Doing Research Online: A Crash Course Where do you plug this damn thing in? Gary Handman ghandman@library.berkeley.edu 643-8566

The point of all this... Describes organization of library information Introduce selected sources for finding books and journal topics online Discuss how to develop search strategies Discuss how to select article databases (and determine what’s in them) Introduce a group of basic moves and features common to many online catalogs and indexes. Practice using these features in selected databases.

The Information Universe What Does It Contain?

The Information Universe Books Journals (Magazines) & Newspapers Government docs Maps Media (video, sound recording, etc.) Computer files (e.g. CD-ROMS, data files) Dissertations Manuscripts & THE WEB… The guy next to me is soooo hot!

Not all books or journals are created equal The Information Universe Why/when books? Why/when journals Not all books or journals are created equal

The Information Universe The guy next to me is soooo hot! …But how do you find this stuff?

Indexes (article databases) The Information Universe Library Catalog(s) Journal/Newspaper Indexes (article databases)

An inventory of what the library owns Search by Author, Title, Subject Library Catalog(s) Pathfinder: UCB Library holdings only MELVYL (CDL cat): All 9 UC Campuses An inventory of what the library owns Search by Author, Title, Subject Whole books and print and electronic journals, NOT what’s inside of those publications

Call # Get da Book in da Stax The Information Universe: Books Look it Up in Pathfinder or MELVYL by Author, Title, or Subject : Doherty, Thomas Patrick. Teenagers and teenpics: the juvenilization of American movies in the 1950s Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2002. UCB Main PN1993.5.U6 D53 2002 Call # Get da Book in da Stax

Article Databases (Indexes/Abstracts) The Information Universe: Finding Articles Article Databases (Indexes/Abstracts) Produced by different commercial publishers; often look/act differently from one another. Regularly updated (yearly, etc.) Many come in both print & online Allow subject/author searching in a group of journals in a particular discipline or topical area. Some indexes also offer abstracts-- short description of article content I know! I’ll do my paper on Marilyn Manson! Yes! Print Indexes Live!

full text! links to UCB holdings

But Remember: Not everything is online!!!!!: The Information Universe (Now) Online is Cool But Remember: Not everything is online!!!!!: Article Databases: Generally only go back 10-20 yrs online (some exceptions – e.g. Historical Newspapers) Not every publication is indexed Fairly small (but rapidly growing) subset of the books and journal universe is currently available in full-text

The Information Universe Remember Also: Not every topic has lots written about it, either in books or journal lit. --Research on very current topics --Research on radically specific topics --Research on topics off the beaten academic track or off the pop culture radar

What to do if nothing is turning up: The Information Universe (Now) What to do if nothing is turning up: Tweak your topic: Broaden it / select a different angle Rethink your search strategy (new keywords, new concepts, etc.) Bail out completely and choose another topic

The Net LibraryLand A few cautionary words about research on the Net Google Rocks! The Net LibraryLand

Choosing an Articles database (index) Look at the alphabetical listing of all article databases available via the library www.lib.berkeley.edu For Humanities and Social Sciences: check out FIND ARTICLES pull-down on the Doe/Moffitt Library page: www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/ Listings of subject-specific electronic resources on individual branch library home pages

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK Formulate your search in terms of keyword and key phrases: Reflection of the fear of uncontrolled science and technology and nuclear annihilation in the science fiction and horror films of the 1950’s

How to Begin? Before you click: THINK Formulate your search in terms of: KEY WORD Searches : --Look for words anywhere in record: title, subject, abstract and full-text (if available) PHRASES: --Looks for words in the exact order entered

Keywords e.g. -- Keyword: Cold War Horror Film looks for words Cold AND War AND Horror AND Film ANYWHERE in the record You would conceivably retrieve an article entitled: “At War With Your Refrigerator?: How to Avoid the Horror of Moldy Film on Cold Cuts.” --Phrase: Cold War Horror Film looks only for those 3 words in that order; would not find a book entitled Cold War Fantasy and Horror Films

Once you’ve found something that looks promising, Check out the “official” subject headings

Where and How to Look? Asian new immigrant and second-generation American adolescents and assimilation, 1960’s-90’s (and the relation to the development of the “model minority.” Development of the video gaming industry and ratings system in 1990’s in relation to youth Popular connection of Chicano youth and the “gang” 1960’s-70’s Youth activism and battles around desegregation in Oakland and in San Francisco’s Chinatown Beauty culture and the adolescent girl in the post-war era Psychiatric treatment of adolescents in mental health clinics in California, 1920’s-50’s.

Common Search Features: Basic and Advanced Search Screens Trunction: “wild card” that allows you to scoop up broader results:* # or ? Depending on db --e.g.: Advertis* will give you: advertise, advertising, advertisers, advertisements Search by keyword or by phrase Search specific fields (e.g., SUBJECT, TITLE) Use of AND, OR, NOT <Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson> < Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen> < Bob Dylan not Bruce Springsteen >

Common Search Features: --Save list of good stuff --Mail Articles/Citations to yourself

Connecting from off-campus PROXY Server!

Before we plunge...questions???