1. Hudson Valley Community College Marvin Library Introduction
English 115
Introduction

2. Instructor: Mary Ellen Bolton
My name is Mary Ellen Bolton and I work part time as a librarian for the Dwight Marvin Library. Contact me ( with any questions that you may have about English 115. I normally work the Reference Desk at the Marvin Library Tuesday and Thursday nights from Stop by some time, I’d love to meet you. For the past 20 years I've worked in public, school and academic libraries as a librarian. The 21st century has provided a variety of new challenges for those doing research. English 115 is designed to help you discover what libraries can do for you and to better prepare you to handle college level research.

3. English 115: Library Skills for Research
“This course provides an introduction to library research and information literacy. Content will focus on how to create a research strategy for finding, retrieving, using and evaluating information in print and electronic formats including the Internet. Also covered will be many of the academic, legal and ethical issues relating to information. Skills gained can be applied to research papers, projects, professional and personal information needs.”
Source: Hudson Valley Community College Catalog Entry

4. Textbook and readings:
We will be using an online textbook available for free through Open SUNY. The Information Literacy Users Guide: An Open Online Textbook by Trudi Jacobson, Greg Bobish, Deborah Bernnard, Daryl Bullis, Jenna Hecker, Irina Holden, Allison Hosier and Tor Loney (2014) is available at
Other assigned readings will be available from the web or research databases. The readings will help you understand the course objectives.

5. Goals and Objectives:
After completion of this course, you will be able to: 
Understand the nature, characteristics, and organization of information sources,
Develop a topic, decide on a research question, and write a thesis statement,
Design and implement an effective search strategy appropriate for a research question, problem, or issue,
Select and critically evaluate information resources found in print or online,
Document a variety of sources found on a topic using either APA or MLA 8 format,
Prepare an annotated bibliography to demonstrate these new skills.

6. Course requirements:
Your grade will be based on: Exercises and quizzes 50 points Database and Web Searching Exercises 20 points Final Project: Annotated Bibliography 30 points Total 100 points This is not a pass/fail course. You must do the annotated bibliography to pass the course.

7. Grading:
A grade: ( points) Mastery of all the concepts and procedures taught in the class; all assignments and tests are completed thoroughly. B grade: (80-89 points) Mastery of most concepts and procedures taught in the class; most assignments and exams are completed thoroughly. C grade: (70-79 points) Adequate understanding of the concepts and procedures taught in the course; incomplete or missing homework and exams. D grade: (60-69 points) Lacks understanding of the concepts and procedures taught in the course; incomplete or missing assignments, quizzes and exams. F grade: (less than 60 points) Annotated bibliography was not submitted. Directions were not followed.

8. Z grade:  
Any student who does not attend class, submit work, or communicate with the instructor after the college’s official withdrawal date as published in the current college catalogue may be given a grade of Z.  However, the instructor reserves the right to assign a grade of F in the case of proven plagiarism or other violations of academic integrity in accordance with college policy.

9. Final Project and Extra Help:
To pass this course an annotated bibliography of at least 12 sources is required. You may select a topic for your bibliography but you MUST clear the topic with me before you start. Citations for the annotated bibliography must be completed using the MLA 8 or APA format. Examples will be provided. You will submit the draft for this project four different times before the final submission. Corrections must be made before I will accept the next draft. Extra help is always available. Please contact me when you have questions or problems at Remember that the staff at the Research and Reference Desk in the Dwight Marvin Library (second floor) is there to help you with your work.

10. Plagiarism:
Do not plagiarize! Plagiarism is form of academic dishonesty that is considered a serious offense and carries severe penalties ranging from failing an assignment to suspension from school. You are guilty of plagiarism any time you attempt to obtain academic credit by presenting someone else’s ideas as your own without appropriately documenting the original source. You must credit original sources by citing them according to either APA or MLA citation guidelines.

11. Accommodating Students with Disabilities:
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Hudson Valley Community College is committed to ensuring educational access and accommodations for all its registered students, in order to fully participate in programs and course activities or to meet course requirements. Hudson Valley Community College's students with documented disabilities and medical conditions are encouraged to access these services by registering with the Center for Access and Assistive Technology or the Learning Disabilities Specialist to discuss their particular needs for accommodations. For information or an appointment contact the Center for Access and Assistive Technology, located in room 130 of the Siek Campus Center or call /TDD: or contact the Learning Disabilities Specialist located in the Learning Assistance Center, in the lower level of the Marvin Library, phone number

12. What is information?
Information comes in all kinds of formats from ancient texts to the latest blogs. This course will help you to recognize different types of resources, different formats and what will serve as most useful in your research.
What used to take ages to retrieve is now available in seconds. However, not all information comes from reliable sources. Accuracy and reliability do matter!
There are print and online sources that are inaccurate. You want to be able to recognize them.

13. What is reliable information?
Information can change. That is why we ask you to look at copyright dates. People don’t always remain heroes.
You can’t believe everything you read. Who is the author and does he/she know what they’re talking about? Are they objective?
There is unreliable information out there and it isn’t always easy to spot. We’ll explore some urban myths and questionable web sites. Have you ever heard of the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus?

14. Does format matter?
Consider Harry Potter. Does reading the books, listening to the audiobooks, playing the video games or watching the movies give you the exact same experience?
Often the best research is done by mixing a variety of formats. Print sources are still useful as not everything is on the Web. It all depends on your topic. Who has the best coverage? Who is the authority on that subject?
If you’re writing about scientific breakthroughs, you’ll want up-to-date information that has been thoroughly tested. Research from drug companies is not always objective when there is money to be made. Sometimes people are paid to give products a positive review.

15. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources:
Primary sources: direct or firsthand information that witness an event and record information directly. Includes diaries and other original documents.
Secondary sources: information that is reported secondhand. These accounts, written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They give commentary and discussion of the evidence.
Tertiary sources: encyclopedias, bibliographies and directories that may provide an overview or summary of a topic, While the information is factual, it does not include analysis or critique.

16. Scholarly and Popular Sources:
Scholarly sources: educated opinions and studies. Called peer reviewed because articles are reviewed by peers (other experts in the field.) Scholarly information has been cited and verified. It usually contains tables and graphs, the parameters of a study and its results. Popular sources: what the word on the street is. Is that blog done by an authority or just someone with too much time on their hands? Popular information is intended for a broad, general audience and has not been peer reviewed by experts. It usually contains pictures and videos.

17. Current and Historical Information:
The age of your information may or may not matter depending on your topic. Scientific and medical information can change as discoveries are made. It is important to look at whether the information has remained valid over time.
Historical research looks at evidence from the past. It may include sources from long ago as well as modern interpretations. When doing historical research, it is important to look at original documents.

18. To succeed in English 115:
Review the syllabus, final project and schedule.
Turn in assignments as directed.
Make corrections to drafts before adding to them.
Find the best possible sources for your topic.
Remember that covering different types of research skills is the goal behind many of the assignments.