This page will support you in developing your secondary research skills. Work through the different boxes, choosing sites that are appropriate to your project.
Below you will find guidance on:
Start with the Blanchelande Library Catalogue (Oliver). You might want to use the Advanced search, but the general search will give you more results. Try general queries like 'Shakespeare' or 'Aviation'.
If you get a lot of results then you might want to limit your search on the left by 'Branch' or 'Collection'
What do the symbols mean?
- Red cross: we have the item but it is out
- Orange tick: we have the item but itis in the PrimaryLibrary
- Green tick: The item should be on the shelf
It can be hard to access the main catalogue homepage from the GA website, so use this link:
The search box at the top of the page will search all three Gurensey Libraries (GA, Priaux and Institute) - and it may well be worth you doing an Advanced search if you get a lot of hits, but you can also use the search limiters on the right of the screen.
Your search can be a bit more specific than in our catalogue (i.e. use more keywords, and more precise ones), but if you don't get any hits then try to broaden it.
Note that there is also Local Information Collection homepage, so if you are looking at a local issue, that might be a good place to start.
WorldCat is a searchable catalogue of items from thousands of Libraries worldwide. Some are print books (which we could potentially look at getting for you, depending on the cost) and some are e-books and papers, which are often freely available for download.
It is definitely worth using the advanced search option, and limiting your results using the filters on the left of the page.
Google scholar searches academic books and papers. Don't forget to use the Advanced Search (in the 'three line' menu at the top left of the screen).
Remember that some of the resources you find will not be available for free. If there is a PDF file shown on the search page this is a good guide that this is a free resource.
Subject Specific Resources
Have a look at the specialist websites on the Subject Specific Resources tab of this guide. These are much more focussed than just a general internet search.
If you are doing a practical project (such as making a piece of art), you might find a Massive Online Open-Access Course helpful. Note that Open-Access doesn't mean free - many MOOCs are free, but some can be quite expensive.
The MOOCS tab of this guide gives you some ideas about where to start, or you might be lucky trying an internet search for MOOC and your topic. Unifrog also has a limited range of MOOCs available for free, so that can be another good starting point.
