taken into the film. (If off campus, you might need to log in using your MavZone credentials.)  

The example below shows a DVD video, which are located on the first floor on the west side. 

This example shows a streaming video