Librarian

Brenna Bierman

she/her

Email Me

Contact:

Central Library - 800FH

615-343-2718

Subjects: Communication Studies, Economics, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Welcome to your Guide to Library Research

As a Vanderbilt student you can connect with the library wherever you are!

Access books, journals, databases, films, and more using your VUnetID
Work with a librarian - don't spend more than 20 minutes aimlessly searching!
- Email me with a question
- Schedule a meeting virtually or in-person for in-depth research assistance

Central Library spends ~2 million dollars every year to purchase books, ebooks, articles, and other materials that are behind paywalls.
Vanderbilt Library subscribes to over 700 databases.
These resources make up a majority of the Deep Web.
Google, Bing, and other familiar tools capture less than 1% of information on the internet.

Infographic Credit: CNN Money

As generative AI tools become more prevalent, you may want to try using some of these tools and services to help you complete your coursework. According to the Syllabus AI Policies for the College of Arts & Science, "...the policy of Vanderbilt University to leave it up to individual faculty to decide whether and how AI tools are used in their courses..." Therefore you should always check the course syllabus and speak with the professor before using any AI Tool. If allowed by the professor, whether or not you choose to use AI is ultimately your decision, however there are a few things to keep in mind:

Why should I use AI tools?	Why shouldn't I use AI tools?
AI tools can complete some of your repetitive tasks more easily - AI is good at completing tedious, repetitive tasks that would normally take time away from your ability to think critically about your research question and ideas. Using AI can give you the ability to invest your time more heavily in creating a quality, well-thought out analysis or argument. AI can be good for brainstorming ideas & helping you kick off your project/assignment - it isn't always easy to come up with a research question or topic for a paper. AI tools can help you brainstorm a topic for you to explore.	The professor is not allowing their use - if you use AI tools when the professor explicitly states it is not allowed, you could be risking your grade if discovered. AI tools aren't always correct - AI can generate answers that sound authoritative and look reasonable to the untrained eye, but are revealed to be incorrect or poor quality to subject experts. If you don't already have experience with the topic you are studying and you can't catch mistakes, you may be risking your grade. AI can't access all of the scholarly information that is available to you - as mentioned in the "Why not Google?" tab, Vanderbilt Libraries spend a large sum to ensure we have access to scholarly materials that are behind publisher paywalls. Your research could stall if you aren't accessing all of the materials that are available to you.

Why should I use AI tools?

Why shouldn't I use AI tools?

AI tools can complete some of your repetitive tasks more easily - AI is good at completing tedious, repetitive tasks that would normally take time away from your ability to think critically about your research question and ideas. Using AI can give you the ability to invest your time more heavily in creating a quality, well-thought out analysis or argument.
AI can be good for brainstorming ideas & helping you kick off your project/assignment - it isn't always easy to come up with a research question or topic for a paper. AI tools can help you brainstorm a topic for you to explore.

The professor is not allowing their use - if you use AI tools when the professor explicitly states it is not allowed, you could be risking your grade if discovered.
AI tools aren't always correct - AI can generate answers that sound authoritative and look reasonable to the untrained eye, but are revealed to be incorrect or poor quality to subject experts. If you don't already have experience with the topic you are studying and you can't catch mistakes, you may be risking your grade.
AI can't access all of the scholarly information that is available to you - as mentioned in the "Why not Google?" tab, Vanderbilt Libraries spend a large sum to ensure we have access to scholarly materials that are behind publisher paywalls. Your research could stall if you aren't accessing all of the materials that are available to you.

Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
Literary guide to significant sources on a variety of subjects. Works as an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Long-form overview articles written, peer-reviewed, and edited by leading scholars. Both foundational and cutting-edge topics are covered in order to develop, over time, an anchoring knowledge base for major areas of research.
Access to selected content only. Some articles may not be available.
Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
Cambridge Histories covering American, British, economic, regional, and general history, language and linguistics, philosophy, religious studies, theatre studies and performing arts, etc.
New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics Online This link opens in a new window
Essays covering a broad range of topics, methodologies, and theories within the field of economics. Many articles contributed by "eminent economists" writing about their area of expertise.

Natural Resource and Environmental Economics

Environmental economics is one of the fastest growing areas of economics, establishing the true cost of natural resources and discussing ways in which their costs can be distributed amongst consumers. This book provides up-to-date coverage of the subject. input-output models and general equilibrium analysis. It also analyzes different economic perspectives on the environment, uses international case studies to illustrate each chapter, and surveys a wide range of literature on the subject.

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: An Encyclopedia

Accessible to students and practitioners without an advanced degree in environmental economics, this essential reference work pinpoints the role of the economy in both creating and solving many of the world's most pressing environmental challenges. * Provides stand-alone, easy-to-understand, politically neutral, and factually driven entries by leading experts on all the major themes and topics in environmental and natural resource economics * Supplies a usable framework for readers without an advanced degree in the subject to understand debates in the public forum on environmental and natural resource economics * Delivers the most comprehensive overview of one of the fastest-growing subdisciplines of economics

Environmental Economics

This book aids those concerned about environmental issues to firmly grasp relevant analytical methods and to comprehend the thought process behind environmental economics. It does so by drawing from specific environmental issues and at the same time providing commentary that facilitates understanding. This text contains in-depth explanations necessary for a thorough understanding of the fundamental aspects and importance of environmental economics. Environmental Economics seeks to elucidate the mechanisms that give rise to environmental problems by approaching environmental issues from an economic perspective. At the same time, it is a study aiming to indicate specific countermeasures that could resolve present environmental issues. This text has been put together in way that allows readers without specialized economics knowledge to easily understand the situation, issues and challenges of environmental economics.

ECON 3170: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics