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Environmental Studies: Sustainability

Search UFV's databases and library catalogue all at once

Discover articles, books, videos, images, statistics, and more from the Library's print and online collections

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[Note: We are working to improve access to our collections and revising our subject headings to be more respectful and inclusive. Please be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions in search results or library materials which reflect the author’s attitude or that of the period in which the item was created and may now be considered offensive.]

Using the Find It Search Box

When you have done your search, don’t forget to use the limiters. The main ones are:

Available in Library Collection.............. you will be able to read the articles/books online or find them in the library
Scholarly Peer Reviewed Journals ..... if you need journal articles only
Print Books........................................ limits mainly to our physical book, collection
Subject ................................................... a listing of alternative keywords that you can use to improve your search
Geography............................................... want to limit to Canada? use this
Limit by Database  ................................ gives you a list of the databases that have been searched (from here you can limit to only one database)

 

There are a small number of databases which are not pre-indexed in the EBSCO's central index, including  Canadian Business and Current Affairs, Canadian Newsstand, and  CPI-Q.

The database names are displayed on the right side of the screen.  You may click on the database to view the additional search results.

Remember to use this toolbar to easily:

Email yourself the article

Cite your article (provides the citation in many different styles)

Permalink links to the article whether you are on or off campus. Use this link to email to your professor, or classmates.

 

  1. By default, Find It searches all terms you have entered, without the need to use AND.  For example: children television violence will find items that contain all 3 terms.
     
  2. By default, Find It searches through the full text of documents (if available).  This may cause a large number of results, and not all are relevant to your subject.  Results are returned in a relevancy ranked order. You can change the ranking to date if you wish.
     
  3. To improve the relevancy of your search results, enclose phrases in "quotation marks".  For example:  "British Columbia" or "global warming".
     
  4. Include the apostrophe.  For example, use "handmaid's tale" rather than "handmaids tale"
     
  5. To find variant endings for a word, use the * asterisk (truncation symbol.)  For example:  delinquen* finds delinquent, delinquents, delinquency
     
  6. To find books, e-books. videos or other items in the UFV library, refine your search by selecting "Catalogue only".  You can also limit to "Print books" if you want something to hold!
     
  7. To find scholarly journal articles, refine your search by selecting "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed)"
     
  8. You can refine a search by limiting to Language. However, be aware that many English language articles have not been tagged as English, so will be missing from your search results.
     
  9. Many items have direct links to retrieve the full text. For those that don't, use "Full Text Finder" to determine if UFV has the item in print or online.
     
  10. To add in more Canadian content, explore the "Continue Search" on the right side of the screen.

System Requirements

In order to effectively use all EBSCOhost features, the minimum browser requirements are Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 8.0, Google Chrome 16, and Safari 5.1 (for Macintosh). You must also have Adobe ® Reader® installed to view the PDF Full Text files. If you are using Visual Search, you must also install   Adobe ® Flash Player 8.0 or higher.

 

Custom made UFV tutorials:

Finding Books and Videos in the UFV Library

Limiting Your Library Search to Ebooks and Streaming Videos

Finding Your Article Using Full Text Finder

 

Tutorials from the service provider:

Check Out Our Online Reference Sources

Reference books provide background information on a topic, such as definitions of terms, key figures and events, and well written overviews. They can be a useful starting point for any research project, because they fill in missing knowledge about the topic or provide you with the language of the discipline.

Example searches:

  • sustainability
  • green movement
  • renewable energy
  • environmental policy

Example searches:

  • sustainability
  • renewable energy
  • environmental policy

Search selected dictionaries and encyclopedias from Oxford University Press:

Example searches:

  • sustainability
  • green movement
  • renewable energy
  • environmental policy

"The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. "

Looking for Books, Videos, E-Resources?

Books are good place to start because they give you the bigger picture of a topic. They give you introductory information as well as current trends of thought.

Use the library catalogue by changing the words or phrase field to author and search Environment Canada. Or you could try using one of the subject headings links below

Search for books, e-books, and videos
    Author    

[Note: We are working to improve access to our collections and revising our subject headings to be more respectful and inclusive. Please be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions in search results or library materials which reflect the author’s attitude or that of the period in which the item was created and may now be considered offensive.]

Browse Environmental Sciences

In Chilliwack       In Abbostford        
GE 1 - GE 100 GE 1 - GE 100 Environmental Sciences
Search for books, e-books, and videos
    Author    

[Note: We are working to improve access to our collections and revising our subject headings to be more respectful and inclusive. Please be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions in search results or library materials which reflect the author’s attitude or that of the period in which the item was created and may now be considered offensive.]

Remember to limit your search to videos, on the left.

Example subject headings:

 
Search for Streaming Videos

Advanced Search


[Note: We are working to improve access to our collections and revising our subject headings to be more respectful and inclusive. Please be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions in search results or library materials which reflect the author’s attitude or that of the period in which the item was created and may now be considered offensive.]

Advanced Search


[Note: We are working to improve access to our collections and revising our subject headings to be more respectful and inclusive. Please be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions in search results or library materials which reflect the author’s attitude or that of the period in which the item was created and may now be considered offensive.]

Some useful strategies for successfully finding books in the UFV library:

  1. Start with a simple search of one or two keywords; once you find a book that looks relevant: click on the Title;look on the Catalog Record tab to see the subject terms used to describe the book - these can be used to search for more books and other materials on the same topic (try searching for these terms as a subject).

  2. Look for call numbers in your search results that repeat - these can lead you to good areas to browse for books (you might find hidden gems by examining the tables of contents or index).

When searching for items with the library catalogue:

  • Don’t search by using a sentence. Instead, identify the main concepts related to your research question.
  • If you don't get any results think of synonyms or other words that describe your topic
  • Truncation: searches for variant endings. Use $ in the UFV library catalog. (environ$ will find: environment, environments, environmental)
  • Use AND to combine separate concepts (environment AND sustainability)
  • use OR to combine different concepts, either of which are acceptable (global warming or climate change) and (polic$ or manag$)

In order to find a book on the shelf, you need a call number and the location. Here’s an example: GE 170 B48 2011 Stacks

Once you have a call number, you can browse that section of the shelves for more on the same subject.

 “E-books” are available electronically, no call number needed. Just click on the Visit new URL: http://ufvca.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=546543 link.

"Just Received” items are not available but you can place a hold on them to get them quickly.

“On Order” items are in the process of being purchased. This can take a long time so look for something else.

You can also request books from other campuses as well as place holds on books that are checked out.

Remember that books take a long time to be published so often their information is out of date. If you are looking for current up-to-date research, you need to look for peer-reviewed journal articles. You cannot find journal articles using the library catalogue.

Looking for Websites, Blogs, Podcasts?

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Although librarians have carefully compiled these sources, there is no substitute for your own evaluation. Use the following guides to help you.

To avoid searching through endless unreliable websites, improve your google searches from the start.

Use these as part of your search:

site:.edu (to search only U.S. universities), e.g. "environmental protection" site:.edu
site:.ac.uk (to search only UK Universities), e.g "carbon offsetting" site:.ac.uk
site:.gov (to search the US gov website.)
site:.gc.ca OR site:.canada.ca (to search the Canadian gov website.)
site:.org (to search organizations)

Also include words like disseration, thesis, or pdf to bring up more reliable documents. 

Try "carbon offsetting" pdf site:.gc.ca

Looking for Journal Articles?

When you need current, up-to date information, it is best to look for journal articles. Journal articles in peer-reviewed journals assume that you know the basics about the subject.

Here is a list of research databases that will work best. Remember that each database will give you different results so try each one.

Examples searches:

  • sustainability
  • "corporate responsibility" sustainability
  • "green growth policy"
  • "green movement"
  • "environmental policy"

Another way to find journal articles is to try and find the references listed in your readings. For example to find this citation:

Nugent, J.P. (2011). Changing the climate: Ecoliberalism, Green New Dealism, and the struggle over Green jobs in Canada.Labor Studies Journal, 36(1), 58-82.

Copy the journal title, Labor Studies Journal, and go to the UFV Journals List . Paste the journal title into the search box and see what database offers online access.

In this case, Business Source Complete. Make sure to double check the dates of coverage because the search only checks the journal title. In this case the coverage starts in 1976 so we are okay. Click on the Business Source Complete link and enter the article title "Changing the climate Ecoliberalism Green New Dealism" into the search box. You should then be able to locate the actual article.

If you are not happy with your results using the other suggested databases, try these following databases. Also remember that the main search box at the top of this page searches many databases all together.

About Statistics

Statistics are useful in many ways; in addition to enhancing one's understanding of a subject, they can provide persuasive evidence for a point of view. You can find statistics on just about any topic, but it helps to first ask yourself some key questions about the data you're seeking:

  • What group or organization would be producing such statistics?
  • Why would they need the data, and how would they acquire it?
  • Would they have the means and incentive to publish it?
  • Would they be required to report to information to a government agency (which one)?

In other words, It's helpful to consider where you might reasonably expect to find the data - this can save you hours of fruitless searching.

Statistical Information

Library Links

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If you think you need to talk to a librarian, there are a variety of ways to get in contact.

  • You can just come to the service desk in any of our locations and ask for help.
  • You can call or email us
  • But if you think you need some extended time with us (face to face or via zoom), feel free to book an appointment.

​​​​​​​Just click on the link below, chose your location and you can choose a specific librarian or select "no preference."

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