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Undergraduate Research and Mentorship Program

This guide accompanies the in-person instruction session and serves as a collection of the resources discussed as well as additional tools for further study.

Introduction to Electronic Resources

Electronic materials in the library include e-books, journals, databases, and digitized materials. These materials can be accessed in several different ways:

  • Catalog searches using WorldCat Discovery.

  • The A-Z Database List.

  • Individual webpages.


Note that you may need to authenticate through OpenAthens using your MyNSU login credentials in order to access content. For more information, visit the following guide How to Access Databases from Off-Campus.

Searching the Catalog

You can locate research materials by searching the library's catalog on the library homepage: https://lbbl.nsu.edu/

 

WorldCat Discovery searches the LBBL Catalog and libraries world-wide. This search will also return results for articles within journals.

 

1. Enter your search terms and click the green "Search" button to search WorldCat Discovery. By default, the system will use a keyword search looking for your terms across materials available through the library.

2. The results list has multiple options for refining the search that can be customized using the filtering options contained in the left-side menu or the "Group & Refine This Search" menu on smaller screens.

3. In the filtering menu, check the boxes to apply limits and refine your results. For example, check the box for eBook and select "Last 5 Years" under "Publication Year" to limit the results to available eBooks which have been published in the last 5 years.

WorldCat Discovery search results filtering menu.

4. Accessing materials:

Electronic Items (eBooks, articles, and streaming video/audio): Click the green button labelled "View eBook / Full Text / etc" to go straight from the results list to the electronic resource. 

  • For additional information, click on the name of the item to view the full record.
  • Many electronic items can be found in more than one location; click "Alternate Links" to view additional options for accessing the materials.

WorldCat Discovery ebook search results.

Physical Materials in the Library (this includes books, DVDs, periodicals, and items held within the Children's Library, Herbert A. Marshall Collection, Reference Collection, and Archives Collections): Items in the library are organized using the Library of Congress Classification System and their call number (used to locate the item on the shelf) is displayed on the results list.

  • For additional information about the item, click on the name of the item to view the full record. If the item is located in the Herbert A. Marshall, Reference, or Periodicals Collection, these items must be retrieved by library staff. Please visit the Information Services desk on the first floor for assistance.

5. WorldCat Discovery has broad search capabilities which make it very useful for discovering a wide variety of materials, even if they are not available at the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library. To discover materials which are available at other libraries, click "Libraries Worldwide" in the filtering menu. If you find resources that you need that are only available at other libraries, you can place a request with our Interlibrary Loan department to request to borrow the materials.

 


Note that you may need to authenticate through OpenAthens using your MyNSU login credentials in order to access content.
For more information, visit the following guide How to Access Databases from Off-Campus.
 

 

Use the search box to run a keyword search for databases included in the A-Z Databases List or click the link See the full A-Z Databases List to browse the full list of available online databases. This search will only find the database. You will need to navigate to the database to search within it.

 

 

Research Guides are helpful overviews of library resources, research techniques, and time-saving strategies organized by course, subject, or specific topic such as using the library or navigating current events topics like AI. These guides are built by your NSU librarians and are tailored to your courses and research using the specific resources available to you at NSU.

Use the search box to run a keyword search for your terms across all of the library's Research Guides or click the link See the full Research Guides List to browse the full list of available Research Guides.

Searching Databases

The Lyman Beecher Brooks Library (LBBL) can connect you with hundreds of databases to help you build general knowledge, to perform background research, to connect your with scholarly resources, and even find some entertainment with streaming movies and audio.

Many databases are specific to content type or discipline and will have specific best practices and strategies for getting the best search results. Visit the Library 101 - Advanced Research Techniques guide to learn more.

Note that you may need to authenticate through OpenAthens using your MyNSU login credentials in order to access content.
For more information, visit the following guide How to Access Databases from Off-Campus.

All students, faculty, and staff at NSU have access to FREE subscriptions to the Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Sign up for an account to have access to current and archival coverage from some of the world's best news outlets. Please visit the following guide for details: Newspaper Digital Subscriptions for Students, Faculty, and Staff

In addition to the newspaper subscriptions above, the NSU research databases include access to historical newspapers, news aggregators, and business reporting platforms. Try out the following resources or visit the full A-Z database list for more: A-Z Databases


Reference databases are a great place to start your research. These databases include resources that are perfect for background information and broad coverage of topics, such as: encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, and manuals.

Try out some of the reference databases below to get started or visit the full database list here: A-Z Databases


NSU research databases include access to current and historical resources ranging from primary resources to scholarly books and peer-reviewed articles.

Try out some of the research databases below to get started or visit the full database list here: A-Z Databases


Major research platforms that cover multiple disciplines include EBSCOhost and Proquest:


Primary resource databases include items such as original works and digitized historical materials:

The library offers a wide variety of audio / visual databases from instructional lab videos to popular movies and jazz music.

Try out some of the audio / visual databases below to get started or visit the full database list here: A-Z Databases