MIT 144F: Week9
Accessing Periodicals: Suggestions prompted by the Callet et
al. (1987) Article
Periodicals have some important strengths:
-
Timeliness (shorter publication times than books)
-
Concision (i.e. information is generally more condensed than that found
in books)
-
Opposing viewpoints can be investigated quickly
-
Unfiltered historical viewpoints can be ascertained through retrospective
searching
-
Access to information on a wide variety of levels (see below)
Many levels of the periodical literature (ranging roughly from the
general to the specific) :
-
Newspapers (local, institutional, specialized (e.g. Financial Post),
national (e.g. New York Times)
-
General Magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc).
-
Specialized Magazines (Guns and Ammo, Better Homes and Gardens,
etc)
-
Newsletters (church bulletins, company newsletters, organisational (i.e.
used to keep members informed)
-
Scholarly Journals
Points to Remember (Callet et al. 1987, 72):
-
Periodical articles off information that is more up-to-date than information
contained in books.
-
There are articles on nearly any subject you may be researching.
-
Periodicals make it possible for your to study and compare opinions of
the experts in any given field.
-
You can quickly and easily find out what has been written on a topic in
the appropriate index(es).
-
Periodical indexes fall into one of the two categories: general or subject.
-
Your library's serials catalog provides locational information for periodicals
and other serials.
Downie's Addenda:
-
Start with a general search then work to specialized publications.
-
Remember that the authority of the information "generally" increases with
the specialization of the periodical.
-
Be sure to match the periodical index to your particular level of search.
- The most powerful index is the one you understand: make sure to
investigate the prefatory materials and record structures closely!
Some Starting Points:
Check out these URLs to the UWO OPAC. Note how many different ways periodical
indexes are described in the LCSH descriptors. Pearl grow to make sure
that you are not missing a good index.
Page creator: J. Stephen Downie
Page created: 3 November 1997
Page updated: 4 November 1997