TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• What Are Periodicals?
• Finding Articles When You Don't Have the Citation
• Finding the Periodical When You Do Have the Article Citation

• Search Examples

• Locating Periodicals in Olin and Uris Libraries

Periodicals are continuous publications such as journals, newspapers, or magazines.
They are issued regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly).

The Cornell Library Catalog includes records for all the periodicals which are received by all the individual units of the Cornell University Library (Music Library, Mann Library, Law Library, Uris Library, etc.).

The Cornell Library Catalog does not include information on individual articles in periodicals. To find individual periodical articles by subject, article author, or article title, use periodical indexes.

When you know the periodical title (Scientific American, The New York Times, Newsweek) search the Cornell Library Catalog by journal title in Basic Search.

TO FIND AN ARTICLE, USE PERIODICAL INDEXES

When you don't have the citation to a specific article, but you do want to find articles on a subject, by a specific author or authors, or with a known article title, you need to use one or more periodical indexes. But how do you know which periodical index to use?

• What kind of periodicals are you looking for?
• scholarly journals?
• newspapers and substantive news sources?
• popular magazines?
• all three kinds?

• If you want articles from scholarly, research, peer-reviewed journals, ask a reference librarian to recommend an index/database for your topic. Some databases index journals exclusively, like EconLit, PsycINFO, MLA Bibliography, America: History and Life. You can also use the subject menu in Find Databases on the Library Gateway to locate databases that index scholarly publications.
  HELP: Search Databases Quickguide. ~ Search tips for Find Databases.

• If you want newspaper articles, see this guide to newspaper indexes and full-text newspaper databases. First choice for finding newspaper articles is Lexis Nexis Academic

• If you want popular magazines, use Academic Search Premier or ProQuest Research Library. A printed index, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature covering popular magazines since 1890 is found in the Uris Library reference alcove. The online index Reader's Guide Retrospective indexes popular magazines from 1890 to 1982 online. Periodical Contents Index covers some popular magazines for an even broader time period: 1770 to 1993.

• If you want an index to all three kinds of articles, use Academic Search Premier or ProQuest Research Library. To find older articles, try Periodical Contents Index; it indexes periodicals from 1770 to 1993.

• If you want to search several databases simultaneously, use Find Articles in the Library Gateway. Find Articles allows to choose one or more databases from a selected list of our subscription databases; most are periodical indexes. You can then search the selected databases simultaneously by keyword.

  HELP: Find Articles Quickguide. ~ Search tips for Find Articles.

• If you're not sure which kind of periodical you want or you're not sure which periodical index to use, or if you want help searching, ask a reference librarian.

WHEN YOU HAVE THE CITATION TO A SPECIFIC ARTICLE, USE THE CORNELL LIBRARY CATALOG

When you do have the citation or reference to a periodical article--if you know at least the title of the periodical and the issue date of the article you want--you can find its location at Cornell by using the Cornell Library Catalog. Click on the Basic Search button, highlight "Journal Title" in the "Search By:" box, click in the search box, type in the title of the periodical in the search box, and press <enter>. Don't use the abbreviated titles that are often used in periodical indexes; remember to omit "a," "an" or "the" when you type in the periodical title.

SEARCH EXAMPLES IN THE CORNELL LIBRARY CATALOG:

* When searching for the title, The Chronicle

* When searching for the title, Journal of Modern History

Type the following in the search box: journal of modern history
(Do not type j mod hist)

* When searching for the title, Annales Musicologiques: Moyen-Age et Renaissance

You may type the following: annales musicologiques moyen age
(Omit punctuation)

Depending on the number of records your search retrieves from the Cornell Library Catalog, you will see either a list of entries or a single record for an individual periodical title. If there is a list of titles, scroll through it and click on the line that lists the journal title you want to see the call number and location information.

If the journal is available in electronic form, there will be a link following the field labelled "Electronic access:" in the catalog record. Click on this link. In most cases, this will take you to the opening screen for the journal, and you can choose the issue you want from there. If the link takes you to ProQuest, click on the the tab labeled "Periodicals" at the top of the ProQuest search page. Then search for the journal title you want.

If the journal is available in print form, record the call number and any additional location information in the catalog record. Now you're ready to find it on the shelf. Consult the local stack directory for the call number locations in individual libraries.

* CURRENT PERIODICALS: Periodicals noted as "Current issues in Periodicals Room" in the Cornell Library Catalog are shelved by title in the Current Periodicals Room on the main level in Olin Library. This room is immediately to the right and down the hall as you enter Olin Library. Only a small selection of current periodicals is in this room; all other current periodicals are shelved by call number in the Olin stacks.

* BACK PERIODICALS are shelved by call number in the Olin stacks. Some back periodicals are shelved in specific subject rooms; watch for location notes in the Cornell Library Catalog record for the title you want.

Pay attention to the + and ++ indicators by the call number. Titles with the + and ++ (Oversize) designations and titles with no plus marks are each shelved in separate sections on each floor in Olin Library.

Back issues on microfilm, microfiche, and microprint are housed near the Olin Library Media Center on the lower or B Level.

Notes on Periodicals in Uris Library:

* CURRENT PERIODICALS: A small collection of current periodicals are shelved underneath the large windows opposite the circulation desk in the Dean Room. The length of time that back issues will be retained on these shelves is noted on the shelf label in small print.

* BACK PERIODICALS: Back issues of periodicals that are bound are no longer housed in Uris Library. They have been integrated into the Olin Library collection. Back issues on microfiche have moved to the Olin Library Media Center.