Skip to Main Content
UVM Libraries Research Guides banner

Tutorials - Howe Library

This page contains interactive tutorials, videos, print guides, and other resources that will show you how to use library resources and services.

Searching the Libraries' Collections with CATQuest

Get to know CATQuest, a powerful discovery tool that searches nearly everything in UVM Libraries' physical and digital collections.

 

Screenshot of tutorialSearching the Libraries' Collections with CATQuest

Filetype: Interactive web content

Time to completion: 15:00-20:00 minutes

 

Finding ebooks in the UVM Libraries' collections

ThumbnailFinding ebooks in the UVM Libraries' collections

Filetype: Video

Time to completion: 2:26 minutes

Captions: yes

The UVM Libraries has a large collection of ebooks on a wide variety of topics. This tutorial will help you get started using these materials.

Most of these ebooks can be found by searching in CATQuest which is the search tool on the library homepage.

Start by typing a title or keywords in the search box and running your search.

The initial results include many types of sources including articles, books, data sets, and more. Narrow the results to books using the "Resource Type" option on the left and choosing "Books."

To further limit to ebooks, use the "Quick Limits" option on the left and choose "Online Resources."

The items on the list should now be ebooks.

To see a book immediately click on the link marked, "Available Online" or "Online Access."

Before reading the book, you can review the description and table of contents in order to decide if the book meets your needs.

You can read the book in your browser.

Or you can download the book to read offline.

Thanks for watching, if you have questions, Ask a Librarian!

New York Times (All Digital Acess) - Claim Your Account

ThumbnailNew York Times (All Digital Access) - Claim Your Account

Filetype: Video

Time to completion: 3:09 minutes

Captions: yes

The UVM Libraries now has an institutional group subscription to the New York Times via their web site. This quick tutorial will explain more about the access we have and how you can create your personal account for access.

This group subscription provides UVM students, faculty, and staff with access to most of the content on the New York Times web site: news, opinion, blogs, New York Times Cooking, and more. It does not include the crossword puzzle.

In order to use the site your must create a personal account. Before moving forward, we want you to be aware that by registering for an account you are agreeing to abide by the site's privacy policy.

Like many web sites, The New York Times uses cookies to collect data about how you access and use their site. You can review the full details on their site at: https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/privacy-policy

In order to claim your subscription, you must use a link that has been provided by the libraries and then create a personal account. Your personal account will enable you to login to The New York Times from anywhere without using a library link but you will need to renew your access periodically.

To access our link, go the library web site, navigate to the Research Databases list and then under the letter "N" click on the link labeled "New York Times (All Digital Access)”.

You'll be directed to a page reminding you that you are creating an account with an external company. Click on the link labeled "Connect to The New York Times (All Digital Access)" and now you will be prompted to register for an account.

Start by locating the University of Vermont from their list of institutions.

If you are on campus follow the link marked, "On campus click here" otherwise click on "GO" to proceed. For this tutorial we will follow the "GO" button.

If prompted, enter your UVM NetID and password and then from the resulting welcome page click on "Create Account." On the "Create your complimentary account" page enter your UVM email address and create a password for this site. For security reasons do not use the same password as for your UVM account.

After creating an account, you will be asked for more information about your UVM status. This information determines how frequently you will have to reset the authorization on your account. Choose Student, Faculty/Staff, or other.

Make a note of when you will need to reauthorize your account and now you can start reading The New York Times. If not redirected, go to nytimes.com, login, and start reading!

If you have questions or need further help, Ask a Librarian.

Using PsycInfo

This tutorial will teach you to perform searches in PsycInfo that utilize the discipline-specific features of the database. You learn to limit searches by article type, demographics of the group being studied, methodology, or other criteria pertinent to the discipline of Psychology.

 

ThumbnailUsing PsycInfo

Filetype: Interactive web content

Time to completion: 15:00-20:00 minutes

 

Finding and Using NAICS Industry Codes

An eight-minute video on industry codes--what they are, how to find them, and why they make research easier.

Screenshot of videoFinding and Using NAICS Industry Codes

Filetype: Video

Time to completion: 7:44 minutes

Captions: yes

Hi! I’m Trina Magi, a reference librarian at The University of Vermont, and I’m here to help. In this eight-minute video, you’ll learn about industry codes—what they are, how to find them, and how they can make your research easier. First of all, what’s an industry?

It’s a group of all the companies that are engaged in the same business. For example, Honda, Toyota, Ford, and others comprise the industry that makes cars.

The US government and private firms collect a ton of information about industries. To organize all that data, they needed to decide what to call each industry. The English language often has several words to name the same thing. For example, is it car manufacturing or automobile manufacturing? Do we call these people doctors or physicians? Are these sneakers? Running shoes? Athletic Footwear?

To make everything more clear and consistent, the US government assigns official names to industries. And for each name, there’s a six-digit code that goes with it—like this. There’s an industry with the official name “Women’s Clothing Stores.” And that industry was given the numeric code 448120.

These codes are called NAICS codes. NAICS stands for “North American Industry Classification System.”

NAICS codes are not just random numbers. Each part of the number means something. They are kind of like telephone numbers.

In this telephone number the first three digits—802—mean you’re calling someone in Vermont. But that’s not specific enough, so we add another three digits. That gets us to the UVM campus, but it’s still not specific enough. We have to add four more digits to get to a particular phone—in this case, it’s the phone at the library reference desk. Industry codes are similar.

Here’s the NAICS code for the tortilla manufacturing industry -- 311830

Just like a phone number, each part of the code has meaning, and the meaning gets more specific as you add digits.

31 indicates this a manufacturing industry

1 gives us a hint about what is manufactured—food. But what kind of food?

The 8 tells us it’s either bakery items or tortillas.

And the 3 finally narrows it down to tortillas.

In this case, that’s as specific as the US government decided to get, so the zero at the end is just a placeholder.

Now you may be thinking “So what?” “Who cares?”

Well, if you’re doing research on an industry, knowing its NAICS code can help make your searches more efficient and precise. In fact, many business databases encourage you to search by NAICS code. Let’s go online so I can show you some examples.

Here’s a library database called Business Insights Essentials. Notice that if I change the search box to “Industry,” it invites me to enter a NAICS code.

Here’s Mergent Archives. It also allows you to enter a NAICS code.

And here’s a final example -- IBIS World. If I type in the code for tortilla manufacturing—311830—it quickly gives me a precise search result that leads to an in-depth industry report.

So that’s why it’s useful to know your industry code. Now let’s talk about how to find these codes.

First, go to the Business Research Assistant at researchguides.uvm.edu/business. I’ll pause a moment in case you want to write down that URL.

Once you’re at the home page, click the link that says “Find NAICS/SIC Industry codes,” and then click here.

You can try searching by keyword on the left, but it doesn’t always work. For example, if I type “airlines,” I don’t get good results. That’s because the official industry name is NOT “airlines.”

Since my keyword search didn’t work, I’ll try browsing instead. I’m guessing that airlines will be under the “transportation and warehousing” sector, so I’ll click that and look down the list.

Here’s what I’m looking for—"Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation.” That’s actually the official name for this industry, and 481111 is the NAICS code. It’s a good idea to click here and get a description of the industry just to make sure it matches what you’re looking for.

Be careful and thoughtful when looking up codes. We just found the code for the industry that actually flies the planes and transports people. But if I were looking for the industry that builds the planes, that’s a different industry. Instead of going into the “transportation” sector, I would go into “manufacturing” and browse the list.

Also, realize that some industries are just too new or too small to have an official name and code. And sometimes small industries are grouped together with others in a catch-all category. Let me show you an example of that: I’m going to 339920, the code for “sporting and athletic goods manufacturing.”

Here’s a description of the industry. Notice the variety of sporting goods included here. If you wanted information about ski manufacturing, you’d have to use this industry code, even though it includes many other things you’re not interested in.

To summarize,

1. Industries are groups of companies engaged in the same business

2. The US government gives official names and numeric codes to industries

3. Knowing an industry code makes searching easier

4. And, you can find industry codes by going to the Business Research Assistant website.

This has been a quick introduction to industry codes. If you need help, the librarians at the reference desk are eager to provide assistance. You can reach us in person, by phone, or by email. From the Business Research Assistant, just click the “Need help?” link to get in touch.

Thanks for watching, and good luck with your research!

Chat with a librarian