How to Use a Book

How to Use a Book Video Transcript

At first, books might be intimidating due to their length. However, there are ways to quickly navigate them, gain useful ideas and information from them, and to figure out if or how they might be useful for your assignment.  

Scholarly books are not always read in their entirety. Rather, there may be particular chapters or essays within them that are useful for your research. This video will introduce the parts of a book and will give you some pointers on how to effectively assess their usefulness for your research.

The information you will need to cite the book and include it in your bibliography will be found on the two sides of the title page.

The title page will provide the full title of the book. It will also indicate who wrote the book. There may be one or more authors or, in the case of an anthology or edited book, you will see the editor(s). An anthology will contain several authors, each of whom is responsible for one or more chapters or essays within the book itself. Typically additional information about the authors will be provided somewhere near the beginning or the end of the book – in this case in a contributors section. This information may help you assess the usefulness or appropriateness of the book for your research.

In many cases, the publisher will also be listed, as well as publication information, including when the book was published. For some topics, recent books are more desirable; for other topics, currency is less of a concern.

To gain a better sense of whether the book is useful for your assignment, consult the table of contents to see what subjects or topics are being explored. The table of contents can be approached as a map for the book. 

In many cases, the first and last chapters introduce and summarize the contents of the book, so skimming these can be particularly valuable.

For other chapters that look promising based on this quick overview, spend a few minutes reading their introductory paragraphs. Skimming the chapter subtitles and beginning sentences of paragraphs can give you a quick idea of what each section, or the chapter as a whole, addresses.  

Scholarly books will also, in most cases, contain an index at the back. Consult the index for key terms, phrases, or people related to your topic to see if the book addresses them and the extent to which they are considered.

Finally, the bliography or references can be very useful. These may be found at the back of the book or at the end of individual chapters. These citations can provide valuable leads to other items that you might want to consult.

If you’re ever stuck, wonder if there are other avenues to explore, or are encountering challenges using any library resources, don’t hesitate to consult a librarian by using the “Ask a Librarian” online chat, or inquire in-person at any library reference desk