THE JENKS 3
HOW DO I FIND INFORMATION IN THE JENKS LIBRARY AT GORDON COLLEGE?
The Jenks Library at Gordon College provides the information resources you need for your studies at Gordon College.
If you want to know what time a movie is playing at a nearby cinema, a Google search may be the best way to find that information. If you are writing an academic paper, the library provides access to much better sources of information that are not available for free on the Internet.
There are three major resources you can use to begin your search for information in the Jenks Library. This brochure introduces you to the Jenks 3. Access to all three resources is through the library’s website at www.gordon.edu/library.
#1: NOBLE—THE LIBRARY CATALOG
The Jenks Library shares an online library catalog with other libraries on the North Shore: The North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE). Using NOBLE you can find books, periodical titles, videos, DVDs, CDs, and other materials in the Jenks Library, as well as e-books, downloadable audio books, and vetted Internet resources.
Select Online Catalog from the library’s homepage. You can search by keyword, title, author, subject, and several other specialized searches.
Look at the record of the individual item for the call number you use to find the item on the shelf.
Because it is a shared catalog, you can also find materials at the other 27 NOBLE libraries. In the catalog, you can request materials from other NOBLE libraries, check on the status of your account and renew materials online.
#2 ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
The Jenks Library provides access to over 60 electronic resources, often referred to as databases. Library databases are searchable catalogs or indices of published information. Databases provide the citation for the information they index; e.g., the author, title of the article, title of the journal, date of the publication, page number, and volume and issue information.
Some databases provide only citations. Others also include abstracts of the articles indexed. Others include the full-text of the article.
There are various types of library electronic databases. Most databases index and abstract information found in journal articles. Others index newspaper information or other information sources, and some include book chapters.
Other electronic resources are electronic dictionaries, encyclopedias, or other reference books. The library even provides electronic resources that index images or stream music.
There are general electronic resources, like Academic Source Premier, that contain information on a wide variety of academic topics. Many others are subject specific; e.g., Literary Reference Center and MLA International Bibliography contain information on literature. PsycINFO is the premier database for psychology. There are subject specific databases for many majors.
Select Electronic Resources from the library’s homepage for an alphabetical annotated list of library databases. On the left side there is a link to the list broken down by subject.
You can access the Jenks Library’s electronic resources anywhere you have Internet access. Off campus, just follow the online instructions to sign in.
#3 PERIODICAL LIST
The Jenks Library subscribes to over 300 print journals, and through electronic subscriptions and databases provides access to over 45,000 journals online.
The Periodical List has been prepared to help you determine exactly which magazines, newspapers, and journals are available in the Jenks Library, either in their hard copy paper form, reproduced on microform, or available electronically.
You will usually use the Periodical List to determine if the Jenks Library provides access to a specific journal when you have a citation for a specific article; e.g., from an indexing and abstracting database, a bibliography, or from a professor or friend.
Select Periodical List from the library's homepage. You can search by title name, publisher name, ISSN, or subject. The result list will show each journal title, where it is available and the dates covered, followed by one or more links:
- The links to databases will normally take you to the journal within the database.
- The links to online journals will take you to the journal’s archive of online issues.
- The links to the online catalog will take you to the journal holdings information—what years the library owns, in what format and where they are located in the library.
+1 BONUS RESOURCE: LIBRARIANS
In addition to the Jenks 3, the Jenks Library provides another invaluable resource: librarians.
Just as your classroom faculty have graduate degrees in their disciplines, the library faculty have graduate degrees in library and information science. Some also have additional graduate degrees in other disciplines.
The librarians in the Jenks Library are here to help you with your research needs. Don’t know which database to search? Ask a librarian. Having problems finding the book or article you need for your research paper? Ask a librarian. Been searching for 15 minutes and aren’t having any luck identifying resources? Ask a librarian.
Librarians are available to help you seven days a week. Ask a librarian.