Tips for Searching for Periodicals in the Library Catalog
First, make sure you write all the information you could possibly need to find a specific article in print. You'll need: - the title of the article
- the author of the article
- the title of the journal, magazine or newspaper
- the volume, issue and date of the journal, magazine or newspaper
- the page the article starts on and the page it ends on (if given)
Then, search in the Joyner Library catalog. Select the TITLE ALPHABETICAL or JOURNAL TITLE KEYWORD search option. Type in the title of the journal, magazine or newspaper (not the title of the article). If the library owns any volumes of the periodical you searched for, you will get a "hit." Be sure to look at the complete entry for this hit. At the bottom of the entry, you will see the exact volumes and/or years that the library has. Match up the information you have about the article you need with what you see on the screen. Be sure to write down the location of the periodical. New issues of periodicals are usually found in Current Periodicals, located on first floor of Joyner Library, between the Reference Department and the DLC. Usually, older volumes are either given a Library of Congress call number and shelved with books on the same subject on the second or third floor of the library, or are kept on microfilm in the library basement. Periodicals that focus on North Carolina are generally found in the North Carolina Collection, on the third floor of the library.
If the periodical you need is not available at Joyner Library, you can check the Laupus Library catalog or the catalogs of other UNC-system libraries. Another option is to use Interlibrary Loan Service to get a photocopy of the article. The ILS staff will find a library that has the periodical, get the copy, and send it to you. Usually, it is delivered as a PDF file to your ECU email accunt.
