E-MAIL ORIENTATION TO LIBRARY RESOURCES
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First Search: Periodical Indexes

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Description:

First Search offers many specialized periodical and reference databases covering a variety of disciplines.

The databases available through the First Search at *** include:

DATABASE -- Description

WORLDCAT -- Library catalogs worldwide
ARTICLE FIRST -- Index from nearly 12,500 journals
CONTENTS FIRST -- Tables of contents from nearly 12,500 journals
UNION LISTS -- Periodical locator
ARTS & HUMANITIES SEARCH -- Index to nearly 9000 Arts & Humanities journals
ACXIOMBIZ -- Business white pages listings
ACXIOMHOME -- Residential white pages listings
AIDS_CANCER -- Index to AIDS and cancer research
BASIC BIOSIS -- Index to 375 life sciences journals
BIODIGEST -- High school level Biology index
BIOGRAPHY INDEX -- Index to biographical information
BOOK REVIEW DIGEST -- Index to book reviews
BOOKS IN PRINT -- Information on books currently in print
BUSINESS DATELINE -- Index to regional business articles (includes New Orleans CityBusiness)
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY -- Index to 1200 business magazines and dailies
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS -- Directory of organizations that serve business
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -- Index to 600 business journals with a focus on practical aspects of management
CONSUMER INDEX -- Index of articles containing consumer information
CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S ISSUES -- Index of articles and reports on women's issues
DATATIMES -- Index to regional newspapers
DISCLOSURE -- Directory of publicly owned companies (financial reports are not available)
ECONLIT -- Index to Economics literature
ENVIRONMENT -- Index to Environmental literature
EVENTLINE -- Directory of conferences, conventions, meetings etc.
FACTSEARCH -- Facts and statistics Index
GEOBASE -- Index to Geography and Geology literature
INDEX TO LEGAL PERIODICALS -- Index to legal journals
MICROCOMPUTER ABSTRACTS -- Index to Computer Science literature
PERIODICAL CONTENTS INDEX -- Index to 2,000 journals from 1961-1991
PROCEEDINGS -- Index of conference publications
RILM -- Index to Music literature
WORLD ALMANAC
WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA
WORLD SCOPE -- Directory of companies worldwide (financial reports are not available)

Although some databases may promise that full text access is available, this option is not available at ***.

The Library pays for First Search access on a per search basis. Please try to be conservative in your use of First Search, and consider using other library databases for non-specialized searching.

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Access:

FirstSearch databases are available from the Library's web page ***

You must know the name of the database you would like to access.

If you are off campus, you can access First Search databases by using a password. To get your off-campus password ***

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General Search Techniques:

In the Basic Search mode you can enter a search term and choose a field to search.

The Advanced Search mode offers the ability to simultaneously search different fields and limit the search by date.

The fields to search are different in each database. When choosing the appropriate field to search, it is important to know that "subject" does not mean the same thing in each database. In some databases "subject" includes only assigned subject terminology, in others "subject" includes words in the title or abstract. It may be helpful to browse the index to determine if a desired word is included in a field.

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Special Search Tips:

Searching as a phrase:
First Search will always search assuming "and" between each word unless commanded to search as a phrase. Use the "with" operator, w, to search for a phrase. For example: instructional w technology will search for the phrase instructional technology.

Truncation:
Truncation is not available in First Search, but to include the possibilities of plurals you can use a plus sign after the singular. First Search will search for variations of the word with an "s" or "es" added. For example: "index+" will search for "index," "indexs" and "indexes." It is not possible to search for "ies" plurals, for example "technology+" will search for "technology," "technologys" and "technologyes," but not "technologies."

Parenthesis:
Parenthesis can be used to combine search terms. For example to search for instructional technology or information technology enter the following: (instructional or information) and technology.

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Special Features:

E-Mail
First Search offers you the ability to e-mail a list of selected citations. Citations can be "tagged" on the results list. After selecting records, click on the "Show" button under the Tagged Records heading. You then have the option to e-mail or print the tagged list.

Library holdings:
When a citation is viewed, First Search will alert you if the requested item is available in the *** library with the following message: "Ownership: FirstSearch indicates your library owns this item or magazine."

If *** does not own the item, the following message will appear:
"Ownership: Check the catalogs in your library."
To determine if another local library has a copy of the magazine, click on the "Libraries with item" button. This will link you to a list of libraries with the item, with local libraries listed first.

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As always, if you have questions about this database feel free to email or call me directly, or respond to the list if you feel your question would be helpful to other participants.

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