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*Engineering Research

This research guide offers an introduction to engineering research, helping you find and evaluate a wide range of technical and scholarly sources.

SuperSearch: Searching for Books

Before beginning your search, first select the SuperSearch Option you want to use when you search:

  • SuperSearch: Searches the physical collection and ebooks 
  • Everything: Searches most of the physical collection and select databases
  • Course Reserves: Searches the collection of books at the circulation desk

Once you have selected the correct option, your searches should provide you with more helpful resources.  

Beginning Your Search

  1. In SuperSearch's Advanced Search, in the search bar, you can type in the book title or keywords, subject topic, or author in the search box. Then, in the Material Type, click on the drop-down menu and select Books. This option searches for both physical and ebooks. 
  2. Then, click on the green magnifying glass search option to search for possible books and ebooks.

Refining the Search Results

  • If you want to view only physical or only ebooks, in the left-hand toolbar, go to the Show Only section and click on the checkbox area for either the Online at CSU-Pueblo or Print (Fort Collins & Pueblo) option.
  • If you are looking for physical books, you can also filter the results to a certain library. In the Library section, click on the checkbox for a certain library.
  • An additional helpful filter is the Publication Date, which will let you adjust the date range of when the book was published. This can be useful if you are looking for books from a certain timeframe. 
  • Then, at the bottom of the toolbar, click on Apply Filters.

Accessing a Book or eBook

  • The search results will indicate at a glance if an ebook has Online Access or if a physical book is Available at the CSU-Pueblo Library or the Morgan Library. If you want additional information, you can click the book title.
  • To access the full text of an ebook, scroll to the section called View Online. In this section, it will list the databases that have the book's full text.
  • For physical books, scroll to Find a Copy, which will list which library has the book and shelf location. 
  • To help you provide the reference citation for the article, scroll to the Send To section and click on Citation. Remember to double-check this citation because there might be some mistakes. 

Special Note: Although the Morgan Library is at the Fort Collins campus, the book can be brought down to the Pueblo campus.  

Accessing an eBook

Once you have identified an eBook you wish to access:

  • Viewing Options: Click on the title of the eBook. This will take you to the detailed record page. On this page, you will find an "Access Options" dropdown menu. From here, you can typically choose to read the eBook online in either PDF Full Text or EPUB Full Text format. PDF is often preferred for retaining original formatting, while EPUB is generally more adaptable for reading on various devices.
  • Full Download (Offline Access): For offline reading, many EBSCO eBooks offer a "Full Download" option. Be aware that this typically requires a free My EBSCOhost account and the installation of Adobe Digital Editions software due to certain restrictions. Downloaded eBooks are usually available for a limited borrowing period.
  • Chapter Downloads/Printing: Most EBSCO eBooks allow you to download or print individual chapters or specified page ranges. Look for options within the online reader or on the detailed record page regarding "Chapter Download" or "Print/Save Pages." Pay attention to any stated page limits.
  • Citation Tool: EBSCO provides a citation tool to generate citations in various styles. After clicking on the quotation mark icon, the database will generate a reference citation in the citation style you can select. Remember to double-check these citations since they are auto-generated.
  • Chapter Downloads/Printing: Most EBSCO eBooks allow you to download or print individual chapters or specified page ranges. Look for options within the online reader or on the detailed record page regarding "Chapter Download" or "Print/Save Pages." Pay attention to any stated page limits.

Accessing an eBook

On the eBook's Detail Page, you'll find options for access:

  • Read Online: Most eBooks can be read directly within your web browser. This option provides an online reader with features like searching within the book, highlighting, and adding notes.
  • Download Chapters/Full Book: ProQuest eBook Central often allows you to download individual chapters or, for some titles, the entire book for a limited period. Usually, eBooks have certain restrictions on downloading a copy, such as user limits or download durations, which are indicated on the book's Detail Page.
  • Citation Tool: ProQuest provides a citation tool to generate citations in various styles. After clicking on the "Cite Book" link, the database will generate a reference citation in the citation style you can select. Remember to double-check these citations since they are auto-generated.

Prospector is a regional catalog of public and special libraries across Colorado and Wyoming, with access to over 20 million books, journals, DVDs, CDs, videos, and other materials held in these libraries.

Beginning Your Search

First, search in SuperSearch to make sure the item is not already available in the library and ready for you to check out immediately. If the item is not available in SuperSearch, visit "Prospector" through our link. In the main search bar, you can search by the title, author, keywords, or subject. While reviewing the search results, note that Prospector may display records for electronic resources; however, we request only physical items.

Physical item requests typically arrive within three to five days, though some may take longer. If you're requesting a copy of an item (like an article or book chapter) through Interlibrary Loan, it could arrive as quickly as one day. Please factor in this waiting period when making your request.

Refining the Search Results

When viewing search results, click on the title of an item to see its detailed record. Pay attention to the availability status at the owning libraries. This will indicate if a library has copies that are currently available for request.

  • Publication Date: In the “Refine by:” toolbar, one option is to narrow your results by publication year. In the boxes under “Publish Date,” enter the publication timeframe you want to narrow the results to and then select “apply.”
  • Adjusting the Format: To help filter the results to a certain format in the “Refine by:” to can adjust what format is in the search results. If you still have a large number in the search results, consider adding another keyword or adjusting the publication timeframe.
  • Reference Citation: To help you provide the reference citation for the item, under the “Request it” link is a quote ( “ ) icon, which provides the citation. Please double-check this citation, as there may be mistakes. 

Requesting an Item

  1. Once you've identified a physical book or other material you wish to borrow, look for the "Request Item" that is usually located near the title of the item.
  2. A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to select your institution from a drop-down list. Scroll down to select “Alliance – Colorado State Univ – Pueblo.”
  3. Then enter your name and NetID number (include a capital C or LID), which sets your preferred pickup location to the library's front circulation desk.
  4. After selecting "Submit," your request will be placed. When a Prospector item arrives at the library, you will receive an email notification that the item is ready for pickup.

WorldCat is a massive catalog of the holdings of libraries globally. It's your go-to resource for discovering a wide range of materials and initiating Interlibrary Loan requests for items not available at CSU-Pueblo.

Beginning Your Search

Begin by navigating to our WorldCat link on our research guides and “Databases A-Z" list. At times it you may need to enter your NetID (include the c) and password before accessing WorldCat. In the search bar, you can enter search terms such as keywords, title, author's name, or subject terms. If you have multiple search terms, you can use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to narrow the results. To search using the Advanced Search option. First, click on the "Advanced Search" link under the Search button. With the advanced search option, you can search in specific fields (for example: "Title," "Author," "Subject"), and apply narrowing filters such as publication date range or format.

After entering the search terms, adjusting the search index, Boolean Operators, and setting the filters, at the bottom right of the search page is the Search button that will begin the search process. 

It is important to remember that physical item requests typically arrive within three to five days, though some may take longer. If you're requesting a copy of an item (like an article or book chapter) through Interlibrary Loan, it could arrive as quickly as one day. Please factor in this waiting period when making your request.

Refining the Search Results

Your search results will display items from libraries globally. The left toolbar provides narrowing options that can help adjust the search to locate the item.

  • Relevance Ranking: Results are typically ranked by relevance.
  • "Libraries Worldwide": This key feature will indicate how many libraries hold the item and, importantly, which ones are closest to your specified location (often automatically detected, but you can adjust your zip code).
  • Format Filters: On the left-hand side of the results page, utilize the filters to narrow down your results by Format ("Book," "eBook," "Article," "Journal," "Audio," "Video," "Archival Material"). This is an important filter since WorldCat contains records for many types of resources.
  • Publication Date: Refine by Year or a custom date range to focus on more recent scholarship or historical materials as needed.
  • Subject/Author: Use the Subject and Author facets to explore related terms or to see more works by a particular author.

Requesting an Item

Once you've identified a physical book or other material you wish to borrow, from the page that provides all the details on the item, you can:

  1. Gather the citation information by clicking on the box that has a quotation mark ( " ) followed by "Cite." WorldCat will then generate a reference citation in the citation style you can select. Remember to double-check these citations since they are auto-generated.
  2. Begin the Interlibrary Loan Request by clicking on the "Request Item through Interlibrary Loan" button link located on the right side of the screen.
  3. This will then have you log in to our Interlibrary Loan system and display the request form.
  4. Review and Submit the Form: Since the ILL request form will often be pre-populated with information from the WorldCat record. It is important for you to review the details to make sure the needed boxes have information, and finally, at the bottom of the form, click Submit request.
  5. When the requested item arrives, you will receive a notification to pick the item up from the circulation desk.  

Finding Books in the Library

SuperSearch catalog entry for book

The First Line Describes the Subject

The first letter indicates a vast subject area (and the floor the book is located), which becomes more focused by adding a second and possibly a third letter.  

BF -- The broad subject is: Psychology

The Second and Third Lines Describe the Topic and Sub-Topic

The second line of a call number can be a whole number, anywhere from 1 to 9999, but if it has a decimal, it further defines the topic.

1576 .B79 -- The main topic and subtopic focus on: Witchcraft

 

The Fourth Line Displays the Year of Publication

Publication dates are shelved in chronological order.

2003 -- This book was published in 2003

If there is a Fifth (or Last) Line it Displays a Volume or Copy Number

If a call number has a fifth (or final) line, it indicates a specific volume (vol. 1) or copy (c. 1). 

The University Library has arranged the subjects and categories of books available on each floor:

  • 6th Floor: General Works, Philosophy, Religion, Social Sciences, History of the Americas, Geography, Political Science, and more.
  • 5th Floor: Music and Books on Music, Fine Arts, and Literature.
  • 4th Floor: Language and Literature, Medicine, Technology, Natural History, and various government documents.
  • 3rd Floor: Children's and Young Adult literature, family-friendly resources.
  • 1st Floor: Reference books and new collections.

Image of a floor plan for Colorado State University Pueblo's University Library. The plan lists the subjects and categories of books available on each floor: 6th Floor: General Works, Philosophy, Religion, Social Sciences, History of the Americas, Geography, Political Science, and more. 5th Floor: Music and Books on Music, Fine Arts, and Literature. 4th Floor: Language and Literature, Medicine, Technology, Natural History, and various government documents. 3rd Floor: Children's and Young Adult literature, family-friendly resources. 1st Floor: Reference books and new collections.