Library Orientation

Carey Theological College - MDiv

Academic Research Outline

o Allison Library catalogue

o Allison Library indexes & databases (journal articles)

o UBC Library resources: indexes / databases, subject guides, interlibrary loans

o Internet (Web) research

o Library Tour

Theological Research ToolsReference books

Good sources for background information & provide

Summary of the topic

Keywords and terms related to the topic

Important names / places associated with the topic

• Atlases (Bible)

• Book Reviews

• Bible (versions, interlinear, parallel)

• Commentaries (exegetical and devotional)

• Dictionaries & Encyclopedia

• Handbooks (manuals, almanacs)

Research Planning• Search Strategy:

– Use terminology from background research and synonyms of keywords

Consider KeywordsUse reference material for: • names, • people, • concepts, • terminology

Consider Synonymse.g. ‘Church’, synonyms might be: • congregation, • assembly, • gathering, • ecclesical, . . . ecclesiology, . . . denomination,. . . .

ecclesiastical, . . . body of Christ.

Boolean operators: And, Or, Not

Justice AND Baptist

AND NARROWS the search

Justice OR Baptist

OR BROADENS the search

Justice NOT Baptist

NOT LIMITS the search

Use NOT with caution

Combining Boolean Operators

Refine a search by grouping synonyms with brackets

For example

Christian AND (justice OR ethics)

(Christian OR Baptist) AND (justice OR ethics)

Search strategies: Truncation/Wildcards

Truncation: use *Reform*

* = wild card for any letters after the “m” will search for . . .

Reforms

Reformed

Reformation

Reforming

Wildcards: use ?Wom?n will search for all occurrences of:

Woman

Women

Womyn

http://allisonlibrary.regent-college.edu/find/eresources-databases-journals

In Theolog - Track it down

• Kimber – Item is a thesis– Probably not in any libraries– TREN? – ProQuest?

• Fagan – “Fred Victor Mission story”– Older 1993– WorldCat (UBC or free

version)– Interlibrary loan

Questions?

• Journals (scholarly aka peer-reviewed vs popular)

• Journal Indexes & Databases– Print– Electronic

– Citations • (source only: author, title etc.)

– Abstracts • (short comment on articles contents)

– Full Text (hardcopy, PDF or HTML)

Journal articles: Indexes & Databases

Allison Library subscribes to: • EBSCO databases (five):

ATLA Serials main database for theology and religion

New Testament Abstracts (NTA) Old Testament Abstracts (OTA) Catholic Periodical Literature Index (COLI) Christian Periodical Index (CPI)

• ProQuest Religion: Smaller database than ATLA but full text

• Religious and Theological Abstracts (RTA) Some overlap with above sources

TREN (Theological Research Exchange Network) Theses and Dissertations

Journal articles: Indexes & Databases

http://allisonlibrary.regent-college.edu/

http://allisonlibrary.regent-college.edu/find/eresources-databases-journals

NEW!

A – Z aka

A to Z

Remote Access: Ezproxy

Allison Library Fall 2014

Essay = Chapter Article

Overlap: EBSCO, ProQuest, RTA & TREN

Q: Why search more than EBSCO?A: There might be Overlap and Full Text

Crux (overlap)– EBSCO– RTA– Not in Proquest

Church & State (overlap)– EBSCO 01/01/1986 (volume 39) [no full text]– ProQuest 01/01/1992 (volume 45) [full text from

1999]

• There MAY be overlap in the databases • The overlap may be limited BUT sometimes• FULL TEXT might be available

Allison Library Fall 2011

UBC Journal & Indexes Access

X

IF you have an Article title and Journal title

AND the article is NOT available in full text through our databases

THEN does UBC have full-text access?

Go to UBC Library > Advanced Search

UBC Library: article finding tool

Allison Library Fall 2014

EG

Faith myth and politics in Jewish Quarterly Review

FIRST check the Allison, VST, & St. Marks

libraries (Theolog)

UBC Library: Interlibrary Loans

THEN go to UBC Library

> Use the LibraryBorrowing Services

> Borrowing from non-UBC Libraries (ILL)

Questions?

Real time search . . .

Ducklow:

“… academic paper entitled ‘A View of the Prodigal Family’ you will think through the Biblical text (Luke 15), provide a Family Systems Theory understanding, and suggest recommendations for a pastoral care strategy for this family based on your readings and your understanding of theology and psychology.”

Which Keywords?Which Resource Sources? • Theolog, EBSCO (Luke 15:11 and keywords)

ProQuest, RTA, TREN, UBC

Real time search . . .

Smith: Cross Cultural

Each student will write a short paper discussing one cross-cultural issue from either the OT (but it cannot be an OT Law) or NT in which the ritual, tradition, practice as described in scripture differs from the local cultural practice.

[e.g. Rites of passage, baptism (including baptism of the dead), marriage, death, Lord’s Supper etc.]

Which Rite? (Encyclopedia of Religion)Which Resource Sources? • Theolog (culture, customs & ___), EBSCO, ProQuest, RTA, TREN, UBC,

Wabash

Real time search . . .

Smith: Genre

Each student will write a paper (2000 words double spaced) interpreting a passage from a particular genre. The purpose of this essay is to apply the hermeneutical principles that you have learned in this course to a particular genre of material from the Bible. One must explain the meaning of the passage in its original historical context and try to ascertain the author’s original intended meaning in light of its literary context. The work must interact with 1-2 commentaries and 10-12 journal articles that are appropriately referenced in the footnotes and bibliography

Real time search . . .

Smith: Genre

Approach

• Choose genre then find a passage OR

• Choose passage and determine genre THEN

• Determine original historical context / meaning

• of both genre & passage

Internet Resources: Links & Portals

What about Wikipedia?

Reciprocal borrowing privileges

• VST• St. Mark’s / Corpus Christi• Trinity Western University

• UBC• Other Canadian colleges &

universities (COPPUL)

Questions?

Review: Key Resources

Use / utilize:• Reference sources:

• Dictionaries, etc.

• Provide good overview of topic and useful terminology for further research

• Library catalogue(s): • Allison / VST, UBC, St. Mark’s

• Subject headings

• Journals / serials

• Indexes, either print or electronic databases

• Online links and portals

Additional help

• Reference Librarian – In person

• at the reference desk– By phone

• 604.221.3341– By email

• reference@regent-college.edu

– By Skype: richard.matiachuk-jra

– Follow on Twitter• @allisonlibrary

Questions?

Library Orientation

• Library Tour