[Lingtyp] Ways to search literature

[Sebastian Nordhoff]

Dear all,
this is a query relating to your personal habits of searching for
literature. In the publishing world, discoverability is a very hot topic
right now, and all kinds of resources and technologies are being
advertised and proposed.

I am wondering if these search facilities are relevant for linguistics
in the same way as, say, for biomedical research. Very often, I cannot
really see the benefits of the technical solutions proposed, but I might
of course be wrong. So, I would like to get a broader perspective and
ask you the following two questions:

(1) Suppose you hear that Language L outside of your normal geographical
area might be relevant for your research as it is said to exhibit a very
intriguing phenomenon.
What would be your normal procedure to find out more about L?
Which online resources would you use (library catalog, Wikipedia, OLAC,
Glottolog, Google services, ...)?
Which offline resources would you use?
Which informal resources (email request, Facebook etc) would you use?
What service would be great to have but does not exist yet?

(2) You are studying language Y and in a particular domain (phonology,
morphology, syntax, ...) you find some weird phenomenon P. You are not
an expert in the domain.
What would be your normal procedure to get a better understanding of P
and previous research about P?
Which online resources would you use?
Which offline resources would you use?
Which informal resources (email request etc) would you use?
What service would be great to have but does not exist yet?

Please reply to me in person. I will compile a list of answers. I will
have a small presentation about the topic next Wednesday, but later
answers will be welcome, too.

Disclaimer: My conjecture is that linguists use their personal network
more than online resources. So I am interested in answers relating to
this as well.

Best wishes
Sebastian