Geography courses / Kheirabadi: Find Sources

Use the search box below to find books, videos, articles and more. Click on the tab on the left (PCC Library & Summit) to search for books and videos. Click on the Articles tab on the right to search for newspaper, magazine, and academic journal articles available through the library. Check the "Peer Reviewed" box to limit your search to scholarly journal articles. This searches our two largest full-text article databases.

Library databases are great places to find published articles, but the results pages can be confusing, so this video will give you some tips to help you find useful results.

• Enter a search in the PCC Library search box. 
• If the book you want has a linked message starting with Available at..., and the book is available on your home campus, write down the location and call number.

• If the book is available from another campus, click on the "Request" button in the "Get It" section, (NOTE: You will need to login with your MyPCC username and password after clicking the blue "Sign in" button to see the "Request" button), and specify the campus to which you'd like the book to be sent.

• If the book is not available from PCC, you can order it using the "Get it" buttons to request a physical copy or digital chapters from the book (located in the "Get it from other locations" section). Learn more about requesting library materials.

If we don't have a book, chances are we can get it for you!

When you find an item with a "Find and request" message that means the book is not in our collection or is checked out.

You may be able to request the book from a library in our region using the blue "Get it" buttons to request a physical copy of the book or digital chapters from the book. Click on the book you want, and if you don't see "Get it" buttons to request a physical or digital copy of the book, you will need to log in with your MyPCC username and password after you click the blue "Sign in" button. 

Physical Item Requests

Requested physical items can be delivered to any PCC Library at no cost for pick-up in the amount of time listed in the "Get it from other locations" section (usually 7 days). An email to your MyPCC account will notify you when your item is ready for pick up. Items must be picked up within seven calendar days after they are available. Return your borrowed items to any PCC library.

Digital Chapter Requests

Requested digital items (such as book chapters) should be delivered via email in the amount of time listed in the "Get it from other locations" section (often 24 hours). You will receive requested PDFs via email. 

Learn more at our "Requesting Library Materials" page. 

Search these databases to find articles on topics related to geography. I would also suggest looking at the full list of library databases, as geographical research can be multidisciplinary. Some research projects might require searching areas such as geology, environmental science, history, sociology, and anthropology.

When looking for helpful sources using our PCC library site, try different search term combinations for better results.  For example, if you are looking for information concerning the relationship between changes in land use patterns and their impacts on the Earth's climate/atmosphere, you could try any combination of these search terms:​

• deforestation and climate change
• industrial agriculture and ozone
• climate change and factory farms

Keep in mind that some terms will be used by a particular perspective. For example, factory farms are usually used by individuals critical of large-scale farming, while industrial agriculture is a more general term. Most sources will have a perspective or bias, and it's important to recognize the viewpoint the source provides as you include it in your responses. Usually the most scientific and unbiased views are found in academic/scholarly articles found in peer-reviewed journals and you need to use at least two articles from peer-reviewed journals in supporting your arguments throughout your essay.