Finding Books
Reference books are good for getting background information on topics
and for finding bibliographies -- lists of relevant books and articles.
Looking through reference books may help you define your topic more clearly
and help you focus in on what interests you about your topic the most.
Online Reference Books:
Virtual
Reference Library: Education (contains access to individual
eReference titles)
Print Reference Books:
The following are some of the reference titles available. Browse the call
number range REF L 100 - REF LC 5000 for additional ones.
Clashing Views on Controversial Educational Issues REF LA
217.2 .T35 2001
Encyclopedia of Education REF LB 15 .E47 2003
Encyclopedia of American Education REF LB 17 .U54 2007
Charter Schools (At Issue: Education) REF LB 2806.36 .C5353
2008
Other Books
Use the Advanced Search feature of our Online Catalog and the I-Share Catalog to locate circulating books, other reference books, government documents, and audiovisual items. You will need the 14-digit barcode from your student ID to order books through I-Share.
*Books or government documents that can't be found in I-Share can often be obtained through ILLiad.*
Searching for Articles in Databases
Search in these databases for journal articles on your topic:
ERIC (citations and some full-text of articles on education)Academic Search Premier (citations and some full-text for articles across a range of disciplines; also includes citations and some full-text of some newspaper and magazine articles)
Professional Development Collection (abstracts and some full-text of articles for educators)
Retrieving an actual article through a database that contains some or no full-text articles:
If there is an HTML or PDF full text link right in the database you have searched in, click on the link, which will open up a window with the article. Then print or, in some cases, email or save the article.
If there is not a full-text link right there, this database does not have the full text of the article. HOWEVER, you may still be able to access the article, even by just a few clicks. Click on "Find It--Check Lake Forest College." The article may be- in another database that the Library has. If the window that opens has a "Full text may be available via" link, click on it to see if the Library has the full-text of the article in another database.
- in a print copy of the journal that the Library owns. If the window that opens has a "May be owned in print..." link, click on it to open a new window containing the journal's Library catalog entry to see if the Library owns the print version of the appropriate issue.
- obtainable through interlibrary loan. If the window that opens has a "Request article via Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad)" link, click on it to open a new window that allows you to request the item.
For additional databases and articles, go to the Library's list of Databases. For passwords, call the reference desk at x5074.
Finding additional book or article citations:
Google Scholar
Some Relevant Web Sites
- National Education Association (NEA): Issues and Action
- NEA: Charter Schools
- NEA is an American education association.
- The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Hot Topics
- AFT: Charter Schools
- AFT is an American teachers' union.
ED.gov --from the U.S. Department of Education
Sometimes useful information can be found on the Internet using a search engine such as Google. Be sure to evaluate any resulting website carefully. Read the content of the website carefully and thoughtfully. Consider--among other characteristics--authority (the authors of the website and their qualifications), objectivity, accuracy, currency, and presentation.
Finding Newspaper or Popular Magazine Articles for the Final Paper
Search the Stentor (full-text; November 2005 to the present)Chicago Tribune (full-text, 1985-present)
Illinois Newspapers (full-text)
- Academic Lexis-Nexis: Browse Sources search page (full-text from many US and international newspapers, including the New York Times)
- When you are ready to enter search terms on the General Search page, choose Natural Language.
Online Newspapers.com (links to newspaper websites around the world)
Other Newspaper Databases
America's News Magazines (full-text)