College of DuPage Library

This guide is designed to help you find resources about business topics. The collection contains books, e-books, DVDs, and periodicals. We also offer access to a wide selection of databases for industry research, company information, business news, trends, and marketing. Use the menus on the right to start searching for different types of materials.

Call Number Ranges

Business resources can be found in Reference and General Collections and are primarily in the following areas:

If you need additional help, come to the Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.

The Emerald's Problem Statement Project

Your assignment is to create a design plan for a newly-retired couple, Mr. and Mrs. Emerald. You are to learn about your client's requirements and preferences then find materials in the library that will help to inspire your design. Since the Emerald's are senior citizens, your plan should incorporate "aging in place" and/or accessibility design elements.

Requirements

• Two book material selections
• 1-3 credible websites selections
• MLA Style Bibliography

Using the ID Guide

Click on the Books tab to learn about the types of book material in the Library and general information about searching for books. In addition to browsing the Interior Decoration subject headings, you may want to use keyword searching to find materials on very specific areas of inspiration. In addition to the interior design subject areas, you might find design ideas from books in many areas of the library, such as geography and travel, cookery, photography, technology, art and textiles.

For example:

Since the Emerald's are seniors, you'll want to look at books about designing for older populations. Try looking at "aging in place" as a keyword search (you'll find a particularly good book on this in the reserve collection for your class).
Other good topic areas to explore are: Barrier-free design for older people and Older people--dwellings.
If the Emerald's are very interested in green/sustainable living, you could try a keyword search for: sustainable interior design.
If one of the Emerald's has special requirements such as the use of a wheelchair or walker, try words like accessible design.
If the Emerald's want to incorporate a design aesthetic from a different part of the country/world, try words like: french style, new england, japanese style, Mexico interior design, etc.

If the Emeralds want a specific design style or theme, try searches like: Modern Interior Design (specific era of design), Art Deco (specific art/design movement), 20th Century interior design (specific time period, these are more survey-style books like a textbook).

You can also poke at the catalog to find things about design specifics, like: living with cats, lighting, decorating with antiques, etc.

Remember to order materials from I-SHARE if you need to. Its easy. Just make an account and go nuts.

Finding Credible Websites

The Library has compiled a selection of web search tools, here. Use the Library's Evaluating Websites page for criteria to use when selecting your websites. Its important to find websites that are authored by professional people who have some expertise in your area of interest.

Image Websites

Google Images
Flickr Creative Commons search
Multicolr
Design Seeds
Pinterest
Houzz

Creating Your Bibliography

You'll create your bibliography using the MLA Style. MLA is a very specific way of listing the resources you used in your project. The Library has a detailed citing sources page and you can also try Noodlebib, which creates the bibliography for you.

Need Help?

Contact the Interior Design librarian or visit the Ask-a-Librarian page.

Architecture 2240: Codes, Specifications and Contracts

Product Review Paper

Choose a building product using trade magazines or library references. In your paper you’ll be justifying your choice of this product for use in a building project.

Requirements

1. Paper length: 2-3 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 11 pt. font.

2. APA Style Bibliography: not included in total page count.

3. Minimum resource requirements: 1 book or 1 article from the Library, 1-2 credible websites.

Choosing Your Product

Come to the Library to browse journals and magazines to find a product that interests you. You can also browse the reference materials in the Library.

Library Journals and Magazines

These titles are available in the current periodicals section of the Library:
Architectural Record
Better Homes and Gardens
Detail: A Review of Architecture and Construction Details
Dwell
ENR

Selected Book Materials

• International building codes
• International residential building codes
• Levy, S.M. (2010). Construction databook: Construction materials and equipment. New York: McGraw-Hill. REF TH 151 .L48 2010
• Sweets Network. (2011). Sweets Construction Building Materials. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Spiegel, R. (2012) Green building materials: A guide to product selection and specification. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. REF TH 455 .S65 2012
• Wilson, A., Malin, N., & Piepkorn, M. (Eds.) GreenSpec directory: Product directory & guideline specifications. Brattleboro:VT: BuildingGreen. REF TH455 .G7442 2007

Try a Subject search for these headings:

• Building materials
• Building materials--Environmental aspects
• Barrier-free design
• Sustainable buildings

Search for ebooks at Ebook Central (have your library card handy.)

Finding Information About Your Product

**You will need a COD Library Card to use the article databases from home.**

You'll find information about your product from a variety of sources. The most obvious choice is the manufacturer's website. Look for technical details and specifications provided for contractors or private consumers.

You'll also be looking for articles about the general category of the product, such as plumbing fixtures or lighting. To find articles from magazines and journals, use the Construction Databases.

Selected Databases

Associates Program Source Plus

Associates Programs Source Plus is designed specifically for trade research. It includes a ton of full text articles from trade magazines, engineering-related journals, and news. Use it to find case studies, reviews of products, articles about manufacturers, and more.

Business Source Complete

Business Source Complete provides access to content and indexing for 1,300 journals. This database is focused on business and management. Use it to find articles about construction management, case studies, product reviews, and other subjects.

NFPA Codes

Includes the National Fire Codes, the National Electrical Codes, the Life Safety Code and many more National codes from the NFPA.

Building Green

Building Green is an online trade magazine for architecture, construction, and related industries.

Or browse the online construction journals. This is a super comprehensive list. Look for titles that make sense for your purpose. For instance, Construction in Japan may not be a great choice. But a journal like Construction & Building Materials or the Journal of Construction Engineering & Management could be good choices. ALSO, make sure you choose publications from the U.S.

Using Websites

When you use a website as a resource, it is important to make sure the site is credible and unbiased. If you are using information from the manufacturer's website, you can bet that the information will be biased toward their own products. Be sure to look for diverse opinions about products! (google:
review or comparison) When using other website material, such as sites that review products, make sure that the author of the article has professional qualifications.

Create an APA Bibliography

A bibliography is a list of the information resources you used to write your paper. For help formatting your bibliography, use the Library's Citing Sources page for APA examples. For help citing your sources in the text of your paper, consult this guide from Purdue.
How to cite Codes & Standards

Getting help with writing your paper

The COD Learning Commons will work with you to develop a strong paper and help with editing your writing and developing a correctly formatted bibliography. Also browse the Purdue OWL site for tips on how to write a paper, do in-text citations, and create a bibliography.

Finding Construction Management Materials in the COD Library

This guide will help you find books, videos, articles and websites about Construction topics.

If you need additional help, come to the Library Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.

Books

Use the Library catalog to search the COD Library's collection of books, videos, e-books, and streaming media. Use your COD Library card to check these items out or access them online.

Call Number Ranges

Use these call number ranges to browse the General Collection and the Reference Collection.

Reference Materials

The Library holds many recent national codes, standards and building management guidelines from the International Code Council and the U.S. Green Building Council in the reference collection. Some older iterations of these materials are available for check-out in the general collection. For fire codes, electrical codes and safety standards, consult this online resource: NFPA Codes Online. You'll need a current library card to access the NFPA from off-campus. The International Code Council makes their codes freely available to read on their website. You'll not be able to print the whole code, but you can copy and paste small sections.

E-books

Here are some examples from the Knovel Library:
Construction Field Guide
Construction Delays - Understanding Them Clearly, Analyzing Them Correctly


There is a large list of Ebook databases for you to search. Try Ebook Central.

Article Databases

The Library has a large collection of article databases for locating articles. For Construction Management, try both the general databases and the business databases. Associates Program Source Plus and Business Source Complete are the best for construction topics but you may also find good materials in Academic Search Premier and in newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. Technology Databases List

Building Green

Building Green is an online trade magazine for interior design, architecture, construction, and related industries. Make a user account with you COD email address (dupage.edu for students)

Videos

The Library has a variety of videos for checkout. Browse the Library catalog. Use the Limiting features on the left side of the catalog to narrow your search to videos.
Streaming videos are also available:

Websites and Images

There are several tools available for searching the Internet. Using a variety of tools is always a good rule of thumb when looking for information on the web. Google is a great resource but also try some of the other tools on the Library's Search the Web pages.

Here's a small selection of quality websites for construction management:

Engineering News Record

Building Design + Construction

Building Codes Reference Library--Illinois (Always check your local municipality!)

OSHA Construction Documents

Illinois Roofing licensure

COD Construction Management Program

This guide will help you find books, videos, articles and websites about welding technology. Use the tabs below and the menus on your right to start searching for different types of materials.

If you need additional help, come to the Library Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.

Finding Cosmetology Materials in the COD Library

This guide will help you find books, videos, articles and websites about Cosmetology topics.

NEW! WGSN is here! Sign up with your COD email!

If you need additional help, come to the Library Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.

Books

The Library has a variety of current cosmetology materials in both print and electronic format. Find books and videos using the Library Catalog.

Here are some example Catalog searches:
Milady
Cosmetology
Hairstyling
Beauty Shops Management

Call Number Ranges

Use these call number ranges to browse the General Collection and the Reference Collection.

Ebooks

Ebook Central

Contains a variety of books on the beauty and fashion industries. You'll need a library card to access this collection.

Career Materials

The following materials are available for check-out in the career and college collection in the Library:
Milady's standard cosmetology exam review, 2012
Getting it right : Milady's survival guide for cosmetology students

Videos

The Library has a selection of instructional videos on DVD and online streaming. Check out the library catalog for DVD's and the Cosmetology collection in Films on Demand.

Article Databases

The Library has a large collection of databases for locating articles. Associates Program Source Plus and Business Source Complete are great for cosmetology and beauty industry topics but you may also find good information in Academic Search Premier and in newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. For inspiration and the latest style trends, try WGSN (new!), WWD & Vogue.

Full List:Cosmetology Databases

To locate specific magazine and journal titles, use the Journal Locator tool.
Examples (have your library card ready)
American Salon
American Spa

Websites and Images

There are several tools available for searching the Internet. Using a variety of tools is always a good rule of thumb when looking for information on the web. Google is a great resource but also try some of the other tools on the Library's Search the Web pages.

Evaluating Websites

Its important to evaluate the information from websites. When reviewing information, ask the following questions:

• How old is this material? Is there a date of publication? Is the material out-of-date?
• Who wrote this information? Is the company or person who sponsors the website reputable?
• Is the website trying to sell you something?
• Is the information biased? Does it seem like the author is just giving his/her opinion? Is the author making a one-sided argument? (not offering an alternate point-of-view?)
• Is the information backed up with facts that you can confirm using other sources?

Here's a small selection of quality websites for cosmetology professionals:

Professional Beauty Association

The PBA offers a variety of services and information resources for students.

PBA Beauty Industry Guide

A large directory of manufacturers of cosmetology and grooming products in the U.S., along with company profiles and contact information.

Cosmetology at COD

Information about the opportunities in cosmetology at COD. Current career information is also included.

OSHA Information on Safety for Hair Stylists

This site offers information on safety, health and procedures for safely managing hair salons and the protection of workers and clients.

Finding Fire Science materials in the COD Library

This guide will help you find books, videos, articles and websites about fire science topics. You'll need a COD Library card to access subscription materials and E-books.

If you need additional help, come to the Library Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.

Books

The Library has a variety of current materials about the technical aspects of fire science in both print and electronic format.

Call Number Ranges

Use these call number ranges to browse the General Collection and the Reference Collection.

Also try specific technologies such as "fire sprinklers," or "fire resistant materials," or "fire stream tables."

E-books

The Knovel Library contains a small but excellent selection of e-books on technical aspects of fire sciences and fire engineering.

Reference Materials

For fire codes, electrical codes and safety standards, consult this online resource: NFPA Codes Online. You'll need a current library card to access the NFPA from off-campus.

Article Databases

The Library has a large collection of article databases for locating articles. For fire science, try both the general databases and the business databases. Associates Program Source Plus and Business Source Complete are the best for fire science topics.

Library Databases List

Websites and Images

There are several tools available for searching the Internet. Using a variety of tools is always a good rule of thumb when looking for information on the web. Google is a great resource but also try some of the other tools on the Library's Search the Web pages.

Here's a small selection of quality websites for fire science topics:

National Fire Protection Association

NFPA Research & Statistics

IAFF Online

Fire Science Research from NIST

Fire Science at COD

Get to work, Ken!
Yeah, Ken!

Alright already, I'm on it!