This research guide relays some basic information on library and information resources pertaining to the concerns of this department, as provided by University Libraries and/or sites on the World Wide Web.

1. To Shelf-Browse for Books (using main Library of Congress Subject Divisions)

Books on subjects associated with this field are shelved under the call number ranges listed below. Use TOPCAT to search for specific items in the collection, or more narrowly-defined subjects.

Astronomy (all main subjects): QB ------- Physics (all main classical subjects): QC1-QC798 ------- Geophysics: QE801-QE809 ------- Geomagnetism: QC811-QC849 ------- Radioactive Dating/Earth's Interior: QE500-QE511.7 ------- Biomagnetism & Biophysics: QH504-QH505 ------- Applied Mechanics: TA349-TA359 ------- Electric Circuits & Networks: TK452-TK454.4 ------- Electronic Circuits: TK7867-TK7882 ------- various bibliographic subjects (Z)

2. To Find Journal and Magazine Articles (using indexing/abstracting/full-text services)

The following services are recommended for courses for first-year students and nonmajors:

• Academic Search Premier and MasterFILE Premier: These two all-subject WWW-based services (they are part of the EBSCOhost system) feature indexing and abstracting of many journals and magazines WKU Libraries receives in hardcopy, plus a large selection of articles in full-text.
• Science (Magazine) Online (AAAS).
• Google Scholar: A free Web-based Google service that restricts searches to the scholarly literature. Now features linking to full-text of articles held by WKU.
• Applied Science and Technology Index: A Web-based database that indexes a fair number of physics-related titles. A paper version running through 1997 is located in Reference at TA1 .A66 (ref.per.ind.).

• The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) Astrophysics literature, including much full-text of professional articles.
• Science (Magazine) Online (AAAS).
• Nature (Magazine) Online.
• SpringerLink: Access to about 1000 Springer journals with full content back to about 1997.
• IOPScience (Institute of Physics): 250,000 articles in full-text from the serial publications of the IOP.
• ejournal collections by individual publisher: Cambridge Journals Online, ScienceDirect (Elsevier), and Wiley Interscience. Abstracting of the nearly 2000 science journals published by these companies, with some full-text available at each site (individually).
• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals): "This service covers free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals" (across all subject areas, and in multiple languages).
• Electronic Journal Service: EJS (Ebsco): Full-text articles, tables of content, and abstracts from journals across all subject areas.
• Google Scholar: As described above.
• ArticleFirst: FirstSearch database available to faculty and graduate students (and to undergraduate students by special permission). Indexes almost 13,000 journals and magazines from 1990 onward, including some ninety percent of the ones University Libraries carries in hardcopy.
• Ingenta: A free online database indexing some 28000 journals and magazines from the 1980s onward. Offers for-pay text delivery.
• Applied Science and Technology Index: As described above.
• Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts: A paper abstracting service for the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. Located in Reference at QB1 .A8x (ref.per.ind.).
• Physics Abstracts: A state-of-the-art paper abstracting service for the literature of physics-related titles (we own the 1932-1994 volumes only). Located in Reference, in Room 109.

Special resource: Comprehensive List of Indexes, Abstracts, and Full-Text Services Related to the Natural & Applied Sciences Held by University Libraries
Special resource:  TDNet Electronic Journal Finder [use to access Libraries' electronic journals, magazines, and newspapers, as well as some indexes and databases containing full-text articles; includes a comprehensive A-Z listing of titles]
Special resource:  Knovel Online Library: A set of technical reference books and tables of particular interest to engineering, mathematics, physics, astronomy, and chemistry.

3. Monographic Reference Works in Helm Library

The following are recommended for use:

• handbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, etc.: available in Reference, mainly in the QB, QC, and TK parts of the collection. Note especially the following:  History of Astronomy: An Encyclopedia QB15.H624 ------- Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences QB600.2 .E53 ------- Twentieth Century Physics QC7.T84 ------- Instrumentation Reference Book QC53.I574 ------- Handbook of Physical Quantities QC61.H36 ------- Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics Handbook QC173.A827 ------- Encyclopedia of Acoustics QC221.5 .E53 ------- Handbook of Optics QC369.H35 ------- Encyclopedia of Spectroscopy QC450.3 .P47 ------- Handbook of Chemistry and Physics QD65.H3.   See the Shelf List of Science & Technology-Related Reference Works in the Reference Department, Helm Library.

4. Department of Physics and Astronomy

• Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty http://physics.wku.edu/
• Bell Observatory, Western Kentucky University http://astro.wku.edu/observatory/

  5. Related Professional Societies (for professional news, careers/jobs, memberships, etc.)

  Astronomy

  • American Association of Amateur Astronomers http://www.astromax.com/
  • American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) http://www.aavso.org/
  • American Astronomical Society http://www.aas.org/
  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics http://www.aiaa.org/
  • The Astronomical League [amateur astronomers] http://www.astroleague.org/
  • Astronomical Society of the Pacific http://www.astrosociety.org/
  • International Astronomical Union http://www.iau.org/
  • International Planetarium Society http://www.ips-planetarium.org/
  • The Planetary Society http://www.planetary.org/
  • Royal Astronomical Society (U.K.) http://www.ras.org.uk/

  Physics

  • Acoustical Society of America http://asa.aip.org/
  • American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) http://www.aapt.org/
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU) http://www.agu.org/
  • American Institute of Physics http://www.aip.org/
  • American Physical Society http://www.aps.org/
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) http://www.ieee.org/
  • Institute of Physics (IOP) http://www.iop.org/
  • Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) http://www.iee.org/
  • Optics Net (Optical Society of America) http://www.osa.org/
  • Sigma Pi Sigma (AIP) http://www.aip.org/education/sps/sigpisig.htm
  • Society of Physics Students http://www.aip.org/education/sps/index.html

  
  6. Web Sites Recommended by Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Faculty

  A & P: General/Gateways         A & P: History/Biography         A & P: Advanced Research
  Astronomy: Solar System         Astronomy: Misc. Resources         Physics: Teaching/Education/Tutorials         Physics: Subfields, Misc.

  Astronomy & Physics: General Portals & Gateways

  • Astronomy Links http://astronomylinks.com/
  • Astrophysics Data System Abstract Service [millions of article abstracts, preprints, etc.] http://adswww.harvard.edu/ads_abstracts.html
  • AstroWeb: Astronomy/Astrophysics on the Internet http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/www/astronomy.html
  • Martindale's "Virtual" Astronomy, Astrophysics & Space Center http://www.martindalecenter.com/GradSpace.html
  • Martindale's "Virtual" Physics Center http://www.martindalecenter.com/GradPhysics.html
  • Eric Weisstein's World of Physics http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/
  • Physics Internet Resources (American Physical Society) http://positron3.aps.org/resources/index.cfm
  • Physics.org ["The best physics resources, all in one place"] http://www.physics.org/
  • PhysLINK: Physics & Engineering Online Education and Reference http://www.physlink.com/
  • Yahoo! Directory: Science>Physics http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/physics/
  Astronomy & Physics: History / Biography
  • Center for History of Physics (AIP) http://www.aip.org/history/
  • Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics http://cwp.library.ucla.edu/
  • A. Einstein: Image and Impact (AIP) http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/
  • Albert Einstein Online http://www.westegg.com/einstein/
  • The Galileo Project (Rice University) http://galileo.rice.edu
  • History of Astronomy [directory & links] http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/astoria.html
  • The [Isaac] Newton Project [writings of Isaac Newton] http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/
  • Online Resources for the History of Physics and Allied Fields http://www.aip.org/history/web-link.htm

  Astronomy & Physics: Advanced Research: Physical Data, Programs, Technical Literature, Preprints, etc.

  • arXiv.org e-Print Archive [e-print service] http://arxiv.org/
  • Astronomy Software Servers http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/www/yp_software.html
  • CERN Document Server (CDS) [bibliographic & full-text documents re: particle physics & related areas] http://cds.cern.ch/
  • E-Print Network [preprints, etc.] http://www.osti.gov/eprints/
  • Index to Physics Applets (UC Berkeley) http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/appletindex.html
  • ISIHighlyCited.com [highly cited scientists] http://isihighlycited.com/
  • NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/
  • (Interactive) NGC Catalog Online http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/~spider/ngc/ngc.html
  • NIST Data Gateway http://srdata.nist.gov/gateway/
  • NIST Physical Reference Data http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/
  • Physics Academic Software http://www.webassign.net/pasnew/
  • Physics Simulations Library http://physci.kennesaw.edu/javamirror/
  • SIMBAD Astronomical Database [data & measurements for objects beyond the solar system] http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/
  • The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) [astrophysics literature, including much full-text of professional articles] http://adswww.harvard.edu/
  • Smithsonian Physical Tables 9th rev. ed. http://www.knovel.com/knovel2/Toc.jsp?SpaceID=10093&BookID=736
  • SPIN Web/Scitation [searchable database of research records] http://scitation.aip.org/vsearch/servlet/VerityServlet?KEY=ALL

  Astronomy: Planets & Solar System

  • Big Bear Solar Observatory [current solar images, etc.] http://www.bbso.njit.edu/
  • The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/encycl.html
  • Extrasolar Visions [extrasolar planets] http://www.extrasolar.net/mainframes.html
  • Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/
  • Lunar and Planetary Institute [resources] http://www.lpi.usra.edu/
  • Lunar and Planetary Science http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/
  • NASA's Mars Exploration Program http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
  • NASA: Mars Exploration Rover Mission http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html
  • The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System http://www.nineplanets.org/
  • Planetary Photojournal (NASA) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/
  • Planetary Science Research Discoveries (NASA) http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/index.html
  • Solar System Simulator http://samadhi.jpl.nasa.gov/
  • Views of the Solar System http://www.solarviews.com/

  Astronomy: Miscellaneous Sites & Resources

  • Astrobiology at NASA http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/
  • Astrobiology.com http://www.astrobiology.com/
  • Astronomy Education at the ASP http://www.astrosociety.org/education.html
  • Astronomy Education Review (National Optical Astronomy Observatory) http://aer.noao.edu/
  • The Astronomy Net [news, clubs, features] http://www.astronomy.net/
  • The Astronomy Thesaurus http://msowww.anu.edu.au/library/thesaurus/
  • Chandra X-ray Observatory Center, Harvard [gateway for x-ray astronomy resources] http://chandra.harvard.edu/
  • The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/ETEmain.html
  • Encyclopedia Astronautica http://www.astronautix.com/
  • Eric Weisstein's World of Astronomy [in-progress encyclopedic subject coverage] http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/
  • The Exploratorium http://www.exploratorium.edu/
  • Hayden Planetarium's Academic Home http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/
  • NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) http://www.nasa.gov/
  • Physical Sciences Resource Center (AAPT) [teaching] http://www.psrc-online.org/
  • RCT Consortium Observatory at Kitt Peak [robotically controlled telescope] http://www.psi.edu/rct/
  • StarDate Online http://www.stardate.org/

  Physics: Teaching / Education / Student Tutorials

  • Activity-based Physics http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/abp/
  • Applets and Shockwave Animations for use in the Physics Syllabus http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/curric/stage6/phys/physapplets.html
  • DC Physics: Help for Physics Students http://www.dctech.com/physics/student_help.php
  • HyperPhysics [interactive course outlines] http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hphys.html
  • An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics http://www.chemistry.ohio-state.edu/betha/qm/
  • The Net Advance of Physics (MIT) http://web.mit.edu/redingtn/www/netadv/welcome.html
  • The Particle Adventure: The Fundamentals of Matter and Forces (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) http://particleadventure.org/index.html
  • Physical Sciences Resource Center (AAPT) [teaching] http://www.psrc-online.org/
  • Physics 2000 (Univ. of Colorado) http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl
  • Physics Education Technology http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/web-pages/index.html
  • Relativity Tutorial http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/relatvty.htm
  • Teachnology ["the web portal for educators"]
    http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/science/physics/
  • Web Physics [aids to teaching and learning physics] http://webphysics.davidson.edu/WebPhysicsInfo.htm

  Physics: Subfields, Miscellaneous Subjects, News, etc.

  • Acoustics.org http://www.acoustics.org/index.html
  • AIP Physics News Update http://www.aip.org/physnews/update/
  • The Electricity Forum [industry news & information] http://www.electricityforum.com/
  • Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia.html
  • Geophysics on the Internet http://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/anon/seg.html
  • Glossary of Nuclear Science Terms http://ie.lbl.gov/education/glossary/glossaryf.htm
  • More About Particle Physics (Fermi National Lab) http://www.fnal.gov/pub/inquiring/more/index.html
  • National Geophysical Data Center http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/
  • Online Particle Physics Information http://www.slac.stanford.edu/library/pdg/
  • PhysNet [professional information for physicists; physics depts. worldwide] http://physnet.uni-oldenburg.de/PhysNet/
  • PhysicsWeb: Global News and Information http://physicsweb.org/
  • Quantum Physics Online http://www.quantum-physics.polytechnique.fr/en/index.html
  • The Radiation Information Network (Idaho State U.) [health physics news & information] http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/
  • spectroscopyNOW.com [news & resources] http://www.spectroscopynow.com/
  University Libraries Liaison: Charles H. Smith (x6079 / charles.smith@wku.edu) last updated 4/20/2009
  page maintained by Charles H. Smith