Many databases give only citations or abstracts of articles. A citation is basic information such as the article title, author, journal title, date, volume number, and number of pages. An abstract is only a short summary of what the article is about. When given only the citation or abstract, you must take the title of the journal that the article is in, and do a title search inBISON to see if the print version of the journal is available.

Listed below are the steps to finding a journal title in the catalog using TIME magazine as an example. For more information on finding print journals, go to Finding Library Materials: Searching by Title.

Record the Citation

• periodical title
• article title and author
• article date
• article volume/issue number
• page numbers of article

Go to the Catalog

Go to BISON and choose the 'Journals' tab. Pull down the drop down menu under 'Search type'. Whenever you are unsure of the exact title of your journal you can use the 'Title Keywords' search.

Title Index Screen

Your search for 'TIME' should result in a list of titles which will link you to the item's record display. The catalog has also found all journals and serials with 'TIME' in the title. Below you will see that the first listing for'TIME' has five records associated with it. Click on the 'TIME' title to view the records.

Record Display Screen

The Record Display screen will link you to the the call number of the item and tell you its individual location(s) . Below you will see records for 'TIME' in print and on micoform.There are several very important things to keep in mind when looking at a periodical record display:

• A periodical may be located in several different locations. For example: the current issues of 'TIME' are located in the Undergraduate Library (UGL), while the current and older bound issues are shelved in Lockwood Library (LML).

• The libraries may only house certain volumes or years of the journal. To check if the edition you need is available at UB click on the library location link. In this example below, TIME magazine is located in the Capen Libraries/Undergraduate Periodical Collection, Capen Multimedia Center, and Lockwood Library.

• After clicking on a Library Location such as Lockwood Library, scroll to the find the Call number. Note that the summary holdings begin with Volume 4. This indicates that volumes before 1924 are not available in Lockwood Library.

For Journals Not Available at UB

If the article or any other material that you are looking for is not available at UB, try Other Library Catalogs to link to the catalogs of other libraries throughout Western New York, including other SUNY and local public libraries. You can go to the individual library to copy or read the article, or request the article through ILLiad - Interlibrary Loan.