Doing Library research, no matter what the topic, starts with the same basic steps that mirror the organization of all information systems.
This guide provides information on how to begin doing library research and how to get help with questions you may have along the way.
Information is organized in systems from general topics to narrower subdivisions. Start with a broad overview of the topic and then as you see what information is available narrow down your topic until it is specific enough that it can be covered in the assigned number of pages.
The top of the triangle represents using subject specific reference books for background information. The center represents sources with more detailed information such as books in the circulating collection. By the time you get to the bottom of the triangle you are looking for rather specific information such as that found in journal articles or Web pages.
If you skip a step, you can waste a lot of time searching for items that you end up discarding because the focus of your topic changes as you learn more about it.
