Research Process

Book Search

With a quarter of a million books in print, we are sure to have something on your research topic. Use this search box to find books available at Ellender Memorial Library. 

The drop down menu above gives you several options for searching:

Keyword: This will search for the term in all areas of the record. Keep your topic to its key concepts for this search.

Author: Use if you know the author's name. You can enter just the last name of the author, or if you know their full name enter is as last name, first name (Example: Dickens, Charles).

Title: Enter either the full title or just a few keywords from the title.  

Subject: This is helpful if you are looking for numerous books on a topic. To the right are some suggestions of subject headings that may be useful in your research. 

Database Search

We have more than 100 databases that provide the most current information, both academic and popular. Be aware that when you search, you must analyze your sources even if it is in one of the library's databases.

If you know the exact database you want to search, find it in the alphabetical list of databases. Not sure where to start? Look at the databases by subject to see which ones best fit your research.

If you can't get the full-text of an article you need in a database, use the "Locate the Full Text of Articles" flowchart in the Journals tab to figure out your next steps.

Journal Search

Ellender Memorial Library subscribes to tens of thousands of journals in print and online. See if we have what you are looking for in this search box. 

Can't find the journal you need? Use this flow chart to figure out your next steps.(Click the photo to make it larger.)