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Technical Writing - LSC-Kingwood

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The best library assignments are those that use a variety of resources including reference books, circulating books, newspaper and journal articles, and government documents. We encourage you to use all of these sources for this paper. Books should provide some excellent background on your topic. Journal articles, if they're current, give you more up-to-date details. You may apply for a library card and request materials online. We hope you will take full advantage of the many resources our libraries offer.

Please contact Lone Star College - Kingwood Librarians or Professor Young with any questions you may have during your research.

Librarian talk about Getting Started!

As you begin, narrow your topic to a size that you can manage. Consider keywords that will help you find the information you need. These can be names of people, events, current issues or broader identifying terms. Use these keywords for locating information in the library catalog, electronic databases, and on the internet.

More about choosing keywords (30 sec)

BOOKS

Librarian Talk . . .About Books!
Apply online for a library card. Use your card to:
1) Place a Hold on a book and have it sent to the library closest to you
2) Access journal and reference databases from home, and
3) Access e-Books from eBook Collection.

The catalog is online.

Online or e-Books are available in eBook Collection. Use the barcode number from your Lone Star College ID or library card to log in.

More about...Finding Books (31 sec.)

Circulating Books

Check our online catalog

This includes all Lone Star College System college libraries as well as Harris County and Montgomery County public libraries. You can limit to electronic books and read them online. If your search includes all books and you find one you want, it is faster to come to the library to check out books, but if that does not work for you, you can request that the library mail the book, and you mail it back.

eBook Collection is a collection of online books available on or off campus. It is a library on your computer.

Finding Reference Books

To locate reference books in the library, check the library catalog. To work online, try the following resources:

Gale Virtual Reference Library: Included are the Encyclopedia of BioEthics, West's Encyclopedia of American Law, Encyclopedia of Human Development, Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, and Supreme Court Cases that Changed America.
eLibrary: Dictionaries, encyclopedias and almanacs.
Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia: Full text general encyclopedia.
CountryWatch: Full text cultural, political, business and environmental information.
Stat!Ref: Online full text medical reference library.
Natural and Alternative Treatments: Encyclopedia-type articles provide unbiased information on alternative therapies and treatments. Select one of five categories (Conditions, Herbs & Supplements, Drug Interactions, Alternative Therapies, and Functional Foods.

Biography Reference Bank

Locate biographical information on people in your field of interest.

JOURNALS: Finding current articles using databases

Librarian Talk about Finding Journal Articles!
Electronic databases are purchased by the libraries for your research use to find articles in newspapers and journals, letters, reference books, illustrations, photographs and more.

If you want an article that is not full-text, please email the correct bibliographic information to our Reference Librarians and they will see that you get the article. The libraries need full bibliographic information - plus your name and address. Send your phone number and email as well, so you can be contacted.

There is some overlap of articles in the following databases. However, we encourage do you to use more than one. All are excellent sources for this topic. For professional, scholarly or peer reviewed articles, limit your search using the appropriate button in the database search window.

From home, use the barcode number from your Lone Star College ID or library card to login to these online journal databases.

More about...Searching databases (25 sec.)

Opposing Viewpoints: A great starting place! You can choose from their list of controversial topics or use your own keywords.
Academic Search Complete: Collection of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles on a wide variety of topics.
Issues and Controversies: Browse through possible topics for your feasibility report or search for newspaper and magazine articles on your subject.

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

Librarian Talk about Government Documents!
North Harris College Library is a depository for government documents. To find what they have, check the library catalog. Many of them are online and you can link to them directly from the catalog. Just click on the url in the document record.

The Internet is a wonderful source of government documents. Browse the sites we have suggested below. Remember, you do want to find reputable sites. The URL's for government sites should end with .gov.

Thomas (Legislative Information on the Internet): This site from the Library of Congress includes bills, laws, and the Congressional Record.
Library Catalog: Using the limiters at the bottom left of the search page, limit your search to US Government Documents. Many of them are full text online. Once you pull up the complete citation, you can view the document by clicking on the URL.
Documents in the News: The University of Michigan Library has links to newsworthy government documents, including Avian flu, Iraqi War debate, and Wiretapping.
Texas State Online Information: Links to Texas and Houston government agencies, for documents, statistics and news releases.

GETTING HELP FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Librarian Talk about Support

Support for a successful paper is more than finding the right resources. Putting it all together takes time and effort. Consider using the following list of resources.

More about getting help (25 sec.)

Citing Sources Using the Library MLA Style Guide | Lone Star College-Kingwood Library guide. Examples of both paper and electronic citations.

Avoiding Plagiarism | Excellent information and guide on how to avoid plagiarism from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

University of Texas Copyright Crash Course | This helpful guide on copyright is suggested by Lone Star College-Kingwood Teaching and Learning Center.

Learning Center | Check the hours for in-house tutoring.

Page design by Becky Bradley. Page content by Sue Goodwin. Written 9-06. Updated 9-10, sg.

Ask Us
Reference: 281.312.1693 Circulation: 281.312.1691	Text-A-Librarian 281.973.4792 Kingwood.LRC-Ref@LoneStar.edu

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