Library Orientation English 1A, J. Graves Laney College Ann Buchalter, MLIS

So…. you have to write a college-level research paper…. AND Your instructor has told you that you will be required to use Academically Acceptable sources from library databases AND You’re not really sure what that means or how to go about doing that…

What Information Sources Should I Use? Books –in-depth coverage –written by specialists –logically arranged –Good for background information Reports (Issues, CQ, etc.) –popular “hot” topics & current events –Present both sides of an issue –great for background info –Timelines, facts, further reading Journal Articles –Facts with hard research/numbers –Current information –written by specialists Magazine Articles –Facts –very current information –written by journalists who are not usually specialists

1.How to search for books in the Laney Library online catalog 2.How to search for journal and magazine articles in Laney Library’s online databases Don’t Worry! Today we are going to cover: Feeling Overwhelmed?

Part I. Searching for books in Our Collection

1) by keyword 2) exact title 3) by a specific author You can search the catalog in many different ways, but we are going to keep it simple:

First I need a search “strategy” or words to enter into the search box: Let’s say your Topic Question is: How does the media affect one’s body image?

Notice that I did NOT select How does the OR affect one’s ---Why do you think I didn’t include them?

Because these words don’t describe my topic – To find the BEST results, you want to use ONLY the essential concepts. We will type media and body image into the search box in the catalog… Laney Library

How do you know if the book will help you? Contents: lists the chapters in the book

If you decide you want to look a the book, you will need to get the copy information Check availability Call Number and Floor

Use the “Subjects” category to find more books on your topic: If you see an interesting Subject, click on it and it will take you to other books that are on similar topics

Periodical/Journal Articles? Where do I begin? Laney Library

Laney College Library Full-Text Journal/Magazine Online and Report Databases CQ Researcher Opposing Viewpoints Issues & Controversies Academic OneFile

Title of Article Title of Magazine Author # of Pages Click on the TITLE of ARTICLE to see article and options for saving, printing, and ing

Any Questions? Ask the Librarian The End Sbc 2005