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Zale Library at Paul Quinn College. Information Literacy Module 1: Selecting Good Information. Dr. David Hamrick Reference/Cataloging Librarian. Why it matters. We select information to Make DECISIONS and… Draw CONCLUSIONS “Is this movie any good?” Ask a friend, but… - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Zale Library atPaul Quinn College
Information Literacy Module 1:Selecting Good Information
Dr. David HamrickReference/Cataloging Librarian
Why it matters We select information to
Make DECISIONS and… Draw CONCLUSIONS “Is this movie any good?”
Ask a friend, but… “Do they like the movies I like?” Read a review, but… “Does this reviewer have a bias?” Do you pay attention to the
reviewers’ quotes on themovie posters?
Why it matters In writing a college paper,
information selection is crucial Good selection leads to plenty of
material, easier writing Poor selection leads to shallow
writing and inaccurate statements We select different information
for different tasks Wikipedia is okay for quick facts
such as dates or places, but You need more depth and authority to write a good paper
What we’re doing
Learning the strengths of different resources Internet vs. Library Popular vs. Scholarly writing Magazines & newspapers vs.
Scholarly journals & books
What we’re doing
Learning where to find different resources What is in the library catalog? What is in an online periodical index? What kinds of resources
are on the Internet?
Types of resources
Reference books Encyclopedias, handbooks, directories Prepared by experts in various topics Best source of quick,
accurate information Usually not enough
depth for a paper—just short articles
Gives an overview ofthe subject; goodplace to start
Types of resources
Scholarly books Selected by faculty, librarians
for quality of their information Usually the work of several
years, lots of expertise Provide depth and
interpretation of subject Use the index to find if your
topic is covered!
Types of resources
Scholarly journals Articles reviewed by a group of experts in topic Usually more current than books in same subject Contain articles on narrower topics in depth
Types of resources
News magazines & Newspapers Written for general readers (not for other scholars) Not as much depth, not peer-reviewed Often the best source
for information aboutcurrent events &popular culture
Current political stories Sports, music, film
Types of resources
Voyager library catalog Helps you to find… Reference books Circulating books E-books Videos Authoritative
Web sites
Types of resources
Online journal indexes Texshare, JSTOR Help you find articles on a topic Many articles available in full text (not all!) Some indexes available for specific topics
Gale Health & Wellness Ebsco Enhanced
Business Search Handbook of Texas Online
Can narrow search byauthor, date, subject, etc.
Types of resources
World Wide Web Most current information, but… You have to be the reviewer—check reliability Many good resources available from education,
government, library web sites www.loc.gov (Library of
Congress) www.ic2.utexas.edu/bbr/
(Univ. of Texas Bureau ofBusiness Research)
What about this next one?
FAIL
Popular or scholarly?
Popular resources… Are written for the general public May promote a particular point of view Entertain more than educate Exist to make a profit by selling ads Shorter articles, less depth May cover many topics Examples: Sports Illustrated, Vibe,
GQ, Essence
Popular or scholarly?
Scholarly resources… Written for other scholars, specialists Try to be unbiased Share research and educate Sell little or no advertising Long articles with bibliographies Usually focus on a limited topic Examples: Journal of the AMA,
Business Communication Quarterly
The Library and the Web
In the library… Information is selected for
its accuracy/authority Reviewed/recommended
by librarians & faculty Provided with personal
assistance Organized to keep similar
information together Free and non-commercial
The Library and the Web
On the Web… Many sources of information
have an agenda No one stops misinformation
from being posted Many resources are
provided for-profit only No organization—and no
search engine has it all MANY sources are designed
to sell a product
Who’s on the web
This doesn’t mean the Web is bad… It is the best, easiest way to
get some information It gives a voice to
alternative points of view! It encourages collaboration
and cooperation
Who’s on the web
Many scholarly resources are on the Web Published by governments (thomas.loc.gov) Published by universities (www.beg.utexas.edu/) Published by organizations (www.ama-assn.org) Published by libraries (www.nypl.org/research/)
Use the Web wisely
Be a smart consumer of information Check the credentials of
the author Check the credentials of
the organization Check the quality of the
citations If you aren’t sure, find an
independent evaluation
Use the Web wisely
Remember the library has a lot on the Web! JSTOR, Texshare are there anytime, anywhere The library web page has links to good resources The library wiki supplements these—suggest more!
http://www.pqc.edu/lib/zale_library.htm
http://zalelibrary.pbworks.com/
The End
Ask the library staff for help—that’s why we are here!