CHEM 5395: Fundamentals of Research

Step 2: Find books and background information

• Books include everything from encyclopedias to academic books by one or two authors to edited volumes that have an editor and different authors for each chapter.
• Books can come in print (a regular book on a shelf) or as an ebook that is fully searchable.  (See below right)
• Books can be a good source of background information - what's commonly understood and agreed upon about your topic.  AND their catalog records can contain subjects and keywords to help you narrow your search!  (See bottom right)

Use the Library Catalog to search for print resources, multimedia resources, and ebooks. The Library Catalog also provides location and availability details. Use quotation marks for "phrase searching"

Each item in the library's collection has its own catalog record, like the one below.

Here you can see the item's location and call number and also its status. If it says AVAILABLE, the item should be on the shelf.

The Related subjects are useful not only for finding other materials that are closely related to the one you're looking at, but also for suggesting additional search keywords.

If you find a relevant book in the catalog, look at the Related subject terms to see if they use different words to describe your topic than you did. Try incorporating those new words in your searches to get a different angle on your research.

Number of Items Allowed: All Texas State University borrowers are allowed to check out a maximum of 100 items. Within that limit only 4 audio/visual materials, such as DVDs and CDs, may be borrowed at any one time.   

Graduate Students have two set due dates.  Books checked out before May 31st are due May 31st, and books checked out between June 1st and December 31st are due December 31st.  If you need a book for longer, you can renew the book - which means you can change your return date to the next due date. Renewals can be done online using or in person at the 2nd floor Ask Alkek Desk in Alkek Library. Call 512.245.3681 to renew by phone.