Collins Memorial Library: STHS 201: Alchemy, Astronomy, and Medicine Before 1700: Research Assignment #1

Discovery Tools

Discovery tools are the library databases and resources that help you identify and obtain the kinds of sources that you need for your assignment.

1. Subject encyclopedias. Use these sources to identify keywords, and especially, the bibliographies at the end of entries. Recommended resource:

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Michael Gagarin (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access.
Publication Date: 2010
This digital version of the multi-volume reference work is a comprehensive overview of the major cultures of the classical Mediterranean world--Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman--from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE. It also covers the legacy of the classical world and its interpretation and influence in subsequent centuries.

2. Primo. Primo is the discovery layer for Collins Library (books, multimedia, selected scholarly journal collections) and for SUMMIT (over three dozen regional academic libraries).

Recommendation A: Use Primo to locate books mentioned in bibliographies of other sources, including subject encyclopedia entries.

Recommendation B: Once you find a potentially useful title, look for its Library of Congress subject headings to identify even more sources.

2. Search subject database(s) especially to find scholarly articles. Recommended databases:

History of Science, Technology and Medicine (HSTM)
An international bibliography for the history of science, technology, and medicine and their influence on culture, from pre-history to the present. Includes records of journal articles, conference proceedings, books, dissertations, serials, maps and other materials.
Philosophers Index
Covers scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy. It contains research published since 1940 including journals from many countries with content representing a variety of languages.