Passport 2024

Welcome to the Holy Cross Libraries!

This guide includes information about the libraries along with suggested research strategies, tools, and skills to help you find and use information through the library. If you have any questions about the resources in this guide, or the library in general, feel free to use the "Library Research Help" tab to contact a librarian. 

Some Key Terms

When talking about library research, we may use different words to describe different types of sources and information. Here is a brief list of common terms we will use in this guide and when talking about library resources.

article: a written work published in print or electronic form. Articles can be found in a variety of publications like journals, magazines, and newspapers. The "Types of Sources" section of this guide will go into detail about different types of articles and publications. 

database: a collection of related data and information arranged for easy searching and use. Library Databases include searchable collections of academic and popular publications. 

journal: a scholarly publication that publishes articles and research written by scholars, professors, researchers, and other experts. You may also hear journals referred to as "scholarly journals" or "academic journals." Journals have a specific subject focus and publish research related to that subject. They can be published in print and/or electronically.

magazine: a published collection of articles, essays, stories, and other texts that is published at regular intervals. Magazines can vary widely in the topics they cover, from more general publications that include a number of different topics in one issue (such as Time or The New Yorker) to specific topics and themes (such as National Geographic or Sports Illustrated).

monograph: a resource made up of one part or a finite number of parts, such as a book or a set of books. Different from serials, which are published continuously.

newspaper: a weekly or daily publication that includes journalism, news, current events, opinions, and advertising. Many newspapers now publish both electronically and in print, and some may only publish electronically.

periodical: a magazine, journal, or other publication that is published at regular intervals (annually, quarterly, monthly, or weekly).

serial: a resource issued in a succession of parts that continues indefinitely, such as newspapers, magazines, or journals.

stacks: the bookshelves in the library.