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I remember going to the school library – every single year – for a “special” library introduction. It was always so boring and I thought the librarians were crazy; I mean, come on, how hard is it to type in keywords and find what you need? I had Google, right?
But then a research project would inevitably be assigned and, for some reason, I couldn’t find what I needed. I wasn’t really sure where to start. I knew the information I needed was somewhere, but typing in keywords wasn’t working for me. Sometimes research seems real easy, but when it comes time to actually do research for an assignment, you might feel in over your head.
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1. Library databases – What are they? Why should I care?
2. Library catalog – What is it? How do I make it do what I want to find what I need?
3. Free web – How is this different from the library databases? How do I determine what is a “good” website for research and what isn’t?
4. Internet safety – What are some ways that I can be safe online?
Library Databases
A database is just a really fancy way of describing a bunch of electronic information that has been organized. One of my favorite databases is the Internet Movie Database, a free web resource about movies and television shows.
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· First, much of the information available in library databases has been pulled from printed resources – meaning that the databases have information that you could (at some place, at some time) have found in a magazine, an academic journal, a reference book, a newspaper, etc.
· Second, library databases provide information from trusted (or “authoritative”) sources, making your teachers happy :o)
· Third, while anyone can access IMDB, library databases are only accessible to those with a library card.
| Helpful Database Terms: Abstract – a brief summary Authentication – process where the database checks to verify that you have permission to use it (asking for your library card number) Citation – smallest amount of information that allows someone else to find the same source you’ve found Full-text – complete content of an article (PDF=image, html = just words) Index – back of the book, system of organizing information access points to get to the information you need Keyword Search – search that matches the exact language used in an article, citation, or abstract Periodical = Journal = Magazine = Serial Subject Search – controlled vocabulary search |
You can choose which database you want in 3 different ways:• By Subject
• Alphabetically by the Name of the Database (i.e. Academic Search Complete, Learning Express Library, etc.)
• By Journal/Magazine title
Most of the time you’ll probably be finding your database by Subject; maybe you have a paper you need to write for Language Arts (check out Literature & Literary Criticism!) or perhaps you just need a newspaper or magazine article to fill out your works cited (check out Magazines & Journals or Newspapers). Looking for databases by Subject can help you with any of these types of questions.
Sometimes you might know the name of the journal, magazine or newspaper and just want to see if you can find it @ the Library. For this you’ll search By Journal, entering in the title you’re looking for in the search box. Say, for example, that you’re searching for the New York Times. Once you’ve searched your title, you’ll see a list of what the Library has.
**Remember: Most of the library databases you can access from anywhere you have an internet connection (at home, at work, at school); which means you can potentially do research at home in your pajamas. If you log into a database from outside the Library, you will be asked for your library barcode number (to prove you’re one of us). What a good reason to get a library card!
Library Database Exercises:
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- Does the database you chose give you results in full text? Some databases allow you to limit your results just to full-text. What does that mean exactly? Well, imagine you’re doing a Google search for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Some of the results will give you a review someone has written, where as others just show you pictures of the cover and how much you will pay for a copy of the book. Full-text provides everything included in an article or book (text, pictures, links, etc.). If the database does not provide full text, you'll just see a synopsis and citation.
- Does the database you chose have an advanced search feature? What does this feature do – can you tell? Most advanced search features use what are called Boolean operators. What exactly are those? Check out the video below to learn more about Boolean operators:
Library Catalog
What exactly is the catalog? The catalog allows you to see what the Library physically has in its buildings (books, audiobooks, movies, music, etc.) and what digital content you can access through the Library website (downloadable ebooks, audiobooks, external websites, etc.).
Where can you find the catalog? From the library website! You can select the link to the catalog or search directly from the homepage.
If you click the link to the catalog, the first thing you’ll see are several basic search options, including: keywords, title keywords, author keywords, or subject keywords. My two favorite ways to search are using the Power Search feature and Advanced Search.
Power Search is a really great and easy way to browse titles or to get ideas on related subjects. The Power Search is also helpful when you only know part of a title or are not quite sure how to spell something. Power Search also makes it really easy to find what is @ Freeman, what is available on DVD, or what we have just in Spanish.
Advanced Search allows you to use those awesome Boolean operators! When you know an exact title, the author’s exact name, or when you want to limit your results to specific subjects, Advanced Search will keep you from having to sort through a bunch of titles that may or may not have anything to do with want you want.
Library Catalog Exercises
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- Try using the Power Search to find a topic of interest to you (i.e. American history, vampires, botany, etc.). Look at the left hand “Discover” tool while you search. What do you notice? On the right hand side, try limiting your results just to Freeman. Try limiting by language or year of publication.
- Think of a Boolean phrase that you can punch into the Advanced Search (i.e. Mexico AND United States NOT Immigration). What do you notice about your results? Try limiting your search results to Freeman or to non-fiction titles only.
The Free Web!
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Sometimes teachers or librarians or other adults will tell us about how bad it is to use Google or Wikipedia. I’m here to tell you that using what you’ve found through Google or an article from Wikipedia is NOT bad, you just have to know the right times to use them. If I want to know more about the JONAS television show, for example, I’m probably not going to go to the encyclopedia. I’m going to look at the Internet Movie Database, at Wikipedia, or find the Jonas brothers' homepage through Google.
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If I’m doing a research paper, I’m going to want to use the resources available through the Library or from free websites that I know are reliable (unless I happen to be writing a research paper on the Jonas brothers – in that case, I’m probably going to use free web and library resources).
There are a couple of search engines you can use to search for high-quality, trustworthy free websites:
Librarians' Internet Index
Intute
Whenever you are using a free website, it is always a good idea to evaluate the content you come across. You can find really great website evaluation guides online.
Free Web Exercises:
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- Do a search for something that interests you on Google. Once you’ve picked an interesting site, use this website evaluation guide to determine whether or not you would cite this source or rely on the information you’ve found.
- Using the Librarians’ Internet Index or Intute, pick a topic that interests to search. Do the same search on Google. What are the differences or similarities?
Internet Safety
I love surfing the web. I love updating my LibraryThing profile and sending messages to my book fiend compatriots. I could spend hours on YouTube watching and listening to music videos. I would rather shop online than go into a store.
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Whatever you enjoy doing online, you need to think about what footprints you’re leaving behind – is it really such a good idea to post that picture of yourself online? Would you want your grandmother, a parent, your teacher, the school janitor, or some random, creepy person looking at that picture? Would you want someone looking at that picture 10 years from now when you’re applying for a new job?
There are so many awesome things we can do online, but we need to be aware of how others might use the information we make available. Is it a good idea to post your address? Is it a good idea to friend someone you don’t really know? Is it a good idea to enter a random contest to win a free iPhone advertised on MySpace? One word: no.
There are several sources to learn more about internet safety and how to enjoy the benefits of being online without putting yourself, your friends, or your family at risk.
Internet Safety Exercises:
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- Check out the Teen iHCPL post on internet safety or learn more about internet safety from the HCPL Teens Know website.
- Take a look at the Safe Teens website, an initiative of the Tech Parenting Group, a non-profit organization focused on the impacts of social technologies.
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