What can books offer your research?
What if I don't have time to read a whole book?
For a large research project requiring a lot of information, you may indeed need to read all or most of a book. Sometimes you can read just a portion! Here are some tips:
- Use the Table of Contents to preview what each section or chapter is about.
- Use the index at the back of the book to locate where key concepts or terms appear in the book.
- If it's an electronic book (eBook), search inside the text to jump right to the spot where the most relevant terms appear.
How can I find a book relating to my topic?
O.W.L. is your Oakton Library catalog and discovery service for books, articles, journals, and multimedia. Select the big "Search O.W.L. Oakton's Whole Library" option located in the middle of the Library homepage or use the link in the Connect to our catalog box on this page, You'll find more details about searching the catalog in the video below.
I don't want to wait to get a printed book. Can I get something sooner? (Pssst ... eBooks!)
You have great options! First, some eBooks are listed in the Library catalog, O.W.L. Click on the "Available Online" option to narrow to only online materials. (See the video below for more details!)
What do I need to check out a book?
To check out an eBook you need to log in with your Oakton username and password.