Happy Earth Day from the Research Services Department!
This Earth Day, here are some ways to use BPL resources to learn more about the amazing world we inhabit.
Search for Books
Try the methods below to enhance your catalog searching experience, or scroll down for some booklists to browse.
Search by Call Number
Use Library of Congress Classification numbers, or call numbers, to search across broad or specific topics in the catalog using the ‘Call number’ field in the catalog's Advanced Search.
Want to see all of the books classed as biology? That’s QH. Want the latest in forestry? Try SD, and sort your results by date acquired or date published. Want environmental science and its closely related friend, human ecology? Try an ‘ANY’ search for GE and GF.
Try limiting your searches to Audience: Adult and Content: Non-fiction, as was done for the links above, for more focused results.
Use Subject Headings
Every nonfiction book at the BPL gets at least one subject heading. In the catalog, these are found in each title’s page in the "Subject and genre" section:
Every heading is clickable, so when you find a book you like, check out its headings and click on any one that seems intriguing to find every other BPL item that has that same heading. You can also search for headings directly using the "Subject" field in the basic or advanced search.
Here is an array of headings ideal for Earth Day - find one that feeds your curiosity:
| Nature – Effect of human beings on. | Global environmental change. | Environmental protection. | Environmental policy. |
| Environmental degradation. | Human ecology. | Climatic changes. | Sustainability. |
Booklists
For a more laid-back approach to finding your next informative read, browse these Earth Day-themed booklists:
Find Online Magazines and Journals
A wide array of fantastic magazine and journal content is available from home through BPL Online Resources using your BPL card or eCard number and PIN.
Enjoy the incomparable nature reporting of National Geographic through the National Geographic Virtual Library.
Find Discover Magazine, Birds & Blooms, and more through Flipster Digital Magazines.
Read BBC Wildlife, Audubon, and more through OverDrive.
And enjoy Biology Today, Saving Earth Magazine, and more through PressReader.
For academic journals, find subject-specific collections of content in resources like Gale OneFile: Environmental Studies and Policy and Gale In Context: Science.
And don't forget JSTOR, where you can find favorites like Northeastern Naturalist and Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, as well as Arnoldia, the journal of the Arnold Arboretum.
Ask Your Librarians
Whether your research is for school, work, or personal interest and lifelong learning, BPL's librarians are here to help. Contact us by phone, email, online form, or chat, book an appointment at the Central Library, or stop by your favorite BPL location to speak with a librarian about finding the sources you need to satisfy your curiosity and stimulate your next insight.
Thanks for reading!
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