Library Research in Microbiology

Prepared by Anne Turhollow for Biology 521L and Biology 596
Revised Fall 2003

Overview Background Information Searching for Information Locating What You Find   Journals   Books   Book Chapters Web Resources Evaluating What You Find Presenting Your Results Need Help?

Locating What You Find

What is the PAC?

The PAC is the Library's main system for locating the books the library owns and the journals that we subscribe to. It does NOT list individual journal articles or most book chapters. Below we explain how to interpret a citation to determine if it is a book, book chapter, or journal article, and how to find it using the PAC.

Journal Articles

Ciferri, O. 1999. Microbial degradation of paintings. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:879-885.

Journal article citations can be identified by the fact that they end with volume and page numbers. you may search by either the full or abbreviated journal title in the PAC. Use the "Title" search as the "Periodical Title" search does not search abbreviations easily.

If your journal is not found:

1. Check your spelling.
2. Search using the complete title rather than an abreviated title.

   To "unabbreviate" the journal title, try one of the following resources:

   • Serial Sources for the Biosis Previews Database (Z 5321 B52 1994 Reference Table 12),
   • List of Serials Indexed for Online Users (R 129 L66 1999 Reference Table 12),
     or the Medline Journal Browser at NCBI
   • or try the online database, jake .

   Once you have found the complete journal title, type it into the SDSU Periodicals search to find out if we have a print or electronic version of the journal. .

3. If you did not wait until the last minute, fill out an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request. This will take about one to two weeks. A copy of the article will be mailed to your home or office. The service is free for students, faculty, and staff of SDSU.
4. If there is not enough time:
   Undergrads: repeat your search at UCSD. If UCSD has the journal, you will need to drive over and make a copy of the article.
   
   Graduate students: search ingenta and if the article is available and costs $50 or under, you can order a copy. If your article is listed as "Online Articles", it will be delivered electronically; if it is listed as "Fax/Ariel", it will be delivered via FAX. For more information, see the page on Article Delivery Service.

Books

McCormick, J. B., and S. Fisher-Hoch. 1996. Level 4: Virus hunters of the CDC. Turner Publishing, Atlanta.

Book citations can be identified by the fact they end not with page numbers, but with a place of publication and publisher. Book chapters are similar but have two titles instead of one. You can search the PAC either by the book's title or by its authors .

If the book is not at SDSU, there are three options:

1. First check to see if the book is available at one of the other San Diego area university libraries by using Circuit (sometimes referred to as SD Circuit). If it is, request the item. Circuit deliveries usually take overnight and can be picked up at the Circulation Desk in the Dome.
2. If it is not available through Circuit, then next check Link+, a union catalog of CSU and private university libraries throughout the state of California. If it is available, request the item. Delivery with Link+ generally takes 3-5 days and again you pick up the items at the Circulation Desk.
3. If it is not available through either of these systems, then fill out an ILL form. ILL will find out which library in the US (or the world, if necessary) has the book and borrow it from them. It usually takes one to two weeks for delivery.

You will be notified by e-mail when titles requested are available for pickup at the Circulation Desk.

Book Chapters

Gottschalk, G., and Peinemann, S. 1992. The anaerobic way of life, p. 300-311. In A. Balows, H. G. Truper, M. Dworkin, W. Harder, and K.-H. Schleifer (ed.), The prokaryotes, 2nd ed., vol. 1. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

Book chapter citations can be identified by the fact that they have two sets of titles and authors. The first set refers to the chapter; the second set to the entire book. Use the second set to look up your book by either title or editor in the PAC.