INTRODUCTION TO THE SGTC LIBRARY

Americus Campus and Crisp County Center

Alice in WonderlandA conversation between Alice and the Cheshire

Cat

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?“

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat."I don’t much care where--" said Alice."Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough.“

PRINTED MATERIAL IN THE LIBRARYBooks, magazines, etc.

Nonfiction BooksThese contain only factual information or tell a story that is true. Usually written by someone with extensive understanding or knowledge of a subject. Probably contains more information about a subject than anything else. 

Books may contain the most information on a topic.

Nonfiction Books(Continued)May provide a detailed analysis of a subject. If more than one author, the book may have different perspectives on a subject. Footnotes and bibliography will lead you to other sources.

Books may contain the most information on a topic.

BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY Organized by call number. Books dealing with the same subject are located in the same area. 

BOOKSfictionnon-fictionreference

Reference books: encyclopediasdictionariesatlasesstatisticschronologiesbiographies directoriesquotations bibliography

Reference books cannot be checked out from the Library.

This ensures that everybody will have access to that resource.

TYPES OF REFERENCE BOOKS

General Encyclopedias cover many subjects.

This is a good place to start your research. They summarize the main topic and may recommend more detailed resources.

Encyclopedias provide concise, factual overviews on a vast number of topics.

Encyclopedias Published once a year or every few years. They may not have the most current information. They are written by experts in a particular field of knowledge. Some cover broad topics and provide a general overview of their subject. But some focus on a specific topic and give detailed information it.

directoriesquotations bibliography

Reference sourcesencyclopediasdictionariesatlases

statisticschronologiesbiographies

Subject specific encyclopedias cover topics not covered in a general encyclopedia or they cover topics in more depth.

A specialized dictionary deals with words that are used in a technical field or profession.

A basic dictionary like Webster's provides definitions of words we read and speak every day.

Dictionaries

Almanacs: published once a year. •A general almanac will cover hundreds of different topics.•A specialized almanac will cover a more limited set of subjects.

Biographical reference books contain short entries for thousands of historical or living people.

ATLAS

Collection of maps or drawings that illustrate a specific subject. Most common: map of the world. 

PERIODICALS Published on a regular basisNewspapers MagazinesScholarly journals

 

Scholarly JournalResearch and news in a particular field - academic or scientific. Published monthly or quarterly. Peer reviewed - other experts make sure that the arguments and facts in the article are correct.

Magazines

Published weekly or monthly.Cover a wide range of subjects.Good for recent developments. Useful for:Summary of recent news.Opinions.Photographs.

 NewspapersPublished on a daily or weekly basis.Excellent source for immediate news.Excellent source for local news. Newspapers specialize on current, fresh topics. But they will quickly stop writing about a topic.

CHOOSING YOUR TOPIC

Success is often determined by the way you start your search and define your topic.

When selecting a topic, it's always wise to choose something that will engage you curiosity - something that will motivate you when the going gets rough.

You don't have to pinpoint your topic to the narrowest detail.

In fact, if you're too narrow in your selection, you will limit yourself.

Finding that balance between too broad and too narrow is often mastered through trial and error.

IF YOUR TOPIC IS TOO NARROW OR TOO BROAD, YOU WILL HAVE PROBLEMS.

1. The topic is too broad: "Too much information" It takes too long to go through all the

resources.

A topic that is too broad will result in an unfocused paper - one that is too hard to read.

 

2. The topic is too narrow: you're having trouble finding information about it. 

TIPS FOR RESEARCHThings you can do that will make your search go better.

LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN ONLINE COMPUTER DATABASES.

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO GET THATINFORMATION.

TWO GOOD TECHNIQUES FOR INFORMATION SEARCHING

KEYWORD SEARCHINGSUBJECT SEARCHING

KEYWORDS APPEAR IN THE IMPORTANT PARTS OF A DATABASE RECORD:

AUTHOR, TITLE, SUBJECT

KEYWORD SEARCHING

WHEN YOU GO TO A DATABASE AND ENTER YOUR SEARCH TERMS INTO THE BOX PROVIDED,YOU ARE PERFORMING A KEYWORD SEARCH.

SUBJECT SEARCHINGTHIS TYPE OF SEARCHING LIMITS THE SEARCH TO THE SUBJECT FIELD OF THE DATABASE.

IN ORDER TO PERFORM A SUBJECT SEARCH,YOU MAY NEED TO GO THE ADVANCED SEARCH PAGE.

To find information on the Internet Use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo! 

THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER WHEN YOU SEARCH A DATABASE

TOO MANY RESULTS.

COULDN’T FIND ANYTHING.

TOO MANY ?

FOUNDNOTHING?

USE SEARCH OPERATORS TO LIMIT OR EXPAND YOUR SEARCH

Use "AND" between search terms to make sure you get results with all your search terms.

Apples AND Oranges

Use "OR" to get results with either of your search terms.

dogs OR cats

Use "quotation marks" when searching for a phrase.

“lions and tigers and bears oh my”

Carefully evaluate sources found on the Internet. 

1. Who wrote the webpage, and what is his or her background?

When evaluating a website, ask yourself:

2. Does the webpage provide a way to contact the writer?

When evaluating a website, ask yourself:

3. What kind of organization is behind the web site? 

When evaluating a website, ask yourself:

 4. Why did the author create the webpage?

When evaluating a website, ask yourself:

 5. Is the information up-to-date? 

When evaluating a website, ask yourself:

 6. Are they trying to sell you something? Are they pushing some sort of political agenda?

TO SEE A BRIEF YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT EVALUATING INFORMATION YOU MAY FIND ON THE INTERNET GO TO THE NEXT PAGE.

Gulf Coast State College Library. (2013)  Evaluating Websites. Retrieved from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aem3JahbXfk