-----New Mexico State University Library (revised 7-13-95)----- HOW TO DO LIBRARY RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING - GENERAL No. 30, Summer 1995 Barbara Delzell, Compiler Conducting research in the field of engineering requires the use of many different materials in the library. This guide provides a bibliography of useful sources as well as a basic approach to researching a topic. THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY The NMSU Library is housed in two buildings: Branson Hall and New Library. Books and journals are arranged by call number and divided between the buildings as follows: Call Number Locations New Library: A - H, HM - PZ Branson: HA - HJ, Q - Z Arts Agriculture Education Business Social Sciences Engineering Humanities Science Special Collections materials and reference books cannot be checked out. United States Government documents do not have the same type of call number as other materials in the library. They are organized by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification system. The first letters in the SuDoc represent the issuing agency. The Government Documents collection is located in Branson Hall. Documents reference service is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The collection is open to the public the same hours that the library is open. BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH Dictionaries and encyclopedias are excellent starting points for research. They can provide general background information to help narrow or broaden the focus of a topic, define unfamiliar terms, and offer bibliographies of other sources. Some works include an index, which will provide excellent access to a subject. DICTIONARIES AND ENCYLCOPEDIAS > Branson (Ref) Q121 M3 1992 MCGRAW HILL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. 7th ed. 20 vols. New York: McGraw, 1992. Outstanding source for important information in every field of modern science and technology, including all fields of engineering. Signed articles are thoroughly cross- referenced and offer useful bibliographies. Well-illustrated and updated with yearbooks. > Branson (Ref) Q123 A33 1992 Morris, Christopher, ed. ACADEMIC PRESS DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. San Diego: Academic, 1992. Most comprehensive English language science dictionary available, with 133,007 entries. Covers 124 fields of science. A unique feature of this dictionary is essay articles which define and describe each of these 124 fields, including all branches of engineering. The useful appendix contains symbols and data tables, a solar system data table, geological timetable, and a chronology of scientific developments spanning 1403 AD to 1992. Does not contain pronunciations. > Branson (Ref) Q123 M34 1994 Parker, Sybil P., ed. MCGRAW HILL DICTIONARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL TERMS. 5th ed., New York: McGraw, 1994. More than 117,000 concise, well-written entries which include pronunciations. Extensive appendix material includes data tables, biographical listings, and schematic electrical symbols. GUIDES AND HANDBOOKS > Branson (Ref) QA47 C42s > Branson (RefInfo Desk) QA47 C42s Beyer, William H., Ed. CRC STANDARD MATHEMATICAL TABLES AND FORMULAE. 29th ed. Boca Raton: CRC, 1991. Continuously updated and revised, this is a comprehensive and authoritative handbook. > Branson (Ref) QC88 I62 1982 International Organization for Standarization. UNITS OF MEASUREMENT. Vol. 2. Geneva: Intl. Organization for Standardization, 1982. The handbook of SI units (International System of Units) gives definitions, abbreviations, proper multiples of each unit, and conversion factors. > Branson (Ref) TA151 E8 1990 Eshbach, Ovid W. ESHBACH'S HANDBOOK OF ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS. 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 1990. A comprehensive handbook for engineering basics, with emphasis on computer science, automatic control, and aeronautics. > Branson (Ref) TA151 M34 1991 Ganibc, Ejup N., ed. MCGRAW HILL HANDBOOK OF ESSENTIAL ENGINEERING INFORMATION AND DATA. NEW YORK: McGraw, 1991. Divided into two comprehensive sections, this is a convenient ready-reference source for engineering basics and for detailed information related to all branches of engineering. The first section includes units conversion factors, physical and general properties of materiels, mathematical formulae, mechanism and thermodynamic formulae, heat transfer, and topics in applied physics. The second section contains topics central to mechanical, civil, hydraulic, chemical, environmental, petroleum/gas, electrical/electronics, nuclear, agricultural, and reliability/safety engineering. > Branson (Ref) TA151 W49 1988 Wildi, Thiodore. UNITS AND CONVERSION CHARTS: A HANDBOOK FOR ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS. Quebec: Sperika, 1988. Illustrated conversion charts facilitate rapid and clear-cut conversions between units of the American Customary system, the English system, former metric systems, and International System of Units. Gives definitions and shows relationships. Outstanding source for conversion problems. > Branson (Ref) TA332 C44 1989 Cheremisinoff, Nicholas P. ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS: POCKET HANDBOOK. Lancaster: Technomic, 1989. A quick reference guide for widely used mathematical relationships, statistical formulae, and problem-solving methods. Includes techniques adaptable to personal computing. Suggestions for further reading are provided. > Branson (Ref) TA335 T85 1989 Tuma, Jan J. HANDBOOK OF NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS IN ENGINEERING. New York: McGraw, 1989. An excellent summary of numerical calculation tolls used in all levels of computer programming in engineering and applied sciences. Includes 1400 analytical relations, 7000 micronumerical models and 400+ numerical examples. Sixteen concise chapters cover evaluation of numerical constants, approximations of elementary and advanced functions, numerical differentiation and integration, solutions of algebraic and transcendental equations, solutions of systems of equations, applications of Fourier series and Laplace transforms, and solutions of ordinary and partial differential equations. Good subject index and extensive bibliography. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES Journal articles are often the most current source of information on a topic of study that is new or subject to rapid change. Lists of references following journal articles can provide leads to further sources. INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS Journal articles on a specific subject can be identified through the use of either general or specialized indexes. Some indexes include abstracts (summaries) of articles. The library subscribes to print and electronic indexes. The library doesn't subscribe to all of the journals in these indexes. A list of journals to which the library does subscribe accompanies some of the indexes on the index and CD-ROM tables. ELECTRONIC INDEXES Electronic indexes offer a computerized approach to the retrieval of citations to journal articles. A user can specify a combination of subject terms in order to find references to articles which contain those terms in their titles, in their abstracts, or as assigned descriptors. The following indexes may be useful for finding information on general engineering topics. New products may be added; check the CD-ROM area near the reference desk. > Branson (Cafe OLE terminals and Library Network) > NewLib (Cafe OLE terminals and Library Network) PAN An index to articles on a wide range of subjects. It provides information about articles published since January 1990 in over 1,700 magazines and journals, and newscasts from major television networks and National Public Radio. It is updated monthly. The library subscribes to around 65% of the magazines and journals in PAN. PAN is available on any Cafe OLE terminal and can be accessed remotely vi the Cafe OLE system. Ask at the reference desk if you need any help. > Branson (Library Network) > NewLib (Library Network) ABI/Inform Gives citations and abstracts for articles in business journals. Many of these articles relate to research and development in technology. Example of appropriate subjects for this database would be robotics, materials testing, or semiconductor lasers. Updated monthly. > Branson (Ref CD-ROM Area) AGRICOLA Primarily a source for agricultural references, but includes citations to topics of interest to engineers, such as agricultural engineering, groundwater, or disposal of hazardous substances. Updated quarterly. > Branson (Ref CD-ROM Area) Compendex Plus Compendex Plus is the CD-ROM version of ENGINEERING INDEX IN PRINT and is a premier resource for engineering research. Core journals, technical reports, and conferences in all disciplines of engineering are indexed exhaustively. Applied physics and optical technology are covered selectively. Abstracts are very extensive. Indexing and cross-referencing are thorough and detailed > Branson (Library Network) Enviro/Energyline Abstracts An international database with over 240,000 citations on topics related to energy and environmental issues. Updated quarterly. > Branson (Doc) > Branson (Library Network) > NewLib (Library Network) GPO GPO is a CD-ROM database that lists publications by the U.S. Government Printing Office from 1976 to the present. The user can type in title, agency, subject, or a combination of subject terms and retrieve a listing of titles and SuDoc numbers of documents that may be available in the NMSU documents collection. Issued bimonthly. > Branson (Ref CD-ROM Area) NTIS NTIS (National Technical Information Service) is a very important index for current research and development. It includes technical reports on research and development funded by the U.S. Government for all engineering disciplines and all sciences. Also included is international material of potential industrial interest. > Branson (Doc) U.S. Government Periodicals Index Covers over 180 periodicals published by departments and agencies of the U.S. Government. Included is full bibliographical information about the article and the periodical in which it appears. PRINTED INDEXES Indexes or abstracts in printed form give subject and/or author access to journal articles. Some of the indexes are located on tables in the reference area; others can be found in the reference stacks by call number. The following indexes list references to journal articles in the field of engineering. > Branson (Doc) C51.9/3:v/# GOVERNMENT REPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS & INDEX (GRA&I). Springfield: NTIS, 1946 -. Primary source for access to U.S. Government-sponsored research, development, and engineering reports. Includes patent information and foreign technical reports. > Branson (Doc Ref) GP3.8:yr./no. MONTHLY CATALOG OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. Washington, DC: GPO, 1895 - . The most comprehensive index to government publications. Author, title, keyword, subject, and series/report number indexes lead to entry numbers which are found in the MONTHLY CATALOG. The Superintendent of Documents classification number will be at the head of entries after July 1976, and at the end of the entries before July 1976. > Branson (Ref Index Area) Z5851 En331 THE ENGINEERING INDEX ANNUAL. New York: Engineering Information, 1892 - . Important index for all branches of engineering. Scope is international. Contents of 4500 core engineering journals are indexed, along with technical reports and conference proceedings. Updated monthly. A thesaurus is included as a separate volume and should be used for maximum efficiency in searching. Also available in CD-ROM format as Compendex Plus. > Branson (Ref Index Area) Z7913 In2 APPLIED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INDEX. New York: Wilson, 1958 - . Indexes over 300 major science and technology periodicals. Book reviews are extracted from the journals indexed and are listed separately at the end of each volume. Continues Industrial Arts Index. LOCATION OF JOURNALS Journals are shelved in call number order. Use the title of the journal, NOT the title of the article. Use OLE (the online catalog) to find the call number and format of a journal. Type T/ followed by the title of the journal. For assistance, ask a reference librarian. Current issues of most journals are shelved in the Periodicals areas. Use the location charts to find bound journals, which are shelved in the stacks with the books. Microfiche and microfilm journals are housed in cabinets in the microform areas of Branson and New Library. SELECTED LIST OF CURRENT JOURNALS Engineering journals are typically field-specific. For a selected list of library-owned current journals in agricultural, civil, chemical, electrical/computer, industrial, and mechanical engineering, see those individual guides. Several titles which offer articles of interest in ALL fields of engineering are listed below: Branson HD28 En33e The Engineering Economist T1 F854j Journal of the Franklin Institute T14.5 I57a IEEE Technology & Society Magazine, 1982 - . T15 T226c Technology and Culture T171 M47 Technology Review, 1968 - . TA1 M584e Midwest Engineer TA1 E5 The Engineer TA1 E55 Engineering TA1 E6 ENR FINDING BOOKS Books are not as current as journal articles or technical reports but will provide more comprehensive and time-tested coverage of a subject. Access to the book collection is through the online catalog (OLE). OLE Terminals are located in the reference and periodical areas and on each floor. Access to OLE is possible through Cafe OLE from a remote site. You can access Cafe OLE from any of the computer labs on campus. Start a new session with your Telnet software and type or select library for the host or session name. You can also access the system using a modem or TAU. Dial the NMSU-Net at 646-4942 and type library at the NMSU-Net> prompt. Older materials not yet entered into the OLE system are listed in the card catalog in the reference area. For books that are on order or recently received, use the INNOVACQ terminals located in the reference and current periodcals areas. USING OLE OLE may be accessed by author, title, subject, or keyword. Consult the printed instruction sheet at each terminal, the help screens on the terminal, or ask a reference librarian for further assistance. For most items, the OLE screen will give circulation information, indicating whether the item is available or checked out and, if checked out, when it is due. THE CARD CATALOG Materials acquired by the library before 1975 may not be entered into the OLE system yet. For such material, check the card catalog in the reference area. Author, title and subject entries are arranged in a single alphabetical order in each card catalog. The card catalog in each building contains only cards for books in that building. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS To determine the appropriate heading(s) for a topic, the multi-volume Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) can be used. These large red books, located at the reference desk and also near OLE terminals, are very useful for suggesting alternate or additional headings to search. UF means "used for" and indicates terms that are not used. BT means "broader term," RT means "related term," SA means "see also," and NT means "narrower term." For example, under the term "engineering" some of the narrower terms listed are: Acoustical enginnering Lasers in engineering Military engineering Mining engineering Structural engineering Tunneling While Library of Congress subject headings can be very useful in finding books on a topic, the researcher should also explore keyword and Boolean (logical combinations of keywords using and, or, not) searching options on OLE. See the OLE handout, or use the OLE help screens for more information on keyword searching. LOCATION OF BOOKS To locate a book in the library, first obtain the call number from the OLE screen or the card catalog, then consult one of the location charts found in the reference area or throughout each building. Books are shelved in call number order; however, a "(SpC)" designation means the book is located in Special Collections (Branson). A "(Ref)" designation means the book is located in the reference area. Special Collections materials and reference books cannot be checked out. Remember, the reference staff can always give you further assistance in locating a book. OTHER REFERENCE SOURCES In addition to the sources mentioned above, there are many other helpful reference sources. The following resources may be particularly helpful for the study of engineering. PATENTS > Branson (Docs) C21.5:vol./no. OFFICIAL GAZETTE, PATENTS. Washington: GPO, 1946 - . OFFICIAL GAZETTE, TRADEMARKS, 1971 - . C21.5/4:vol./no. Once a patent number has been identified, it can be located in the OFFICIAL GAZETTE, PATENTS. The first patent number in each volume is printed on the spine. Each OFFICIAL GAZETTE entry contains basic information including the name of the item, name and address of the patentee, date, class, subclass, a drawing, and the most representative claim (not an abstract). > Branson (Docs) C21.5/2:yr. INDEX OF PATENTS ISSUED FROM THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE. Washington: GPO, 1946 - . Part I, List of Patentees, is an alphabetical list of names of individual or corporate owners of patents, giving the numbers of patents issued that year. A sample entry would be: Smith, James H. Tool box mounting assembly. 4,564,167. Part II, Subjects of Inventions, indexes numerically by patent class and subclass numbers. Once a patent number is obtained, it can then be found in the OFFICIAL GAZETTE, PATENTS. Each year of the index must be checked, as it is not cumulative. If the patent is recent, and the index has not yet been published, refer to the name and class indexes in each weekly issue of the OFFICIAL GAZETTE, PATENTS. From 1992 on the GAZETTE is available in microfiche. > Branson (Doc) C21.12:yr. MANUAL OF CLASSIFICATIONS. Washington: GPO. A current detailed list of class and subclass patent numbers with descriptive headings by patent type. > NewLib KF3114.8 E54 W48 1989 Konold, William G, et al. WHAT EVERY ENGINEER SOULD KNOW ABOUT PATENTS. 2nd ed. New York: M. Dekker, 1989. Comprehensive overview of all engineering concerns regarding patents. BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY > NewLib J87 N6 F201.81, B85 > Branson (Ref Info Desk, SpC) J87 N6 F201.81, B85 > NewLib (Ref InfoDesk, On Reserve) J87 N6 F201.81, B85 Blazer, Linda. BUILDING THE FUTURE: A HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY, 1888- 1988. Las Cruces: NMSU College of Engineering, 1989. A history of the engineering curriculum, facilities, faculty and students that were part of the development of the College of Engineering at NMSU. > Branson (Ref Biog) TA139 G7 1981 Turner, Roland, ed. GREAT ENGINEERS AND PIONEERS IN TECHNOLOGY. New York: St. Martin's, 1981. Short biographies include a summary of the individual's outstanding engineering achievements, and selected further readings. WRITING > Branson (Ref) Q148 L47 1988 Lewis, Adele B. BEST RESUMES FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS. New York: Wiley, 1988. Includes many examples and worksheets for organizing personal data into an effective resume. > Branson (Ref) T11 M35 1992 MANUAL FOR REPORT WRITING IN ENGINEERING DESIGN: Guidelines for Advanced Engineering Students. Houghton: Michigan Technological U, 1992. A manual written for students learning engineering design and how to present these designs in formal technical reports. The manual will also be useful as a general technical communication guide. GUIDES TO LITERATURE > Branson (Ref) Z7401 H85 1988 Hurt, Charlie D. INFORMATION SOURCES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, 1988. An annotated bibliography of recent dictionaries, handbooks, tables, indexes, and encyclopedias.