• Reference Books: Use these sources at the beginning of your research to get an overview of a topic or to identify synonyms, related terms, or taxonomic nomenclature that will apply to your topic. Later, return to these sources to clarify concepts or define new vocabulary. These sources also include bibliographical references that may prove helpful. All of these sources are located in the Reference Collection, Room 170, Level 1.
• Library Catalog: This section includes information about Library of Congress Subject Headings and the Library of Congress Classification System to make your use of Bridge easier and more productive. There are also links to the catalog itself and to help screens on searching Bridge.
• Indexes/Electronic Databases: Use indexes and databases to locate periodical articles on your topic. If you need periodical literature not covered in the time frame of the database, there are also print indexes in the storage room of the lower level of the library. Contact a librarian for admittance into this area. Carleton does not own every title indexed in the databases. Check Bridge (the library's catalog) to see if we own the journal title, not journal article, you are looking for. If we don't own the journal, take advantage of our InterLibrary Loan Services.
• Web Links: Links to selected major sites in biology are provided here.

Reference Books

Scirf Q121 .M3 1992 vol. 1-20
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science And Technology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Entries with bibliographies on all aspects of science, technology and biology.

Sci Ref QH 310 .A39 v.1-3
Biology Data Book. Bethesda,Maryland: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 1972.
Well-organized source for hard to find laboratory data on many different aspects of biology.

Sci Ref QL 3 .G7813 vol. 1-13
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. New York: Van Nostrand, 1972.
Still considered a classic work for animal life. Particularly useful for finding taxonomic names.

Sci Ref QM 232 .G73 1989
Gray's Anatomy . London:Churchill Livingstone, 1989.
The reference work to consult when studying human anatomy.

Sci Ref RS 51 .M4 1996
Merck Index. Whitehouse Station, N.J.: Merck and Co., 1996.
An invaluable resource if you need to know the lethal dosage of a compound, structure, formula etc.

Sci Ref SB 45 .B22 1976
Hortus Third. New York: Macmillan, 1977.
Still a classic in the world of plants. You can track down almost anything with this, and taxonomic nomenclature is given throughout.

Scirf QH 583.2 .C45 1998 vol. 1-4.
Cell Biology, A Laboratory Handbook. New York:Academic, 1998.
An indispensable guide for techniques in cell biology.

Scirf QH 506 .E534 1996 v.1-6
Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology and Molecular Medicine. New York:VCH, 1996.
Superb source with extensive references to the literature.

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Library Catalog

The Gould Library has rich collections of books, journals, government documents, and other resources. You may access them via Bridge, the online catalog. You may search Bridge by title, author, subject, or word.

About Bridge
What it is and how to search it.

Relevant Library of Congress Call Numbers

This is only a partial list of the call numbers pertaining to Biology. For a complete listing, go to the Library of Congress Classification Outline, provided by the Cataloging Policy and Support Office of the Library of Congress.

QH 45- QH 97 Natural History
QH 81- QH 95 Seashore Biology
QH 84.8 Soil Biology
QH 88 Desert Biology
QH 90 Aquatic Biology
QH 91 Coral Reef Biology
QH 96- 100 Freshwater Biology
QH 308- QH 442 Genetics
QH 352 Population Biology
QH 361- 371 Evolution
QH 491 Developmental Biology
QH 573- 671 Cytology
QH 581- 671 Cells
QK Botany
QL 1 Marine Biology
QL 75 Parasitology
QL 951- 973 Embryology
QM 23 Anatomy
QM 23- Human Biology
QP 31- 33 Physiology
QR Microbiology

Subject Headings

Library of Congress Subject Headings are the words and phrases that you will use to do a subject search in Bridge (as opposed to a word search, where you may use any words you like). Although Biology is a Library of Congress Subject Heading, you will probably get better results if you are more specific. If you are interested in a particular branch of biology, i.e. genetics, use the subject heading genetics and the many subdivisions that follow that heading. Be careful in your word choices--some words and phrases that may seem very natural to you will not be Library of Congress Subject Headings.

It is often helpful to do a word search on your topic, and, once you find an appropriate source, examine the subject headings. You may then conduct a subject search by clicking on the linked subject heading in Bridge. If you cannot find a source using a word search, consult the print Library of Congress Subject Headings (on the Ready Reference shelves in the Reference Area Level 4) to find the proper subject heading.

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Indexes and Electronic Databases

Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
Actually a collection of scientific databases which number about 50. There is a built in local holdings link (to see if we subscribe to the periodical) and a slick built-in interlibrary loan form in the event we do not own that particular title.

Web of Science
Indexes a wide array of international scientific literature from 1969 to present. The most powerful feature of this database is that it allows you to see who has "cited" or "quoted" a particular paper, thereby getting the most recent literature that is germane to that topic.

Current Contents Connect
Indexes thousands of scientific periodicals right up to the current week.

JSTOR
A collection of full text journals, but now available for the areas of Ecology, Botany and General Science. Journal coverage goes back to the 18th century and all articles found are full text.

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Web Links

Zygote: The Virtual Library of Developmental Biology
Maintained by Swarthmore College, this site is a valuable resource in developmental biology.

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