writ 4 - esol fall 2011

LAKSAMEE PUTNAMLPUTNAM@TOWSON.EDU

RESEARCH & INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN

Writing 4 – Using Cook Library to find

information

First…

Laksamee Putnamlputnam@towson.eduCook Library Reference:

410.704.2462. IM/email

Phone: 410.704.3746.Twitter: @CookLibraryofTUAlbert S. Cook facebook profile!

Take away…

The Research Process

Using Keywords

Introduction to the library website

Environmental Subject Gateway

Finding Books – Library Catalog

Finding Articles – Library Databases

Interpreting the Assignment

Reading Background Information

Using Online

Databases& Indexes

Gathering Sources

Drafting Paper or Presentation

Identifying & Listing

Vocabulary

Citing Sources

Refining a Topic

Evaluating Sources

The Research Process

Selecting a Topic

research skills ≠ needle in the haystack

Web “Pre-Searching”

Why not start your search online? The Invisible Web

http://goshen.libguides.com/beyond_googling

Can you trust this information?

Web “Pre-Searching”

TEDVideo Online filter bubble – Eli Pariser http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter

_bubbles.html

Web “Pre-Searching”

Why start your search online?

Find background information

Help solidify research topic

Find new terminology to use as keywords

Find links and/or citations to other sources

Keywords are critical!

Sample topic: How do we recycle electronic waste?

First, break the question down into keywords: How do we recycle electronic waste?

More than one keyword…

Expand your list to include synonyms then add to it once you have done some background reading.

How do we recycle electronic waste?

recycle electronic wastereuse mechanical garbagerecover computer trashsalvage cell phone

Similar ideas….different words

Cell phone

Similar ideas….different words

Cell phoneCellphoneCellular telephoneWireless phoneMobileSmartphone

Putting it all together …

Keywords come from the search question

Use Boolean “search connectors” to combine keywords in ways that capture the results you need

Good searching starts with good keywords

Boolean “search connectors”

AND OR NOT

For example:

recycle AND plastic• Combining >1 topic

MSW OR “municipal solid waste”• Combining synonymous terms

Using your keywords

Use AND when you need to combine more than one topic

recycle AND plastic

plasticrecycle

Using your keywords

Use OR to combine synonymous terms (to get results regardless of what term an author uses).

MSW OR municipal solid wasteGo here and post a few words!

http://bit.ly/writ444

municipal solid waste MSW

Putting it all together…

How do we recycle electronic waste?

recycleinstruct*method*learn*

electroniccomputercellphone

wastegarbage

trash

Recycle OR reuse OR recover OR salvage

AND

electronic OR computer OR cellphone

AND

Waste OR garbage OR trash

The library website

http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/home.cfm

The library website

Find a subject gateway

Search for Books

Search for Articles

Ask a Librarian

Environmental subject gateway

Environmental subject gateway

A central list

Suggested books

Suggested websites

Suggested databases

Finding a Book

Search the library catalog

Use your keywords

Find books at Towson Collection Call Number

Finding an Article

Search a databases (listed in subject gateway) Academic Search Premier GreenR

Use your keywords

Click the pdf full text or the yellow find it button

Questions?

Feel free to contact me: Laksamee Putnam lputnam@towson.edu 410.704.3746. Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU

Or any reference librarian: Visit Cook Library Reference Desk 410.704.2462. IM – tucookchat