Books

Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that synthesize information on a topic.

Libraries organize and store their book collections on shelves called "stacks." Some books are now available electronically on the Web (ebooks) and are purchased by your library.

Use a Book

to get background or overview on a topic
when looking for extensive or in-depth information on a topic
to put your topic in context with other important issues
to find historical information
to find summaries of research to support an argument
to find additional sources within the bibliography or footnotes

Examples

Understanding Jihad by David Cook (2005)
Great War in History : Debates and Controversies, 1914 to the Present by Jay Winter and Antoine Prost (2005)
Hydrology : an Introduction by Wilfried Brutsaert (2005)
21st century Game Design by Chris Bateman, Richard Boon (2006)

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Last modified: Aug 03, 2006, 10:27 EDT