Marine & Environmental Sciences Department Guide

Books are the best source for in depth information when you really need to know a subject in and out. Typically, books are structured to lead you from having little knowledge about a subject to gaining a more thorough understanding, which cannot usually be said for web resources or scholarly articles.

Books can be considered scholarly sources. However, unlike journals, they do not always contain the most current research on a topic.  For this, you may need to locate research journal articles on your topic.

You can find books by searching GIL Find, and you should use GALILEO to find scholarly articles, news clippings, and eBooks.

This list is only a small sampling of the books available on marine biology and environmental science in the Asa H. Gordon Library.  Search the GIL Find catalog here to find a more encompassing list on your topic. Remember, you can Ask A Librarian for help!

Here is a sample list of books available in our Reference Collection, and also through Credo Reference.  Remember, Reference Books cannot be checked out, but you may use them in the library and you may photocopy or scan a few pages of the text if you need them for your project/paper. The Credo Reference books are electronic and can be accessed from any computer.  If you are off campus, you may need the Galileo Password!

A subject heading is a specific word or phrase used to find and organize books and articles by topic. Subject headings can be a great way to easily find things related directly to your topic.  Once you have identified a book or article that is worthwhile, look at the subject headings.  In the online catalog these are found in the "catalog record," and you can click directly on the subject heading to get a list of books on the same subject.

Below are some relevant marine biology subject headings.

QH -- Marine Biology

• 91 -- 91.8:  General

• 92 -- 95.9:  local, by body of water

• 101 -- 198: local, by geographic region