Page 165 - Keys To Community College Success

KEY 5.8 Get to know where things are in the library.

CIRCULATION DESK BOOK AREA
All publications are checked Books, magazines, and journals
out at this location. are often stored in the stacks.

PERIODICALS AREA
REFERENCE AREA Here you’ll find recent
Here you’ll find a variety of magazines, journals, and
reference books, computer newspapers.
terminals containing the
library catalog and online AUDIO-VISUAL
databases, and information MATERIALS AREAS
specialists who can direct
you to sources. Look here for a variety of
nonprint materials including
video, art and photography,
and recorded music
collections.
ELECTRONIC LIBRARY RESOURCES
Networked systems allow you to access to online
materials via computers. If your school has a wireless
Wi-Fi system, you can conduct research anywhere on
Reading and Information Literacy
campus.

resources as shown in Key 5.8. Furthermore, get to know a librarian who can assist
you in locating unfamiliar or hard-to-find sources, navigating catalogs and databases,
uncovering research shortcuts, and dealing with unpredictable equipment. At most
schools, you can query a librarian by email or text. Know what you want to accom-
plish before asking a question.

Conduct an Information Search

To avoid being overwhelmed, use a practical, step-by-step search method. Key 5.9
shows how to start wide and then narrow your search for a closer look at specific
sources.
When using virtual or online catalogues, you will need to adjust your research
methods. Searching library databases requires a keyword search—an exploration that
uses a topic-related, natural-language word or phrase as a starting point to locate other
information. To narrow your search and reduce the number of hits (results returned by
your search), add more keywords to your search criteria. For example, instead of
searching through the broad category “art,” focus on “French art” or, more specifically,
“nineteenth-century French art.” Key 5.10 shows how to use the keyword system to
narrow your search with what is called Boolean logic.

Be a Critical Internet Searcher

Unlike your college library collection or databases, Internet resources are not always
evaluated by anyone who vouches for their quality. As a result, your research depends

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