GO 100: People, Places and Environments

Books and Ebooks can be very useful at the beginning of your project when you're doing background or in-depth research on a topic:

• Reference books can help with definitions, pronunciation, basic facts 
• Include detailed information on a topic as well as related issues
• Provide overview and background
• May include an index with quick access to key people, places, dates
• Academic books rigorously researched and vetted

Beginning your research with reference resources helps you discover background information like terminology, central figures and dates and an overview of existing literature on your topic. Look for:

• Definitions of key terms
• Historical context
• Biographical information
• Critical interpretation of texts
• Bibliographies detailing relevant scholarship

Once you find a book on your topic, be sure to look at the book's subject heading. Following the link to this heading will take you to other books on your topic.

The Monmouth University library has access to eBooks via our book catalog and several library databases. 

To access eBooks through our catalog:

• From the library homepage, click the Library Catalog link (Resources box).
• Select "Advanced Search" from the Search Options menu at left.
• Select "eBooks" from the Location menu and enter search terms or title, then click "search.".
• To view an eBook from your catalog results list, click its title, look for the "Connect To" box in the book's detailed record, then click the "Full Text Available From" link.
• In general, eBooks are not available via our interlibrary loan service. Contact Sherry Xie at fxie@monmouth.edu for details.

To access eBooks through our library databases:

• From the library homepage, click the Databases by Subject link (Resources box).
• Scroll down the list and click eBooks.
• To find eBooks using the Credo Reference database, click the "hamburger" icon at the upper left of the screen to open the menu, then click "Titles."

Other options

Free eBooks are available on the web via Google Books and organizations like the HathiTrust Digital Library and Project Gutenberg. You may also access open textbooks - free, online learning materials with Creative Commons licenses - using various curated collections. Visit the Open Source Education Resources library research guide for details.

As an MU student, you are eligible for a library card through the Monmouth County Library, which offers eBook borrowing.