This and other research guides are on the ACC Library web page under
Research Guides & Tutorials: http://library.sunyacc.edu

Adirondack Community College, 640 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY 12804
(518) 743-2260

Books | Reference books | Articles | Web sites

At any point in your research, please consult a reference librarian. Librarians are available whenever the library is open at (518) 743-2200 ext. 2462. Library hours are listed on the ACC Library's home page: http://library.sunyacc.edu.

Finding Books:

To find books or multimedia items, search the ACC book catalog (ACC Library web page > Finding Books > Catalog):

• Reference books, on the library’s main floor, don’t leave the library, so are always available.
• Circulating books, on the upper level of the library, may be checked out for four weeks.
• Videos, DVDs and music CDs may be borrowed by faculty. Students may use equipment near the video/DVD shelves.

Search tip: Start with a keyword search. When you find an interesting book, look for the subject headings in the book's online description. Click on any that refine your search best. We recommend visiting the ACC Library's Research Guides & Tutorials page, which offers a narrated tutorial on searching the online catalog and two tutorials called "Research Steps," offering important search strategies. Here are some subject headings to consider using:

Major life decisions - such as choosing a career - are best made with an informed opinion. A little research can save time and effort, avoid costly mistakes and increase satisfaction and income! You may also try a keyword search using “and”: nursing and vocational guidance, for instance. (Note: the term vocational guidance may work better than careers and jobs!)

Reference Books:

Reference books, on the main floor, can help you select a research topic. They also offer quick background information and overviews on subjects.

Circulating books:                                                       On upper floor

The ACC Library offers many career books to borrow for four weeks . Here’s a sampling:

Additional career books you may borrow are:

• The ACC Library subscribes to about 350 journals, including trade journals on many careers: photography, nursing, accounting, science, computers, criminal justice, engineering, sports, etc.

• Monthly Labor Review, a journal from the U.S. Department of Labor, offers statistics and employment trends.

Gale Virtual Reference Library:

You can search thousands of full-text chapters from more than 250 reference books published by Gale Cengage Learning. The ACC Library owns many of these books in printed format also. The Document Title search will search for your term in the chapter titles, giving you full-text chapters from the reference books. The content is the exactly the same as the original printed books. Find this database with these links: ACC Library Web page > Finding Books > Reference > Gale Virtual Reference Library. (Note: This is a subscription database. ACC students, faculty and staff may log in from off-campus with their campus network user names and passwords.)

Reference books in this database cover a wide array of career interests: education, psychology, criminal justice, fashion, food, business, more.

Finding Articles:

Journal articles offer current and specific information and research. Search for journal articles by subject through any of the ACC Library's dozens of article databases. Many but not all offer full-text links to articles. (If needed, ask a reference librarian about finding an article though another database, print sources or interlibrary loan if it's not full-text.).

Article databases are subscription-only products. ACC students and faculty may search these from home by following screen directions. To get your ACC student username and password, see Lookup Account and Password on the Student Portal page. For a full list of journals ACC Library receives, see the online Periodicals at ACC list or check the card file at the Circulation Desk.

From the ACC Library Web page, go to Finding Articles. Then, choose either:

• General Databases to find articles on a current, popular or multidisciplinary topic and need a mix of newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals; or
• Subject Databases to find specialized articles on one subject only, such as business, science, literature, nursing, etc.

Among the General Databases are:
● EBSCO's Academic Search Premier: Over 8000 journals; about half are full-text.
● JSTOR: full-text; 117 journals covering the arts, sciences and social sciences.
● New York Times: Current (1980-present) and historical editions (1851-2003).
● WilsonSelectPlus: Completely full-text; 1+ million articles from 1400 journals.
● New York State Newspapers: includes New York Times full-text.
● Opposing Viewpoints, CQ Researcher, more.

Career and Vocational Periodical Database:
This is one of the Subject Databases, found under the Social Sciences group. It offers articles from a variety of trade journals.

Web sites:

Here are some recommended Web sites. Of the billions of Web sites in the world, these are more appropriate for college-level research.

JobHuntersBible http://www.jobhuntersbible.com: Based on Bolles’ What Color is Your Parachute?

CareerZone http://www.nycareerzone.org: Information on 900 occupations.

N.Y.S. Department of Labor http://www.labor.state.ny.us: NYS jobs, see Career Zone section.

Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce http://www.adirondackchamber.org/ : Click Job Zone link for area job information.

The Riley Guide http://www.rileyguide.com : Major career web site: salary surveys, resume help, more.

Americas’ Job Bank http://www.ajb.org : Jobs now available across the U.S. listed by career and location. Major source of job information.

Saratoga-Warren-Washington Counties Workforce System http://www.thejoblink.org : Offers assistance to both employers and job seekers.

USA Jobs http://www.usajobs.gov : Official job site of the U.S. federal government. Search jobs by pay, location, category.

New York State Department of Civil Service: Job Seekers http://www.cs.state.ny.us/jobseeker/ : Employment opportunities with N.Y.S. and local governments.  

Newspapers:

Classified ads list a small percentage of available jobs in any region.

For more information:

Consult a reference librarian at any point in your research. You may also want to see other online ACC Library research guides.

ACC’s Career Services:                 Warren Hall

This guide was produced with the assistance of Tim Lahey, Director of Career Services. Career Services offers career planning, college transfer and job placement counseling.

- Visit the center to browse through books, journals, handouts, college catalogs and more, on transferring to other colleges, specific careers (i.e., music, tourism, medicine), background material on employers, tips on resume writing and more.  

- Students may search the Web for more information using the office’s computer.

 - DISCOVER, a subscription Web site, leads users through the career decision-making process: interest inventories, college majors, salary and job outlook data, resumes,  much more. DISCOVER requires an ID; obtain one at the Career Services Office. 

 - ACC alumni are available to mentor current students through the Alumni e-mail network. 

- Career Services also offers two one-credit courses: HRD 101 Career Exploration, HRD 104
                    Job Search Skills, as well as PSC 190 Public Service Internships.

- For details, contact Director Tim Lahey or Office Specialist MaryAnne DeLano at 743-2268. Hours are Monday-Thursday (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Friday (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

ACC’s Career Services Web page:

This page offers links customized to ACC students’ needs. Go to: ACC’s page (http://www.sunyacc.edu) > Student Services > Career Services.