Answers To FAQs About Finding Information

Where can I get help with my reading list?
Staff are on duty throughout the day at the Enquiries Desk in the Main Hall on the 4th floor to help you.

Where can I get help in using the Library?
Workstations are available throughout the Library which provide help screens and floor plans. Staff are also on duty at the Enquiries Desk in the Main Hall on the 4th floor (South Block), or 2nd floor Service Desk (North Block) to provide assistance.

Where can I get help searching for information on a particular subject?
A team of information specialists is on duty throughout the day at the Enquiries Desk in the Main Hall on the 4th floor (South Block). They can provide assistance in using printed and electronic search tools.

How can I find out what this journal abbreviation means?
There are dictionaries of journal abbreviations in the Rapid Reference which is located in the Goldsmiths Reading Room, 4th floor (South Block).

How can I find a journal article?
In order to find a journal article it is necessary to consult indexes which are available in printed and/or electronic form. Staff at the Enquiries Desk will help you with your enquiry.

How can I find a newspaper article?
Newspaper articles can be found using the work stations in the Information Centre for recent years of the Guardian, Independent and Daily Telegraph. For the Times, The Times Digital Archive covers 1785-1985, and our ProQuest subscription covers 1992 to date. The microfilm is available from 1788-. Many back issues of the New York Times are available on microfilm. The database 19th Century British Library Newspapers database is also available. For details please refer to our web page listing the newspapers and current affairs resources available in the library. The printed Times Index is at the back of the Goldsmiths' Library.

How can I find a book that isn't in the Library catalogue?
If the book was published before 1980 be sure that you have checked the Online Card Catalogue as well as the Main Catalogue. If the book does not appear in the card catalogue, then you can check other libraries' catalogues over the Internet in the Middlesex South Reading Room. Start with other libraries in London . Some of these have special subject strengths and it may be worth asking staff for advice on which libraries to check. If there is no record of the book within the University you can try the catalogue of the British Library or other university libraries. The COPAC catalogue may also be useful, it gives access to the merged online catalogues of many major University, Specialist, and National Libraries in the UK and Ireland, including the British Library .

How can I find a journal that isn't in the Library catalogue?
A journal that is not held by the Library can be looked for in the Union List of Serials for London or the InforM25 catalogue for academic libraries in the London area. If no library within the University takes a journal then it is possible to check the holdings of university libraries elsewhere or the British Library using resources in the Enquiries Desk in the Main Hall on the 4th floor (South Block).