Library Orientation
Carey Theological College - MDiv
Academic Research
Outline
o Allison Library catalogue
o Allison Library indexes & databases (journal
articles)
o UBC Library resources: indexes / databases,
subject guides, interlibrary loans
o Internet (Web) research
o Library Tour
Theological Research Tools
Reference books
Good sources for background information & provide
 Summary of the topic
 Keywords and terms related to the topic
 Important names / places associated with the topic
• Atlases (Bible)
• Book Reviews
• Bible (versions, interlinear, parallel)
• Commentaries (exegetical and devotional)
• Dictionaries & Encyclopedia
• Handbooks (manuals, almanacs)
Research Planning
• Search Strategy:
– Use terminology from
background research
and synonyms of
keywords
Consider Keywords
Use reference material for:
• names,
• people,
• concepts,
• terminology
Consider Synonyms
e.g. ‘Church’, synonyms might be:
• congregation,
• assembly,
• gathering,
• ecclesical, . . . ecclesiology, . . . denomination,. . . .
ecclesiastical, . . . body of Christ.
Boolean operators: And, Or, Not
Justice AND Baptist
AND NARROWS the search
Justice OR Baptist
OR BROADENS the search
Justice NOT Baptist
NOT LIMITS the search
Use NOT with caution
Combining Boolean Operators
Refine a search by grouping
synonyms with brackets
For example
Christian AND (justice OR ethics)
(Christian OR Baptist) AND
(justice OR ethics)
Search strategies:
Truncation/Wildcards
Truncation: use *
Reform*
* = wild card for any letters after the “m”
will search for . . .
Reforms
Reformed
Reformation
Reforming
Wildcards: use ?
Wom?n will search for all occurrences of:
Woman
Women
Womyn
In Theolog - Track it down
• Kimber
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–
–
–
Item is a thesis
Probably not in any libraries
TREN?
ProQuest?
• Fagan
–
–
–
–
“Fred Victor Mission story”
Older 1993
WorldCat (UBC or free version)
Interlibrary loan
Questions?
Journal articles: Indexes & Databases
• Journals (scholarly aka peer-reviewed vs popular)
• Journal Indexes & Databases
– Print
– Electronic
– Citations
• (source only: author, title etc.)
– Abstracts
• (short comment on articles contents)
– Full Text (hardcopy, PDF or HTML)
Journal articles: Indexes & Databases
Allison Library subscribes to:
• EBSCO databases (five):
 ATLA Serials
 main database for theology and religion
 New Testament Abstracts (NTA)
 Old Testament Abstracts (OTA)
 Catholic Periodical Literature Index (COLI)
 Christian Periodical Index (CPI)
• ProQuest Religion:
 Smaller database than ATLA but full text
• Religious and Theological Abstracts (RTA)
 Some overlap with above sources

TREN (Theological Research Exchange Network)
 Theses and Dissertations
NEW!
A–Z
aka
A to Z
Remote Access: Ezproxy
Essay = Chapter
Article
Allison Library Fall 2014
Overlap: EBSCO, ProQuest, RTA & TREN
Q: Why search more than EBSCO?
A: There might be Overlap and Full Text
Crux (overlap)
– EBSCO
– RTA
– Not in Proquest
Church & State (overlap)
– EBSCO 01/01/1986 (volume 39) [no full text]
– ProQuest 01/01/1992 (volume 45) [full text from 1999]
• There MAY be overlap in the databases
• The overlap may be limited BUT sometimes
• FULL TEXT might be available
Allison Library Fall 2011
UBC Journal & Indexes Access
X
UBC Library: article finding tool
IF you have an Article
title and Journal title
AND the article is NOT
available in full text
through our
databases
THEN does UBC have
full-text access?
Go to UBC Library
> Advanced Search
EG
Faith myth and politics in
Jewish Quarterly Review
Allison Library Fall 2014
UBC Library: Interlibrary Loans
FIRST check the Allison,
VST, & St. Marks
libraries (Theolog)
THEN go to UBC Library
> Use the Library
Borrowing Services
> Borrowing from nonUBC Libraries (ILL)
Questions?
Real time search . . .
Ducklow:
“… academic paper entitled ‘A View of the Prodigal
Family’ you will think through the Biblical text (Luke 15),
provide a Family Systems Theory understanding, and
suggest recommendations for a pastoral care strategy
for this family based on your readings and your
understanding of theology and psychology.”
Which Keywords?
Which Resource Sources?
• Theolog, EBSCO (Luke 15:11 and keywords)
ProQuest, RTA, TREN, UBC
Real time search . . .
Smith: Cross Cultural
Each student will write a short paper discussing
one cross-cultural issue from either the OT
(but it cannot be an OT Law) or NT in which the
ritual, tradition, practice as described in scripture
differs from the local cultural practice.
[e.g. Rites of passage, baptism (including baptism of
the dead), marriage, death, Lord’s Supper etc.]
Which Rite? (Encyclopedia of Religion)
Which Resource Sources?
• Theolog (culture, customs & ___), EBSCO, ProQuest, RTA, TREN, UBC,
Wabash
Real time search . . .
Smith: Genre
Each student will write a paper (2000 words double
spaced) interpreting a passage from a particular
genre. The purpose of this essay is to apply the
hermeneutical principles that you have learned in this
course to a particular genre of material from the Bible.
One must explain the meaning of the passage in its
original historical context and try to ascertain the
author’s original intended meaning in light of its
literary context. The work must interact with 1-2
commentaries and 10-12 journal articles that are
appropriately referenced in the footnotes and
bibliography
Real time search . . .
Smith: Genre
Approach
• Choose genre then find a passage OR
• Choose passage and determine genre THEN
• Determine original historical context / meaning
• of both genre & passage
Internet Resources: Links & Portals
What about
Wikipedia?
Reciprocal borrowing privileges
• VST
• St. Mark’s / Corpus Christi
• Trinity Western University
• UBC
• Other Canadian colleges &
universities (COPPUL)
Questions?
Review: Key Resources
Use / utilize:
•
•
Reference sources:
•
Dictionaries, etc.
•
Provide good overview of topic and useful
terminology for further research
Library catalogue(s):
•
Allison / VST, UBC, St. Mark’s
•
Subject headings
•
Journals / serials
•
Indexes, either print or electronic
databases
•
Online links and portals
Additional help
• Reference Librarian
– In person
• at the reference desk
– By phone
• 604.221.3341
– By email
• reference@regent-college.edu
– By Skype: richard.matiachuk-jra
– Follow on Twitter
• @allisonlibrary
Questions?
Library Orientation
• Library Tour