Miller Library and Information Service

Understanding Information Sources:

online

www.swsi.tafensw.edu.au

Version 3 2012

Information Sources

“any book, document, database or person which provides information”

Dictionary of Information and Library

Management, 2006 A&C Black

Publishers, London.

Conduct the reference interview Talk to your client (reference interview) and take notes

When asking what the client wants: What do they really want? What is the question? Type and amount? Why is the material needed? Who is the client? How recent should the information be? When do they need the information?

Now you’re on your own!

Prepare yourself.

Have pen, paper and post-it notes ready at all times, for note taking and

Marking resources

Get an overview of the topic

Go to an encyclopaedia or reference source to get an overview of the topic.

List key words · These words will help you look up information

on the topic. · Use a thesaurus if necessary. · Brainstorm key words with other staff and

sometimes even customers.

Make a source card/ page

· Write down all resources you will use or you have used for information.

· For online resources, as they are found print the 1st page of the site.

· Do this as you go along, it will save time at the end.

Use a range of resources

Print Online – including YouTube, TeacherTube Databases Audio-Visual

Evaluate what you find • Evaluate the quality and usefulness of the information • Relevance – significant to your topic• Currency – how old is an article • Authority – who wrote or published the article• Reliability – general or academic information

Evaluate your online references

• Finding information on the internet • Tutorial: the Internet Detective

Find internet resources

• Use search engines. Check to see if your class has a bibliography or Studylink created by librarians.

Internet Directories

• Tafe Studylinks – https://www.tafensw.edu.au/library/studylinks/• BUBL – http://bubl.ac.uk/• IPL (Internet Public Library) – http://www.ipl.org/

Encyclopaedias/ Encyclopedias

• Tafe Studylinks

• Catholic Encyclopedia –

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/

Dictionaries

• Tafe Studylinks• Macquarie – Dictionaries

http://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/anonymous@9c9FF96443718/-/p/dict/index.html

• Google search (Define:_____) – http://www.google.com.au/

Government Sources

• Tafe Studylinks• Use a gateway or know the Government

Department, for example:

Department of Local Government http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_index.asp

Online maps/ Images

• Tafe Studylinks• Google Earth• Google image search• Google map search• Panoramio –

http://www.panoramio.com/map/

Consolidate your research• Put your research into some sort of order for

your customer, such as, a report, sample pages or bibliography.

• You would have discussed this at the reference interview.

Contact your customer, by the due date!

Evaluate your work

• What did you learn from your research?• Was the final product what the customer

wanted?• Did the customer find your research useful?• File your notes, source cards, printout for

future reference.

Celebrate!

• When you’re finished, celebrate. Start the next job, catch up with other work or get creative in the office!

Bibliography for this presentation• Australian Flexible Learning, The Initial Reference Interview, viewed 18 June 2009

<http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/demosites/series3/309/content/bc/index.htm>• Centre for Digital Library Research, BUBL Link, viewed 18 June 2009 <http://bubl.ac.uk/>• Cornell University, 2004, Critically Analyzing Information Sources, viewed 18 June 2009

<http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm>• Google, 2009, viewed 18 June 2009 <http://www.google.com.au/>• Google, 2007, Panoramio, viewed 18 June 2009 <http://www.panoramio.com/map/>• Intute Virtual Training Suite, 2008, Internet Detective, viewed 18 June 2009

<http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/>• IPL Consortium, 2009, IPL: the Internet Public Library, viewed 18 June 2009 <http://www.ipl.org/>• Knight, Kevin, 2009, The Catholic Encyclopedia, viewed 18 June 2009 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/>• LII, 2008, Librarians’ Internet Index, viewed 18 June 2009 <http://www.lii.org/>• Macquarie Dictionary, 2009, viewed 18 June 2009

<http://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/anonymous@919FF955703890/-/p/dict/index.html?>• Mixed Soup, 2009, Weekend Office Jokes – Part I, viewed 18 June 2009

<http://www.mixedsoup.com/gallery-weekend-office-jokes-part-i/>• NSW Department of Education & Training,2009, Tafe Studylinks, viewed 18 June 2009

<https://www.tafensw.edu.au/library/studylinks/welcome.htm>• NSW Government, 2008, Department of Local Government, viewed 18 June 2009

<http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_index.asp>• TeacherTube, 2009, viewed 2 July 2009 <http://teachertube.com/>• YouTube, 2009, viewed 2 July 2009 <http://www.youtube.com