Getting Started
About This Guide
This guide will help you find resources for your GIS classes. The guide is divided into the following sections:
Search Tips
- Review basic search tips to help you be successful searching the library catalog and databases.
- View a list of recommended databases for GIS.
GIS Online Data
- Find online sources for GIS data sets.
Books
- View a list of recommended and newly added physical and electronic books.
Streaming Video
- Find streaming videos related to geography.
Cite Your Sources
- Access guides for citing your sources using APA format.
Search Tips
Boolean Operators
Use boolean operators to combine multiple keywords to get more accurate search results. The venn diagram below shows your search results in orange.
Use AND between your keywords to narrow your search. This will give you a smaller number of results that are more specific to your topic.
Use OR between your keywords to broaden your search. This will give you a larger number of results and is helpful for including synonymous terms.
Use NOT between your keywords to exclude keywords from your search. This is helpful for weeding out irrelevant results.
Additional examples of boolean searches
honeybees AND migration AND "climate change"
honeybees OR "native bees" AND habitat
honeybees OR "honey bees" AND Minnesota NOT bumblebees
Filter Your Results
The vast majority of our library databases include the ability to filter your search results.
Use the Full Text filter to only search for article you can immediately access in full text.
Use the Peer Reviewed filter to limit your search to articles from scholarly journals.
Use the Publication Date filter to limit your search to a specific date range. For nursing resources, you are often looking for information published in the last 5 years.
Additional filters are often available through the left side bar or by using the advanced search option.
Use the Full Text filter to only search for article you can immediately access in full text.
Use the Peer Reviewed filter to limit your search to articles from scholarly journals.
Use the Publication Date filter to limit your search to a specific date range. For nursing resources, you are often looking for information published in the last 5 years.
Additional filters are often available through the left side bar or by using the advanced search option.
Databases
Recommended Databases for GIS
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) Provides full text articles from over 4,600 publications, covering a wide range of academic subjects.
Applied Science & Technology Source (EBSCO) Offers a diverse array of full-text and indexed content covering the full spectrum of the applied sciences.
GreenFILE (EBSCO) This comprehensive resource draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology. Topics covered include global climate change, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling and more.
JSTOR Full-text access to selected scholarly journals starting with first issues, some titles going back to the nineteenth century. Includes access to the Biological Sciences Collection.
Getting Better Results with Google
Google Advanced Search Gives you additional options to narrow your search and get more useful web results for academic research.
- Search by a specific type of website
- .gov = government sites
- .edu = academic sites
- .org = non-profit sites
- .com = commercial sites
- Use your keywords and boolean operators just like you would search the library databases.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Search the majority of articles published by major academic publishers and academic repositories. Many articles do not have full text available.
Search the majority of articles published by major academic publishers and academic repositories. Many articles do not have full text available.
- Under settings - search for and set your library links to FDLTCC to display a link when you can get full-text access to an article through the FDLTCC library.
- As you browse your search results, you will see a "cited by" link, showing you how many times an article has been cited by other scholars in the field. This helps you get an idea of which articles are most influential in the field.
- If full text access is not available, click the double arrow icon below the article title to show the "GetIt@FDLTCC". This will route you to the library catalog where you can sign in with your StarID and password and auto-populate an interlibrary loan request.
GIS Online Data
Find GIS Data Online
Big Ten Academic Alliance Geospatial Information Network (BTAA-GIN) A collaboration of library-affiliated staff from the Big Ten Academic Alliance universities. Resources include GIS datasets, web services, and digitized historical maps.
Google Earth Explore worldwide satellite imagery and 3D buildings and terrain for hundreds of cities.
U.S. Geological Survey the USGS provides science for a changing world, which reflects and responds to society’s continuously evolving needs. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to bear in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.
U.S. Census Bureau The Census Bureau is dedicated to providing current facts and figures about America’s people, places, and economy.
DATA.GOV The United States Government’s open data site is designed to unleash the power of government open data to inform decisions by the public and policymakers, drive innovation and economic activity, achieve agency missions, and strengthen the foundation of an open and transparent government.
National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI archives and shares depth data acquired by hydrographic, oceanographic, and industry vessels and platforms during surveys or while on passage.
National Park Service GIS, Cartography and Mapping The geospatial community within the National Park Service uses spatial data, standards, and technical tools to understand, protect and help visitors enjoy our national parks. With Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing technology, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems we acquire and process current, accurate data about the parks.
Google Earth Explore worldwide satellite imagery and 3D buildings and terrain for hundreds of cities.
U.S. Geological Survey the USGS provides science for a changing world, which reflects and responds to society’s continuously evolving needs. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to bear in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.
U.S. Census Bureau The Census Bureau is dedicated to providing current facts and figures about America’s people, places, and economy.
DATA.GOV The United States Government’s open data site is designed to unleash the power of government open data to inform decisions by the public and policymakers, drive innovation and economic activity, achieve agency missions, and strengthen the foundation of an open and transparent government.
National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI archives and shares depth data acquired by hydrographic, oceanographic, and industry vessels and platforms during surveys or while on passage.
National Park Service GIS, Cartography and Mapping The geospatial community within the National Park Service uses spatial data, standards, and technical tools to understand, protect and help visitors enjoy our national parks. With Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing technology, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems we acquire and process current, accurate data about the parks.
Books
Select Electronic Books
Francis Harvey. 2015. A Primer of GIS : Fundamental Geographic and Cartographic Concepts. New York: The Guilford Press.
James R. Akerman. 2017. Decolonizing the Map : Cartography From Colony to Nation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Dawn J. Wright, and Christian Harder. 2019. GIS for Science, Volume 1 : Applying Mapping and Spatial Analytics. Redlands, California: Esri Press.
Cynthia A. Brewer. 2016. Designing Better Maps : A Guide for GIS Users. Redlands, California: Esri Press.
Stuart Dunn. 2019. A History of Place in the Digital Age. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Vaughan, Laura. Mapping Society: The Spatial Dimensions of Social Cartography. 1st ed. London: UCL Press, 2018.
Kollektiv Orangotango, and Severin Halder. This Is Not an Atlas: A Global Collection of Counter-Cartographies. 2nd ed., vol. 26, Transcript Verlag, 2018.
Wigen, Kären, and Caroline Winterer. Time in Maps: From the Age of Discovery to Our Digital Era. 1st ed., University of Chicago Press, 2020.
Select Physical Books
Morton, Ron, and Carl Gawboy. Talking Rocks: Geology and 10,000 Years of Native American Tradition in the Lake Superior Region. University of Minnesota Press, 2003.In the library: Anishinaabe Collection, E78.G7 M67 2000
Westerman, Gwen, and Bruce M. White. Mni Sota Makoce : the Land of the Dakota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2012.In the library: Anishinaabe Collection, E99.D1 W63 2012
Ojakangas, Richard W. Roadside Geology of Minnesota. Mountain Press Pub., 2009.
In the library: Minnesota Collection QE127 .O34 2009
Monmonier, Mark S. How to Lie with Maps. Third edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2018
Call number: Main Collection, G108.7 .M66 2018
Jennings, Ken. Maphead : Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks. First Scribner trade paperback edition. New York: Scribner, 2012.
Call number: Main Collection ; GA105.3 .J46 2012
Harmon, Katharine A. You Are Here : Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination. 1st ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004.
Call number: Main Collection ; GA105.3 .H346 2004
Cheshire, James, and Oliver Uberti. “Atlas of the Invisible : Maps & Graphics That Will Change How You See the World.” New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company 2021Call Number: Main Collection ; G1046.E1 C4 2021
Marshall, Tim. Prisoners of Geography : Ten Maps That Explain Everything about the World. First Scribner Hardcover edition. New York: Scribner, 2015.
Call Number: Main Collection ; JC319 .M37 2015
Harzinski, Kris, and Hand Drawn Map Association. From Here to There : A Curious Collection from the Hand Drawn Map Association. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010.
Call Number: Main Collection ; GA130 .H336 2010
Wilson, Robin J. Four Colors Suffice : How the Map Problem Was Solved. Revised color edition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2014
Call Number: Main Collection ; QA612.19 .W56 2014
Search the Library Catalog
Primo OneSearch
Use the library catalog to search for physical books, eBooks, articles, media and more.
Need a source not in the FDLTCC collection? place a resource sharing request
Need a source not in the FDLTCC collection? place a resource sharing request
Streaming Video
Streaming Video Resources
Films on Demand - Geography Browse a list of geography-related videos from the Films on Demand Master Academic Collection.
Kanopy An on-demand streaming video service providing access to feature length films, documentaries and education videos across a wide range of subjects.
Kanopy An on-demand streaming video service providing access to feature length films, documentaries and education videos across a wide range of subjects.
Cite Your Sources
APA Style Guides
Academic writing requires you to correctly format your papers and cite your sources. The field of nursing uses APA style.
See the library's guide on APA formatting for an overview of the most common citation skills you will need as a nursing student:
APA 7th Ed. Citation Guide | Ruth A. Myers Library (mnpals.net)
Purdue OWL offers a more extensive guide you can reference for more advanced citation questions:
APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University
See the library's guide on APA formatting for an overview of the most common citation skills you will need as a nursing student:
APA 7th Ed. Citation Guide | Ruth A. Myers Library (mnpals.net)
Purdue OWL offers a more extensive guide you can reference for more advanced citation questions:
APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University
Library Databases Citation Tool
The library catalog and most of the library databases have built in tools to help you format citations for your works cited/reference page.
After finding an article, look for a "Cite" icon. Choose the whichever you are using (APA, MLA, etc.), then, copy and past the citation into your document. Always double check the format in case there are errors.
After finding an article, look for a "Cite" icon. Choose the whichever you are using (APA, MLA, etc.), then, copy and past the citation into your document. Always double check the format in case there are errors.