Start Here
To find books on your topic:
1. Go to OSCAR, the library catalog:
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OSCAR - SCU Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
2. Enter keywords describing your topic. For example:
- safe spaces and college campuses
- first generation students and challenges
- homelessness and BIPOC adults
3. REMINDER: Always check the locations of the books in OSCAR. Some books are located in the ARS (Automated Retrieval System) and you need to request them, while some are in the stacks on the first floor of the library by call number.
To find eBooks
What can I find with OneSearch?
OneSearch includes over 1 million items, including books, journal articles, conference proceedings, audio/visual media, dissertations, reports, and other research resources in subscription journals and databases. OneSearch provides direct links to full-text items where available. You will also find:
- OSCAR records for books, journals, government documents, maps, scores, and media in all formats
- Articles from scholarly and peer-reviewed journals
- Newspaper and Magazine articles
- SCU Digital Library materials
What is a database?
A database in general is a collection of information organized to be searched by computer. On the SCU Library Website, our electronic databases are collections of articles or in-depth reports that you can retrieve online.
The library has subscriptions to both general databases (example: Academic Search Complete) or subject specific databases (example, English or Ethnic Studies). These databases usually provide full-text access to journal articles.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowA multidisciplinary database providing access to more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. It also offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals. Covers a wide range of academic topics including business, education, social sciences, humanities, science, & engineering. Coverage varies, with some publications going back to 1911.
- APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowAbstracts professional and scholarly psychology journals and book chapters, plus dissertations and technical reports. The coverage includes over 1300 journals in 27 languages from approximately 50 countries. 1887-present. Updated monthly.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowAllows you to search for articles from over 600 different electronic reference books and also works as a gateway to a very wide array of other information sources, including images, audio and video. It is a really excellent place to begin research with 'Topic Pages' offering authoritative overviews and a Mind Map feature to assist in narrowing and focusing research and identifying keywords for database searching.
- Diversity Collection This link opens in a new windowA collection of three full-text databases, namely GenderWatch, Ethnic NewsWatch, and Alt-PressWatch. GenderWatch enhances gender and women's studies, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) research by providing authoritative perspectives from 1970 to present. GenderWatch provides access to over 300 titles, with more than 250 in full-text, from an array of academic, radical, community and independent presses. Ethnic NewsWatch is a comprehensive full-text database of the newspapers, magazines, journals and newsletters of the ethnic, minority and native presses as well as many journals concerned with issues of race and ethnicity, with archival material back to 1985. Alt-PressWatch includes over 1.5M articles from more than 300 small sources including unique, independent voices from respected and cited grassroots newspapers, magazines, and journals covering the arts and all viewpoints across the social and political spectrum from 1970 to present.
- Education Source This link opens in a new windowThis database will lead you to articles from more than 3,000 professional and scholarly education journals and magazines as well as some books and conference papers. The vast majority of sources are in English, but other countries and languages are represented. Dates of coverage vary wildly, but you could find something from as far back as 1929.
- Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new windowEthnic NewsWatch™ is really two databases, a current one, beginning in 1990 and including newspapers, magazines, and journals of the American ethnic and minority press, including scholarly ethnic studies journals.This is updated daily with new content. The other database is a historical file covering the years 1959-1989, incuding a rare collection of over 30 full-text titles, focusing on African American, Hispanic American, and Native American presses from 1959-1989.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowProvides the full text of over 200 subject encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and directories.
- Social Science Premium Collection This link opens in a new windowContains more than 1,800 full-text articles and over 14,000 abstracts from scholarly journals and dissertations in the social sciences such as criminal justice, education, language behavior, linguistics, political science, sociology, etc.