Google Scholar is one of APU/UAA Consortium Library’s “Featured” databases. Access to it can be found on our A-Z Databases page. Accessing Google Scholar this way allows for the results of your query to showcase what we as an institution have access to versus directing you to paywalls that are not part of the library’s collection.

If you are familiar with our QuickSearch option to research, and have experience using Boolean Operators to search, it is important to note that Google Scholar does not use all the Boolean operators the same as other databases would. Below is a chart that shows some of the differences and similarities.

Looking for a way to make your winter semester more fun? UAA students can join the Anchorage Public Library’s Winter Reading Challenge, explore thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks from the Alaska Digital Library, and earn free pizza, stickers, and bookmarks. Whether you’re reading for class, research, or just for fun, this challenge turns reading into rewards.

Access Thousands of eBooks with the Alaska Digital Library

The collection has something for every kind of reader:

• Popular and literary fiction
• Professional development and career-focused titles
• Audiobooks for listening between classes
• Magazines for research or casual reading

Many of the books and resources you’re already using for class can also count toward the reading challenge, so you can combine schoolwork with fun reading – and earn rewards at the same time!

How to Use the Alaska Digital Library

Getting started with ADL is simple. The Consortium Library has a helpful guide that walks you through:

• Logging in with your library credentials or Wolf Card
• Browsing and searching for eBooks and audiobooks
• Borrowing, placing holds, and downloading titles
• Using the Libby app on mobile devices

Check out the full guide here: Alaska Digital Library Guide.

How the Winter Reading Challenge Works

The Anchorage Public Library hosts the Winter Reading Challenge for Grownups with a bingo-style card full of reading prompts. The challenge encourages you to explore new genres, formats, and topics.

Here’s how to participate:

1. Pick up a bingo card at any APL location or download it online. Your Wolf Card works at all branches.
2. Complete prompts using print books, eBooks, or audiobooks. Many class or research readings may qualify.
3. Complete a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of five squares to get bingo.
4. Turn in your completed card at any APL location by March 15.
5. It’s a fun and flexible way to track your reading without feeling like extra homework.

Rewards: Free Pizza, Stickers, and Bookmarks

Finish a bingo and turn in your card by March 15, and you’ll get a $10 gift card to Saverio’s Pizzeria.

This month (and every month) you can dive deeper into Black History through the many resources available at the library.

We have a number of eBooks available in our collection through EBook Central. Here are some highlights!

Sisters in the Struggle : African American Women in the Civil Rights-Black Power Movement by Bettye Collier-Thomas and V. P. Franklin

Reconstructing the Dreamland : The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, Race Reparations, and Reconciliation by Alfred L. Brophy and Randall Kennedy

Race and Radicalism in the Union Army by Mark A. Lause

Transcending the Color Line : The Sociology of Black Experience in America by Bobby E. Mills

The Library of Congress has an impressive collection of photographs and primary documents. While items can be searched, they’re also grouped in thematic categories. You can explore the African American History section here.

The book Black Lives in Alaska by UAA Professor Dr. Ian Hartman explores the historical legacy of Black Alaskans which spans before statehood. This is the second of Dr. Hartman’s book. You can find it here at the Consortium Library or at your local public library branch.

Also locally focused, Black in Alaska is a photo and interview project that explores contemporary stories of Black Alaskans, featuring individuals from around the state.

A couple of other highlights in our collection include Black Art: A Cultural History, which explores the artistic achievements of the African diaspora throughout history and it has been updated to include the first two decades of the twenty-first century; and America on Fire: the untold history of police violence and Black rebellion since the 1960s, which examines the history of policing and protest from the civil rights era to today.

These resources just scratch the surface! We hope you continue to explore Black history all year round and reach out to us if you need any help finding particular resources!

As the Spring Semester is in full swing, you might be starting to research topics for upcoming assignments and papers. One of the first steps in the research process is choosing a topic, identifying keywords, and beginning to search for resources.

If you are having trouble choosing keywords, you can find useful Self-Guided Help Tutorials under the Research Help Tab on the Library website.

The following tutorials/LibGuides are a great starting point if you are new to research and the library:

• What to Put in a Search Box
• Using QuickSearch
• Internet Searching
• Using the Library Catalog

Navigating different information retrieval systems can be different. The tutorials above will guide you on how to search effectively, regardless of whether you are using our library website and catalog or an internet search engine.

If you are still having trouble after reviewing the above tutorials and need more help brainstorming topics and /or keywords, do not hesitate to reach out to a librarian; you can always Ask Us! or Schedule a one-on-one meeting with a Subject Librarian.

Be aware that if you need help editing your writing, the UAA Learning Commons, which is located on the first floor of the APU/UAA Consortium Library, is home to the Writing Center. There, you can connect with a tutor either in-person or online by appointment.

Good luck with all your research endeavors!

Submit an undergraduate project that you worked on this semester utilizing library resources and you will be considered for the annual Consortium Library Award – you could win $500! Applications are being accepted now through May 5, 2026 and winners will be awarded in the spring.

The award recognizes and honors undergraduate research papers or projects that demonstrate significant use of the Library’s collections or services. To apply for the award, you’ll submit your project and a reflective essay through an application portal. UAA and APU undergraduate students can submit a paper or project from the summer 2025, fall 2025, or spring 2026 semesters.

Not sure if you should apply? If you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you’re eligible!

• Did you use the Consortium Library for a research paper or project in an undergraduate class at UAA or APU?
• Did your use of the Library’s collections or services help increase the breadth and significance of what you learned?
• Did your skills as a researcher grow as a result of completing this paper or project?
• Does your paper or project include a complete, consistently formatted bibliography, reference list, or works cited?
• Did you complete your paper or project in summer 2025, fall 2025, or spring 2026?

To learn more about the award and the application process, visit this page. We hope that you will apply!