Computer Science Subject Guide

Reference Dictionaries &Encyclopedias
Finding Scholarly Publications Using Electronic Resources
Indexes and Abstracts in Printed Sources
Locating Journals at the CWU Library
Internet Sites for Computer Science


Reference Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

How to Locate Reference Books

Listed in the table below are reference books which can help to define and narrow a topic in computer science. These books are found in the CWU Library's Reference Collection. To find other art reference books, do a keyword search on the library catalog CATTRAX (URL: http://library.cwu.edu/) using specific search terms such as "computer programs" or "linux." By using the limit/sort feature, you can also narrow the search to WHERE the item is located, such as Reference.

Reference Books for Starters

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Handbooks
Encyclopedia of Computer Science QA 76.15 E48 2000 Ref
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Personal Computing QA 76.15 G53 Ref
Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary QA 76.15 M54 Ref
Software Encyclopedia QA 76.753 S67 Ref.
Dictionary of computer science, engineering, and technology QA76.15 .D5258 2001 Ref
Biographical Sources
Computer Pioneers QA 76.2 A2 L44 Ref
American men & women of science

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Finding Scholarly Publications Using Electronic Resources

Periodicals, particularly scholarly journals, in the field of art are excellent places to find relevant articles on computer science topics. To find periodical articles, use the following electronic indexes which are available from the CWU Library Databases page.
Article First
Indexes and abstracts over 12,000 academic journals in science, technology, medicine, social science, business, the humanities and popular culture.

Britannica Online
Online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Electronic Collections Online - FirstSearch
Indexing for approximately 3700 academic and scholarly journals.

Lexis Academic Universe
Thousands of full-text news sources (newspapers, wire services, transcripts and newsletters) from around the world, business and trade journals, industry and company information, hundreds of law reviews, and full text of Federal and state case law.

National Newspapers
A full-text news resource containing comprehensive coverage of current issues and events. Full text of 9 national newspapers.

Papers First
Includes a description of over 580,000 papers presented at conferences, congresses, expositions, workshops, symposia and meetings.

PubScience
"A World Wide Web service developed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) to facilitate searching and accessing peer reviewed journal literature in the physical sciences and otherenergy-related disciplines." This index provides journal article citations and abstracts only.

Research Library Periodicals
Use this database to find articles on topics in the humanities, including art, literature, history, philosophy and religion. A good starting place for library research. Includes the full-text of many articles and access to backfile with older articles.

Washington State Newsstand
Full text of Washington state and regional papers.

Web of Science
Index, abstracts, bibliographies, and cited references to articles from over 5,700 science journals. This index provides journal article citations and abstracts only.

WorldCat
An international online catalog for the books in library collections all over the world, with holding information on over 36 million items. Useful for finding books which can be obtained through InterLibrary Loan (ILL).

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Indexes and Abstracts in Printed Sources

Indexes and abstracts are also available to help students find journal articles on specific topics in computer science. Many of the print indexes are more comprehensive than electronic sources, although they may take more time to use.

General Science Index Z 7401 G46 Ref. Index
Readers Guide to Periodical Literature AI 3 R48 Ref. Index
London Times Index, 1790-present AI 21 T52 Ref Index
New York Times Index, 1851-present AI 21 N45 Ref Index

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Locating Journals at the CWU Library

Step 1: Check CATTRAX and the CWU Library Full Text Title List
  • Consult CATTRAX, the library's online catalog to determine if the library owns a specific journal.
  • Note whether the journal is available in paper or on microform.
  • Current issues of journals are on the 2nd floor of the library in Room #201.
  • Back issues are bound and kept in the stacks on the 2nd floor.
  • Back issues which are on microfilm or microfiche are kept in the Microforms Room, #302, on the 3rd floor of the library.

Step 2: Interlibrary Loan

  • Interlibrary Loan is a form of resource sharing between libraries for acquiring materials which are not part of their own collections.
  • ILL and Document Delivery are available to anyone holding a valid CWU Library card.
  • Fees may vary depending on affiliation and level of service required.

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Internet Sites for Computer Science

The Virtual Library: Computing
From MIT's World Wide Web Consortium (W3), a good starting point.

Dictionary of Science and Technology
Good starting point for definitions and overviews of terms and concepts.

InfoMine: Physical Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, Math
Links to everything from computational mechanics to computer network protocols to computer languages to more...

Librarians' Index to the Internet: Computers
Info on everything from computer dictionaries to device drivers to Linux to telecommuting.

Internet Public Library (IPL): Computers and Internet
Excellent and broad-ranging links on "the machines, their connections, and their capabilities." Highly recommended.

EEVL - The Internet Guide to Engineering, Mathematics and Computing
"Created and run by a team of information specialists from a number of universities and institutions in the UK for students, staff and researchers in higher and further education, as well as anyone else working, studying or looking for information in Engineering, Mathematics and Computing."

DevShed: the Open Source Web Development Site
This site has great info for anyone interested in Web-based applications, from Apache Web server software to Linux to PHP programming tricks to mySQL database applications.

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters
Very ecclectic web site for computer professionals, serious programmers, and the just plain curious. Has a strong focus on open source software and applications.

An Atlas of Cyberspaces
"This site pulls together various efforts underway in the world that are trying to visualize the 'space' of global communications and data traffic in a way that aids people in understanding what is happening. Very cool pictures."

Hobbes' Internet Timeline
Excellent table illustrating the history of the Internet with lots of links to events, achievements, and people.

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If you need assistance finding resources on art topics, contact a librarian in the Reference Department on the 1st floor of the library. Telephone: 963-1021.


Questions or comments? Write to us at library@www.lib.cwu.edu

This page last modified: Apr 05 2002

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