Finding Information

Pardon Our Noise

We wish to apologize for construction noise on the north side of the building. Our Large Group Study Rooms and study tables near the first floor Loan collection may be affected. This construction will start Monday, 10/14/24, and be ongoing through November. Please see our staff at the Access Desk for assistance reserving an appropriate study room.

Finding Articles

Articles are generally the source of choice when you need current research, current news, or in-depth information. Articles can be found in newspapers, magazines, and scholarly sources. Articles can be found online and in print.

Articles, Books, and More Search: The below search box, also available on the Cornette Library page, finds electronic and physical sources. You can also limit your search to scholarly sources.
Journals A-Z: Browse or search our list of Journals by title or subject. When searching by Title, use important words in the title. Don't use A, An or The at the start of a title
Databases A-Z: Search specific databases relevant to your need.
Subject Guides: Find resources specific to your subject.
Course Guides: Find resources specific to your class.
Print: Browse our physical journals and magazines. Current issues of popular magazines are available on the first floor. Older issues of popular materials and all academic publications are on the second floor. Some older materials are only available in microform. Maps of the library are available on the Building page.

Articles, Books, and More Search

Accessing an Article or Journal

After finding an article or journal title:

For online resources, click the database link from the "Get It" section, matching the desired date range.
For titles held at the Library:
1. Note the location (bound, current, microfilm, atrium) for the date needed. Current issues of popular magazines are available on the first floor. Older issues of popular materials and all academic publications are on the second floor. Some older materials are only available in microform. Maps of the library are available on the Building page.
2. Journals are shelved alphabetically by title, without A, An or The.
3. Within a title, journals are by date or volume number, from earliest to most recent.

Request an article we do not own or have access to through Interlibrary Loan. Allow up to 2 weeks for material to arrive.

Scholarly Articles

The above search box will find scholarly materials with the "Scholarly Articles" box checked.

Other Sources for Scholarly Resources

Look for publications from a professional organization.
Use databases such as JSTOR that contain only scholarly sources.
Use databases such as Academic Search Complete or other EBSCO databases that allow you to choose "peer-reviewed journals".
See whether Ulrich's Periodicals Directory shows that it is a Refereed Journal.

Why are Scholarly Articles Important?

Your instructor may require only "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed sources"
Various citation styles treat journals and magazines differently
Content in a journal is considered more authoritative than a magazine
Peer-reviewed journals are considered the most authoritative sources

Differences

These criteria are guidelines. Some publications won't exactly match this list. If a publication matches MOST of the criteria for a type, that is probably the correct placement.
	Journals	Magazines
Physical format and appearance	Black and white text, simple fonts Few color photos Non-glossy paper "Journal" often part of title (Ladies Home Journal is an exception!)	Varied fonts, colored highlights in text Lots of color photos Glossy paper Titles tend to be less scholarly
Content	Generally long articles Letters to editor may be several pages long Few ads, which are aimed at experts in the field	Articles vary in length Letters to editor generally short Lots of ads, aimed at the general public
Typical Authors	Scholars or experts in the field Authors are always identified	Staff or free-lance writers Authors may not be identified
Sourcing	Always identify sources in some way May use footnotes, parenthetical references, reference list, or bibliography	Often don't identify sources Sources may be discussed as part of narrative structure
Review Process	Editor will be expert in the field Articles may be checked by other experts before publication ("peer review")	Editor has publication background Articles only reviewed in-house
Audience	Aimed at scholars in the field	Aimed at general public or hobbyists
Examples	Political Behavior Journal of Sport Management American Historical Review Plant Physiology	Time, U.S. News & World Report Sports Illustrated Vogue, Cosmopolitan Better Homes & Gardens

Finding Books

Books are the source of choice when you need:

comprehensive information on a complex subject,
multiple points of view and experts,
historical perspective,
and more.

Books+ (Catalog) Search

Searches our physical and eBook collections using the search box below, also available on the Cornette Library page.

Print Books
- Select "Print" under "Availability" and "Books" under "Resource Type"
eBooks
- Select "Online" under "Availability" and "Books" under "Resource Type"
Reference Books
- Conduct a search and then select "Reference Dept." under "Shelving Location."
Children's Books
- Conduct a search and then select "Youth Shelves" or "Old Main Room 214 Williams Children's Literature Collection" under "Shelving Location."

Books from Other Libraries

Search the database WorldCat, and request the item through Interlibrary Loan.

Other eBook Resources

Browse through databases that contain eBooks.

Other Reference Books

Browse through databases that contain reference sources.

Pleasure Reading

Browse or search books for pleasure, not just academic.

Books+ (Catalog) Search

Other eBooks Resources

We have multiple databases that contain eBooks. The most notable are:

ebook Academic Collection. For more information on EBSCO eBooks, please visit our EBSCO eBook Guide.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
ScienceDirect
Wiley
Overdrive

Visit our eBook Databases A-Z list for a more complete listing.

Othe Reference Sources

We have multiple databases that reference sources. The most notable are:

Pleasure Reading

If you wish to settle down and relax with a good book, we can help.

Browse the paperback shelves, located near the coffee shop tables.
Browse the New Books shelves, located near the Research & Access desk.
Use the above search box where you can search by title, author, or genre.
Ask for suggestions at the Research & Access Desk.
For eBooks, audiobooks and streaming movies, please try out Overdrive

Library of Congress Classification Schedule

Informs the Library of Congress Classification letters to the subjects that they represent.
Call Number	Subject
A	General Works
B	Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
B - BJ	Philosophy, Psychology
BL, BM, BP, BQ	Religion: Religions, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism
BR - BV	Religion: Christianity, Bible
BX	Religion: Christian Denominations
C	Auxiliary Sciences of History
D	History: General and Old World
D - DJ	History (General), History of Europe, Part 1
DJK - DK	History of Eastern Europe (General). Soviet Union, Poland
DL - DR	History of Europe, Part 2
DS	History of Asia
DT - DX	History of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and more.
E - F	History: America (Western Hemisphere)
G	Geography, Maps, Anthropology, Recreation
H	Social Sciences
H - HJ	Social Sciences: Economics
HM - HX	Social Sciences: Sociology
J	Political Science
K	Law
K	Law (General)
KD	Law of the United Kingdom and Ireland
KDZ, KG - KH	Law of the Americas, Latin America and the West Indies
KE	Law of Canada
KF	Law of the United States
KJ - KKZ	Law of Europe
KJV - KJW	Law of France
KK - KKC	Law of Germany
L	Education
M	Music and Books on Music
N	Fine Arts
P	Language and Literature
P	General Philology and Linguistics
PA	Classical Languages and Literatures
PB - PH	Modern European Languages
PG	Russian Literature
PJ	Oriental Philology and Literature
PK	Indo-Iranian Philology and Literature
PL - PM	Languages of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania, Hyperborean, Indian, and Artificial Languages
PN, PR - PS, PZ	General Literature, English and American Literature, Fiction in English, Juvenile belles lettres
PQ	Romance Literatures
PT	Germanic Literatures
Q	Science
R	Medicine
S	Agriculture
T	Technology
U	Military Science
V	Naval Science
Z	Bibliography, Library Science

Finding Dissertations/Theses

Cornette Library collects West Texas A&M University student dissertations and theses and provides access to those written elsewhere.

Use the WT Dissertations/Theses Search below to find those written at WT.
Browse our WTAMU DSpace Repository for those digitized since the 2010s.
Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance finding and viewing physical copies.
Use the Dissertations and Theses Search to locate most dissertations and theses we have indexed.
Checkout databases that contain dissertations and theses available on our Databases A-Z list. Notable databases are:
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global
- WorldCat Dissertations

WT Dissertations/Theses Search

Dissertations and Theses Search

Finding Reserves

Reserves are physical (books, pamphlets, and more) and electronic (Word, PDFs, PowerPoint, and more) course and general items. These items may belong to the library or WTAMU faculty.

You can find reserves using the Reserves Search. Try finding your reserves by search for:

Your faculty's name.
Your course (e.g. COMM 1315).
The title of the reserve item.

If you're a faculty member wanting to place items on reserve, please visit the Placing Material on Course Reserves page.

Reserves Search

Information about Reserves

Physical Reserves

Students may checkout items from the Research & Access Desk for a short time. These times ensure everyone gets an opportunity to use the same item.

Possible Checkout Times

2-hour
1-day
3-day
7-day

Overdue Fines

Overdue Fines
Check-out Time	Fine
2 hours	$ .15 per hour
1 day	$1.00 per day
3 day	$1.00 per day
7 day	$1.00 per day

eReserves

eReserves provide online access to course materials. Faculty submit these items to support classroom instruction.

Access

View, print, and download materials 24 hours a day, 7 days. Access is password restricted to students and faculty of WTAMU to comply with Fair Use guidelines of U.S. Copyright law. Students: Buff Portal username (e.g. js123456) and password. Faculty: Network/webmail username and password.

Note

Occasionally, server issues will prevent access. Please Email a Librarian to let us know. Download may vary depending on the file and/or your connection speed. E-Reserves come in varying file formats possibly requiring the following software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Office Suite.