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Surviving the university library 2014
1. Ten tips for surviving
the university library...
LINC session
Winter ‟14
Ms Hazzard & Ms Mustard
2. Fig. 5, “Learning the ropes: how freshman conduct course
research once they enter college.” Alison J. Head (December
5, 2013).
3. 1. It‟s up to YOU
Professor-led session
Sign up for orientation
Specific skills e.g. citation
management / legal research and
writing
See library website for how-to videos,
guides etc
4. 2. Differences
How many libraries?
Hours open
Course reserves
Dewey Decimal vs Library of
Congress
Paying for printing / photocopying
Interlibrary loan
Microfiche
Fines
8. 6. Your essay is on...
„Your essay on Jane Austen is due on
December 2‟.
YOU need to- write research question
- plan research
- write essay
- complete bibliography
FEW or NO reminders.
And if you don‟t hand it in...
9. 7. Evaluation
KEY!
„A student who can distinguish and
differentiate between „good‟ and „bad‟
information is at an advantage‟
10. 8. Getting help
From the library
Online help: IM / Twitter
From the Student Centre / Resource
Centre
From your assigned TA
11. 9. Online resources
Access to journal articles
General databases v subject-specific
Citation Indexes
12. 10. Avoiding plagiarism
Cite quotations, paraphrased
sentences and ideas; everything that
you use from someone else.
University may use turnitin.com or
similar.
Your TA / professor knows their
subject inside out.
Sessions don’t just run in September, but are offered throughout the year.
University of Toronto has 44 libraries e.g. Astronomy and Astrophysics / Map Library / Music Library / Zoology & 12 million books in 341 languagesOn average, 19x as many online databases and 9x as many books Course reserves: Articles / chapters your professor assigns youUBC: Photocopying / printing: B&W: 7c / Colour: 40cILL: Can take time! Off-site storageIf you don’t pay fines, you can’t graduate.
Depending on course, should not rely on magazine or newspaper articlesFocus should be on academic journals and booksSearch encyclopaedias and Google for background information e.g. key terms / people / places to make your search efficient and comprehensive
Don’t leave accessing course reserves until the last minute.Research process takes longer at this level, with the amount of resources available. Seek out further articles by mining the bibliographies of your assigned reading.75% of first years report trouble formulating keywords & search queries, almost 60% with filtering relevant from irrelevant search resultsTHIS is the place to use Wikipedia & Google searching
e.g. If it says Times New Roman 12 point font, do it.Follow correct terminology e.g. Bibliogrpahy or works citedCitation? Your professor will tell you which to use eg MLA / ALA etcIf they are marking a pile of 800 essays, there is no time to follow up for mistakes in format. Just won’t get marked.
Where to begin?e.g. University of Toronto has subject-specific guides (similar to pathfinders) to get you started.If you don’t hand it in, you won’t get chased for it (remember, 800 students). Result? 0.Give yourself time to rework your thesis, look for additional resources. Make use of your professor/TA’s office hours & other campus resources such as the writing centre.No email correspondence necessarily The expectations are high, but you are ready!
The quicker you can do this, the more effective your research.cf my presentation from last week. Google the author / journal / think critically about the source.]]]]]]]]]]]]
Circulation staff vs reference librarians.Your librarian is a subject specialist as well as a librarian (two masters OR masters + PhD)Don’t be afraid to ask! You may need to be persistent but it will pay off.
Citation Index: Where else has this journal article been cited?
At university, this is especially serious business. Consequences are of a different magnitude. Universities have a zero tolerance policy, ex. My friend whose roommate cheated off of him still received a 0 on the assignment; ‘self-plagiarism” Be overly cautious. Use “tummy feeling” as your guide.
