Arlington high school new york spring 2015

Arlington High School: New York CityKATHLEEN BARIL , DIRECTOR HETERICK MEMORIAL LIBRARY

JENNY DONLEY, KNOWLEDGE ARCHITECT AND CATALOGING LIBRARIAN

Welcome to Heterick Memorial Library!

What we will cover•How to construct a research strategy

•How to evaluate websites

•How to find books in the library’s catalog

•How to use library databases to find information from periodicals, newspapers and journals on your topic.

What the library offers:•~400,000 items in POLAR, the ONU library catalog

•~20,000,000 items in OhioLink

•260 Databases

•400+ print periodicals

•Tens of thousands of electronic journal titles

•Juvenile, Young Adult, and Graphic Novel collections

•DVDs, CDs, streaming audiovisuals, and streaming music

How to do research:Seven Steps of the Research ProcessStep 1: Identify and develop your topic

Step 2: Find background information

Step 3: Use catalogs to find books and media

Step 4: Find internet resources (if appropriate for the assignment)

Step 5: Use databases to find periodical articles

Step 6: Evaluate what you find

Step 7: Cite what you find

Amended with permission by the Librarians at the Olin and Uris Libraries of Cornell University

How to start your research•Identify main concepts or keywords

•Test the topic – look for keywords and synonyms and related terms for the information sought• Subject headings in catalogs• Built-in thesauri in many databases• Reference sources• Textbooks, lecture notes, readings• Internet• Librarians, instructors

Concept mapping

Critically analyzing web sourcesCRAAP testCurrency

◦ Timeliness of the information

Relevance/Coverage

◦ Depth and importance of the information

Authority

◦ Source of the information

Accuracy

◦ Reliability of the information

Purpose/Objectivity

◦ Possible bias present in the information

Background research•Background research = Reference and Encyclopedias

•Library catalog

Library Catalog ContentMaterials commonly listed in catalogs:

•Books and E-books

•Maps

•Music Scores

•Audiovisual materials

•Government documents

•Increasingly links to resources on the Internet

Not newspaper and magazine articles

POLAR – Library’s Catalog

Major Types of Searching by Concept- Keyword

•Looks in several locations (usually subject, article title, abstracts or contents)

•Does not require an exact match

•Generates comparatively large number of hits (not precise)

•Good if you are not familiar with terminology

Major Types of Searches by Concept- Subject

•Looks in one place – subject

•Usually requires an exact match between your term and a pre-set list of terms

•Precise

•Can be used after keyword search has identified specific subjects

POLAR: Library CatalogIn the material’s record:1. Click on subject headings to

find more books on the same subject.

2. Contents are usually the names of the chapter titles, scan to decide if you want to check out the book.

3. Sometimes a summary or abstract is included that provides a brief synopsis of the book.

Databases

•Used mostly for locating newspaper and magazine articles.

•Some databases are multidisciplinary and some are subject-specific.

•Some are available to general public via InfOhioand OPLIN.

Find articles – databases

Magazines or Popular Periodicals• Glossy pages and lots of pictures• Edited by magazine editors• Articles usually written by staff journalists• Short articles• Targeted to general audiences

Scholarly Journals/Periodicals• Peer-reviewed• Longer • Citations/Bibliography• Written by scholars, experts in the field of study• Targeted to scholars, students in a particular field of

study

Popular Versus Scholarly Journals

Find Articles - Databases: Boolean Operators

Use Boolean operators in library databases and catalogs when searching to find more relevant results.

AND – Use for narrowing a search.

Example: Woodstock and Jimi Hendrix

OR – Use to expand a search.

Example: United States or America

NOT – Use to exclude a search term.

Example: Mexico not New Mexico

General Database: Academic Search Complete

Limit your search by date, language and type of publication.

Refine your search by changing keywords and looking for relevant subject headings in the results.

Finding Articles – full text articlesAcademic Search Complete (+ all EbscoDatabases)

Databases: America History and Life

America History and Life uses the same interface as Academic Search Complete.

Printing, Downloading, Saving•The library’s catalog and most databases allow you to mark entries and then save or e-mail them.

•If you have a flash memory device, you can save articles to it.

•Today, you should be able to print without charge in the labs.

Primary vs Secondary SourcesPrimary Sources: Contemporary accounts of an event from a person who experienced the event. Original documents.

Examples:

•Diaries, letters, memoirs, journals

•Speeches

•Newspaper or magazine articles (written not long after the event occurred)

•Photographs, audio or video recordings.

Primary vs. Secondary SourcesSecondary Sources: Interprets or summarizes primary sources.

Examples:

•Books

•Journal articles

Proquest Historical Newspapers: New York Times

Find primary source articles in this database.

Final tips for research•Brainstorm keywords so you have a number of terms to search with.

•Do background research to get a good overview of your subject.

• Carefully evaluate all web resources you use for scholarly research.

•Find books in the library catalog and find articles in databases.

•Evaluate what you find and make sure it fits your research needs.

•Do not forget to cite your sources!

•Good luck!