Let's take a brief look at the "virtual" Library, the Library's home page, at libwww.cabrillo.edu:

• Library Catalog (find books, magazines, and videos in the Library)
• Fulltext Articles (search through thousands of magazines, newspapers, etc.)
• Internet Links (Internet links on all topics, grouped by subject area)
• Search the Internet (Lists of search engines and subject directories)
• About our Library (Hours, people, and lots more)
• Library & Internet Instruction (Description of the Library's instruction offerings)
• Ask a Librarian (send an email to a Reference Librarian!)
• Cabrillo College Home (the main home page for the campus)

But wait - there's more! Do you know about the Watsonville Reference collection, in the Integrated Learning Center? Click here to see a list of over 200 titles available in this collection. And do you know about the many course reserve textbooks at the Watsonville ILC?

Using the Library catalog to find books and videos

Most library catalogs today share the same basic construction: a place to search for a specific author, a place for a specific title, a general keyword (or word) search, a specialized subject heading search, and various other more specialized searching options. If you become familiar with one library's catalog, you should be able to use nearly any other library's catalog, too!

OK, now think of a topic you would like to find some information about. Make sure the topic is not too broad (Medicine) or too narrow (curing toothaches with clove oil), otherwise you aren't likely to find information on your topic in our library catalog.

From the Cabrillo College Library homepage (libwww.cabrillo.edu): 

1. Click on the Library Catalog button on the left
2. Search in WORDS, for a broad general search
3. Type in a few words that describe the topic you are interested in
4. Click on one of the titles from the results list

Author's name _____________________________________

Title_____________________________________________ 

Call number_______________________________________ 

Status (is it available?) _______________________________

 

Although the library still receives around 200 print magazines & newspapers, most of our periodicals are now found online, in several databases. The EBSCOhost database we will be using below provides the full text of articles from over 6000 periodicals, plus article summaries from over 4000 additional periodicals.

1. Start on the Cabrillo College Library homepage (libwww.cabrillo.edu): 
2. Click on Fulltext Articles
3. Click on Academic Search Premier  (from off-campus you will need to enter your library card barcode number)
4. Type in your search terms, then click the  Search button  
5. From the results screen, scroll down and click on an article title to get to the 
   screen with full information about it

Article title________________________________________________ 

Periodical title (look where it says Source)______________________________ 

Date of the article___________________________________________ 

Here are a few excellent collections of study skills tips to explore:

• Study Guides and Strategies -- From the Univ. of St. Thomas. 
• Study Skills Guides -- From College of St. Benedict/St. John's University
• Study Skills Self-Help Information -- From Virginia Tech

Investigate one of these websites, and make notes about what you find: 

Title of site_____________________________________________ 

Notes_________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________ 

None of us are born knowing how to use a computer, or knowing how to find information on the Internet, right? Anyone that knows this information had to learn it at some point in their lives.. Here are a few websites that will help with basic as well as advanced computer and Internet skills:

• Practice using a mouse with Mouserobics (basic mouse skills)
• Learn the Net (Internet tutorials in English, Spanish, & French)

H. Jara; T. N. Smalley; rev.1/07 G. Romero