LibGuides: MUS390: Topics: Accessing Materials Online

Search Strategically

Make the most of your search and search strategically:

Search for materials that are available digitally (i.e. eBooks, eMusic, etc)
Do a quick scan for background information
Create a list of concepts and keywords relevant to your search topic
Group those concepts together or combine different concepts
Use terminology and facts learned from your background information
Look at the bibliographies of resources that you like If you like their ideas, who inspired them?
Make sure you evaluate while searching:
- Where is this information coming from?
- Is the source biased? Scholarly? Dated?

Art & Architecture ePortal (A&AePortal) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? You’re researching topics related to art and architecture; including urban history, art history and theory, conservation and technical studies, decorative arts and material culture, design and graphic design, fashion and textile history, landscape studies, or photography and film.
- What's included? Many out-of-print titles, key backlist, peer-reviewed born-digital content, and recent releases from academic and museum publishers are available as eBooks exclusively on A&AePortal.
EBSCO eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? You’ve tried other sources looking for ebooks, but are still hoping to find more.
- What's included? Ebooks that cover many disciplines.

Use the built-in filters to refine your search. In addition to keywords or subject headings, make sure to pay attention to:

Location
Format (search for accessible content; i.e. downloadable article, eMusic, eBook, etc.)
Content Type (search for accessible content; i.e. downloadable article, eMusic, eBook, etc.)
Publication Year
Author/Creator
Subject
Databases
Language