Outline of Library Search Strategies for Police Staff & Command

Select an appropriate search tool/database, e.g., WorldCat
Identify the terms used to describe your topic by the database producer by performing an exploratory search

For example, if you express your topic as inmate suicide , perform a search using that phrase. If your search generates a results list, examine the subject headings (often called ‘descriptors’) assigned by the database producer to define the subjects the books deal with. You might see descriptors that include the words prisoners or prisons; you might also see descriptors that use the words suicide or suicidal. Redo the search using the descriptor terms.

Look for and click the button (or the link phrase ‘EMU FindText+’)
A second window will open with this image at the top:

Click on the phrase ‘Check for holdings in the EMU Library Catalog’
A third window will open displaying the EMU Library catalog

If EMU owns the book, the location in the building and the circulation status will be shown. If EMU is not near where you live or work, you can ask EMU’s Interlibrary Loan Office to send the book to you.
Return to the second window with this image at the top

and click on the phrase ‘If EMU Library Catalog does not show ownership, request item via Interlibrary Loan’. In the third window, where the library catalog was displayed, you will see the entry page for EMU’s Interlibrary Loan System. [In the notes field of the Interlibrary Loan Request Form, make sure you specify you are a part of Police Staff and Command and you want the book mailed to you.]
If EMU does NOT own the book, you can ask EMU’s Interlibrary Loan Office to borrow the book from another library and send it to you.
Return to the second window with this image at the top

and click on the phrase ‘If EMU Library Catalog does not show ownership, request item via Interlibrary Loan’. In the third window, where the library catalog was displayed, you will see the entry page for EMU’s Interlibrary Loan System. [In the notes field of the Interlibrary Loan Request Form, make sure you specify you are a part of Police Staff and Command and you want the book mailed to you.]

Select an appropriate search tool/database, e.g., Criminal Justice Abstracts, psycINFO, National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Sociological Abstracts
Identify the terms used to describe your topic by the database producer by performing an exploratory search

For example, if you express your topic as inmate suicide , perform a search using that phrase. If your search generates a results list, examine the subject headings (often called ‘descriptors’) assigned by the database producer to define the subjects the articles deal with. You might see descriptors that include the words prisoners or prisons; you might also see descriptors that use the words suicide or suicidal. Redo the search using the descriptor terms.

If you see a phrase that begins ‘Full text available…’, such as ‘Full text available via Sage Publications’, it means you will likely find the full-text of the article online. Click the link and a third window will open that either displays the full text of the article or displays a web site that will allow you to navigate to the text of the article.
If you do NOT see a ‘Full text available…’ phrase, you will likely NOT find the full-text online.

If you live or work close enough to visit the EMU library, click on the phrase ‘Check for holdings in the EMU Library Catalog’ and a third window will open displaying the library catalog, allowing you to see if the item is available in a physical format (print/microform) in the library building.
If EMU is not near where you live or work, you can ask EMU’s Interlibrary Loan Office to send the article to you.
In the second window with this image at the top
click on the phrase ‘If EMU Library Catalog does not show ownership, request item via Interlibrary Loan’ and a third window will open displaying the entry page for EMU’s Interlibrary Loan System. [In the notes field of the Interlibrary Loan Request Form, make sure you specify you are a part of Police Staff and Command and you want the article mailed to you if it cannot be delivered electronically as a PDF file.]

Looking for a specific article or journal (whose journal title you already know)

Click the Journals by Title tab on the library home page:
http://corwin.emich.edu/sfx_local/az

Keith Stanger
Eastern Michigan University Library
keith@stanger.com
Last updated: February 23, 2010