The document provides an overview of research resources available at Heterick Memorial Library for mechanical engineering students, including assigning a personal librarian, finding books, articles, patents, and an explanation of the research process. Key databases covered are Compendex for engineering literature and Derwent Innovations Index for patents. Librarians are available for in-person or remote research assistance.

1. Orientation: Mechanical Engineering
Kathleen Baril, Heterick Memorial
Library

2. Heterick Library – Come Visit!

3. Personal Librarian Program
• A librarian assigned to you
according to your major.
• Feel free to contact this
librarian at any time with
questions about the library
or about research.
• For more information see
webpage.

4. What we will cover
How to find
patents
How to
find
articles
How to
find
books

5. How to do research:
the Research Process
Identify and
develop your
topic
Look for
background
information
to learn
more
Identify
appropriate
tools and
resources for
finding more
information
Evaluate
your findings
Cite
Remember, the research process is circular. Try
multiple searches using different combinations of your
keywords.

6. Catalogs – for locating
books, maps, musical
scores, govt. documents,
etc. Our catalog is called
POLAR.
Databases – usually for
locating periodical and
newspaper articles, but
may cover other
materials as well.
Library Research Tools

7. Finding Books: Library Catalog

8. Find Books: Library Catalog
Search by keyword for handbooks, dictionaries or
encyclopedias.

9. Keyword Search
•Looks in several locations (usually subject, article
title, abstracts or contents)
•Does not require an exact match
•Generates comparatively large number of hits (not
precise)
•Good if you are not familiar with terminology
•Look for the same or similar words which keep
appearing

10. Subject Search
•Looks in one place – subject
•Usually requires an exact match between
your term and a pre-set list of terms
•Precise (motion pictures -- review)
•Can be used after keyword search has
identified specific subjects

11. Find Books: Library Catalog
Results Page, use the call number to find the
book on the library’s shelves.

12. Find Books: Ebooks - Springer
The Springer
ebooks collection
contains many
online books
concerning
engineering.
These books can
be accessed 24/7
online.

13. Find Books: Ebooks - Springer

14. Find Books: Ebooks - Springer
Uncheck the box,
so that you will
see the books that
you have access to
at Ohio Northern
University.
If left checked,
you will see
materials you do
not have access
to.

15. Magazines or Popular Periodicals
• Glossy pages and lots of pictures
• Edited by magazine editors
• Articles usually written by staff
journalists
• Short articles
• Targeted to general audiences
Scholarly Journals/Periodicals
• Peer-reviewed
• Longer
• Citations/Bibliography
• Written by scholars, experts in the field of
study
• Targeted to scholars, students in a particular
field of study
Popular versus Scholarly
Periodicals

16. Peer Review Process
The researcher writes
up his or her research
and submits it to a
journal.
The journal editor
receives the article
and sends it on to
peer reviewers.
Peer reviewers read the
article and send comments
back to editor.
After peer review, the
editor may send the
article back to the
researcher for revisions.
After reviews and
revisions,
Publication!

17. Compendex
What is Compendex?
• Compendex is an engineering database that
covers the engineering literature from 190
engineering disciplines.
• Indexes journal articles, conference articles,
conferences proceedings, book chapters,
etc.
• Index database, so you must link out to find
the full-text of the materials in this
resource.

18. Compendex
Choose databases
like Compendex
from the
Databases tab,
by title or by
subject.

19. Compendex
Enter keywords in search boxes.

20. Compendex
Limit document types to just journal articles,
conference articles or monograph chapters.

21. Compendex: Results Page
Click on Show preview to view an abstract or short summary
of the article.

22. Compendex :Results Page
Click on the symbol noted above to find if the library has full
text of the article or conference paper. Works best for
journal articles.

23. Compendex: Results Page
Use the Refine results box to limit your search. Controlled
vocabulary contains subject headings. Other helpful limits include
language and year.

24. Compendex
Click on the above symbol to locate
the full-text of the article that you
are looking for.
For monograph chapters, search the
library catalog.

25. Compendex
After
clicking on :
You will choose a link from the
box below to access the full text
of the article.

26. Compendex
Please note that many of the materials in Compendex will
not be available in Heterick Memorial Library’s collections,
especially conference papers and proceedings.
Please utilize Interlibrary Loan to request articles from
other libraries. Utilize the form from the results link (see
below).

27. Patents
What is a patent?
A patent is the grant of a property right to an
inventor. In the United States, the patent can be
held for 20 years from the date the patent was
filed.

28. Patents – United States
What is a patent?
“A patent is an intellectual property right
granted by the Government of the United States
of America to an inventor “to exclude others
from making, using, offering for sale, or selling
the invention throughout the United States or
importing the invention into the United States”
for a limited time in exchange for public
disclosure of the invention when the patent is
granted.”
From http://www.uspto.gov/patents/.

29. Patents
Why look for a patent?
To see if anyone else has
already created what you
want to patent.

30. Patent Resources: USPTO
United States Patent and Trademark Office
• Searches United States Patents back to 1790.
• Available online.

31. Patents : Research Strategy
For further guidance
when searching United
States patents, follow the
USPTO quick guide steps,
found at
http://www.uspto.gov/pr
oducts/library/ptdl/servi
ces/7_Step_US_Patent_Se
arch_Strategy_Guide_201
4.pdf.

32. Patent Resources:
Derwent Innovations Index
Derwent Innovations Index
• This resource searches 40 worldwide patent-issuing
authorities back to 1963.

33. Librarians: Always here to help

34. Need Help?
• Ask at the Reference Desk or call for help: x2185
• Contact us by email: reference@onu.edu
• Make an individual appointment with a librarian for more
extensive research assistance.
• Librarians on duty:
• Monday – Thursday
• 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Friday
• 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM