Transcript Global Challenge Library Briefing - Fdu

Library Briefing
By Denise Marshall
Navigating Library Resources and
Information Literacy
Information Literacy
• Information Literacy is a set of abilities requiring
individuals to "recognize when information is needed and
have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively
the needed information.“
American Library Association
Presidential Committee on Information
Literacy. Final Report
• Information Literacy means-among other things-that you
can use all information resources of the library, library
subscription databases, and the internet-knowledgeably
and well.
• Information Literacy includes the ability to correctly
credit the sources used for research and writing.
Academic Libraries’
Major Areas
• Circulation
– Check-out Material
– Inter Library Loan
• Reference
– Non-circulating
– Research Aid
• Periodicals
– Journals
– Newspapers
• Stacks
– Circulating Materials
• Computers
– Coolcat Catalog
– Subscription Databases
– Internet
• Services
– Copiers
– Reserves
– Printing
Circulation
• At the Circulation Desk you can:
– Check out materials, books and so forth,to take
out of the library for study.
– You can submit an InterLibrary Loan form to
request material from another library.
– The Circulation Desk has staff available during
all open hours.
Reference
• The Reference Desk is hosted by a professional
librarian who will help you with your research and
discovery.
• The Reference Room is filled with non-circulating
material that you can consult and copy. This
material is generally to get you started on your
research, and to direct you to more in-depth
material.
• The Reference Room is also where the OPAC
(Online Public Access Catalog) is located. You will
use the OPAC to find library resources.
Periodicals
• Periodicals are publications which appear in parts
at regular or stated intervals, like newspapers,
magazines, and scholarly journals.
• Periodicals contain articles by different
contributors.
• Periodicals are in two places in the library: the
Periodicals Room and in Subscription Databases.
Stacks
• Stacks are areas that hold materials which
circulate in some way.
• We have “open” stacks for books. That is, you can
go and get the books you want yourself.
• We have “closed” stacks in the Periodicals Room.
You must request the journal you wish and the
librarian will get it for you.
• Periodicals do not go out of the library.
Library Web Page
• Here’s some of what you can find on
the library web page:
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Online Catalog: Coolcat
Databases
Interlibrary Loan Request Forms
Remote Access Password Request Form
Ask A Librarian
Other Library Information
http://alpha.fdu.edu/library/index.html
Databases at FDU
• Subscription Databases are databases for which
the library pays as you do for a magazine
subscription.
• These databases may have corresponding web sites
BUT you will not find the same information at the
web site. As a subscriber, FDU can access parts of
the databases not open to the casual web browser.
Some of these perks are full text online, and topic
finders.
http://alpha.fdu.edu/library/description.html
Research Process
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1. DEFINE AND REFINE YOUR TOPIC
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2. GET BACKGROUND INFORMATION
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3. SEARCH THE CATALOG (COOLCAT/TRICAT)
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4. FIND JOURNAL ARTICLES
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5. SEARCH THE INTERNET/WORLD WIDE WEB
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6. READ & EXTRACT RELEVANT INFORMATION
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7. SYNTHESIZE, ORGANIZE, & PRESENT
INFORMATION
Finding a Topic(1)
• Let’s say your topic is the greenhouse effect. Where
would you look to begin researching it?
• You might want to narrow the topic to a specific process,
place, or consequence.
• Perhaps you’d begin in the Reference Room by consulting
an encyclopedia or volume on environment.
.
http://www.rivier.edu/regina-library/using/suggested
topics.htm:
Rivier College Possible Topics for Research
Finding a Topic(2)
• Once you have a series of terms, you can search the
OPAC for books and materials the library holds which
you could then check out.
• Next you would consult the databases. For instance,
you could look at the Wilson Web (OmniFile Full Text,
Mega) or InfoTrac(Expanded Academic ASAP Plus) .
These databases have both popular and scholarly
articles.
• If you wish to consider a number of topics, many of the
databases provide topic finders in their help sections or
as separate sections. Then they provide a selection of
articles for that topic. Remember it’s only a selection.
Evaluating Websites (1)
Finally you will consult the Internet to see what is
available. By this time you should have enough
information that you will be able to judge a
relevant worthwhile web site from one that is
shoddy. How do you tell? Some of the same ways
you can tell popular magazines from scholarly
journals.
http://www.iona.edu/library/research/wwweval.htm:
Evaluating World Wide Web Sites
Evaluating Web Sites (2)
• When you evaluate a web site, you
are going to look for the following
five items:
– Accuracy
– Authority
– Objectivity
– Currency
– Coverage
See your handouts or specialty websites.
Web Domain Types
• .gov – U.S. government
• .mil – U.S. military
• .edu – an accredited postsecondary educational
institution
• .com – commercial, for profit entity
• .org – non-commercial, not for profit entity
• .net – a computer network, particularly an
internet-related network
• .int – an international organization
• .jp, .ru, .ca, .au, .uk – country identifiers
Internet Resources
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http://inside.fdu.edu/pt/stein.html
Fairleigh Dickinson University List
http://lii.org/
Librarians’ Index to the Internet
http://www.iona.edu/library/online/ires.htm:
Iona College Libraries Internet Resources
• http://www.iona.edu/library/online/ref.htm:
Iona College Virtual Reference
Citation Styles Online
• http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/on
line/citex.html: Online! A Reference
Guide to Using Internet Sources.
• http://www2.lib.udel.edu/ref/virtref
/cite.htm: University of Delaware
Library Virtual Reference Desk
REMEMBER:
Information Literacy Is:
•
“recogniz(ing) when information is needed and hav(ing) the ability
to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.“
-- American Library Association
Presidential Committee on Information
Literacy. Final Report
•
Information Literacy means-among other things-that you can use
all the information resources of the library and databases and
the web knowledgeably and well.
•
Information Literacy includes the ability to correctly cite the
sources used for research and writing.
Remote Access:
The ability to use the university library’s
databases from off-campus.
• Remote Access requires the use of library
issued id’s and passwords. You can get
these in either of two ways:
– Email a request to the library, fill out the
forms and we will email the passwords to you
after we verify your student status.
– Come into the library and follow the same
process.
And Remember:
• Search the Library Web Page: It has many sources
immediately available to you.
• Use Database and Web searches with a critical thinking
approach.
• The more you use these resources:
the better you’ll get at deciding which are best
the faster you’ll get.
the better your sources will be
The better your work will be.
The Library’s Resources—books, periodicals, databases, and
web expertise—are here for you. Use Them. Give us a call
in Madison at x8516 or in Teaneck at x2100. Come to see us.
Go online. We’re here to help.
Ask A Librarian
Presentation by Denise Marshall