MATH 3200: History of Mathematics (Zekeria)

Books are excellent sources for information such as:

• Broad overview of a complex topic
• In-depth information
• Background and contextual information, such as the history and chronology of a given topic
• Discovering resources through bibliographies and suggested readings lists

**Also, for historical scholarship, as oppose to scientific research, books (also called monographs) are an important information source, in addition to journal articles.  

"But I don't have time to read a whole book!" 

It's ok, you don't have to read a book cover to cover! To determine how useful a book might be, first skim through the following parts: 

• Title Page - look at authors (credentials?), date of publication
• Table of Contents - look at chapter titles to get an idea what the book is really about. Are any chapters relevant to your topic? You usually don't need to read every chapter, just those that are relevant!
• Index - Look for specific terms relevant to your topic, also note any potential new terms that can be used later as search terms in a database
• Preface/Forward/Introduction - usually highlights the author's purpose/intention for writing the book
• Bibliography (either at the end of each chapter or end of the book) - find additional resources!​

There are two ways to search for books using the Library's website: 

1. Library ALL Search - use the big search box on the Library homepage. -  use the filters along the left side of the screen → under CONTENT TYPE, select Book/eBbook
2. Use the Library Catalog - click the Catalog Search link under the big search box on the Library's homepage 

Serendipitous Searching (for print books)

• Physical books in the Library are organized by subject, meaning that books of the same or similar topic or subject area will be shelved next of near each other.
• If you are searching for a print book, be sure to take a few minutes to browse the books near the specific book you are looking for to see if you find any other books that might be helpful.