Shatford Library

Shatford Library

Engineering Graphics

1. Library Catalog - Find Books and other library resources

The Library Catalog is a database of books, media, and course reserves located in the library's collection. To find resources in the library by subject, you will need a call number which is based on the Dewey Decimal Classification System and leads you to the specific item on the shelf. To find the call number, use the Library Catalog. (http://library.pasadena.edu/vwebv/searchBasic)

Basic Search

Use the Basic Search to look for an item using keyword anywhere or in a specific field (eg. title field or subject field).

To find information about a person, use the Subject tab and type the person’s name (last name, first). 
To find information on a topic, you can use your keyword search results to identify library subject headings or you can select the Subject tab and type in a library subject heading.

Subject headings:

  • AutoCAD
  • Engineering
  • Engineering design
  • Engineering graphics
  • Materials
  • New products

Related subjects (Narrower, Broader and See also)

  • Building
  • Electrical engineering
  • Engineering - Encyclopedias
  • Engineering - History
  • Machine design
  • Machine parts

To search for a title you have two options: 1. select title from the drop down menu (to search by title keyword) or 2. select from the drop down menu title browse, to search by exact title wording. (Skip the first word of the title if it is an article, e.g. 'a', 'an' or 'the').

To search by author, select the Author tab, then type in the author's last name, then first name, e.g. ' Berlow, Lawrence H.'.

Advanced Search

Advanced Search is used to combine topics, select search fields, and use other limiters to narrow a search.    You may want to search for an item using part of a title and selecting the title field from the drop down menu.  Another option is to search by ISBN.

To search by keyword, type in the words you want to search for then select from the menu whether you want to search for all of these, any of these (e.g., Design OR Graphics), or as a phrase (e.g., Engineering News-Record).

Examples of combined searches:

Search for: engineering [all of these], Search in: [Subject]
AND
Search for: drawing design graphics [any of these], Search in: [Keyword Anywhere]

Search for: skyscrapers [all of these], Search in: [Keyword Anywhere]
AND
Search for: construction [all of these], Search in: [Keyword Anywhere]

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2. Reference Books

Basically, there are two kinds of reference books: general resources, which are broad in scope and deal with all fields; and specialized resources, which deal with specific disciplines such as engineering. The titles cited below are only a representative sample of many specialized reference books that are available in the library.

Specialized Dictionaries

  • Building Trades Dictionary  REF 690.03 T 1
  • Dictionary of the Physical Sciences : Terms, Formulas, Data   REF 503 E 1
  • Illustrated Dictionary for Building Construction  REF 690.03 T 2
  • Illustrated Dictionary of Building Design and Construction  REF 690.03 B 1
  • McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Engineering   REF 620.003 M 1-2
  • McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms REF 503 M 1-8

Specialized Encyclopedias

  • How It Works: Science and Technology  REF 603 H 1
  • McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Engineering  REF 620.003 M 1
  • Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia  REF 503 V 1-5

Handbooks, Manuals & Codes

  • American Institute of Physics Handbook REF 530.3 A 1-2
  • American Electricians' Handbook  REF 621.3 C 1-4, 2002 
  • Blueprint Reading: Professional Reference  REF 692.1 R 1
  • CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook  REF 620.11 C 3
  • Engineering Handbook   REF 620 D 1
  • Engineering Manual REF 620.02 P 1
  • Handbook of Materials for Product Design  REF 620.11 H 2
  • International Building Code   REF 690 I 1
  • Machinery's Handbook  REF 621 M 1
  • Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers REF 621 S 1
  • The McGraw-Hill Handbook of Essential Engineering Information and Data  REF 620 M 1
  • Uniform Building Code Compliance Manual   REF 690 I 1-2
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3. Databases and Indexes - Find Articles

To access databases from the main library page, look for Browse Databases by Name |  by Subject (http://www.pasadena.edu/library/dbsubject.htm)

  • Proquest  Thousands of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles covering all disciplines.
    Includes scholarly journal articles.  Includes Hoover's company database.
  1. use MORE SEARCH OPTIONS to remove book reviews
  2. use AND to combine topics
  3. use OR to add synonymous terms
  4. use quotation marks for a phrase (example: "computer aided design")

To browse or search to see if the Library has a subscription to a particular magazine, newspaper, or journal title use the Periodical Title List. (http://dv2dw2vb3l.search.serialssolutions.com/)

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4. Resources on the World Wide Web

Finding reliable information on the web can be difficult.
Use the Librarians' Internet Index (Engineering section) or see recommended websites below.

 
  • Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century 
                     http://www.greatachievements.org/  
  • Engineering at the National Academies  http://www.nationalacademies.org/engineering/
  • Intute - Engineering http://www.intute.ac.uk/engineering/
  • Thomas.Net  http://www.thomasnet.com/  Thomas Manufacturers Directory is the standard publication for finding information about manufacturers in the United States.  The paper edition is a multi-volume work arranged by product.  Now it can also be accessed free online and provides much more “value-added” information.   Search by type of product or component: for example “grippers.” The database links to the company website where you usually find descriptions, specifications, images of products and even CAD drawings that can be downloaded.
  • WWW Virtual Library - Engineering  http://vlib.org/Engineering
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6. Citing Your Sources

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7. Other Libraries

  • California Institute of Technology (http://library.caltech.edu). Caltech is a world-famous research institution close to PCC and has rich collections in engineering and science.  The libraries are open to the public from M-F 8:00am-5:00pm.  You can search Caltech’s vast array of databases in engineering and science on-site and save the citations to a flash-drive or floppy disk (printing is not available to non-Caltech members).   Non-Caltech users can use books only onsite.  

  • Cal State Los Angeles (CSULA) Library:  PCC Students with a valid LancerCard and current registration print out can obtain a library card and check books out from the CSULA Library http://www.calstatela.edu/library/  The CSULA has an excellent collection of material (books and journals) in engineering and many databases in science and engineering.

  • WorldCat  http://www.worldcat.org/  The world's largest database of library catalogs from thousands of member libraries.
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last updated: 11/12/2009 by P. Johnson revision #1