• All C.O.D. students can get a free Library card and it only takes a minute to get a card.
• See the Library Cards page for more details.
• Cards can be used to check out books, software, general collection videos, and rental videos. Your Library card also gives you access to article databases from home.

• Use the Library Web site to search for and access most of the resources and services available from the Library.
• Access and find books, videos, journal articles, Web sites, e-mail and chat reference, the Assignment Calculator, and Video tutorials

• Use the C.O.D. Library Catalog to find books, videos and software in the C.O.D. Library
• You can search the catalog from the Library home page or click on the "Library Catalog" link from anywhere in the Library web site.
• Using the catalog, you can search for books about your topic in a variety of ways including by title, author, subject, or keyword.
• Starting with keyword searches, you can find subject headings that will help you locate many items covering your topic.

Some of the subject headings below will also give you a jump-start on your research:

• Computer networks
• Computer netoworks -- Encyclopedias
• Peer-to-peer architecture (Computer networks)
• Computational grids (Computer systems)
  
  
• Scholarly electronic publishing
• Libraries And Electronic Publishing
  
  
• Digital cinematography
• Motion pictures -- History
• Independent filmmakers
• Digital video
  
  
• Video games
• Video Games Design
• Video Games History
  
  
• Day care centers

Because you generally want the most current information for technology research, sort your results by date to see the newest items listed first:

The following reference books can be found in the Library's Reference collection. Browsing through these general encyclopedias is a very good way to familiarize yourself with a topic when you are beginning your research.

• Berkshire Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction
  QA76.9.H85 B46 2004
• Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering, and Technology
  QA76.15 .D5258 2001
• Encyclopedia of Computers and Computer History
  QA76.15 .E49 2001
• Encyclopedia of Computer Science
  QA76.15 .E48 2000
• The Encyclopedia of High-Tech Crime and Crime-Fighting
  HV6773 .N48 2004
• Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology
  Z1006 .E566 2005
• Encyclopedia of Information Systems
  T58.5 .E535 2003
• Internet and Personal Computing Fads
  HM851 .B454 2004
• McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Networking & Telecommunications
  TK5102 .S48 2001

Use article databases magazine, journal, and newspaper articles as well as online encyclopedias.

• See the Technology Research Databases page or the Computer Science Research Databases page for a list of recommended databases.
• Search these databases using keywords.
• Articles in these databases are available as either full-text online, in the C.O.D. Library, or through interlibrary loan.
• Depending on your topic, you may not want to use technology article databases. For example, search library science databases for articles about electronic publishing. You may also want to look at business databases for articles and information about how businesses use technology.
• For very current and specific articles, try looking in a newspaper article database.

• From the anywhere in the Library website, click on "Web Sites".

Search engines can help you get started on your research.

• Try to use a variety of search engines as each search engines searches different parts of the web and they reank results differently.
• Use a search engine's advanced search features for more precise results.
• Use special search engines for specific types of results.

In addition to search engines, try some of these special web resources:

• Wikipedia [ http://www.wikipedia.org/ ]
  This "open source" online encyclopedia is an excellent source for technology information. It is a good starting point and can be used like a search engine to find web sites covering your topic.
  • Wikipedia peer-to-peer entry
• Slashdot [ http://www.slashdot.org/ ]
  Use Slashdot to get the latest technology news. Subscribe to their RSS feed to get news items automatically.
• Technology Review [ http://www.technologyreview.com/ ]
  Technology Review is an online publication from MIT that deals with emerging issues in technology.

• You can click on "Research" anywhere in the Library site to find subject-related research guides covering your topics. For example, the Small Business research guide can help you find information about starting a day care center.

• MetaFind searches multiple library resources (library catalogs, databases, search engines and reference materials) simultaneously and retrieves results in a single list.

• Visit the Reference Desk
• Use our phone, e-mail, or chat reference services
• Contact me: (see below)