MUSIC EDUCATION 533:
A Guide to Library Resources

::Ask-A-Librarian | Hours and Locations | Finding Articles | Electronic Resources | Finding Books | Print Resources | Citing Sources | More Help::

Welcome! This site has been created to assist you in exploring library resources related to your Music Education 533 class. Our library is one of the largest in the United States and it can be a bit overwhelming at first. We will try to make things a little easier for you, but don't hesitate to ask questions.

ASK-A-LIBRARIAN FOR HELP WITH YOUR RESEARCH

FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND

We have over 30 departmental libraries on our campus. The libraries you will find most important for this class are the Music Library and the Education and Social Science Library. The latter resides in the Main Library building. You might also hear it erroneously referred to as the Graduate Library, but don't let that stop you from coming in here and taking advantage of the resources we can provide. It's your library, too!.

LIBRARY HOURS

Education and Social Science Library, 100 Main Library, Fall and Spring Semesters:

FINDING ARTICLES

Journal articles are one of the primary means of communicating research ideas. They are an important component of academic research and give you some insight into ongoing debates and scholarly conversations about your topic.

Finding articles is a two-step process:

• First, find the citation to the articles you want. You can use bibliographies or suggested readings lists, or you can search for the topic you are interested in by using one of the article databases listed below. If you get stuck, ask your professor or a librarian for help getting started.
• Next, find the actual text of the articles you want. Some of our journals are online but many of them are still available only in print format. If the journal article you are looking for is not available electronically, you will need to use the Online Library Catalog to look up the location of the journal for which you have a citation.

WHICH ELECTRONIC RESOURCES WILL BE USEFUL FOR THIS CLASS?

• Education Full Text - Education Full Text indexes and abstracts articles from English-language journals and yearbooks published in the U.S. and elsewhere. English-language books relating to education published in 1995 or later are also indexed. Abstracting coverage begins with January 1994. Abstracts describe the content and scope of the source documents. Full-text coverage begins in January 1996.
• ERIC - ERIC is a national education database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Presently the largest education database in the world, ERIC contains over 1,000,000 citations covering research documents, journal articles, technical reports, program descriptions and evaluations, and curricular materials in the field of education. Limited full-text access to selected items is available. Covers 1966-present.
• EBSCO - A good mix of citations to newspapers, general, and scholarly periodicals, and lots of full text.
• Digest of Education Statistics - Available both electronically, as well as in print (370.973 Un3d1) in our reference collection, the Digest of Education Statistics is the official U.S. authority for statistics on almost every aspect of education.
• Online Research Resources - The complete list of electronic databases that the UIUC Library purchases. If you don't find what you need using the resources in this section, try browsing this list for resources in your subject area. This source also indicates which journals provide full-text to UIUC students and faculty.

FINDING BOOKS AND JOURNALS

Library catalogs are used for two purposes. First, if you know exactly what you are looking for - an exact title or author - you can use the catalog to locate your material. This works for book titles and journal titles. Second, you can use library catalogs to discover material that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching.

• Online Library Catalog - Look here to find books, DVDs, magazines or journals containing articles that you need, and many other resources.  In addition to the 10 million volumes we have on this campus, you can connect to 71 other libraries in Illinois and request that books be sent to you.
  
  When you find something you want in the catalog, write down the following:<

  Location - in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
  Call Number - this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
  Status - is it available for you to check out?

• WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan - The places to verify citations for books and request books and articles you cannot find elsewhere. Ordering books and journals via interlibrary loan is free and generally fairly quick.

SOME HELPFUL PRINT RESOURCES

• Educational Research, Methodology, and Measurement: An International Handbook (370.78 Ed8355 1997/Education Reference) - This handbook provides a wealth of information, written by experts in the field of education, on subjects such as: methods of educational inquiry, educational research methodology, and measurement in educational research.
• The Encyclopedia of Education (Q.370.3 En193 2003/Education Reference) - This eight-volume encyclopedia provides detailed explanations for many of the terms and concepts related to the study of education. In addition to the general information provided by this source, its 8th volume provides detailed entries for court cases, legislation, and international agreements that have influenced the history of education.
• Encyclopedia of Educational Research (370.3 En192 1992/Education Reference) - This four-volume encyclopedia set has been produced to enlighten readers on matters relating to educational research.
• Greenwood Dictionary of Education (370.3 G856/Education Reference) - Recently published (2003), and containing over 2600 terms, this source is the first comprehensive dictionary of education created in over a quarter of a century. It is a valuable source for information on the foundations and fundamental concepts related to the field.
• Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors (Available at the Education Reference Desk) - This source lists the specific subject terminology to be used in the ERIC database, and can be very helpful in expediting searches by making them more precise.

CITING SOURCES

UIUC's Reference Library Guides to Style Manuals - Information about how to cite both print and online materials.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (029 Am4p2001/Education Reference and Education Reserves) - This is the most complete and comprehensive source for creating citations in APA (American Psychological Association) format.

MORE HELP ON USING THE LIBRARY

Library Research Guide for Education - A guide to education-related sources in the Education and Social Science Library.

Learn to Use the Library - Want to learn more about using the Library? This site is your gateway to workshops, handouts, and other learning opportunities.