Lib 103 fall 2010 third ed textbook

LIB 103 LIB 103 Fall Fall

20102010

LIB 103 Library SkillsLIB 103 Library Skills

Instructor: Pamela A. Price ([email protected])

Associate Professor Office: LB 121 Office Hours: Monday 2PM – 4PM Tuesday 2PM – 4PM Thursday 2PM – 4PM

The course textbook is:

The research process : books & beyondby Myrtle S Bolner; Gayle A Poirier3rd Edition, 2004

LIB 103 Library Skills Fall 2010

Pamela A. Price, Associate ProfessorTelephone: 570-3562 Email: [email protected]  SyllabusWelcome to LIB 103, Library Skills!This course is specially designed to provide each

student with a basic introduction to the use of information resources, means of access to these resources, retrieval strategies for locating resources, and the process for the evaluation information content. These basic skills, also known as information literacy, form the foundation for establishing skills that lead to lifelong learning, questioning and inquiry, higher order cognitive thinking, problem solving, fact finding, and ethics in conducting research.

By enrolling and successfully completing the course, students will be able to:

Connect the role of information literacy in the learning process

Use varied information resources in conducting research

Access information in print and non-print formats

Retrieve appropriate resources and consult information professionals for assistance in locating these resources as needed

Assess and evaluate information resources based on: authority, timeliness, content and coverage, appropriateness for research purpose, bias, accessibility, and accuracy

Grading:A = 90 - 100 PointsB = 80 - 89 PointsC = 70 - 79 PointsD = 60 – 69 PointsNC = 59 and belowEach weekly assignment is worth 10

points and is based on the assigned readings listed later on this handout. They are due by the date listed. Assignments received late will have 2 points deducted.

A final project is due no later than Friday, November 12. This project will be worth 40 points. It is expected that all readings and assignments will have been completed by Friday, November 12. The class will consist of textbook readings, practice exercises, and directions for completing the final project. Each class will include a library “lab” (hands-on use of library resources) that is due each Friday. The final project will require hands-on use of library resources to compile a pathfinder (a guide providing suggested resources to locate information on a particular topic) on a topic related to a research topic of the student’s choice. Grading of the final project will be based on:

20 Points based on Research Strategy: Keywords selected, resources used in preparing the strategy, appropriateness for subject/topic

20 Points based on Pathfinder Content: Resources selected, range of resources cited, content of cited resources, reasoning for including the resource.

The final 20 points for your grade will be for class attendance and participation.

Please advise me in advance if you will not be able to attend class. Your assignments are still due as scheduled so I want to work with you to make sure they are submitted on time.

Class Outline

Class 1 (10/08/2010)Chapters: 1,4,7 IntroductionTypes of library materials and servicesScholarly vs. popular materialsClassification systems (Library of Congress, Dewey

Decimal, and Superintendent of Documents)The College’s online catalogReference Resources: almanacs, bibliographies,

dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooksVisit the library to learn the locations of these

resourcesLab Exercises: 1.4, pp 19-20; 4.3 pp. 97-98; 4.7

p105-108  

Class 2 (10/15/2010)Chapters: 3, 8Turn in assignment 1Final Project topic selection: See p. 417-

419.Discuss Exercise 7.2 p. 181Keyword/Boolean searching strategiesUsing the electronic databases available

at MercerPeriodicalsLab Exercises: 3.1,pp61-2; 8.1 pp

231-232; 8.3 pp235-6; 8.8 pp247-250 (for Part A use EbscoHost only)

Class 3 (10/22/2010) Chapters: 9,10,11,12Turn in assignment 2Government information, statistical

sources, biographical information, book reviews, and literary criticism

Lab Exercises: 9.1 pp265-266;10.2 pp p295 only; 11.2 p 323 ONLY;12.3 p.365 ONLY. For this exercise (12.3) find one printed source and one online source.

Class 4 (10/29/2010)Chapters: 5, 6, and 2 & Turn in

assignment 3The Internet and World Wide Web search strategiessearch enginesthe “invisible web” (click on this link)evaluating web informationLab Exercises:5.1 p 129-130;5.3

pp133-134 Only do questions #1,3,and 4; 6.2 pp.149-150 (use this URL for #1 and do not do#2: http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html)

Class 5 (11/5/2010)Turn in assignment 4Complete work on final project – Pathfinder (click on this link 

Final Project due Friday, November 12 no later than 12 PM.

The following slides provide guidance and an overview to

supplement the textbook readings and give you more

detailed information on each of the types of resources covered in

this course.

Types of Library Resources – An Overview

General Information about Books

Books are publications of one or more volumes bound between 2 covers. They can take several years to create and are not published on a regular schedule. Books often require a proposal, research, reflection, synthesis, editing, revision before they are printed. Popular books (e.g. unauthorized celebrity biographies) can be rushed into production because they often aren't carefully researched and represent a quick profit.

Strengths for using Books: •Broad overviews of topics (text books are especially good for this) •Long enough to explore more ideas in more depth •Scholarly books contain bibliographies which can be helpful for starting research and finding more information Considerations when using Books:•You will not find coverage of the latest events in books •Take longer to read than articles •Essay collections on a broad theme may contain an essay on your topic that is not directly indicated by the book's title -- you may need to think more broadly •Popular books are often not well-researched, but may give you ideas •Target audience: General public, scholars, or professionals in disciplines

JournalsGeneral information periodical publications (usually available monthly or quarterly), contain scholarship, empirical research reports, and/or learned commentary on subjects of special interest to a specific academic or professional community.Journals are a formal means of communicating ideas in academic scholarship; and publication in journals is a major criterion for promotion and tenure among university faculty. Articles are peer reviewed or refereed (screened) before they are approved for publication by peer professionals (scholars and/or practitioners) who evaluate articles by such criteria as: Sound methodology -- is the method by which these data were gathered consistent with normal and accepted practice within the discipline? Conclusions -- are the conclusions consistent with the data gathered? Significance -- is the research trivial within the context of the discipline?

Types of Library Resources – An Overview

Strengths: Written by and for scholars, researchers, and professionals -- a formal conversation among specialists Contain bibliographies with full citations Filtering ensures high credibility In-depth analysis of narrowly-focused subjects Authoritative source for research findings Considerations:Dense, technical vocabularies may require reading an overview and gathering terminology beforehand Normally published monthly or quarterly; not a great source for the latest developments May only be available in libraries or through licensed Internet sources at a cost to the library but free to qualified users.Target audience: Scholars, researchers, & professionals within a discipline

Types of Library Resources – An Overview - Journals

Reference WorksReference works attempt to summarize topics and/or assist in finding secondary literature. The purpose of these sources is to answer short questions, provide background information, and help you find other sources. Reference works come in an assortment of types on all subjects. Strengths: Good starting points for research, particularly in unfamiliar topic areas (disciplinary handbooks, subject encyclopedias) Good sources for quick facts, contact information, or statistics (almanacs, directories, statistical abstracts) Good for discovering new vocabularies (dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias) Provide lists of information sources on a topic (indexes, bibliographies) Considerations:Usually tools for finding more in-depth information sources, rather than being sources themselves. Normally are found in the library's reference section and cannot be checked out. (Some are linked to a library's web page and can be accessed from anywhere.) To start serious research, you should know enough about your topic to talk about it for 1 minute without repeating yourself. Target audience: All types

Types of Library Resources – An Overview

Government Publications Provide information from all levels of all governments, including state and foreign governments and intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations, as well as reports of research projects funded by the government in all fields. There probably isn't a topic about which a government has not published.  Strengths: Laws : from treaties, pacts, and international agreements to village ordinances Legislative histories and related information A statistical gold mine! Nobody gathers more numbers than governments. Considerations:Foreign government information may be hard to get (even on the Internet) and may not be in English U.S. government documents in print are organized uniquely and may require some help from a librarian. Target audience: All types

Types of Library Resources – An Overview

Databases A database is information arranged for ease and convenience in searching, accessing, and gathering data. The Internet does not have standardized search capabilities.Databases may sometimes be accessed through the Internet, but their contents are typically not retrieved by search engines such as Google or Yahoo! Most are available through separate Web sites that charge a fee for use, normally paid by libraries on behalf of their users.

Types of Library Resources – An Overview

The Internet The Internet

The Internet is a computer network, in fact a network of computer networks, where anyone who has access to a host computer can publish their own documents. Your textbook does an excellent job explaining Internet history and the distinction between the Internet and the World Wide Web. Please read that information carefully, pages 117 - 120.

Types of Library Resources – An Overview

Search EnginesSearch EnginesAnother part of learning about search engines is to learn terms and their definitions that are commonly used when discussing the use of World Wide Web. Click on each term below to learn more about their meanings.

URL

HTTP

IP Address

HTML

HTTPs

Scholarly Periodicals and Popular Periodicals As a college student, professors will ask that you limit your

use of periodicals to those that are scholarly or peer reviewed. In these instances, your professor is concerned that you not use popular periodicals because many do not have the same standards for publication as a scholarly periodical. Click on the title above in red font to learn more about the differences between the two.

Your textbook will introduce you to the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress System of classification.However most college libraries, and here at MCCC, use the Library of Congress System of Classification. You should know about both systems but focus on the Library of Congress System.Click here to learn more about the Library of Congress System of Classification.NOTE: NOTE: We have an online catalog that lists resources at all of the branch libraries for MCCC and all of the branch libraries for the Mercer County Public Library System. The County library system uses the Dewey Decimal System as does most public libraries.

Classification SystemsThe Library of Congress System of

Classification

Superintendent of Documents Classification SysteSuperintendent of Documents Classification System m (Click here for more information)

The Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification system is designed to group together publications by the same government author. Within an agency or department, publications are grouped according to the subordinate organization. The purpose of this system is to uniquely identify, logically relate, and physically arrange each publication so that all publications of a single agency or department may be found together.

Classification Systems

The link to the online The link to the online catalog & electronic catalog & electronic resources are on the resources are on the MCCC MCCC library’s web pages. Click Click on the hyperlink to on the hyperlink to preview.preview.

MCCC Online Catalog

The MCCC Library Online Catalog

Advance Catalog Search

Use of Area LibrariesIn order to borrow from these libraries, you

will need your MCCC ID card. However, to borrow from Rider University or any other participating college library in NJ (not Princeton University) go to this site http://www.valenj.org/newvale/recbor/vale_recbor_undergrad.pdf for the form you need and must have signed by the MCCC library director.

Keyword and Boolean Searching are essential tools for finding the information you need.Click on this site for more information on keyword and Boolean searching. http://dotatmac.mcmaster.ca/kw_shttp://dotatmac.mcmaster.ca/kw_searching/kw_searching_16_and.htearching/kw_searching_16_and.htmm

Keyword and Boolean Searching

Electronic databases provide access to the online version of journals. These are the same journals you may see on the shelf in any library or at home. Not all journals are in electronic format and not all journals allow you to read the entire article (this is called full-text format). Instead you may only find the abstract (a short review of the article).

Electronic Databases and Periodicals

An online journal database is an index to what is available in a journal. You simply enter the keywords for the topic you are researching. Do not forget to use Boolean operators to help you find exactly what you need.

Electronic Databases and Periodicals (cont)

Your textbook provides a detailed explanation of what is a periodical. For more information, you might want to review this site. http://www.ocad.ca/Assets/PDF_MEDIA/Dorothy+H.+Hoover+Library/WhatisPeriodical.pdf

Periodicals

What is Government Information?It might be easier to answer the question, what is NOT covered by government information?  The information produced by the government is vast in terms scope (it is hard to find a subject the government does not publish on) and breadth (the government has been publishing research, statistics, reports since its inception).  For a random example, the Census Bureau collects annual data on mode and time of transportation to work by age, sex, occupation, annual income range, etc for multiple geographic areas.  While this example may not be of direct interest to you, it illustrates the kind of interests and detailed data that governments collect. How Do I Find Information on My Interest?One of the most significant resources for finding government information are the librarians and staff in the Government Documents Library.  We are here SPECIFICALLY to help you find the information you are looking for.  For more information on government documents, go to this site:http://www.gpoaccess.gov/

Government information

Statistical research is a way of looking at facts from a larger perspective, to collect and observe the distribution of certain characteristics of a population or topic,  and propose theories of cause & effect by allowing one to generalize and compare among populations, across a span of time (time series), or predict the results of a change.  As you conduct research, you will often find that you need to locate specific facts or details about your topic. This guide describes some of the tools used to locate statistical sources.Types of Statistical Sources Almanacs & News Digests are often one volume reference sources containing statistics, news summaries, chronologies, and geographical, political, and biographical information. Most are published annually. Examples are: AlmanacsInformation Please AlmanacYearbooksYearbooks compile and provide time series or comparative data by region or country. Britannica Book of the Year Demographic Yearbook Europa Yearbook (Information on countries) Statistical Yearbook HandbookHandbooks compile data collected from other sources - - in many cases from government agencies.  Locate statistical handbooks i.e. education statistics,... Statistical Compendiums compile information on a wide range of subjects, and from a variety of sources. Many of these limit their coverage to a particular level of government - - international, national, state, or local. Statistical Abstracts of the U.S.  is a good starting point for locating statistics on social, political, and economic conditions. Many of these titles are available online. Search for them to conduct your research for this class.

Statistical Resources

Biographical Sourcesbiography: A written record of the life of an individual.

Biographical information

Your textbook has a very good explanation of these resources. There are many online biographical resources and a biographical database located on the MCCC library webpage of online databases. Access requires login using your MCCC ID barcode.Biography Collection Complete Biographies Plus Illustrated (Wilson)

Biographical Resources

Some Biographical Sources on the InternetBiography.comBiographical Dictionary 

Biographical Resources Cont.

When you have to find a review and commentary on a book you have been assigned to read, you need to use book reviews to find the information to help you write a critique or brief report. Your textbook provides extensive coverage of resources. Here are the databases for the MCCC library where you can find this information online.

Book reviews and literary criticism

Literary Reference Center Literary Reference Center (LRC) is a comprehensive literary reference database, which provides users with a broad spectrum of reference information from antiquity to the present day. LRC is a comprehensive database that combines information from over 1,000 books and monographs, major literary encyclopedias and reference works, hundreds of literary journals, and unique sources not available anywhere else. Literature Resource Center (Gale) The Literature Resource Center is the most comprehensive literary collection available providing single search access to an assortment of traditional literary reference works, current journal articles and additional resources

Book reviews and literary criticism cont.

Your textbook provides detailed information on the use of the World Wide Web. More importantly, it provides a history that is important to understanding how to use the WWW effectively.

The Internet and World Wide Web

It is essential that you make evaluating a website a habit. More frequently than not a website may include inaccurate information, outdated information, or may have biased information that is meant to be little more than an advertisement for a product or certain way of thinking. As a result, very careful use of web-based resources from search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. must be used. Here is how to make that evaluation. NOTE: You must evaluate every URL included in your final project.

Evaluating Websites

Evaluation Standards for Information Found When Using

Search Engines

Accuracy: Can you verify that the information is correct? Do the links on the site actually take you to the sites you expect?Authority: Who authored the content? Is a name and contact information provided? What do you know about the organization or person?Objectivity: Is there evidence of bias? Does the vocabulary try to lead you in one direction without evidence or facts that can be verified?Currency: Is there a date to indicate when the site was created, updated, or revised?Coverage: Is the topic given a comprehensive treatment, or does it briefly explain the topic? Are there links to related topics? Do the links work?

Mega search engines allow you to search a number of search engines at one time. Examples of mega websites are: Click on these sites for more information and to try them. dogpile.com mamma.comThe problem with meta search engines is that they may provide too much information to sort through, and they frequently have a lot of advertisements, and they mostly only accept paid submissions which means you will not get information that is very valuable that a source has but is not willing to pay to have put online.

Mega Search Engines

The invisible web, or deep web as it is also known is where the really valuable web-based information can be found. It is not very widely known and that is why, as college students, you should know about it and use the search engines that search the deep web for information. Many people mistakenly think that everything is on the web. THIS IS NOT TRUE! However, searching Google or Yahoo alone will not provide the quality information needed for academic research.

The Invisible Web also called the Deep Web

A good source of background information on the invisible web can be found by clicking on the following URL. The Invisible WebI highly recommend that use these search engines for your web resources needed to complete your Pathfinder.IncyWincy or Beaucoup

The Invisible Web also called the Deep Web

Blogs and Wikis for Research Blogs and Wikis for Research PurposesPurposes

Blogs is short for weblogs. Weblogs are similar to journals that either individuals or groups use to keep a record of ideas, thoughts, actions, interests, etc. For more information on blogs, click here.Most blogs are individual opinions and ideas. Yet, they may provide important information to lead you to helpful valid research places.

Wikis are similar to blogs but instead of individuals or groups controlling the input, anyone interested in the idea, thought, or interest can add to what has already been written. For more information on wikis, click here.Wikis have information supplied by sources that may not be reliable. However, if you can verify the source, the information may be useful in your research. The most well known Wiki is the Wikipedia – an online encyclopedia. If you choose to use it, do so with extreme care and remember that many instructors do not accept information that comes from Wikipedia.