Research Help at Beaman Library
Whatever your research project, the Beaman library is equipped to help you succeed! This guide will introduce you to all the different kinds of support available to you.
How to search Lipscomb's Library
The homepage search bar searches almost everything Lipscomb's library has access to, including print books, eBooks, journal articles, newspaper articles, reports, and videos on any topic you are looking for. The databases that cannot be searched using the main search bar are listed just below the search bar.
Using the Search Bar
When using the primary search bar, it is important to remember not to enter your whole research question; instead, use what we call search terms, or key words or phrases relevant to your topic.
Navigating the Results list
When you hit "search" on your search terms, you will be taken to the results page, where you will be presented with a list of titles relevant to your search terms in order of best match.
Filtering your results
There are a series of search filters located on the left hand side of the page that are designed to help you narrow your results to more easily find what you're looking for.
The "Held by Library" filter distinguishes between the University and Academy libraries. Pay close attention to the "Content Type" filter, as this is where you can filter by "full text" and "peer reviewed" to be sure you are finding scholarly articles that you can read in full. "Publication Year" allows you to find titles from a specific date range, and the "format" filter allows you to specify what type of resource you are looking for.
When conducting research, it will be important to keep your references saved so you can access them at various points during your research process.
Signing into your Library Account
To save anything to your library account, you must sign in using the "my account" button below the main search bar, or by selecting "sign in" in the upper right hand corner of the results page. If the "sign in" link still appears and your name is not displayed, nothing will be saved to your to your account.
Saving items to your Library Account
Once you have signed into your library account, saving items is a simple as clicking the "save" button in the top right corner of any title you'd like to save. Titles you have saved will show up in your "saved items" list at the top of the page.
Research guides tell you what specific resources will be most helpful to you for a given subject, discipline or major. They are an excellent place to begin with any research project, but especially if you are unfamiliar with your topic.
Finding the research guides
You can find the list of research guides via the "Research Guides" button below the main search bar.
This button will take you to the full list of research guides, organized in alphabetical order. All of the guides in the list are subject or resource specific, so simply scroll through the list until you find what you need.
Navigating the guides
The layout of each individual guide may vary, but generally, once you have found the guide that best suits your needs, you can navigate through the various boxes and tabs at the top of the guide to find different types of sources relevant to your project.
eJournal Finder:
Our eJournal Finder is connected to our Browzine platform. Browzine digitally mimics the experience of picking up a print-copy journal and flipping through it. You can find journals related to your field or topic and browse for interesting articles.
Note: Browzine only searches at the journal level, not the article level.
Finding a Database:
You can access our alphabetical list of databases via the "search for a database" box below the main search bar.
If you are having trouble accessing an article by clicking the View PDF or View Full Text link, please contact Lipscomb’s Electronic Resources Librarian and report the title of the article you are attempting to access and attach a screenshot of the error message you are receiving.
After you report your access issue, using the following strategies may help you succeed in obtaining the information you need:
- Instead of using the View PDF or View Full Text links, click into the article record and scroll down until you see the "Access Online" tab and see what other links are available.
- In that same “Access Online” section, you should be able to see which database the article is coming from. Go to the A-Z Databases page by clicking “Resources” in the top left-hand corner and search for the article in the database itself. By visiting the A-Z Databases list, you can locate the database you need, and search for your article there directly.
Library Bookings
Booking a research appointment will give you up to an hour of one-on-one time with a librarian to help you with anything relating to your research project.
How to book a research appointment
You can find the booking window via the "Book a research appointment" button below the main search bar.
Making your appointment
When looking at the booking grid, you will first be asked to choose an appointment type and staff member. There are three different types of research appointments: one for learning how to use each of our citation management tools, Academic Writer & EndNote, and one for general research help.
Once you have selected an appointment type and staff member, you will be asked to choose a date and time from that librarian's availability.
Confirming your appointment
The final step in booking a research appointment is filling out the appointment details form. This form may vary slightly depending on which librarian you are meeting with, but it will generally ask for your Lipscomb information and some details about the project you are working on. This is also where you can indicate if you need the appointment to be virtual via zoom.
Once you finish this form and click "confirm appointment" at the bottom of the page, both you and the librarian you're meeting with will receive a confirmation email with google calendar information. If you should need to cancel your appointment for any reason, you can do so via this confirmation email.
Note: Any research appointment can be done via zoom if necessary, but the zoom link will come to you in a separate email from the librarian you are meeting with.
There are seven reservable study rooms available to students in the Beaman library. These rooms hold up to four students and come equipped with apple TVs, whiteboards, and various other study supplies. They can be booked for up to two hours per booking and each student is allowed three bookings per week. Study rooms may only be booked up to two weeks in advance.
How to book a study room
You can find the booking grid via the "Book a study room" button below the main search bar.
How to use the study room booking grid
The booking grid is divided into 30min blocks, with green squares indicating available time slots. Select the square at the beginning of the time slot you'd like to book the room and the system will automatically select the three behind it to give you your full two hour window.
Note: If you don't need the study room for the full two hours, please use the drop down bar below the grid to select an earlier end time for your booking.
Confirming your appointment
After reading the study room terms of use, the final step in booking a study room is filling out the booking details form. This form will ask for your Lipscomb information, and serves as your agreement to abide by the terms of use.
Note: you must use your "...@mail.lipscomb.edu" student email address to complete your booking.
Once you finish the form and click "submit my booking" at the bottom of the page, you will receive a confirmation email. You must show this confirmation email at the check-out desk on the library's main floor in order to check into your reservation and collect the study room key.