Research Guides: COM: Library Resources

Search in Library Databases for Articles, Books, and Other Media

Note: To access databases off campus, login with your SKYCTC Email and password.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Opposing Viewpoints in Context is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. Featuring continuously updated viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is an e-reference database. With hundreds of digital reference titles from over 100 publishers, this database offers a user-friendly interface to access curated, authoritative reference sources, providing users with a firm foundation for understanding a topic. Credo helps users gather background information, find key terms and concepts, and even connect to e-journals in the library databases to access more specialized information and peer-reviewed articles.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Britannica Online: Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Includes Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, magazines, periodicals, e-books, news, multimedia, an interactive world atlas, and more.
Communications and Mass Media (Gale) This link opens in a new window
From marketing professionals to students studying for advanced degrees in linguistic theory, this collection provides current and accurate information from hundreds of journal titles focused on all aspects of the communications field. Key subjects covered include: advertising and public relations, literature and writing, linguistics, and many more.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for almost ten thousand journals, most of which are peer-reviewed titles.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Full text academic articles in physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects. Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1995. Updated daily.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Academic Video Online (AVON) (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Delivers more than 62,000 titles on a range of subject areas from anthropology to business, counseling to health, and more. Includes content like documentaries, films, and demonstrations.

Using Library Databases
Provides information about generating search terms, choosing databases, and more.

I'm beginning my research.

Type keywords in the Library Search box below to search most of the SKYCTC, KCTCS, and KYVL databases to find articles, books, and other resources.

How to Find Resources in Library Search
A short introduction to searching and saving favorites in Library Search.
Tutorial on How to Use Library Search
For an in-depth tutorial on how to do effective searches in Library Search.

Resources on the Web

LISTENING: TED Talks
Short talks on almost all topics (from science to business to global issues) with the goal to share ideas in communities around the world.
Famous Speeches in History
Say It Plain, Say It Loud
Public speech making has played a powerful role in the long struggle by African Americans for equal rights. This collection, for the ear and the eye, highlights speeches by an eclectic mix of black leaders. Their impassioned, eloquent words continue to affect the ideas of a nation and the direction of history.
Voices of Democracy
This project is designed to promote the study of great speeches and public debates. The emphasis of the project is on the actual words of those who, throughout American history, have defined the country’s guiding principles, debated the great social and political controversies of the nation’s history, and shaped the identity and character of the American people.
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World
A non-profit project, sponsored by Sweet Briar College, dedicated to preserving and creating access to speeches by inspirational, influential and contemporary, women from around the world.
ProCon.org
Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format.
GoodReads Quotes
Find quotes from famous authors.
Famous Quotes
The 120,000 most authoritative quotations on the web, with 50,000 other short selections.

Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.

Other Area Libraries

After Hours? Visit one of the area libraries below.

Visit WKU Libraries
To contact the reference desk, call (270) 745-6125.
Fill out a WKU Courier Service request
We will deliver books, DVDs, videos, and audiobooks from WKU Libraries to Main Campus, Transpark, Glasgow Health, Glasgow Tech, & Franklin campuses for you to pick up!
Use the SKYCTC Courier Service
We will deliver books, DVDs, videos, and audiobooks from the SKYCTC Main Campus library to Transpark, Glasgow Health, Glasgow Tech, & Franklin campuses for you to pick up!
Warren County Public Library Card
For assistance at the Main Library, call (270) 781-4882.
Goodnight Memorial Library
Serving Simpson County. The website lists hours and services. Call (270) 586-8397 for more information.
Allen County Public Library
Located on the square in Scottsville, this library serves the residents of Allen County. Call (270) 237-3861 for more information.
Logan County Public Library
Serving Logan County. The website lists hours and services. Call (270) 726-6129 for more information.

Help for Speeches

TOPIC FINDER from Academic OneFile
NoodleTools Express
Free citation builder you can use to create citations for items not found in library databases.

How to Create a Video for Blackboard

You can get some help creating your video in the Learning Commons and Library in L-119.

Citing Sources in Oral Presentations

Purdue Online Writing Lab: Guides for APA and MLA Style
Contains resources on in-text citations and the resource page, as well as sample papers and examples.

C.O.A.R. Criteria for Evaluating Information

Use these C.O.A.R. criteria to evaluate information:

C = Currency = Recent date / Updated / Recent copyright

O = Objectivity = Both points of view / Unbiased / Balanced

A = Authority = Author / Creator / Publisher / Organization / Sponsor

R = Reliability = Validity / Accuracy / Functionality

This short video contains questions to ask about Web resources, but you can use the technique to evaluate any resource.