These are some of the questions a lot of students have when getting started on major research projects like comps.  Don't hesitate to ask me for more help with these or any other question you might have.

Even when you're not on campus, you can still use the library's online resources (e.g., subscriptions to journals, bibliographic databases). 

You may want to search for books at other libraries or see what they have in their collections.  This search is also a great way to brainstorm topic ideas because you get a good idea of the scope of research out there.  If you find a book you want that we don't have, request it through interlibrary loan.