Finding Books

MNLINK--Minnesota Library Information Network
A shared catalog for many Minnesota libraries. Choose 'Libraries-Academic' from the drop-down menu. Use the interlibrary loan button to request a book from another library. Use your bar code number as your username, your last name as a password.

St. Peter Public Library (Traverse de Sioux System)
The St. Peter Public Library is just a few blocks away from campus. If you head down (east) College Ave. and take a left (north) onto Washington, the library is just two blocks from there.

Reference Works

• Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. (REF. BF 31 .E5 1994)
  Covers many aspects of human behavior including: attitude change, brainwashing, competition, crowd psychology, perception, leadership, violence, and many others. Each topic includes a specific glossary and a short bibliography.

• Encyclopedia of Psychology. (REF. BF 31 .E52 2000)

• Handbook of Emotions. (REF. BF 561 .H35)
  Includes work on the relationships between emotion and human behavior.

Finding Articles

Communication Abstracts (REF. ABSTRACTS P87 .C59733 date pt. # ) Provides coverage of recent literature in all areas of communication studies (mass, interpersonal and new communication technologies). [from Sage Publications website] Contains concise summaries and full citations.

Index to Journals in Communication Studies (Matlon) (REF. INDEXES P87 .M372)
Provides an author, keyword, and classified index to the table of contents of 19 journals from their inception through 1990. This index is often referred to as the Matlon Index because Ronald Malton was the original editor.

PsycInfo
Use this database to find information on psychology, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, law, and social work.

Business Source Premier
Business Source Premier offers indexing and abstracts for 350 scholarly business journals back to 1965 or the first published issue, as well as searchable references for a total of more than 1,170 journals.

Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier contains indexing for nearly 8,050 publications, with full text for more than 4,600 of those titles. This database covers biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, and other disciplines.

Interlibrary Loan

Research Strategies/Tips

• Synonyms. Brainstorm for keywords and phrases that relate to your topic. Pay attention to how your search results change with the different combinations.
  See http://www.bartleby.com for searchable thesauri

• Use Subject Headings/Descriptors. Sometimes even brainstorming won't yield the specific keywords a database uses. Since you have to speak the language of the database, look for the terms that are used to describe the articles or books.

  To look up Library of Congress Subject Headings:
  1) Use the big red books located near the public terminals on the main floor.

• Boolean Operators. AND, OR, and NOT / AND NOT (depends on the database). Also look for truncation option -- in some databases, typing "friend*" will pick up friends, friendship, friendly, friendliness, etc.

• Browsing. If you find a book that sounds good, look around it. In our library, books are grouped by subject -- most likely you will find other good books nearby.

• "Pearl-growing." Let's say that you read an article that is perfect for your topic. Look for a bibliography at the end. Search for the books/articles that were used to write the article. (This is, of course, true for encyclopedia entries, book chapters, etc. - anything with a bibliography.)

• Keeping Track. Record where you've been and what you've found. Jot down a complete citation for everything you find; you never know when you may need it again.

Citing Your Sources

Demographics of St. Peter / Nicollet County

• MNPRO: Minnesota Community Profiles (http://www.mnpro.com)
  Click on the link to ‘Community Profiles’ and then select St. Peter and/or Nicollet County
  You’ll get information on the major employers in the area, employment/unemployment, wages, information on housing, recreational opportunities, educational institutions, and property taxes.

• Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics (Reference HA203 .S66) 2000 ed.
  Look on pages 164A-164D for information on St. Peter.

• State Demographic Center of Minnesota (http://www.demography.state.mn.us)
  This center compiles and analyzes data from the Census Bureau.

• Northstar: Official Website for the State of Minnesota (http://www.state.mn.us)
  Search for ‘St. Peter’ and demographics

• MapStats (http://www.fedstats.gov/mapstats/)
  Select Minnesota from the list of states. At the next screen, select Nicollet County from the drop-down menu.
  This site will give you some fairly detailed information on the county’s population (age, gender, ethnicity), educational background of residents, home ownership rate, and income levels.
  For more (and more detailed) information go to the homepage of the U.S. Census Bureau – http://www.census.gov

• Regional Data Centers
  These sites provide access to census, economic and demographic data, as well as consultation and referrals.

  Mankato State, Memorial Library
  Post Office Box 8419
  Mankato, MN 56002
  507-389-5153

  Region Nine Regional Development Commission
  Post Office Box 3367
  Mankato, MN 56002
  507-389-8890

  Waseca-LeSueur Library
  408 N. State Street
  Waseca, MN 56093
  507-835-2910

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