Using Libraries to Help With Your Dissertation Research

Using Libraries to Help With Your Dissertation Research

Ah the library! It is generally the biggest building on campus, and yet potentially the least popular building and certainly not a place that students are queuing up to use. Unless it's the week before final examinations however! All libraries are a fantastic resource to students; if they are used properly. Libraries can be used by students as a place to find some peace and quiet to revise or to write essays, dissertations and theses. They also hold copious amounts of research resource.

University libraries are often referred to as 'research libraries' because of the scope of information held within the building and often also because of the level of expertise and knowledge the library staff have in these establishments. Students studying at the University will automatically be granted access to these research libraries, as long as proof of identity can be shown.

Part of the trauma of using libraries effectively as a research tool comes from the fact that it can seem overwhelmingly complicated to identify resources that will help you with your dissertation. However, most libraries have now created online public access catalogues, which means that you can search for resourceful material either on a computer within the library or via the internet from the comfort of your own house or halls of residence. Nowadays you'll probably find that you can browse your Universities online catalogue from anywhere that grants you wifi access! You may also find that electronic resources such as journals, magazines and newspaper articles can be searched for via an online database. This should help narrow down your research search significantly.

Whilst using these online search functions is all very well and good, you do need to ensure that you are putting in the correct search terms to deliver results that will be meaningful for your dissertation. The last thing you want is to have spent an hour trawling through the online resource database, only to go and locate your shortlisted books and then find out that the book contains nothing that is in anyway relevant to your dissertation title! So, to avoid this scenario happening, remember to input relevant key words into the search term box; and if you know the author's name or the book title that you are hunting for then by all means enter this information as your search should be more lucrative. Don't forget to use a combination of search terms to see if different results are generated, and ask for help if you get stuck. Alternatively you could speak with your course tutor before you commence your library search and ask him / her for any key word hints or tips that he / she feels would be conducive to your dissertation subject.

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_(By Samantha Joy Pearce).