The reference librarians at UMD all have Master's degrees in library science, and their training and experience qualifies them as the source for help with your research. When you need help with research, go to the Reference Desk. ANY five sources Professors will often require a minimum number of sources for a paper, but you should not think of your research materials simply by quantity. Because there is so much information available, it is important to take the time and effort needed to select those sources that are most appropriate for your project. Usually, you need to check the library's catalog to see if indeed the library owns the item for which you are looking.
Libraries are complex organizations of knowledge, which is stored in many different formats.
If you cannot find any resources on your topic, ask for guidance from a reference librarian. Many people think that the Internet, or more specifically the World Wide Web, is the ultimate source of information on any topic. While it is a powerful tool for communication and the dissemination of information, it is not the repository of all knowledge. The UMD Library uses the technology of the Internet to access many electronic resources, but the library pays for your access to these electronic counterparts of traditional research material. There are different types of libraries, each with a different mission and thus different collections and services.