Halloween, the spookiest time of year, is eclipsed only by the scare you get when you realize it’s 10pm on a Sunday night and you have an 8 page paper due at midnight. But don’t worry, the library has a secret that might just help you in your hour of need. We have over 250 guides that cover a wide variety of topics that can help you get started!

There are general guides that cover research like Business and Nursing, but there are also guides that cover specific topics in depth, like Scholarly vs Popular Sources, Filipino History Month, Citing Sources, and more. Some classes, like JUST 110, BIOL 108, and ART 492 get guides written just for their class. Archives and Special Collections also publish guides to their materials so if you ever wanted to do research on Alaska during the Cold War Era, Fur Rondy, or the construction of the Alaska Highway, they have you covered.

Each guide is separated into several sections, including where to start when you begin research, where to go once you have the basics, additional resources, and related guides that can help you build out your research. Additionally, if you ever get stuck, every guide has links to connect you to a Reference librarian, whether by phone, text, chat, or email.  You could even schedule an individual appointment with a librarian.

If you are ever stuck and you just don’t know where to begin, take a look at all one of our guides or give us a call. We are always ready to help you tackle the scariest of assignments and get you started down the right path!

Have you ever finished reading a book that was so good you just couldn’t put it down? But then the book ended and the sequel wasn’t being published for another few months? What do you do in the meantime, just stop reading? No! You try to find another great book to read, and NoveList can help you find that next great read!

At its core, NoveList can recommend you a book based on another book or author you type into the search bar. It breaks books down into various genres, themes, and ideas and helps you find something similar. Take for example a book I just finished, The Time It Never Rained, by Elmer Kelton about a cattle rancher in 1919, faced with losing his farm, land, and cattle due to a 6-year drought.

As you can see on the side, NoveList already has a list of titles it thinks I’ll enjoy next, including The Range War of 82′, and Rio Tinto. However, if I scroll down the page just a bit, I can search again using some key terms that identify specific thinks about the novel I liked. Selecting the key words and searching again gives me even more titles to enjoy!

Keep refining your search with the tools available to find the perfect book for you! If we don’t have a copy available at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, make sure to place a hold on the book. Your library card can get you books from other libraries across the state, so no need to miss out on your next favorite book!

Happy reading!