LT901 Library resources and information skills Emma Wisher LiFTS Librarian October 2010

Undergraduate to postgraduate Where are you starting from? Not only searching and finding, but also identifying and assessing You may need To develop your information/research skills To gain awareness of your particular research area and the wider framework of literary study

Literature searching A key part of the process of doing a literature review The sort of material you are looking for will affect both where and how you search Takes longer than you may think! Not necessarily a linear process

Sources & the information hierarchy As a general rule, the purpose of your search will determine what sources you use Start with sources where the information provided: Is aimed at an academic audience Has been through a quality control process Takes a critical rather than a descriptive approach Such as: MLA International Bibliography (LION) Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (LION) JSTOR/Project Muse/EBSCOHost For very contemporary topics, you may need to look at news sources, and the internet more generally

Search strategy Before you start looking, think about the keywords which you will use to search Synonyms, plurals, spelling variations Ways of combining different search terms May require you to investigate how a source works before you use it but will save time in the long run

Women’s cinema and women’s identity in Latin America Women, woman, wom?n, female, feminine, femini*… Cinema, film, motion pictures, acting, actors, act*,director… Identity, personality, essence, characteristics… Latin America, South America, Brazil, Chile, Argentina… (Women or female or feminine) and (cinema or film or motion pictures) Women and film and “Latin America”

Literature Online (LION) Primary texts Biographies and bibliographies of major writers Indexes to secondary texts (MLA/ABELL), and access to journal articles in full text

Refining a search If you are getting too many results, think about ways to narrow down your search Make search terms more precise Include additional search terms Combine terms with AND If you are not getting enough results, think about ways to broaden your search Make search terms less precise Use fewer terms in your search Combine terms with OR Use truncation symbols

Searching for different types of material and getting hold of them Books & Journal articles Albert Sloman Library catalogue (book suggestions) Other library catalogues/online bookshops Inter library loans SCONUL Access Theses Library catalogue EThOS Index to Theses/Proquest Dissertations and Theses ILL/SCONUL Access

Searching the internet Getting started on the internet h/criticalUseInternet.asp (Critical use of the internet on MySkills) h/criticalUseInternet.asp (Internet tutorial from JISC Virtual Training Suite) tm (Literature subject guide) tm

What to look for Who has produced the site? Who is the intended audience? How current is the information? What evidence is there of quality control?

Contact me Emma Wisher Ext Enquiry desk Wed AM in term or ask for me at any time