Information Overload! - Finding and Using Information @ your STU library

INFORMATION OVERLOAD!

Information is everywhere, we’re here to help you find and make sense of it.

What we offer:o Reference and Research Assistanceo Books and E-Bookso Online Databaseso Journals and Magazineso Filmso Inter-library Loano Course Reserveso Study and Lounge Areaso COFFEE!!!

COME PICK OUR BRAINS

Your STU librarians are here to help!

Who we are:

Jonathan Roach - Theology and Ministry

Larry Treadwell - Social Sciences, Business

Gricel Dominguez - Humanities and Writing

Isabel Ezquerra - Science, Technology, and Engineering Management

HOW TO FIND A BOOK & MORE

Search the STU library catalog:http://www.stu.edu/opac

You can search the library’s online catalog to find books, e-books, films, journals, periodicals, and more.

YOU FOUND A BOOK IN THE CATALOG, NOW WHAT?

UNDERSTAND CALL NUMBERS …

Call numbers:

Tell you WHERE an item is located in the library.

WHAT the item is about. Are made up of letters, numbers, and

decimals.

ANATOMY OF A CALL NUMBER

G154.5.G55 A3 2006   

This is the Call Number for this year’s Bobcat Read selection: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

G154.5 indicates the subject of the book, and is the first clue in your search for the item.

.G55 A3 indicates the author’s last name. (Note: The second part of a call number should be read as a DECIMAL.

i.e. .444 comes before .52)

2006 indicates the year of publication

WHAT DO THOSE LETTERS MEAN? 

The books are organized according to the Library of Congress Classification scheme:  

o A — GENERAL WORKS o B — PHILOSOPHY.

PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION o C — AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF

HISTORY o D — HISTORY (GENERAL) AND

HISTORY OF EUROPE o E — HISTORY: AMERICA o F — HISTORY: AMERICA o G — GEOGRAPHY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. RECREATION o H — SOCIAL SCIENCES o J — POLITICAL SCIENCE

o K — LAW o L — EDUCATION

o M — MUSIC AND BOOKS ON MUSIC

o N — FINE ARTS o P — LANGUAGE AND

LITERATURE o Q — SCIENCE o R — MEDICINE o S — AGRICULTURE o T — TECHNOLOGY o U — MILITARY SCIENCE o V — NAVAL SCIENCE o Z — BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY

SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL)

SEARCHING THE STACKS

o The Main Stacks are located on the second floor of the library.o The A and B sections are on the left side of the library

(when you use the stairs).o The C – Z sections are on the right side.

o The Reference Collection is located on the first floor, in the Reference area (by the computer lab).

o Print Journals and Periodicals can be found next to the Reference Collection.

TRY OUR DATABASES & MORE

Check out the library’s online resources at:http://www.stu.edu/eResear

ch

The library’s E-Research page is your one-stop spot for quick access to online databases and full-text resources.

GENERAL DATABASES

o ABI/INFORM (ProQuest) o Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) o FirstSearch (OCLC)o InfoTrac (Gale)o ProQuest Central

o News databases: o Miami Heraldo New York Times - Current (1999 to present)o Newsbanko USA Today

ALWAYS CONNECTED

You can access and use the library’s online databases anywhere on or off campus.

If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to log in to the database with your STU username and password (the same one you use to log on to My Bobcat).

FOUND THE PERFECT BOOK OR ARTICLE BUT IT’S NOT

AVAILABLE AT THE STU LIBRARY?

TRY ILL!

INTER-LIBRARY LOAN

o Request books and articles not available at STU.

o May take several days to weeks for you to receive the item.

o Use this service only if you have plenty of time before your assignment is due!

o You can place a request at the Circulation Desk or online (see the Forms link on the library homepage).

WRITING & RESEARCH

GETTING STARTED

o Become familiar with your assignment.o If you need help, ask for direction!

o Brainstorm research topics. o What kind of paper are you writing?

o Analysis, summary, criticism, argument, review, etc.?o What subject do you want to write about?

o A current event, a person, a book? o What kind of sources will you need to complete your

assignment?

MAKE A ROADMAP…

o Develop a research plan and outline.o Pace yourself. o Start with what you know.o Plan time for research, reading, writing, and

proof-reading.

o Visit your STU library.

WRITING TIME

o You have your topic and your sources. Now what?o Find a place where you feel comfortable and focused.o Plan the main points that you will discuss in your

paper.o Write your first draft, include in-text citations and

references!!!o Read and review your draft – Are you arguments

sound? Does your content flow? o Proofread and edit! Double-check your style, citations,

and references.

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

You are plagiarizing whenever you copy, “borrow”, or otherwise use another’s words or ideas without citing or crediting the original source.

Even if you don’t mean to plagiarize; if you copy and paste information, or present another’s work as your own, you are plagiarizing.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Plagiarism is a form of Academic Dishonesty.

Like cheating on a test, presenting another’s words or ideas as your own is a form of academic dishonesty and will get you in trouble.

It can even get you expelled!!!

Don’t be tempted to copy and paste!

Learn how to quote and cite information according to the style manual assigned by your professor or department.

HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM…

o If you….o Quote ito Paraphrase ito Summarize it

CITE IT!

Word to the wise…oDon’t be tempted to add your citations later, enter them as you write your paper.

oThere is no such thing as “borrowing” someone’s ideas in academic writing. Avoid plagiarism by citing your sources.

HOW TO CITE SOURCESo Learn which citation style your professor wants

you to use.

o Style guides and manuals are available on the Library’s Ready Reference shelf.

WHAT IS MLA STYLE?

MLA (Modern Language Association) Citation and Format Style is used when writing research papers in the humanities and liberal arts.

The MLA Style Manual provides guidelines for formatting and writing your research paper, as well as citing sources to avoid plagiarism.

MLA CITATION STYLE In-text

(Parenthetical) Citations Tells your reader

where quoted, summarized, or paraphrased material is from, and where to find the source on your Works Cited page.

Works Cited page Tells your reader

where you found the information. Includes information such as the author of the source, title, publisher, and year. Also indicates the format of the source.

MLA STYLE QUICK-LINKS

You can find more information and quick-guides on MLA (and other styles) on these pages:

o STU Library’s Citation page: o http://www.stu.edu/Library/tabid/395/CitationStyleManuals/tabid/

1187/Default.aspx

o Diana Hacker’s Research and Documentation Online, 5th edition:o http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/index.htm

o The OWL at Purdue:o https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/

REFWORKS

o A great way to organize, track, and save your reference information.

o Setting up a RefWorks account:o Visit the Library’s E-Research pageo Click on RefWorkso Getting Started:

o Set-up Account at Libraryo Create Folders o Import Citations o Place Citations in Folderso Print Bibliographies

Computers crash, flash-drives are lost… Save more than one copy of your document!o Email your document to yourself as an

attachment.o Save it in the cloud using a free service such as:

o GoogleDocs: http://docs.google.como SkyDrive: http://skydrive.live.como Box: http://www.box.net

AND ALWAYS…