INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS 1

OBJECTIVES  To introduce students to the best search strategies to use when searching for information online.  To expose students to the world of open access: where they can locate free databases, free books, free access to journals, theses and dissertation. 2

INTRODUCTION WHAT IS INFORMATION ? 1. Facts provided or learned about something or someone. – Oxford Dictionary 2. Information is meaningful data. Or data arranged or interpreted in a way to provide meaning. – Prof. Carol Tenopir, University of Tennessee, USA 3. Information is resources useful or relevant or functional for information seekers.- Prof. Thomas J. Froehlich, Kent State University, USA 3

INTRO. Cont. WHAT IS INFORMATION LITERACY ? Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques. 4

INTRO. Cont. WHY IS INFORMATION LITERACY IMPORTANT? We are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats. Not all information is created equal: some is authoritative, current, reliable, but some is biased, out of date, misleading, false. The amount of information available is going to keep increasing. The types of technology used to access, manipulate, and create information will likewise expand. 5

INTRO. Cont. HOW WILL I USE INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS? For academic purposes, such as research papers and group presentations. They're used on the job—the ability to find, evaluate, use and share information is an essential skill. Consumer decisions, such as which car or vacuum cleaner to purchase, are critical. You'll also use these skills by participating fully in a democratic society as an informed citizen by understanding issues and voting. 6

Searching for information THREE WAYS TO SEARCH FOR INFO. 1.Browsing 2. Citation Search 3. Keyword search 1. BROWSING By title of journal or book By subject/discipline By publisher (where available) 7

Searching for information cont. 2. CITATION SEARCH Searching for a particular article whose reference you have. Eg: Thomas, J. (1994). Faculty attitudes and habits concerning Library Instruction: How much has changed since 1982? Research Strategies, 12(4),

Searching for information cont. KEYWORD SEARCH Preferably used when doing a search on a given topic Eg. Information literacy levels among graduate students of the University of Cape Coast 9

Search strategy/ techniques CREATING A SEARCH STATEMENT Identify keywords/concepts in the topic Consider alternative keywords for concepts Words and their alternatives become your search terms Combine search terms with the appropriate operator but how? 10

THE BOOLEAN OPERATORS WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR ? They are used to link words and phrases to form more precise search queries THE COMMON OPERATORS ARE (AND, OR, NOT) 11

THE OPERATOR ‘AND’ Use AND to combine two different concepts eg media AND bias Narrows your search Gives results that include ALL your stated concepts 12

THE OPERATOR ‘AND’ CONT. AND Retrieves only records that contain both words. Combine your key concepts using AND. The diagram above displays the search for media AND bias search query. 13

THE OPERATOR ‘OR’ Use “OR” to search for similar concepts eg. Atmosphere OR “air pressure ” OR widens your search Results will include a MINIMUM OF ONE of your named concepts 14

THE OPERATOR ‘OR’ CONT. OR Retrieves matches for either term, so you get more records. Use with terms that have about the same meaning in your search. The diagram above displays the result for atmosphere OR “air pressure” search query. 15

THE OPERATOR ‘NOT’ Returns documents containing only the first key word Does not return documents containing the second key word even if the first keyword appears in that document Must be used with caution Example: media NOT internet 16

THE OPERATOR ‘NOT’ CONT. NOT Eliminates material you don't want. Be careful not to get rid of stuff you might actually need. The diagram above displays the result for media NOT internet search query. 17

Phrase searching Used to search for a string of two or more words Denoted by double quotation marks Database will search for words as a phrase in that exact order Example: - “information technology” ‘ - “graduate students” 18

Combining operators Operators may be combined and used in one search statement Brackets used to separate keywords when using more than one operator and three or more keywords Enclose OR statements in brackets Example: “graduate students” AND (“information literacy” OR “library instruction”) 19

More techniques Use advanced search option where available Make use of search filters where appropriate Apply related terms where available Use ‘related articles’ function where provided 20

THE RESULT OF COPYING JUST ANYTHING FROM THE INTERNET 21

NOW, SEE WHAT HAPPENS ON THE INTERNET 22

TEN TECHNIQUES TO MAKE YOURSELF A GOOGLE SEARCH STAR 1.Think about the answer to your question before you search. 2. Think about what someone else would have written about your topic. Learn more about this technique in this video 3. Open the advanced search menu. Many people still overlook this menu. (click the sprocket in the right corner of your search results to open the menu). 4. Filter results by reading level. 5. Search by domain (.edu,.gov,.co.uk). Find a list of top-level domains at 23

TEN TECHNIQUES CONT. 6. Search by file type (.pdf,.KMZ,.KML,.PPT) 7.Try synonyms for your original terms. For example search “cartoon” instead of “comic.” 8.Once you’ve found a webpage you like use “command + F” or “control +F” to search within that page. 9.Try Google Scholar to find books and articles cited by other researchers. 10.Keep your search skills sharp by trying the Google A Day challenges 24

FREE DATABASES, eBooks, FREE ACCESS TO JOURNALS,THESES AND DISSERTATION. Major Open Access Directories: DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals containing thousands of journals indexed. OpenDOAR: Directory of (academic) Open Access Repositories. 25

26 MAJOR INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard University (DASH). UCC Institutional Repository.