WILD 302 Fish Ecology

Of course, we have a lot of books (and ebooks) and the library. Let's say you are looking for information on a fish species for your assignment. You searched on Google Scholar, you even searched the library catalogue and still can't find what you're looking for? These tips will help you find books on your topic that the McGill Library has. If you are specifically looking for journal articles, please refer to the "Articles" tab in the left-side menu.

Let's use Chrysophrys auratus as an example. 

1. What information do you already have and what are you looking for? 

You may know already (through previous research, or by looking at Wikipedia or searching on Google/Google Scholar) that Chrysophrys auratus can also be called "Australasian snapper" or "silver seabream" and that it was previously Pagrus auratus (so if you're looking at older literature and search by name, you will have to use both). You could also look at where it grows and search the trees from that region.

On WorldCat, you can then search for fish ecology. Some of these books might have chapters on your fish. 

For print books:

- The library uses a subject-specific classification, which means that all books related to a same topic will be together on the shelves. 
- If the books are available downtown, you can request them to be sent to Mac. 

2. Reference list

Most books and all journal articles will have a list of references at the end, check it to see if any reference might be useful. If a title seems relevant, check WorldCat to see if we have it. If not, you can ask for an interlibrary loan (but don't do that if your assignment is due the next day. We still don't have transporters to beam the book to the library in a few seconds, so it might take from a few days to a few weeks depending where that book is located).