Orientation to Libraries

Research Methods and Data

College of Advancing Studies

Brendan Rapple

04/19/23

Today

• Libraries hold much more than just books:– Digital resources, journals, sound and video recordings,

newspapers, government documents, DVD’s, etc.

• Point the user to the world of global information– Not limited to what is physically in the building– Online resources help open up access to the global world.

• Collections can often be accessed remotely.

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BC Libraries Facts

• Support teaching, learning, and research at Boston College with:

• About 2.5 million printed volumes

• Over 400 research databases that can be accessed in the library or remotely

• Specialized libraries throughout campus

• Subject specialists available to assist you.

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Boston College Libraries and Centers

Complete List of Libraries and Centers: http://www.bc.edu/libraries/collections.html

O'Neill Library• The main research library• Wireless Internet + Laptop connections• Group study rooms available

Also in O’Neill:

• Government Documents and Microforms

• Media Center – Music, films, CD-ROMs, plus facilities for viewing and listening.

• The Connors Family Learning Center– Free tutoring– Support services to students with learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder– Instructional support for graduate students and faculty

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The BC Libraries Web Site

• BC Libraries home page

• Subject Specialists

• Help by Subject

• How do I…?

• Citation Help

• Electronic Journals

• Online Databases

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Quest: BC Libraries’ Online Cataloghttp://www.bc.edu/quest/

• Use QUEST to locate material owned by BC

• Some Features of Quest:– Requesting books checked out, in process, or on order– Interlibrary Loan– “Your Account”:

• Renew online• View account activity history• Request book delivery, article photocopies• Request a library session• Recommend library material• Set up alerts

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How long are books loaned out?

O'Neill Social Work Law ERC Bapst

Masters students

120 days 120 days 28 days 14 days 120 days

PhD students 120 days 120 days 28 days 14 days 120 days

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Examples of Databases

• Online database page from libraries web site:• Online Databases

• Browse databases by title

• Browse databases by subject

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• You’re in a database and found an article you want. How do you get it?

• Easiest way? Click on Find It.

• Find It will tell you:– Does BC have the article in full text online?– . . . Or is it in print in the libraries?– . . . Or can you get it through interlibrary loan?

Look for the Find It Icon

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Fee vs. Free

• Subscription Databases:

e.g. – ERIC (education)– PsycINFO 1840-

current– Expanded Academic

ASAP (multidisciplinary)

– Historical New York Times

• Available freely on the Web:

e.g. through search engines

– Google– Yahoo

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About Resources in print…

• There is much material available only in print format that remains essential.

• Only a small percentage of the full-text contents of books is presently accessible electronically.

• The percentage is higher for journals. Still, for earlier issues of journals the percentage is again low.

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Alert Services

• Set up a search profile/strategy

• Stay up to date

• Receive newly-published info in your research areas—via e-mail

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Interlibrary Loan

• Using Interlibrary Loan, a member of the Boston College community can borrow

• Books

• Videos

• DVDs

• sound recordings

• Microfilms

• or receive photocopies of articles in magazines

that are owned by another library.

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Library Consortium

• Boston Library Consortium

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Documentation Styles and Guides

– MLA: Modern Language Association

– APA: American Psychological Association standards

– Other styles include Chicago, Turabian (many others too).

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RefWorks: A Useful Tool

• Footnotes and bibliography can be generated in a variety of formats such as APA, MLA.

• Web based tool for automatically formatting your paper.

• Allows you to store, organize and keep track of citations.

• References can then be inserted into papers.

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RefWorks Help?

RefWorks Tutorial – step by step instruction– Details on setting up your account – Importing records from specific databases

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Graduate Student Support page

• This page contains brief descriptions of services and resources directly related to research activity, along with some links to the items described.

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Faculty Research Support page

• This page contains brief descriptions of services and resources directly related to research activity, along with some links to the items described.

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Final Advice . . . .

Don’t Forget to Ask Your Friendly Librarians for Help!!!• Contact a Subject Specialist