SEAMANSHIP AND NAVIGATION

The major intent of this page is to provide some useful links to midshipmen looking for library resources to assist with Seamanship and Navigation Department assignments.

Contents:

-- Background Resources
-- Databases and Indexes
-- Navy Knowledge Online (NKO)
-- Full-Text Publications
-- Specific Subject Pages of Interest
-- Wrapping It Up

BACKGROUND RESOURCES:

Professional Reading Lists: U.S. Marine Corps | CNO

LIBRARY BASICS

LIBRARY CATALOG -- The majority of books about the military are located on the third deck of the Nimitz Library building in call number "V" for navy materials and "U" for other military subjects. Most books about the Marines are located in the "VE" section. If your subject is more historically related, such as World War II, the books will be on the second deck in the "E" section. I suggest you use the online catalog, specifically the keyword function to locate materials.

DATABASES AND INDEXES:

Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals (AULIMP). This is the single best index for searching current military topics such as women serving onboard submarines, gays in the military, recruitment, military family separation, military leadership, etc. The Nimitz Library owns most of the titles indexes, a high percentage of which are available on our electronic journals page.

Academic Search Premier. Designed specifically for academic institutions, this scholarly collection offers information in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. It contains full text for more than 4,600 publications, including over 3,500 peer-reviewed publications. A good starting point for research, but other subject specific resources should be also consulted.

Jane's Online. Jane's Publishing is one of the foremost publishers of military information. Jane's online includes all of the Jane's print materials we get in the Nimitz Library such as Jane's Fighting Ships and Jane's Defense Weekly, but also includes many additional publications previously unavailable at USNA. Jane's Online is very useful for tracking military topics such as new aircraft and new ships, developments in foreign Orders-of-Battle, country studies and terrorism. Jane's online is also extremely useful in researching industry developments in transportation (air, land and sea) and defense markets. Select MORE INFORMATION for tips in using Jane's Online.

Navy Fact File. Provides pictures of specific military systems and also lists the capabilities of the equipment.

DTIC STINET.  A database of other technical reports for the Department of Defense. Subjects include tactics, weapons, leadership and military history topics. Many of the newer items are full-text; for older materials please order items from the Nimitz Library reference desk (10 days for delivery).

SCAMPI: Staff College Automated Military Periodicals Index. The Joint Forces Staff College Library is a specialized military library, focusing on research in joint and multinational operations, military history and naval science, operational warfare, and operations other than war. Library staff members regularly scan the weekly news magazines, monthly and bimonthly journals such as Military Review, Armed Forces Journal, and quarterly publications, including NATO's Nations and Partners for Peace, RUSI Journal, and the Naval War College Review. Miscellaneous reports from RAND and the General Accounting Office are also indexed for SCAMPI. The resulting database serves as a current (1997 - present) guide to articles on military and naval art and science, operational warfare, joint planning, national and international politics, and other areas researched by JFSC faculty, staff, and students. The index is updated quarterly. Retrospective conversion for records from the past 40+ years is ongoing.

NAVY KNOWLEDGE ONLINE (NKO)

The Navy has developed a complete web product for all naval personnel. This product includes email discussion lists, career community news, personnel information, and a host of other applications that are designed to be useful for everyone that supports the fleet. Everyone must register to use NKO. During the registration you will receive a username and password which will be useful for your entire Navy career. NKO provides access to wide range of resources; this description will focus on those databases useful for the educational research process at the Naval Academy.

The best way to find the educational resources is to select "Personal Development" under the "Centers" icon (left menu of the webpage). Once you are connected to "Personal Development", connect to the "My Education" link (close to the top of the "Personal Development" page). Relevant links on that page include:

"Navy Education Resource Center". A research tool to identify colleges and universities and some full-text books about career options (Peterson's Online System).

"Hometown News". A collection of more than 440 newspapers, including many small town newspapers and more than 40 international newspapers.

"Gale's Expanded Academic ASAP". A general periodical index with many full-text links that is designed for college freshmen and sophomores. This index is a less sophisticated version of "Academic Search Premier" and includes access to scholarly journals, magazines and newspapers.

"Gale's Student Resource Center". The online system that contains most of the Gale Publishing encyclopedias, dictionaries and guides. A very useful resource in researching history and literature topics.

The Nimitz Library staff is interested in hearing about your use of NKO, but for specific technical help please use the "Feedback" buttons for any questions or problem you have with this system.

Some of the links on this page may be to sites that are not located at the United States Naval Academy. The USNA is not responsible for the content found on these sites. In addition, the content of these sites does not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards, policy or endorsement of the Naval Academy or the United States Government.

Comments and suggestions: Web Systems Management Librarian
URL: http://www.usna.edu/Library/Seamanship/Seaman.html
Last updated: 24 October 2005