What is the GEL Library Module?

The Library Module will introduce you to the basics of college-level research. The skills you learn during the module will help you for two main reasons:

  1. Specifically, for the presentation you will do in this class.
  2. In general, for the papers and projects you will be expected to do for the rest of your college career.

By the time you finish the Library Module, you will be able to:

Schedule, Topics and Assignments

The Library Module covers a lot of information in only 6 classes, so attendance and participation are mandatory. Students who are excessively or regularly late will not receive credit.

Appropriate classroom behavior is required (e.g. no iPods, text messaging, eating, etc).

Each in-class activity and homework assignment is for credit and must be completed on time. No late work will be accepted. In-class assignments cannot be made up. Any work handed in must be typed or it will not be accepted.

If you have any questions about an assignment, most likely others do, too. Ask me. The points breakdown for this module is as follows:

in-class activities

60

homework

40

final project

50

TOTAL

150

Note: The Office of Disabled Student Services provides a variety of services and resources to students. Students with disabilities should contact me immediately to ensure appropriate accommodations are made during the Library Module.

Day 1-Information is a commodity

§Introduction to Library module and http://library.csusm.edu 

http://library.csusm.edu/about/people/mchu/Kellogg.Library.Video.Tour.mov

§Intro to college level research (from UW-Madison Libraries)

§Hidden information, Cost of information,

§Think you can find stuff on the Internet? (Not for Free!)

§Writing Annotations By the end of the library module you should have a review for each of 5 sources. See example.

§In-class activity: college level research. GO TO ASSIGNMENT #1

Day Two: Focusing our information need

Topic development: Topic narrowing (textbook Ch8, p17-19)

§In-class activity: Topics day 3 (10 points)

§Thesis statements

GO TO ASSIGNMENT #2

Day 3 - Format is process or what is a publication and research cycle?

Publication Timeline and Research Video. or this onehttp://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/intro02.htm

§Advanced Internet Searching and what is a "real" website.

GO TO ASSIGNMENT #3

§GO TO: Homework #1: Evaluating information (textbook p23) also video http://muse.widener.edu/~tltr/How_to_Evaluate_9.htm

Day 4 - Format is process or what is a publication and research cycle?

Databases: Finding articles Scholarly vs. popular

Video on Scholarly articles

§In-class activity: Find a scholarly article on your topic.

GO TO ASSIGNMENT #4

§ GO TO Homework #2: Search Strategies also video http://clue.library.wisc.edu/module3.html

Day 5 - Entropy or information falls apart

§Organizing information: Thesis statements, Citations, and APA style.

In-class activity: Guess-the-Google Subjects and keywords, Catalogs,

Finding Books (read textbook pp13-16 for more on this topic)

§Finding books : libcat.ppt Library of Congress Call Numbers,

In-class activity: Find a book/chapter on your topic.

GO TO ASSIGNMENT #5

§FOR FUN: Learn how to find books on the shelves (in the stacks). Play Within range. Grab books on table by clicking on them, then drag them to the shelf where they would go. After you win the first round, the game changes but same methods apply. Try to get a perfect score.

Day 6- (Kel 2303) Who says so and why? Finding Authority.

§In-class activity: Review scholarly/expert sources

Annotations and how to write one. Example and Getting an A+

§In-class activity: grading annotations.

GO TO ASSIGNMENT #6 Rubric for grading annotations

§GO TO Homework #3 and module evaluation.

________________________________________

Evaluating websites

From your own Internet searching, you probably realize there is an overwhelming amount of information available online. You might feel comfortable searching online-- but doing a Google search and using the first few results for your paper does not constitute college research!

§AUTHORITY

Who is the author and what are their qualifications?

If the author is an organization or company, what do you know about them?

§ACCURACY

Is there a bibliography, footnotes, or other supporting evidence?

§CURRENCY

When was the page created or last updated?

§OBJECTIVITY

What is the purpose of this page? (e.g. to educate, to sell, to entertain)

Who is the intended audience? Is it free of advertising and/or sponsors?

Finding books

Find books by searching the Library Catalog. Can't think of terms to describe your topic? Catalogs use specific subject headings to group related books together. A good strategy is to:

§Enter a KEYWORD or two

§Scan the list for one good item of interest

§Click on the SUBJECT HEADINGS for that item

§Scan the list of SUBJECT HEADINGS for ones that are of interest

§Click on another SUBJECT HEADING to search for more items

Circuit, Other Catalogs, and Inter-Library Loan

Having trouble finding books in the CSUSM Library catalog? Try searching the Circuit or using Inter-Library Loan.

Identifying keywords

For any research topic, you must first think of alternative keywords (synonyms) to search for.

Let's say your topic is on "how blind people are treated". You need to search for different combinations of keywords and then combine them with different concepts. Remember, the truncation symbol (* ? $) finds the variations of the root word (such as in "stereotyp*" calls up stereotype, stereotypes, stereotypical, etc.):

Synonyms for "Blind" AND Different Concepts

§visually impaired §stereotyp* (e/es/ical)

§disabled § social perceptions

§handicapped § myths

Scholarly vs Popular articles

Journal articles include the latest research in the field. To find articles, you need to start with a research database. Each will allow you to search hundreds or even thousands of journals at once by searching for keywords relevant to your topic. Databases can have BOTH scholarly and non-scholarly articles.

Scholarly (peer-reviewed, refereed, empirical) Non-scholarly (popular)
Scholarly vs popular.doc

Some databases provide a 'peer-reviewed' or 'scholarly only' limit function that can narrow the results, but will still bring back non-scholarly materials that were published in a scholarly journal (e.g., editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews.) When in doubt, ask a librarian!

Finding articles

Journals articles include the latest research in the field. To find articles, you need to start with a research database. Each will allow you to search hundreds or even thousands of journals at once by searching for keywords relevant to your topic. Some databases provide a 'peer-reviewed' or 'scholarly only' limit function that can narrow the results, but will still bring back non-scholarly materials that were published in a scholarly journal (e.g., editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews.) When in doubt, ask a librarian!

See an article you want in one of these databases?

1. Look for "Full Text" in PDF, HTML, Linked or

2. If all else fails, fill out an Interlibrary Loan article request form. You'll get it within 5-10 days for FREE.

3. Or, any time you need help, ask a librarian!

Citing sources (how to find it): For every college paper and project, you will need to document from where you got ideas and quotations.

There are different ways, or styles, of citing your sources-- including styles from the American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and Chicago Manual of Style.

For every source you use in your paper, you need to include a citation in your list of references. Most sources need the following information:

§Author(s)

§Title (of article, book, journal...)

§Publication information (when it was published, by what publisher, in what journal, volume)

§Use our APA Style Help Guide

§Try KnightCite, a free online citation tool to help create your bibliography.

Note: APA has added updated information on citing electronic resources. Download the PDF format here or come to the CSUSM Library to view a print version of this addition for free: PN171.F56 A63 2007 Binder