Core 156   New Wild West - Wolves in the West   

research guide
Librarian: Nancy Sprague
E-mail: nsprague@uidaho.edu

UI Library Website: www.lib.uidaho.edu

If you need additional help with your research, try:
Books
For background information on wolves, search the Library Catalog for books. Books may contain a broad overview of a topic or an in-depth exploration of a topic. Books range from popular to scholarly and as with all sources, you should be aware of the author's credentials. 
How To Find Books
Books located at the UI Library, the UI Law Library, NIC (Coeur d'Alene), and LCSC (Lewiston) can be found by searching the Library Catalog.
Selected Books for Research on Wolves in the West

Many useful books about wolves can be found in the section QL737.C22 on the third floor of the Library, as well as other locations in the Library. Here are a few examples:

Title/Description

Call #
Wolves: Behavior, Ecology & Conservation QL737.C22 W6477 2003
Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids QL737.C22 B56 2004
Wolves and Human Communities QL737.C22 W6475 2001
Vicious: Wolves and Men in America QL737.C22 C62 2004
Beyond Wolves: The Politics of Wolf Recovery and Management QL737.C22 N53 2003
Wolf Wars QL737.C22 F56 1995
Wolf Recovery in Central Idaho SD1.R366 no. 4
Finding Common Ground HC103.7F54 2002
The Sawtooth Wolves Oversize QL 737.C22 D88 1996

 
Articles
Articles are found in periodicals.  Examples of periodicals are magazines, journals, and newspapers. Scholarly (also called peer-reviewed or refereed) journals are one of the primary means of disseminating ideas in academic scholarship. 

If you are unsure how to differentiate between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine, some helpful websites are:

 
How To Find Articles
To find articles published in magazines or journals about wolves, search for your topic in the Library's article databases.  First, select an appropriate database from the Library's Finding Articles page. 

The next to the database title gives information about the coverage of the database. 

After selecting a database to search, type in your search terms. Articles are generally more specific than books and may require a narrower search. 

 

Selected Article Indexes for the New Wild West

Title/Description
EbscoSearch:  A good general index for starting your research. Articles are from a wide range of magazines and journals. Links are provided to some full text articles.
Wildlife and Ecology Studies Worldwide: Provides citations and abstracts to the world literature on wild mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Links are provided to some full text articles.
America: History and Life:   A good database for finding regional historical  materials. 
Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management: Contains the full-text of some articles. Articles are primarily from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals. 

Newspapers

To find newspaper articles for a specific geographic region, search the following newspaper indexes.

Title/Description
Lexis/Nexis: Click on "News", then enter your topic. Contains the full text of recent news articles.
Newspaper Source: Provides access to additional regional and national newspapers.

 
Government Information
Government publications come from state, federal, and foreign governments, as well as intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations. Many government publications are primary source documents. 

Keep in Mind:

  • A great place to look for statistical information
  • Government publications are often organized differently than the other collections in a library. Ask a reference librarian for help.
  • The University of Idaho Library is both an Idaho state and federal depository library. This means we have most government publications from these two jurisdictions.
How To Find Government Resources
Government documents can be difficult to find. How to Find Government Information is a good place to start. Once you have a call number for an item, you need to go to Government Documents on the 1st floor of the library.
Internet Resources
Information on the Internet ranges from the free web to electronic books, journals, etc. that the library pays for. The Internet is a wonderful source for many different types of information. It is important to remember that anyone can publish something on the web and it is critical to evaluate your source carefully. The library's Website Evaluation Criteria can help you choose reliable information.
How To Find Internet Resources
For some tips on the differences between search engines see this UC Berkeley tutorial The Best Search Engines.
Selected Internet Resources

Title/Description

URL
Wolf Education and Research Center http://www.wolfcenter.org
International Wolf Center http://www.wolf.org
US Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov
US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us
Idaho Fish and Game http://fishandgame.idaho.gov
Idaho Governor's Office of Species Conservation http://species.idaho.gov/thr_endgr.html
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Sometimes, you will be required to use primary and/or secondary sources in your research. It can be difficult to know the difference. The same source might be a primary resource for one topic and a secondary resource for another. The website below will help you to locate and understand the difference between the two types of sources.
Citing your sources gives credit to the author and also allows other researchers to locate the works that you used in your paper. Guidelines for citing your sources, along with examples, can be found in style guides listed on the following websites: