Library & Information SkillsBA Asian Studies

Ronan Madden Arts & Humanities Librarian

1. Basics: Library resources, catalogue, website

2. Journals & e-journals:- what they are, how to source a journal article

3. Searcher: search lots of databases in one go!

4. Resource discovery using electronic databases

5. Off-campus access to e-resources6. A word on Google and information

quality

Topics

Ronan Madden Info Lit 2013/14

Library Web Site

N.B.

•Catalogue•Journal Portal•Databases A-Z•Searcher•Subject Guides•How do I?•Study & Research Help

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Subject Guide

Starting point for relevant library & web material

- databases- journals- websites

See ‘Asian Studies’ subject guide

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Catalogue: Tips

• Title searches: word-perfect• Author: Wilde Oscar• Keyword searches: you can ‘modify

search’ e.g. material type ‘Video/DVD’• Consider synonyms, American spellings• Use ‘Worldcat’ link to search beyond UCC• Use ‘My Library Account’ to request

books on loan, to see your reading history, to access e-resources from home, and to save ‘lists’ of books

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Off-Campus Access

• Use ‘My Library Account’(like when renewing or requesting books)

• Name + student number + six digit password (alpha-numeric)

• N.B. You should access e-resources through the Library web pages

• Contact Information desk on Q floor for queries e.g. forgotten password

• See: Learn about Pin NumbersRonan Madden Info Lit 2013/14

What if an item is not in UCC Library?

Aside from Googling it (book/article title or author and you may be lucky):

• Inter-library loanSee: Inter-library loans service

• Visit other libraries: ‘Cork PAL’ Or ‘Letter of Introduction’ .Check with customer services in Boole Library

See: Accessing other librariesRonan Madden Info Lit 2013/14

Journals

• Serials/Periodicals: published continuously• New research, cutting-edge• Print and/or electronic (30,000+ e-journals

in UCC)• ‘Peer-reviewed’/‘refereed’ =academic

journals‘The process by which an academic journal passes a paper submitted for publication to independent experts for comments on it’s suitability and worth; refereeing’

• Quality control: Papers accepted/rejected based on contribution to the field/new ideas, bias/conflicts of interest, suitability for journal etc.

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• Popular Magazines: (articles written by journalists)

- Newspapers

- Substantive news e.g. ‘The Economist’, ‘National Geographic’, ‘New Scientist’- Journal of opinion e.g. ‘Magill’, ‘Phoenix’- Magazines e.g. ‘Vogue’, ‘Readers Digest, etc.

• Trade Journals (specific industry, enable practitioners share market and product information within an industry) e.g. ‘Macworld’, ‘Restaurant Business’, ‘Chemical Week’. ‘Beverage World’

Other Periodicals

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Finding a Journal Article

Example:

Hubbert, J. (2010) ‘Spectacular Productions: Community and Commodity in the Beijing Olympics’. City & Society, 22(1): 119–142.

• Check the Journals Portal first

• See online tutorial:

‘Learn how to find the full-text of a journal article’ on the ‘Study & Research Help’ page

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‘Searcher’ Federated Search

• Good starting point

• Some results will be from non-academic periodicals

• N.B. you should still search specific databases individually

• You can set up an alert Ronan Madden Info Lit 2013/14

What are Databases? 1.

• Collections of logically related data, designed to meet information needs of one or more users e.g. library catalogue

• A bibliographic/research database: usually an electronic index to journal articles and books, containing citations & abstracts. Sometimes information about conference proceedings, theses, and other information formats is also included.

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What are Databases? 2.

• Sometimes the full text of the articles is included, or links to the full text.

• Some are indexing and abstracting only: i.e. metadata – not necessarily a link to the full text.

• Some are general e.g. Web of Science, others are more subject-specific e.g. Medline, RILM.

• Essential for literature searches. • Other types of databases: ARTstor for

images, Music Online for streaming music, ACLS & Ebrary for e-booksRonan Madden Info Lit 2013/14

How to Find Relevant Databases

• Use Databases A-Z: (See ‘Search the Library’) Drop-down menu ‘Browse databases by Subject area’. Use Drama & Theatre’ list as a starting point.

• Depending on your topic, you may also need to search other lists e.g. – Humanities

• You could also check the Subject Guides• See online tutorial: Find

the best databases for your assignments and research on the ‘Study & Research Help’ page

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Further Resources • Online Reference Resources: (alternative to

Wikipedia) see: Reference Resources under ‘Search the Library’ N.B. Oxford Reference Online

• Images: ARTstor and others: See Images page

• Online Newspapers: Irish Newspaper Archive, Irish Times Digital Archive

• E-books: ACLS Humanities E-book (HEB), Ebrary, EEBO, ECCO, Shakespeare, Early 17c drama

• Music: Music Online, Oxford Music Online , Naxos Music

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Google?

• Use Google scholar advanced search to improve quality and quantity of results

• Works better on-campus, or from home through the Databases A-Z

• If no full text, check the journal portal and the Library catalogue as usual

• See email alerts on Google Scholar• See tutorial:

Search the Web More Effectively for your Assignments and Research.

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Information Quality

• Fundamental when writing essays/assignments in 3rd level

• See ‘Learn how to Evaluate information for your assignments and research on the ‘Study & Research Help’ page

• Referencing: - See Study & Research Help

- See catalogue: Style guides

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Recap: What to use?• Catalogue: what does the Library hold? Books, e-books, DVDs

etc.• Journal portal: to see if the Library provides access to a

particular journal/serial title• Searcher: search box on the library website - one quick search

for books, articles, and more.• Library Databases: to locate articles and other resources for

a specific subject area - a more thorough literature search• Worldcat: to discover resources that are not available at UCC

Library• Subject Guides: sources customized for a particular subject

area• Internet Search: for quick facts and a general introduction to

topic. Google, Bing, Wikipedia, etc.• Google Scholar: to locate academic (journal articles, books)

information on a topic. For full text check the Library’s resources.

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Slideshare

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