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Library Basics

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Library Basics

Photo credit: University of the Pacific

Keep your research organized

Put all your references in a citation manager, create quick and easy bibliographies, build your knowledgebase.

There are lots of options, such as:

Books!

How to Find Books at UMass

Books, journals, articles, videos and more can be located using the general search box on the library home page, www.library.umass.e du.

Books that UMass owns will indicate "UM" in the location. For a paper book, make sure it says "Available"and note its location and call number. If it's at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, you can get the floor from the directory, based on first letters of call number.

TIP: When you look for a particular book on the shelf, make sure to browse the shelf and nearby shelves for related books. Take your time! Open the books!

Photo credit: Rio Hondo College Library

Databases for Research

Beyond the Basic Search: How to Find Research Articles and More at UMass

There are hundreds of online collections and databases at UMass. To help researchers navigate that, librarians have created Research Guides organized by subject. Below are just a few of our databases and online collections.

Library databases are available to Massachusetts residents on a walk-in basis. Residents may use the database collection at any of the 50 public terminals located in the Learning Commons, W.E.B. Du Bois Library. Please note that remote access to library databases requires current UMass affiliation.

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
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Journal articles, dissertations, and book reviews, many in full text, relating to United States and Canadian history and prehistory, 1954-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
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Combines key indices (Schomburg, IIBP, etc) to scholarship and primary sources in Afro-American studies.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
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Education journal articles (EJ references) and ERIC documents (ED references), 1967-present. EDs before 1997 are requestable using the Microforms Request page and usable in the Microforms Vewing Room in the LC.
A free version of ERIC is available for all to use at this link: https://eric.ed.gov/.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
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Full-text articles from newspapers, magazines and journals of ethnic communities in the United States. In several languages, 1965-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Use to access many UMass online journal subscriptions.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

You can access Google Scholar with UMLinks buttons from outside the UMass Amherst IP range ("off campus") by two methods:

1. Access Google Scholar through the Library web site by using this link.
2. Go to generic Google Scholar.
a. Click on "Settings."
b. Click on Library links.
c. Type in "University of Massachusetts" or "UMass Amherst" (or a few other variations).
d. Check "University of Massachusetts Amherst - UMass Check for Full Text" and Save.
e. You will be asked to authenticate somewhere along the way to full text.
Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI) This link opens in a new window
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Articles from scholarly journals on Latin America & the Caribbean, the US-Mexico border area, and U.S. Latinos, 1970-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
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Published by the American Psychological Association (APA), PsycINFO is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed journal literature in psychology, behavioral science and mental health - 2,500 journal titles indexed - 2.8 million records - 1887 to present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new window
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Articles and dissertations on human services, social welfare, social policy, and community development.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
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References to scholarly journal articles, dissertations, and conference papers on sociology and related disciplines, 1960-present.
Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Use Care When Relying on Web Sites

Evaluating Web Sites (U. of California Berkeley)
Web page checklist

Remember to evaluate web pages for accuracy, authority, currency and coverage before using information you find there unless the web page is recommended by your professor, a librarian or other individual you know and trust.

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