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ENGL 1301 SO Harvey

This guide is for students taking ENGL 1301 with Professor Harvey.

Research Tips

Once you have chosen your topic, the next step is to begin collecting information you can use to support your writing. Your instructor will tell you how many sources you are required to use for each essay. Here are a few steps you can take that will make this research process easier.

  • Know something about your topic. This sounds like a no-brainer but it will help in several ways - it can help you choose search terms (unique words for the topic) that can be used for searching, it will also help you evaluate the reliability of the information you find with your search.
  • Narrow down your topic. A broad topic is always more difficult to research than a specific one. A search like  "global warming" will get you thousands of search results, so you will spend a lot of time wading through those results to find what you need. A search like "global warming" and solutions will find fewer results and they will be more specific to your topic.
  • Investigate different resources. You will miss out on lots of information if you limit yourself to using resources you can find online - whether databases or internet. The older your topic is, the more useful you will find books for your research. Books are generally more thoroughly researched and will give you more in-depth information than articles found in databases.
  • Check your sources with your instructor. If you are not sure if the sources you are using are acceptable, contact your instructor during their office hours and ask that they take a look at what you have found thus far. If you are heading down the wrong road this can save you many hours of redoing your research!
  • Ask a Librarian! Each TCC Library has professional researchers (librarians) available in-person and online to help students with the research process. They can help you focus your research, sometimes suggest keywords to use for your topic, and guide you to the best resources available. To ask for help online, send an email to: ask.librarian@tccd.edu.

Books

TCC Library Catalog In the Library search option

Search the catalog

  1. Begin on the TCC Libraries homepage
  2. Scroll down to TCC Library Catalog (box on left)
  3. Select "In the Library"
  4. Select your home campus or leave as "Any Campus" to search all TCC library locations
  5. Type what you are searching for in the search box (for example: book title, author, topic keywords) and click the Search button 
  6. Use the filters on the left to narrow down your results.
    Some of the filter options that may be useful are Resource Type (you can limit to "Books"), Publication Date, Subject, Genre, Author, Language, and Library. You may also see options like Course Instructor, Course Code, Course Name, and Course Department (if there are Course Reserve materials in your results). 
  7. If the item is available, results will show where it is available at.
    If the item is at more than one campus you will see "and other locations" - click to open the item record to view all campus library locations for the item. 

Call number from a catalog record matching with a call number on a book spine

Find on the shelf

  1. After you have searched for and located a book in the library catalog, use the location information from the catalog record to help you locate the item in the library. 
  2. The information after the library name will tell you what section of the library the item is in. Books that have "Circulating Collection" listed are books that you can check out and take out of the library. These are ones that you will find on the shelves. Books that have "Library Reserves" listed will be held at the library's circulation desk. Most of these can only be checked out for use in the library for a couple of hours. Other books may list something else (for example, "New Arrivals" or "Oversized"). Books may be on display or part of a specific collection.
  3. Look for signs on the ends of the shelves to find the shelf the book should be on, then use the call number listed to locate the item on the shelf.
  4. If you need help finding a book, stop by the reference desk in the library to get help from a librarian. 

books

Browse the shelves

For general browsing of our print collection for English, these Library of Congress call number sections might be of interest:

  • P - Language and Literature
    • PE English Language
    • PN Literature (General)
      • Graphic Novels and Manga
    • PR English Literature
    • PS American Literature
    • PZ Juvenile Literature
      • Young Adult

 

TCC Library Catalog eBook search option

Search the catalog

  1. Begin on the TCC Libraries homepage
  2. Scroll down to TCC Library Catalog (box on left)
  3. Select "Ebooks"
  4. Type what you are searching for in the search box (for example: book title, author, topic keywords) and click the Search button 
  5. Use the filters on the left to narrow down your results.
    Some of the filter options that may be useful are Publication Date, Subject, Genre, Author, and Language.     

Access online

  1. After you have searched for and located an eBook in the library catalog, click on "Available Online" or the book title to open up the catalog record.
  2. Use the link(s) listed under View Online to access the eBook.

Browse available eBooks

Click on one of the eBook collections listed below to browse available titles. (Collection links will open in a new window.)

Related Guides

The library does not collect textbooks, however we may have a copy of your textbook if your instructor has placed one on reserve. Generally these can only be checked out for use in the library for a couple of hours. You can search our Course Reserves using the steps below. You can also stop by the library or chat with us online. We are always happy to check to see if we have a book available.

TCC Library Catalog Course Reserves search option

Search the catalog

  1. Begin on the TCC Libraries homepage
  2. Scroll down to TCC Library Catalog (box on left)
  3. Select "Course Reserves" 
  4. Type what you are searching for in the search box (for example: book title, course instructor name, course code). 
  5. If the item is available, results will show where it is available at.
    If the item is at more than one campus you will see "and other locations" - click to open the item record to view all campus library locations for the item.

Find in the library

Visit the library's circulation desk to check out books that are part of the Reserves collection. Make sure you have your ID with you. You'll need it to check out library materials.

I Found an Article, Now What?

Once you find an article you want to use for your assignment, you may read it online, print it, email to your email account or save it to a USB drive. The information is the same for all. Be sure if you are printing, emailing, or saving, that you check the box to include full text.

Caution: Be careful when emailing a PDF article, because those files can be quite large. Many email/Internet providers have strict limits on the size of messages and attachments, and oversized PDF attachments might be deleted automatically by your email server or exceed your available mailbox space.

Your Campus Cruiser email address follows this format: username@my.tccd.edu 

For instance, if your Campus Cruiser username is marion.librarian25667

then your Campus Cruiser email address is: marion.librarian25667@my.tccd.edu