Research Aids: Your Comprehensive Resource for Princeton Research
Princeton University's Library Guides serve as comprehensive starting points for academic research, offering curated access to a vast array of resources across various disciplines. These guides, considered the most important Princeton research tool by the Social Sciences Correspondent, are free online resources compiled by the university's subject librarians.
The Library Guides are organized by academic discipline, making it easy for students to find resources specific to their field of study. For instance, the Architecture Library Guides proved useful for a final research project in an Urban Studies studio course.
Each Guide lists all research resources available to students for a given field. These resources include general reference works, online databases, print resources, open-access scholarly content, and specialized collections. For example, the Chinese Studies, Economics & Finance, and South Asian Studies guides offer tailored collections and research resources relevant to those fields.
The General Reference guide covers both online and print reference resources at Princeton’s Firestone Library, explaining different types of reference works and how to use them effectively for research.
A dedicated guide for Non-Subscription (free and open) Resources provides links to freely accessible scholarly content sorted by subject, which can be valuable for researchers without access to subscription databases. This includes resources like the Directory of Open Access Journals, HathiTrust digital collections, and the Internet Archive.
Many guides also facilitate direct contact with subject librarians and specialists who can assist with research consultations, enhancing personalized support for navigating the materials available.
Some guides highlight unique collections, such as the South Asian Studies guide, which also covers cooperative collection agreements with other institutions and hosts an open-access Digital South Asia Ephemera Collection.
The Library Guides are not previously mentioned resources on campus, making them an exciting discovery for students. Exploring other disciplines' Library Guides can be helpful if a research topic spans multiple disciplines.
The Library Guides website can be accessed at libguides.princeton.edu or through the main PUL website. There, students will find guides for Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, interdisciplinary studies, and non-subject areas, ensuring that there's a guide for every academic need.
In addition, the Library Guides also feature useful databases and provide information on how to access them. A database discovered through the Architecture Library Guides was not previously known to the user, demonstrating the wealth of information that can be found within these guides.
In conclusion, Princeton’s Library Guides serve as comprehensive starting points for academic research by organizing a vast range of resources, explaining how to use them, and connecting researchers to expert assistance. Whether you're a student in need of research materials or a researcher seeking open-access scholarly content, Princeton's Library Guides are an invaluable resource.
- The library guides at Princeton University are curated by subject librarians and offer a junior paper or senior thesis researcher resources such as online databases, print resources, open-access scholarly content, and specialized collections, ensuring a well-rounded education-and-self-development in their respective fields.
- For a student working on a cross-disciplinary research project, exploring different disciplines' library guides could be beneficial, as they can provide diverse learning opportunities and resources that might not be available within one's primary area of study.
- In the process of researching for a subject, students may find valuable resources like the Directory of Open Access Journals, HathiTrust digital collections, and the Internet Archive through the dedicated guide for Non-Subscription (free and open) Resources, opening up avenues for online-education and self-development without financial barriers.
