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Your Library Card
Your WatCard is your Library card. Use it to borrow books from Waterloo and other University Libraries, as well as to remotely access the Waterloo Library's electronic resources.
Remote Access to Electronic Resources at the Waterloo Library
To access the Library's electronic resources (databases, ejournals, ebooks, etc.):
Basic Searching Techniques
- Choose an appropriate resource
- Books
- Articles
- databases
- specific journals
- Primary Sources
- Break down your topic
- imagine the title of the ideal book or magazine article
- identify the key concepts
- think of synonyms or alternate words for each of the key concepts
- Use appropriate searching techniques
- boolean operators (and, or, not)
- phrase searching
- truncation/wildcard symbols
- field searching
- setting limits
- refining your search (using subject headings/descriptors and other terminology)