Reference librarians are available in on the phone, via chat, or through e-mail. Contact us for research help or questions about using library resources.
These tutorials will help you learn to find and critically evaluate information sources. By increasing your information literacy skills, you can more effectively search, select, and evaluate those sources. These tutorials will prepare you to explore and research the online world.
Using the Reference Collection
Ely Library has both print and online reference collections. The print encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks are located on the main floor of the library. Please consult the library catalog or visit the reference desk for help finding these resources.
Our online reference collections can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. A small selection of our reference resources are linked below.
For a full list of reference databases, click here.
A digital reference library that provides information from more than 600 high-quality reference books from the world's leading publishers. Offering access to over 1.7 million individual entries, xreferplus contains all the types of reference books that you'd want to see in any quality library: dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and books of quotations, plus numerous subject-specific titles covering everything from the arts to accountancy and law to literature. Search Tutorial | Title List
Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library. Provides searchable full text of 178 Reference works in 11 subject areas: Arts, Biography, Business, Environment, History, Literature, Medicine, Multicultural Studies, Nation and World, Science, and Social Science. Video Tutorials | Title List
Provides original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news 44 times a year. Each single-themed CQ Researcher report offers in-depth, non-biased coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each 12,000-word CQ Researcher report is a unique work, investigated and written by a seasoned journalist. Each report includes a background and chronology; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources. Reports dating back to 1991 can be searched or browsed. PDF files are available for reports from January 1996; for reports published since January 2001, PDF files are also available in color.
Current online collection includes the Twenties in America, the Thirties in America, and the Eighties in America. Each is a 3-volume set.
Computers & Printing in the Library
Ely Library has a number of computers, black & white printers, and scanners available for use. Students can print by swiping their Westfield ID at any library printer.
The following software is available on library computers:
