A Walk Through The Trinity Internet Library

Higher education standards require students to be familiar with information resources and use media in various ways to locate research materials. You should anticipate being asked to look beyond the required texts for your classes to do so. Trinity has provided many varied resources for your research needs via the Trinity Electronic Library or contact the Information Specialist (librarian@trinitysem.edu).

ONLINE DATABASES

FirstSearch

OCLC (Online Computer Library Company) is the publisher/vendor for a database package of 12 individual databases for your use called FirstSearch. There are 2 tutorials needed in order to: understand internet searching and how to use/navigate your way through and search in all the databases in FIRSTSEARCH. They are found where you access FirstSearch . Download (print off) these files in order to have them in hand before you get into FirstSearch. FirstSearch provides some full text. Carefully check which databases will do so.

With your tutorials in hand, try searching this great resource. If you find yourself having trouble after you’ve consulted the tutorials and are still in a quandary, don’t hesitate to contact The Information Specialist (Librarian).

Religious & Theological Abstracts (RTA)

RTA is not your usual database with citations or full text. It has citations with a summary of the item you are seeking. Read the information on the web page for most hits per query. Contact Information Specialist as needed.

DOING RESEARCH: Help Files

These files support the entire research process and will answer very key questions. You will find The New Bloom’s Taxonomy , information on how to write a research paper (for you/international students), listed websites for major seminary libraries, how you can get to dissertations by fellow Trinity students, locating other dissertations, and suggested discipline specific sites, how to locate articles and books in your locale as well as online.

Note the last file in this listing which is most useful file titled “Research Routings”. This file is a wealth of URLs or websites listed from general to very specific. There are resources in these files that can be very useful for your individual informational needs. If you need general, contextual, historical background, all or any of the first four postings listed are helpful. Take your time and see all that is there and available for you. Then arrow down and browse the rest of the topically arranged resources to see all the places.

Should you encounter any dead links, please contact the Network Administrator at TechNetronics via Trinity or myself at: librarian@trinitysem.edu