ENG 101 Using the library & finding information Martin Crabtree MCCC Library.
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Transcript of ENG 101 Using the library & finding information Martin Crabtree MCCC Library.
ENG 101
Using the library & finding information
Martin Crabtree
MCCC Library
Agenda
• Finding books• Important places in the library• Electronic searching• Databases available fro the
library• Database Info ≠ Web Info• MLA citations
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 uses both letters and number. For example career info can be found at:
HF5381 & HF5382
Finding books in the libraryUsing the online card catalog
• The catalog is available online. Used to find books, videos and other materials 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 computer lab in the library
Link to the catalog is on the library’s web pages.
One useful title…
Encyclopedia of Associations (Ref. HF17.E56 N34)Contains info on thousands of advocacy associations and interest groups includes:
– A brief description of the organization– Contact info including web address
Getting Around in the Library
Important Places in the Library
The Reference Desk
The Circulation Desk The Stacks
The person at the reference desk will help you find what
you needThe Reference Librarian will help you to: •Do database searches•Find books, periodicals and other materials•Find useful web resources
At the Circulation Desk
You can:
• Check out book here.• Get textbook for use in the library • Get videos & current newspapers here.• Get materials (books, journal articles,
etc.) that your professor has set aside here
• Ask for help in your research
There are 2 kinds of stacks
• The Reference stacks:– Holds the reference books– These books do not
circulate– Located in the middle of
the library
• The General Collection Stacks– Holds the books that you
can check out– Located towards the back
of the library
We have computers too!
The library’s computer lab
• To use the computer lab you need to sign in & have your student ID with you.
• You can use the computers for research as well as for email, writing papers, spread sheets, etc.
• Bring you own disks, CDs, thumb drives, etc. to save your work.
The library’s computer lab
• Anything saved on a computer’s hard drive will be erased once the computer is turned off.
• Printing costs 10¢ a page (you can also email articles to yourself).
• There is a lab assistant there to help with computer usage questions.
• You’ll need to go to the reference desk for research questions.
Searching Electronic Resources
Starting An Electronic SearchKeywords
• Keywords are used when searching electronic databases and web search engines.
• With a possible topic in mind, generate a list of words (keywords) that describes or would commonly be used when discussing your topic. Write this down if it helps.
• 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– “survival of the fittest”
• Truncations allow for searching related words all at once– The * is usually used (! For Academic
Universe databases) . For example:• child* would include: child, children,
childhood, childproof, etc.
Searching More Than Just Keywords
Field Limiters• Database field limiters allow you to
specify your search within varied parameters for example:– Only full-text articles– Only peer reviewed (scholarly)
publications– Date (or date range)
Let’s take a quick look at how Boolean searching can help
Electronic Databases at the Mercer Library
Electronic DatabasesIn General
• Over 60 databases available• Not every article is available full text
though many are• Abstracts (summary) is often
available when full text is not
Electronic DatabasesIn General
• Accessible at any computer on the MCCC/JKC campus network
• Most are available off campus, though you do need to use a password.
• Can print/e-mail/download articles
Accessing Databases Remotely
• You can access most of the databases from any computer with internet access.
• Use your student ID number (no dashes) and your last name to log into the databases. i.e.
• If you are already using a library issued password and ID number, they are still valid too.
Remote Login Screen
Use your previously issued User ID & password
Use your student ID number & last name
Some Useful Databases • Academic Search Premier (EBSCOHost)
– Broadest of the databases covering everything from science to the humanities including many scholarly journals
– Not every article full text– Need Acrobat Reader for some articles
• Biographies Plus – Biographical info
Let’s take a look…
More Databases• A number of subject specific databases
are available covering:– Business (ABI/Inform)– Newspapers (Academic-Universe: News)– Criminal Justice (Criminal Justice Periodical Index)– Architecture (Architectural Index)– Education (Proquest Educational Journals)– more
• Also other resources– Encyclopedia Britannica– Oxford English Dictionary– AP Photo Archive – News & historical photographs
Database information vs. web information
What is a databases?
• A collection of electronically searchable information (frequently, but not limited to, periodical articles) that is accessible via the internet
• Access to this information is by paid subscription only (paid by the library).
• It is accessible via the internet, but it is not truly web information.
Database info ≠ Webpage info
• Though both use a browser (like Netscape or Explorer) the information is not the same.
• Database info comes from known sources of information such as Newsweek or The New York Times.
• Web information can be put up by anyone hence the quality of this information varies greatly from site to site.
Database info ≠ Webpage info
• Accuracy: Editors & fact checkers insure this for periodicals, can’t tell if it’s done for many websites.
• Authority: Articles are written by experts or people who have researched a subject, with web info it can be hard to tell if the writer is an expert.
• Objectivity: Periodicals strive to give an unbiased presentation of information, some websites can be very opinionated
Database info ≠ Webpage info
• Currency: Periodicals always have a given date (i.e. Spring 2002, January 2005), often you can’t tell how old web info is.
• Coverage: Periodical articles, especially journals cover their subject thoroughly (though sometimes it can be very narrow), web info tends to be abbreviated (20 page journal articles are common, 20 page web pages are not).
One useful website…
Occupational Outlook Handbook (from the Department of Labor) at: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
…a hard copy is also in the library
Giving credit using the MLA format
• You will be using the MLA (Modern Language Association of America) style.
• The latest MLA manual is available in the library: – MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
at: LB 2369 .G53 2003 (in the reference collection & on reserve).
• The manual is not available on line.• For more in the MLA style, go to
Research & Report Guides link on any MCCC Library webpage and click on MLA.
Now it’s your turn…