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
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.
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:
Physics handbooks |
Physics encyclopedias |
Science encyclopedias |
Engineering |
Astronautics |
Environmental engineering |
Electric engineering |
Geophysics |
Thermodynamics |
Quantum theory |
Structural engineering |
Calculus |
You may also use Boolean logic (using “and”) and truncation (wildcard ending to a word, using the asterisk symbol, *), such as: engineer* and handbook* to find more.
Library of Congress call numbers to know: Math (QA); Physics (QC), Engineering (T).
Reference books, listed on the next page, offer formulas, background information, statistics, and quick facts.
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.
Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology |
REF. GE 10 .P67 2000 |
Laws and Models : Science, Engineering, and Technology |
REF. Q 40 .H35 2000 |
McGraw-Hill Ency. of Science & Technology (use Vol 20 index) |
REF. Q 121 .M3 2002 |
Larousse Dictionary of Science and Technology |
REF. Q 123 .L37 1995 |
Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science |
REF. Q 123 .U43 1998 |
Notable Twentieth Century Scientists |
REF. Q 141 .N73 1995 |
Encyclopedia of Astronomy & Astrophysics |
REF. QB 14 .E534 2001 |
Dictionary of Pure and Applied Physics |
REF. QC 5 .D48 2001 |
Dictionary of Physics |
REF. QC 5 .C56 2005 |
Handbook of Physics |
REF. QC 61 .H37 2002 |
Encyclopedia of Climate & Weather |
REF. QC 854 .E523 1996 |
Handbook of Chemistry & Physics |
REF. QD 65 .C72 2004 |
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers (33 vols.) |
REF. T12 .T6 2000 |
Inventions and Inventors |
REF. T 20 .I59 2002 |
Statistical Handbook of Technology |
REF. T 21 .B47 1999 |
Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference |
REF. T 55.3.H3 L49 1997 |
Sigma-Aldrich Library of Regulatory and Safety Data |
REF. T 55.3.H3 S54 |
| Building the World: An Encyclopedia of the Great Engineering Projects in History | REF T 56. I44 2006 |
Civil Engineering Handbook |
REF. TA 1 51 .C57 1995 |
Engineer's Companion: ... Engineering Fundamentals |
REF. TA 151 .S57 |
Engineering Handbook |
REF. TA 151 .E424 1996 |
When Technology Fails |
REF. TA 169.5 .W44 1994 |
Technology Mathematics Handbook |
REF. TA 332 .T86 |
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Materials Science |
REF. TA 402 .M347 2003 |
The Encyclopdia of Wood |
REF. TA 419 .E53 2005 |
Manual of Steel Construction: Load Resistance Factor Design |
REF. TA 684 .A472 1986 |
Environmental Engineering Dictionary |
REF. TD 9 .L43 1992 |
Sweet’s Catalog File (10 volumes) |
REF. TH 455. S786 |
Machinery’s Handbook |
REF. TJ 151 .M33 1997 |
Annual Energy Outlook 2007 : with projections to 2030 |
REF. TJ 163.25 U6 A55 2007 |
Wiley Encyclopedia of Energy and the Environment (2 vols.) |
REF. TJ 163.235 W55 1997 |
Alternative energy : facts, statistics, and issues |
REF. TJ 808 .B467 2001 |
The Electrical Engineering Handbook |
REF. TK 145 .E354 1997 |
The Dictionary of Space Technology |
REF. TL 788 .A53 1999 |
Space Technology |
REF. TL 790 .A54 2003 |
Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook |
REF. TP 151 .P45 1997 |
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.)
Among the reference books in this database covering engineering and physics topcs are: Water: Science & Issues, Weather Almanac, Science in Dispute and Science of Everyday Things, Computer Sciences and Encyclopedia of Commincation and Information.
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.
The ACC Library subscribes to several journals relating to engineering: Chemical & Engineering News, Engineering News Record, Fine Homebuilding, and Journal of Light Construction.
New journals, starting in January 2008, are IEEE Spectrum (from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and Machine Design.
Additional journals are available in our article databases, or available through interlibrary loan. Ask a librarian if a specific journal is available online.
Here are some recommended Web sites. Of the billions of Web sites in the world, these are more appropriate for college-level research.
Professional Associations for Engineering:
National Academy of Engineering (NAE) |
http://www.nae.edu |
American Society of Civil Engineers |
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers |
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American Society of Mechanical Engineers |
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American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics |
Other Web sites:
| MIT Physics lectures: Look under "Related Links" section on this page to see actual MIT lectures by Dr. Walter Lewin, demonstrating light waves, stars, music, electricity, magnetism. | http://web.mit.edu/physics/facultyandstaff/faculty/walter_lewin.html |
American Association of Physics Teachers |
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PhysLINK: Physics & Astronomy Online |
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Physics World (news, jobs, resources) |
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Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century |
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National Science Foundation (then click on Program Areas>Engineering) |
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Fear of Physics (Laws of physics in non-technical, visual way) |
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Foresight Nanotech Institute (click on “resources” lists nanotech Internet sites) |
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| International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) From ICON and Rice University, with abstracts to scientific & news articles and technical items. ICON's mission is to "develop and communicate information regarding potential environmental and health risks of nanotechnology." |
http://icon.rice.edu/index.cfm |
How Stuff Works (with drawings, diagrams) |
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MatWeb: Material Property Data (material data sheets for plastics, metals, etc.) |
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E-How (simple explanations of how things work) |
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| How Products Are Made Offers background, manufacturing process, diagrams, more about various products. From Thomson Gale reference publishers, free version of the 7-volume printed encyclopedia, published 1994-2002. |
http://www.madehow.com/ |
Exactly How Is Math Used In Technology |
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Scirus (a science-only Web search engine) |
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FirstGov for Science (US government science & tech. sites) |
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| Politics & Science (on state of science in Bush administration) | http://oversight.house.gov/features/politics_and_science/index.htm |
ThomasNet (online version of Thomas Register of American Manufacturers: industrial products and services with product details, CAD drawings of products, more) |
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| Zycon (Directory of industrial products and services; buyer's guide for engineers and technical buyers listing manufacturers and suppliers.) | http://www.zycon.com/ |
Structural: International Database & Gallery of Structures (history and data on 3000 structures-buildings, dams, towers, bridges) |
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IEEE Spectrum - online version of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers' flagship journal Spectrum; explores creations, applicationa dn implications of new technologies and impacts on society and business. |
http:/www.spectrum.ieee.org |
| Machine Design - Online version of periodical that reports on cutting-edge technological applications. | http://www.machinedesign.com |
| Global Spec A search engine and information resource for the engineering communities; to find industrial parts and services. | http://globalspec.com |
Subject Directories:
Subject directories are collections of high-quality Web sites, selected and organized by librarians.
Librarians’ Internet Index (http://lii.org)
Search for Engineering, Solar energy, Bridges, etc., or click on Science, Computers & Technology > Engineering or another topic. From Library of California.
University at Albany Libraries’ Physics & Nanoscience guide: http://library.albany.edu/subject/physics_main.html
Large number of excellent Web sites on both physics and nanotechnology.
Search Engines:
Google (http://www.google.com)
Use this search engine's Advanced Search mode to sharpen your search by uising phrase searching, domain name and document type limits, etc.
Scirus (www.scirus.com) is a search engine searching only science-related Web pages, such as online journals, parents, conference papers, scientists' home pages, etc.
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.
Updated July 2008/DO/JM