Library Guides: StepUp ESL: Finding Books and Background Information

Online reference sources for background info

CQ Researcher
An excellent source for background information and getting started on a topic, CQ Researcher encompasses original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. It offers in-depth, unbiased coverage of political and social issues.
Covers a wide range of topics including: health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, the U.S. economy, crime, and civil liberties.
Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Reference includes dictionaries, including authoritative dictionaries for many languages, encyclopedias, and companions, featuring more in-depth but still brief entries, e.g. Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization.

Use the following tools when Lehigh's libraries don't own the books you need.

PALCI
A consortium of academic libraries in Pennsylvania and nearby states allows you to conduct a search by title, subject or author and then directly submit a borrowing request. Noteworthy for its very fast delivery time. Limited to books.
ILLIAD
If a book you need is not available from PALCI, the ILLIAD service can borrow from libraries anywhere in the country. First time users will need to fill out a form to register for the free service. Illiad is also the service you will use to obtain copies of articles from journals and periodicals.