Information Literacy CSS101 Martin J. Crabtree MCCC Library October 2004

Agenda So just what IS information literacy? Why information literacy is so important in the 21 st century So what do I look for – Picking a topic Finding books in a college library & using the catalog Searching electronic resources Databases and Web information Some library paperwork A short quiz

What IS information literacy? Information literacy is a skill that you will need both in college and as part you the rest or your life! You will need it to do thing in college like researching & writing a term paper You will also need it for things like: –Finding a job –Deciding which car to own Anytime where you need to “find something out”

What is information literacy? Information literacy is the ability to: Realize that you need information to find something out/answer a question Know where to go to get the information you need Ask the right questions to get the information you need Put all the information you found together to answer your question

For example say you decide to go out on a date

First you need to decide… Who you want to go out with –That’s your choice What you want to do –Go to a movie? –Go out to dinner? –Go to a concert? – Let’s do that!

Who do we want to see? Now we need find something out Now we need to find out who will be playing in the area

Is Twista on tour? Yup, but we just missed him, darn! So who else is coming?

With some more searching we find… That there is a great show coming on Halloween with: Jay-Z R. Kelly

Now that we’ve found a show, we still need to find out more

Now we need to find out… Where the show is –Continental Arena in Rutherford, N.J. What time does the show start? –7:00 PM, doors open at 6:00 PM How much are tickets? –$37, $49.50, $77, & $127 How do I get there? –You can find that out on lineYou can find that out on line

So what does this have to do with college? In college, just like going on a date, you must be able to find out what you need to know. Now let's watch a video at:

E-Literate? Some key points Information consists not only of facts but also includes: –Opinions –Rumors –Deceptions You need to be able to determine if the information you have found is: –good or bad –relevant or irrelevant –honest or deceptive Your job, grade and quality of life will depend on it.

Information literacy is NOT the same thing as computer literacy Computer literacy is the ability to use a computer effectively –To use computer programs –Access the web –Print, , save files, etc. Information Literacy is the ability to find information and what to do with the “stuff” you found.

Selecting a research topic Figuring out what you want to find out about

Selecting a topic Make sure you understand your assignment completely. Look at general resources like an encyclopedia to find out more about the broad topic, looking for things that may interest you. Think of a topic that both will fulfill your assignment and be interesting to you personally. Use the library catalog to find books on your topic. Use library databases and indexes to find periodical (magazine, journal, newspaper) articles.

Finding Books Books are put on the shelves grouped by subject. You may be familiar with the Dewey Decimal System which is used by many school and public libraries. MCCC like most colleges uses a different system called the Library of Congress (LC) system. The LC system used both letters and number

Library of Congress System Organizes knowledge into twenty-one broad categories. The twenty-one categories (labeled A to Z, but missing I, O, W, X and Y) are further subdivided by adding one or two additional letters and a set of numbers. The first letter of a Library of Congress call number indicates the general subject area. The second letter indicates the specific subject section within the general category.

Library of Congress vs. the Dewey Decimal Systems Dewey Decimal System Ancient Olympic Games: PER Fiction books are all in the same place: F DIC Biography books are also in the same place: B EDI This website gives the details for the Dewey system: Library/tutorials/infolit/tabl esversion/lessons/dewey.pdf Library/tutorials/infolit/tabl esversion/lessons/dewey.pdf Library of Congress Ancient Olympic Games: GV23.S Fiction books are part of the system: PZ3.D55 T3 Biographies are mixed into the collection: TK140.E3 J75 This website gives the details for the Library of congress system: Library/tutorials/infolit/tabl esversion/lessons/lcclass.pdf Library/tutorials/infolit/tabl esversion/lessons/lcclass.pdf

Using The MCCC Card Catalog to find books and more The catalog is available online. Used to find books, videos and other material both in the MCCC collection and the Mercer County Public (MCL) libraries. You can have materials from MCL brought to the college. Deliveries arrive Tuesday and Friday afternoons. (DVD’s not available from MCL) You will need to have your student ID card to borrow books or use the library’s computer lab

The link to the catalog is on the library’s web pages. library’s web pages.

Periodicals Periodicals include: –scholarly journals –newspapers –Magazines Periodicals represent the bulk of published scholarly information. The library has a number of periodicals available in print, on microfilm, and especially via electronic databases. The library staff can help determine if a specific periodical is available from the library.

Starting An Electronic Search Keywords Keywords are used when searching electronic databases and web search engines First step - Generate a list of words (keywords) often nouns that describes or is commonly used when discussing your topic. For example: –Ozone –Layer –Depletion –Atmosphere –Hole

Starting An Electronic Search Boolean Searching/Logic Boolean searching - Connecting keywords with the terms –and –not –or For example –eagles NOT football –(car or automobile) and exhaust More Terms = Fewer “Hits”

Searching More Than Just Keywords Phrases & Truncations To search for a phrase, use quotation marks –“weapons of mass destruction” Truncations allow for searching related words all at once –The * is usually used. For example: “child*” would include: child, children, childhood, childproof, etc.

Electronic Databases at the Mercer Library

Electronic Databases at MCCC In General Over 40 databases available Many contain periodical articles Some are useful for searching specific subjects like business, art, or criminal justice. Others are also useful tools like the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Oxford Dictionary

Electronic Databases In General Accessible at any computer on the MCCC/JKC campus network Most are available off campus, need to request a password. Can print/ /download what you find

Using the World Wide Web

Using the internet/world wide web Before using the web for most college research, try using databases first: –You will have fewer hits to go through –You’ll likely find some good information quickly –The information is always high quality The internet & web are not the same thing

Some things to consider when searching the web Everything is NOT on the web and may never be No search engine covers the entire web The “invisible web” is huge! Though there has yet to be consensus, estimates put the size of the invisible web between 2 and 500 times bigger than the “visible” (or surface) web.

Searching the World Wide Web Search Strategy Searching the Web is much like database searching: –Put together a list of keywords describing the information you desire –Use Boolean logic (and, not, or) to better define your search, use double quotes for phrases, etc. When searching the web, also: –Consider which search engines/sites may best suit your search needs. Different search engines yield different results. –Use the search engine’s “advanced search” to select limiting parameters (language, date, domain, etc.)

The “Invisible Web” Much web information can not be “found” by traditional search engines. This information could be in: –databases (such as the ones on the Library’s website) –Adobe pdf (portable document format) –sites accessible only by password Very recent information is likely to be missed as well

Some helpful invisible websites - searchable annotated directory of Internet resourceswww.lii.org - Direct Search, large listing of free databaseswww.freepint.com/gary/direct.htm infomine.ucr.edu [NO www] - good for searching academic informationinfomine.ucr.edu completeplanet.com [No www] blend of database, directory, & search engine information.completeplanet.com - search federal government siteswww.firstgov.gov

Evaluating Web Sites Is this stuff any good?

Evaluating Web Sites Quality varies greatly from site to site YOU are the sole evaluator of the quality of information a site provides

Five Web Info Evaluation Criteria 1.Accuracy - is it reliable? 2.Authority - is author qualified on subject? 3.Objectivity - is the information biased? 4.Currency - is the information “new” enough? 5.Coverage - does the info completely cover the topic?

Next time Short review of today’s material Your turn to: –Search the MCCC library’s catalog –Use the databases –Evaluate some web information