MCC LIBRARY RESOURCES

English as a Second Language

This guide has been prepared by the MCC reference librarians to assist you with research for your class. If you need further assistance, please stop by the reference desk to consult with a librarian.

Reference Sources

Reference Sources are a good place to start your research. They can give you a concise overview of your topic, background information, facts & statistics, plus help you define and spell words, and focus your topic. Reference Sources include both books located in the Reference Collection and databases accessible on the Library Web Site under the link Reference Databases.

Call Number Title
REF PA-PC

Foreign Language Dictionaries: Greek, Latin, Romanian, Italian, French, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Cuban, Portuguese
REF PF-PL Foreign Language Dictionaries: German, Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, Arabic, Gujarati, Chinese, Kurdish, Turkish, Japanese, Hawaiian, Maori
REF PEs English & American Dictionaries and Thesauri
REF PE 1629 Visual Dictionaries
REF PE 2835 .O95 Oxford ESL Dictionary
REF PE 1128 TOEFL Practice Guides

Reference Databases:

Some reference sources are available not only in print, but also online through the library web site. These sources often combine a variety of information found in other sources. They are full-text, and most are available off-campus with passwords you may obtain from the Reference Desk. Some of the reference databases useful for this subject area are listed below:

Database Name

Vendor Name

Testing and Education Reference Center

Gale

Books & Media

The Stacks contain books and audiovisual items that may be borrowed or "checked out" of the library. These resources are useful when you need a more in-depth study of a topic than can be provided in reference sources alone. Use the Library's Online Catalog to determine what resources are available on your topic and the call number and location in the library. If our library does not own the necessary resources for your research needs, you may request additional items be ordered through interlibrary loan.

Possible search terms to use for your topic are:

 

Sample Subject Headings

 

English language textbooks for foreign speakers

 

English language study and teaching foreign speakers

 

Juvenile literature

  Readers for new literates

Article Databases

Periodicals consist of popular magazines, newspapers, trade and scholarly journals. Magazine & newspaper articles can be good sources to use for very current information, to focus on specific topics or aspects of a topic, to find reviews, and for opinions. Trade journals are helpful to follow trends and career opportunities within a field, and to find practical tips and techniques to use "on the job". Scholarly journals give details of actual research studies that have been conducted and/or scholarly treatment of discipline specific topics. All of these resources can be located using the article databases located on the library web site.

Recommended Databases for ESL

Database Name Vendor Name
MAS Ultra School Edition EBSCO
Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune

Passwords to access the library databases from off-campus are available on the pink handout MCC Library Database Chart. If you have not received this handout, please ask for it at the Reference Desk.

Internet Resources

Recommended web sites for this subject are listed below. For additional web sites on this subject, refer to MCC Library's Web Sites by Subject link on the library web site.

Web Site Address
Dave's ESL Café

http://www.eslcafe.com/
English-Zone http://english-zone.com/index.php
Naturalization: Information on Becoming a United States Citizen http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/index.htm
Ohio ESL http://www.ohiou.edu/esl/english/index.html
http://adultbasiced.org/constitution/index.htm


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. Anyone can create and publish a web site. If you need help evaluating your sources, please ask at the Reference Desk for guidance. For critieria to use to evaluate your sources refer to our handout on Evaluating Sources. It is available at the Reference Desk.

Reading Improvement Books in the MCC Library

Call Number Title/Description
LC 5225 Challenger Adult Reading Series (reading lessons)
PE 1126 Jamestown Education Series (series of stories at increasing levels of reading difficulty)
LB 3060.33 Pre-GED Study Guides
PE 1128 Various books and media on learning English

DVD Collection

A variety of DVDs are available for ckeck out. These include both popular movies and DVDs on educational topics.

http://www.mchenry.edu/library