Books

Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that synthesize all the information on one topic.

The El Centro Library, and most academic libraries, organize their books by the Library of Congress classification system. This puts the books in order by topic. However, you don't have to know this arrangement. The Library Catalog assists you in locating books by author, title, keyword, subject or keyword.

Module 3 will show you how to use the Library Catalog.

Use a Book

• when looking for lots of information on a topic
• in-depth coverage of a topic
• to put your topic in context with other important issues on the subject
• to find historical information
• to find summaries of research to support an argument
• multiple viewpoints

Examples

• Nash, Gary B. ed. The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society, 1990.
• Coupey, Eloise. Marketing and the Internet, 2001.
• Smith, J.T. Roman Villas: A Study in Social Structure, 1997.

How to Access

A few books are available electronically on the Web (e-books) via the Library Catalog or from websites.

Books owned by the DCCCD Libraries, including El Centro, are listed in the Library Catalog. The Catalog also tells you the author, book topics, publisher, copyright date and shelf location (call number). Module 3 will show you how to use the Library Catalog.