Finding Books * Finding Articles * Finding Facts * Finding Internet Sites Need a print version of this guide? Select "Print This Page" in the gold navigation bar above to reformat, then print.
If you have any difficulty locating what you need, you can contact a reference librarian by telephone at 885-1772, via email, or by coming into the library during reference service hours.
The library subscribes to many Web-based databases for use by OIT students, staff, and faculty. Access to these databases is limited to users connected to the Web from an OIT computer. If you are using a non-OIT Internet Service Provider (such as AOL, CDSNET, CVC, etc.) you will need to use your OIT email username and password to access the databases from off-campus. Check the library's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) webpage for information on getting loans of books or copies of articles from other libraries. Finding Books - catalogs See Tips for using catalog databases
Books can provide valuable overview information on a topic. Use a library catalog to find books by title, author, or subject. Catalog databases contain records for items held by one library or by a group of libraries. Catalogs also have records for journals, but they do not have information on individual articles in journals.
Use Hedgehog to locate books and journals in the OIT Library. Hedgehog is a Web database containing records for items in the library's collection. OIT purchases books and journasl on environmental sciences from many publishers. The library also receives federal and state government documents relating to environmental sciences, including many from Environmental Protection Agency, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management.
Use the Summit Catalog to locate books at other academic libraries in the Northwest. Orbis lets you request books online, if they are available for loan, and they will be delivered by courier to the OIT Library, usually within two working days.
Use World Cat to locate books, government documents, CDs, videos, and other items at libraries across North America and elsewhere in the world. A  symbol appearing next to a reference retrieved by a search indicates that the OIT Library owns the item. If the book is not at OIT, students, staff, and faculty can make an online ILL (interlibrary loan) request. Books are usually sent to the OIT Library via U.S. mail so may take a week or more to arrive.
Finding articles - databases See also Tips for Using Index Databases
Journal articles are the primary means of formal communication among mental health professionals. Indexes are Web databases containing references to specific journal articles. These databases are produced by several different companies and have different search software, so remember to check the help screens to find out how to do the most effective search. The following indexes contain significant numbers of references to articles on psychology- related subjects. AGRICOLA indexes professional and technical publications in all aspects of agriculture, including forestry, geography, and weed science. It covers 1970 to the present. From the National Agriculture Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Applied Science and Technology Abstracts indexes articles from professional journals and trade publications in technology. It covers many aspects of environmental technology from 1983 to the present. From H.W. Wilson.
BasicBIOSIS contains references and abstracts from selected professional/ technical journals in biology from 1988 to the present. It has good coverage of literature in botany, ecology, and zoology. From BIOSIS.
Biological & Agricultural Index covers journals in life sciences and agricultural subject areas. It covers 1987 to the present. From H.W. Wilson
Biology Digest indexes life sciences journal articles written at a college research level and covers 1989 to the present. From Plexus Publishing.
GEOBASE provides references and abstracts on worldwide literature on geography, geology, ecology, international development and related disciplines. It covers 1980 to the present. From Elsevier Science Publishing Company.
GeoRef contains references and abstracts for earth sciences-related articles from more than 4,000 journals as well as selected books, maps and technical reports. It includes information on botany and ecology. It covers 1785 to the present. From the American Geological Institute.
Finding Facts - Reference books See also Tips for Using Reference Sources and Reference Database Information
One library reference database, National Climatic Data Center, provides climate information for Oregon, the U.S. and the world.
The library reference area has books with addresses, definitions, data tables and other factual information. A small sample of reference books you may find useful include:
REF G116 .C645. Companion encyclopedia of geography: the environment and humankind
REF G1046.G3 L4. Atlas of the environment
REF GE10 .D53. The dictionary of ecology and environmental science
REF GE10 .E49. Encyclopedia of environmental analysis and remediation
REF GE10 .P67. Dictionary of environmental science and technology
REF GE30 .D57. Directory of environmental information sources
REF GE60 .D69. The complete guide to environmental careers in the 21st century
REF GE80 .G85. The guide to environmental graduate programs
REF KF3775.A29 F43. Federal environmental laws
REF KF3775 .E64. Environmental law handbook
REF QB631 .G65. Earth almanac: an annual geophysical review of the state of the planet
REF QH26 .B535. Biographical dictionary of American and Canadian naturalists and environmentalists
REF S920 .W67. World directory of environmental organizations
REF T174.5 .R556. Risk assessment and management handbook for environmental, health, and safety professionals
REF TD9 .E5. Encyclopedia of environmental science and engineering
REF TD180 .D37. Statistical record of the environment
REF TD193 .C65. Compilation of EPA's sampling and analysis methods
REF TD194.6 .S65. Handbook of environmental analysis
REF TD196.O73 H35. Handbook of environmental data on organic chemicals
REF TJ163.235 .W55. The Wiley encyclopedia of energy and the environment
Finding Internet sites See Tips for using Web search engines
Besides using one of the many Web search engines (some good ones are available as links from the OIT Librarys Web search engine page), there are other ways to identify higher-quality websites on your topic.
Use the Internet Scout Report Archives to identify sites screened for quality and cataloged as part of the Internet Scout Project.
These are some sites providing search capability or links with information on environmental sciences:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture/Forest Service www.fs.fed.us
U.S. Dept. of the Interior www.doi.gov
Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality www.deq.state.or.us
Oregon Water Resources Department www.wrd.state.or.us
The Nature Conservancy www.tnc.org |