Print indexes contain lists of article titles. Along with each title, you will find publishing information that helps you to retrieve the article from the periodical in which it was published. Various libraries subscribe to various periodicals, so just because you locate a good-looking article in an index, don't assume you can find it in your library.

Print indexes come in two varieties. Read about each type:

• General Indexes
• Discipline-Specific Indexes

Remember, by just browsing the list of article titles, you can determine whether an article sounds relevant to your question. If it does, THEN retrieve it from a librarian.

Here's the process Josephine used in searching a print index for articles related to her question: Should families of gang members tolerate the violent acts of gangs in their communities?

1. Josephine created a synonym list for her question and decided to start off with one of her simple search terms, "gangs."

2. Josephine decided to look both in a general index (Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature) and several promising discipline-specific indexes (Criminal Justice Periodicals Index, Social Sciences Index, and Chicano Periodicals Index).

3. In the Chicano Periodicals Index (for the year 1990), Josephine found an article she thought was perfect for her upcoming paper. (See for yourself! Click on the Chicano Periodicals Index. The blue arrow indicates the title: "Community Tolerance of Gang Violence," found in the journal Social Problems December 1987. Not only does the article look promising, the journal sounds like a credible one.)

4. After reviewing several other indexes and finding no relevant articles, she decided to retrieve the article from Social Sciences. At Rio Hondo Library, here's how she did it:
   • a. She consulted the list of periodicals kept on top of the index shelves. (NOTE: If Rio Hondo does not carry the issue of the journal, magazine, or newspaper you need, STOP AT ONCE! Simply write down the publishing information to track down your periodical at another library.) As it turned out, Rio Hondo did subscribe to the journal Social Problems for 1990, so Josephine was in luck!

   • b. On the small form provided on top of the index shelves, Josephine wrote down the publishing information for the article. (The form asks for the article title, as well as the journal's title, volume number, and date of issue.)

   • c. Josephine gave the form--and her library card--to the librarian behind the Periodicals Desk on the second floor. In a couple of minutes, Josephine had the periodical Social Sciences in her hands. She then photocopied the article at one of the copiers on the second floor, since periodicals cannot be checked out of Rio Hondo Library, as in most libraries.)