Finding Books

Reference sources are a good place to start your research. You will find reference sources in the print reference collection, e-books and electronic databases.

Suggested reference books include:

  • Manual of Grasses
    • REF SB197.M28
  • Illinois Gardener's Guide
    • REF SB407.F384
  • Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses
    • REF SB431.7.G74
  • Flora: A Gardener's Encyclopedia
    • REF SB403.2.F66
  • Hardy Herbaceous Perennials
    • REF SB434.J4513
  • A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants
    • REF SB403.2.A45
  • Encyclopedia of Horticulture
    • REF SB315.58.E94

Suggested reference databases include:

Available off-campus from the Off Campus Access Menu.

A catalog search is the best way to find books owned by the library.

If you want to browse the shelves, most horticulture books are located at the following call numbers:

  • S - Agriculture
    • SB - Horticulture

Finding Articles

Much college-level research will be done using periodicals/journal articles. Journal articles can be found through our subscription databases.

Suggested article databases include:

Available off-campus from the Off Campus Access Menu.

Search Tips

AND

Narrows it down!

 tattoos AND artists Finds items containing BOTH terms.

OR

Brings more!
college OR university
Finds items that contain ANY one of the terms
"QUOTATIONS"
"Mchenry County College"
Finds items that contain the EXACT phrase.

Online tools for the research process:

Brainstorming Made Simple

Google Wonder Wheel

KwMap: A Keyword Map for the Whole Internet

Visuwords: Online Graphical Dictionary

Finding Websites

Remember to carefully evaluate information found on the Internet. Unlike most traditional print sources, Internet sources may not go through any review process before the information is made available to the public.

Search Engines