Library 150: Information Literacy & Research Skills

Library 150: Information Literacy & Research Skills

E. Chisato UyekiFall 2006: Week 2September 29, 2006

Getting Started

NIS accounts? Changing your password

Office Hours today: 12-1:30 Any questions?

Today’s Class: Finding Books

Search strategies Library catalogs:

CSULA Library Catalog (OPAC) All CSU Union Catalog (Pharos) WorldCat & Open WorldCat

Evaluation Criteria Interlibrary Loan

Search Techniques

Alternative Terms / Synonyms Use synonyms for better-quality results

Example: teenagers Alternatives: youth, adolescents

Related Terms Use words for similar concepts

Example: smoking Related terms: tobacco, cigarettes

Search Techniques

Truncation Need at least three letters to start politic* retrieves:

politic, politics, political, politicians, etc.

Check the HELP section of each database for the correct symbol

Search Techniques

AND: Narrows a search Means ALL keywords must be in search

results Reading AND children

Search Techniques

OR Broadens a search Either one, the other, or both keywords

must be in search results Women OR Females

Searching the catalog

Keyword vs. Subject Heading Searching

Books = Broad Topics Reserves Periodicals by name Basic Search Advanced Search Help

In-class Exercise Groups

Lekeith and Deisy Jessica and Yelena Michelle and Noe Karen and Antonio Sandra and Gabby Esmeralda and Latasha Miriam and Lamar Maria and Luz

Broaden Your Search

Use OR with synonyms, alternative terms

car OR automobile to include related terms

driv*(e, er, ing) OR vehicle operator Use a more general term

(go from freeway to road) Search by Keyword Use truncation

Narrow Your Search

AND retrieves only items where the two concepts

overlap Example: smoking AND teenagers

Use Advanced Search to limit by place (United States, California, etc.) format (printed materials, scholarly articles,

etc.) time period (last 5 years) language (English) Person or group of people (girls, Asian

Americans)

Sophisticated Searching Techniques

Keep a record Consider alternative perspectives Discipline-based resources And, Or, Not, & Truncation Subject terms Citation searching/chasing Diversify types of materials Refine & revise search terms

Evaluating your Results

Critical evaluation: Who created it? (authority) For whom? (audience) When was it created? (currency) What does it include? (scope &

treatment) How does it relate to other works? Does it help answer your question?Adapted from Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe’s “Evaluation of Information”