Research

James A. Duda Memorial Library


Research Sites and Tips


Online Catalog & Subscription Databases

 

DMS Library Catalog

All library materials including books, periodicals, and AV materials can be accessed through our Destiny catalog. It is now available online.

 

EBSCOHost
This resource provides databases storing thousands of articles originally published in magazines, newspapers, and journals. This is an EXCELLENT resource for just about any topic. Read below to find out what types of resources you can access!
*The EBSCOHost password is available in the library.

 

Searchasaurus
This database contains:
  • The American Heritage Children's Dictionary
  • Picture Search
  • Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
  • Middle Search Plus Magazines
  • Encyclopedia of Animals
  • Primary Search Magazines
 
Novelist

  • This resource allows you to search for novels by title, series, author, plot, keyword, and genre.
  • You can find publication information, summaries, and book reviews of the books.
  • You can also find fiction award winners and lists of books by type (ex. mystery, horror, etc.).

 

Facts on File
"Each subject-specific database offers students and researchers an unprecedented depth of coverage - with extensively hyperlinked full-text records, citation information, and a wide range of printable teacher resources. Our online content is indexed by subject experts and updated regularly to ensure accuracy and currency."
*The Facts on File password is available in the library.

 


 

 

 

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Search Engines

Research Sites

Yahoo!
Internet Public Library
Google Discovery School
ALA Great Websites for Kids   Kids.gov

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Searching Tips

  • Don't forget to try print AND online resources to find your information!
  • Before you begin your research, think of broad and narrow search terms to use. It helps to have several different terms for the same topic in case you try to search on a lesser-used term. For example, if your project is on Crime Scene Investigation, possible search terms could be: CSI, crime scene investigation, forensics.
  • When searching in online databases or with Internet search engines, there are a few helpful tricks to remember:
    • If you want to search for a specific phrase, put it in quotes (i.e. "crime scene investigation"). This prevents the search engine from bringing up sites or articles with just the words "crime" or "scene" or "investigation" in them. It will only return hits containing the entire phrase.
    • Use Boolean operators to refine your search (and, not, or). For example, if I entered the search term (CSI or "crime scene investigation") the database or search engine would return hits containing the achronym "CSI," hits with the phrase "crime scene investigation," and hits containing both. If I used one of the following two search strings, (CSI and forensics), I would ONLY get web sites containing BOTH terms (not web sites containing either and both). Boolean operators are important because they can help filter out useless web sites and they can ensure the inclusion of relevant ones.
  • **Different web sites and databases use other operators to filter or broaden searches. The tips on this page represent the most common operators. Read the introduction to the web site or database before you search in it to get the best results.
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