What is a periodical article?
A periodical is a newspaper, magazine, journal... or anything that comes out "periodically" - weekly, monthly, bi-annually. The PSC Library has many periodicals - some in print on the shelves and others (many many others) that are available electronically throught the databases. This is wonderful because you can access the periodicals in the databases anytime and anywhere.
What databases does library have?
PSC subscribes to over 100 databases. There are many others from which to choose. Some are good for finding periodical articles from a variety of topic areas, some are good for finding statistics, some are for videos, some for images, songs, reviews, essays, entire books... Some databases are good for finding information on any topic and others focus on a specific area of study like science, history, nursing, business or literature.
If you look at the databases grouped by subject area, there is a catagory for "literature" - http://www.linccweb.org/eResources.asp?lib_code=FLCC2200&screen=subject. There are several databases here that will provide story overviews, literary criticisms, plot outlines, and character information. Please, feel free to ask a librarian to assist you with your search.
Some general periodical databases you might consider using.
All of these search for magazine, journal, and newpaper articles on a wide variety of topics.
All the PSC databases are accessed by clicking on the "Databases" button on the PSC Library web site.
Enter your Student ID and PIN (last four digits of you Student ID) to login.
If you have trouble connecting to a database, you may have to turn off your pop-up blocker or lower your security settings.
Searching Databases
Each database works a little differently, but basically, they work kind of the same way. Once you are connected you will get a screen that has 1-4 boxes where you can enter whatever it is you are looking for. It is very similar to searching the Internet using a search engine like Google or Yahoo... except you are searching a specific database for specific types of information. If you want videos you might search YouTube or Google Videos, if you want journal articles on nursing you would search the CINAHL database, if you want slinky underwear, you would search thorugh Victoria's Secret... The right tool for the job, you know?
After you enter your search terms and click "search," you should receive a list of articles that match your search terms - it's kind of like computer dateing. The full-text articles will have a link that says "full-text" - the whole article will be there not just the abstract. If you click on the link, the whole article will be there for you to read, print, e-mail or save to your memory stick.
Once you get comfortable, you can experiment with refining your search. Set date limits, types of resources, add in synonyms...
As always, if you need assistance - please ask!