Finding Books

Books provide valuable information about the history and philosophy of education, including policy and reform, offer assessment tools, unit plans, and detailed methods of instruction. Children's literature and picture books are the cornerstone for promoting literacy in the classroom. Remember to look at publication dates of books and note that journal articles may furnish more recent research and findings.

To locate books owned by Niagara University Library, use the Library Catalog.

Search for books owned by other libraries using WorldCat, a catalog that contains references to more than 57 million items owned by 9,000 libraries worldwide. To obtain a book from another library, you can place an Interlibrary Loan and we will order the book for you. To learn how, jump to the section called Obtaining Materials NU Library Does Not Own.

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Finding Facts, Statistics and Web Sites

These titles are located in the Reference Collection on the first floor across from the Reference Desk.

• The Encyclopedia of Education (LB15 .E47 2003)
• The Encyclopedia of School Psychology (LB1027.55 .E523 2005)
• The Encyclopedia of Special Education (LC4007 .E53 2000)
• The Greenwood Dictionary of Education (LB15 .G68 2003)
• Learning Theories A-Z (LB15 .L4695 2002)
• Mental Measurements Yearbook (Z 5814 .P8 B932)

The World Wide Web is a great place to find statistical data. Try these sites:

U.S. Dept. of Education
http://www.ed.gov/

The U.S. Dept. of Education collects data on America's schools and disseminates research, focuses national attention on key educational issues, prohibits discrimination and ensures equal access to education through the No Child Left Behind Act

National Center for Education Statistics. (2006).
http://nces.ed.gov/

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.

Web Sites with Education Resources:

Discovery Channel. discoveryschool.com (2006).
http://school.discovery.com/

Treasure trove of K-12 lesson plans which can be sorted by subject or grade, teaching tools, homework helpers, study starters, as well as puzzles and games. Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators link offers an expansive directory of additional teacher resources. Sponsored by cable television's Discovery Channel.

Educator's Reference Desk
http://www.eduref.org/

Directory of 3,000+ resources available on a variety of educational issues from Internet sites, educational organizations, and electronic discussion groups. The Lesson Plan Collection contains more than 2,000 lesson plans contributed by teachers from all over the United States. The collection can be searched according to subject or grade level. There is also a question and answer archive of over 200 responses to popular questions on the practice, theory, and research of education.

Education World (2006).
http://www.education-world.com/

A corporate-sponsored Web site focused on professional development for teachers and administrators packed with free resources, lesson plans, games, strategies, and articles. Daily features, columns, and blogs authored by educators can be found here. Topics include diversity, motivating students, classroom management, and information technology integration. This site has a search engine that limits results to educational Web sites only.

GEM: The Gateway to Education Materials (2006).
http://www.thegateway.org/

Since 1996, The Gateway to Educational Materials(GEM), a nonprofit consortium, has provided access to 49,000+ Internet-based lesson plans, activities, instructional units and other educational materials from collections made available through various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial outlets. These collections have been evaluated for authoritativeness and quality based on criteria developed by the consortium.

MERLOT
http://www.merlot.org/

A searchable, collection of peer reviewed, free online learning materials (simulations, tutorials, quizzes, drills, presentations, and case studies) created by faculty, staff, librarians, administrators and students. The collection can be browsed by subject area, grade level, language, technical format, material type, author, organization, and other limiters.

New York State Education Department. New York State Library (2006).
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/reference/educref.htm

Selected education websites with information about associations, charter schools, distance education, teacher employment, literacy, online journals, schools, and specific subject areas.

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Obtaining Materials NU Library Does Not Own

If you need an article or a book that NU Library does not own, you can make use of Interlibrary Loan to obtain it.

Tip: In a hurry? If the article or book you need is owned by another library in Western New York, you can visit that library and use their resources on site (view a list of Western New York library web sites). Please note: If you wish to borrow a book from another Western New York library, you can get an Infopass Card at the Reference Desk.

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How to Cite Your Sources