LIB 100
Library & Information Research Strategies
Tentative Sylabus

Class time: Tuesday, 4:00 - 4:50 PM
Librarian: Inga H. Barnello
Office: Library (near the snack lounge), ext.4326
Email: barnello@maple.lemoyne.edu
home page: http://web.lemoyne.edu/~barnello

It is the goal of this course that students will be information literate with the ability to 1) access; 2) evaluate; and 3) use information effectively and efficiently. The acquisition of these goals are paramount to academic success and effective performance in the workplace.

Session 1: Introduction and pre-test Session 2: Definitions and organization of Information
Assignment: Read chapter 1 in text. Assign information properties to list of reference questions on handout. Identify which would best be answered by primary sources. Identify a reference source for two of them.

Session 3: Topic analysis

Assignment: Identify the subject fields for the list of topics on handout. Identify two that have three different aspects that could be researched. Give an example of a topic that would require interdisciplinary research.

Sessions 4 & 5: Access to information: access tools and access points
Assignment 4: Conduct searches on the same topic in two periodical access tools, one of which has abstracts. Compare access points and search protocols.

Assignment 5: Index and abstract an assigned article.
Session 6: Access: controlled vocabulary and free-text searching
Assignment: Suggest a topic that would be better researched using a free-text approach rather than by controlled descriptors in the ERIC database. Explain and give example of your results.

Session 7: Access: Boolean search strategies
Assignment: Using the topics on the handout, break each one down into concepts and show how you would manipulate them using Boolean operators of AND and OR.

Session 8: Planning the research process
Assignment:
Session 9: Beyond the library's online catalog
Assignment 8A: Assess your interactions with two librarians on the same reference question. Identify the librarians' subject area of expertise and describe each one's approach and choice of sources. (Assignment 8A due by end of semester.)
Assignment 8B: Locate a periodical record in Simon (you may "Limit" a subject or word search by periodical). Determine if another academic library has this journal by searching its catalog on the Internet. Does this library have the same years as our library? (Due next session.)
Session 10: Internet: introduction to its structure and search engines
Begin to try to identify relevant Internet sites for your final project topic. Evaluate a site using the evaluation criteria on the handout.

Session 11: WWW: digitized textual and graphical information .

Session 12: Numeric data: searching for statisitics and incorportating them into our research
Assignment: Gather set of data from statistical source, insure its authenticity by noting its original source, write a paragraph in which you would refer to it, and cite it.

Session 13: Evaluation of information
Assignment: Critique bibliography to be handed out in class using criteria that was discussed.
Session 14: Bibliographic management software: EndNote Plus
Assignment:
Session 15: Plagarism and copyright and forms of citation

Texts:

Requirements:


Created: 12/10/98 Updated: 12/10/98