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University of Oregon Libraries
University of Oregon Libraries

Physics 152, Fall 2004
Physics of Sound and Music
Selected Library Resources

Getting Started
Finding Books
Finding Articles
Web Resources

 

Getting Started

Reference sources such as encyclopedias can be a great place to start your research. They can help you find and narrow a topic, and can provide introductory and background information. At the ends of articles in encyclopedias, you will also find bibliographies of books and journal articles for further reading. Be sure to use the index, located at the back of the last volume, if you don't find a chapter on your topic.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

  • Check out this comprehensive, online reference for all things musical. Also available in 29 print volumes at the Music Library

Science Library Reference

Encyclopedia of Acoustics. (4 volumes) SCI REF QC221.5 .E53 1997

Encyclopedia of physical science and technology, 3rd ed. (18 vols.) SCI REF Q123 .E497 2002

Handbook of Acoustics. SCI REF QC228.8 .H36 1998

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, 9th ed. (20 vols.) Q121 .M3 2002

On Reserve at the Science Library:

Fletcher, N. H. The physics of musical instruments, 2nd ed. RSRV SCI ML3805 .F58 1998

Music Library Reference

Baines, A. The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments. MUSIC REF. ML102 I5 B34 1992

Dobson, R.A. Dictionary of Electronic and Computer Music Terminology MUSIC REF. ML 102 .E4 D62 1992

Encyclopedia of Percussion. MUSIC REF. ML 102.P4 E5 1995

Kennedy, M. The Oxford Dictionary of Music. MUSIC REF. ML 100 .K35 1994

Musical Instruments of the World: an Illustrated Encyclopedia. MUSIC REF. ML102 .I5 M88 1997

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed. (29 vols.) MUSIC REF. ML100 .N48 2000

The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. MUSIC REF. ML102 .I5 N48 1984

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Finding Books

Here are some tips for finding books in the UO Library Catalog:

Use the keyword search function, with the truncation symbol * and the AND operator, for example:

    acoustic* and electronic music
    -This will retrieve books with titles or subject headings that contain the words acoustic, acoustical, acoustics, etc., that also contain the phrase "electronic music". (The system assumes a phrase if you don't use a Boolean operator like "and"-see Formulating a Search Strategy handout, for more information.)
  • The catalog records that you retrieve with a keyword search will have subject headings in them. You can click on a subject heading to find more books.
  • Use 'Modify Search' (button at top of screen of search results) and limit to location: Science, or location: Music.

A Guide to Browsing the Science Collection: Subject Index to LC Classification Numbers – also available as a print handout at the Science Library

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Finding Articles


Library databases & indexes are finding tools for journal (or magazine) articles and other publications. All contain citations; most contain abstracts; and some contain, or link to, the full text of articles. All of the databases below allow you to click on a "FindText\" button to see if the UO has the article in electronic full-text. If not, you can check if the UO Libraries own a print copy of the journal containing an article you want, or request it from another library.

All of the databases listed below can be found on the UO Libraries home page under "Databases & Indexes" (center section of page.)

For help on the mechanics of searching different databases, see the Science Library Database Searcher's Cheat Sheet.

Academic Search Premier

  • An interdisciplinary (which is helpful when you're searching physics and music) article index with many full-text articles. Features include 'peer reviewed only' and 'full-text only' search options. The mix of scholarly and popular journals also makes it a good place to search for opinion or controversy papers. You can also limit your search by journal/magazine name, e.g. Scientific American.

INSPEC

  • The most comprehensive index available for the physics literature, covering from 1969 to the present. It also covers electrical engineering, electronics and computer science, so it is a good source for electronic music, audio systems, etc.

Music Index [paper version: MUSIC REF. ML118 .M84]

  • The oldest index to music articles, going back to 1949. The years 1979 to the present are available on the web.

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature

  • A scholarly, multi-lingual index to articles in journals, books, and dissertations related to music and dance.
Web of Science
  • This multidisciplinary database can be searched by subject, author, journal, and author address. It also allows you to see who has used an article in a bibliography, -or who has "cited"- a particular published paper. You can trace a specific work by tracking the papers that quote it in the literature and to identify more recent articles on the same topic.

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Web Resources

Library Web Research Guides
The guides below will lead you to more print and electronic sources:

Searching the Internet Effectively
  • Tips on getting the most out of Google.

Other search engines

Evaluating Information on the World Wide Web

Citing Sources in Research Papers (includes information on citing electronic sources)

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Questions?

Contact Victoria Mitchell (6-3076), or Science Reference (6-2661, M-Th, 9-6; F 9-5)

Maintained by: Dean Walton, dpwalton@uoregon.edu