Transcript Introduction to Library Catalog and databases

ATLA Religion Database
with ATLASerials
UWest Library
ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
 You can search articles, essays and books.
 The template is provided from our vendor, EBSCO.
ATLA/ATLAS From Home
 When at home, with all our databases you will need
to sign in.
 Follow the directions by typing in your ID and
password in the appropriate boxes.
 This provides you access to a copyright protected
database.
ATLA Religion Database with
ATLASerials
 ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials is an essential tool
for the study of religion. This database is produced by the
American Theological Library Association.
 It is the premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and
collections of essays in all fields of religion from 1949 to present.
 The more than 1,315,000 (100,000 full-text) records in the ATLA
include:
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565,971+ journal article records
235,900+ essay records from 17,000+ multi-author works
519,000+ book reviews of 267,000+ books
1,670 journal titles, 542 of which are currently indexed
languages: 55% English, 8% German, 5% French, 1% Spanish, 1% Italian,
30% other
Search Techniques -- Boolean
Searches
 Keyword searches for the catalog and
databases follow the same procedure of
limiting or expanding.
 This is called “Boolean logic.”
 There are three basic types of searches,
“and,” “and not,” and “or.”
 Examples:
Buddhism AND Buddha
Buddhism NOT Buddha
Buddhism OR Buddha
Basic search
Search techniques – A summary
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Truncation * = multiple characters
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Useful to find words in variant forms
Search all words that start with the same characters
Represent multiple characters
Placement of truncation symbol is significant
VS
Wom?n
Dha?ma
Wildcard ? = unknown character # = alternate spelling
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Relig*
Reli*
Useful to find words in different spelling, singular/plural form
Represent zero or a single character
Colo#r
Catalog#e
Phrase search
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To search multiple keywords as an exact phrase
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E.g. “dependent origination”, “religious community”
With limitations
e.g. “four noble truths” CANNOT find titles with “fourth noble truth”, etc.
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Combining the use of AND, OR, AND NOT
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Useful to narrow down, expand your
search
To exclude unwanted concepts
Use brackets to set search priority
crucif* AND (God OR Jesus)
AND NOT (cross)
Advanced search in ATLA
 The EBSCO system
defaults to Advanced
Search. The Advanced
Search offers all the
methods of limiting your
search to create a
focused query.
 When performing a
keyword search, it offers
multiple text boxes to
enable you to search by
field (i.e. subject, title,
author, etc.).
Search options
Advanced Search - “And” searches narrow. Example, “Buddhism” and
“Religion”
Advanced Search
 “And not” searches also delimit, but by exclusion rather than
inclusion.
 Try the search: “religion” and “study” not “theology”
Advanced Search
 “Or” searches expand.
 We will again look under “Buddhist temple,” but we will
also want to find works with the western term,
“Buddhist church.”
-Full-text access to the article itself is linked
-Journal locator at UWest
ATLA/ATLAS – Search for essays
 Note: ATLA/ATLAS provides not only access to articles, but also
to essays (book chapters) and reviews.
 You can delimit by a “genre search” in the “Limit Your Results”
section.
On the left side of the Results
Listing, you can narrow the
subject by the above limiters.
From the box on the right of the
Results Listing, you can limit
results to Full-Text, Abstract
Availability, and Date Range.
By moving the mouse over the icon to the right of an entry in the
Results List, the enlarged record provides a number of use
options.
Searching for Book Reviews in ATLA
 ATLA is a major source for reviews of religious books.
Because some reviews use initials instead of author's first
name, and some reviews omit book subtitles, use last name
and a few words from the title to search for reviews.
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Example: a search for Colin Greene, Christology in cultural
perspective.
Search by Publications
Bible Browse
 Click on “Scripture” in the blue upper line.
 Search by chapter, and then delimit by verses
that fit your range, as follows:
Both Bible as Subject field and a
Scripture Citation field
Bible Searches in ATLA
 Bible passages are designated in two
different ways in ATLA, using two different
fields; the Bible Subject Heading and a
Scripture Citation field.
 The ATLA subject field is indexed so more
specific headings for chapters "post up" to the
book as a whole. For
 example all the records under Bible.
Ephesians 4-6 are also under Bible.
Ephesians.
Indexes
How do you print, e-mail or save the
search results?
 To print, e-mail, or save an individual record, use the appropriate link at
the top of the record. Once you have done that, you will be directed to a
Print, Email, or Save Manager.
 To print, email, or save several records, use the Add or Add to Folder
button. Once you have added all the necessary records, click on your
folder. Next, click on the appropriate delivery option and you will be
directed to a Print, Email, or Save Manager (see below for specifics).
Cite This Article
 Place the cursor on the page icon, third from the
upper right and click. Various citation formulae
appear.
Cautions about “Cite this Article.”
 The “Cite this Article” function will always give
the “date retrieved” information at the end of
the citation. This information is only used
when full text is retrieved.
 Also, the capitalization for TurabianHumanities is incorrect. Always double check
with the current style manual.
Export This Article
 Place the cursor on the page icon, second from the upper right and click.
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