This section will walk you through the ways in which information is organized for research, as well as best practices for using last week's lesson to search library databases for information.
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Organizing information ensures that it will be findable. The main thing you need is to know the path to get there, or at least how to find the path (remember: research is an exploration), and knowing how to navigate it, all of which we'll be discussing this week.
Information is organized in a number of different ways, depending on where it is kept and how it is used. Libraries, archives, museums, government offices, online repositories, and others organize information in various ways, but all have the same intention of making information resources available and accessible. Most often, resources are organized alphabetically and/or numerically, in a logical sequence.
Truman College (all CCC Libraries) uses the Library of Congress classification system to organize books in the library:
There are two ways to find books in the library: searching for known items in a catalog, and browsing through any number of resources that result from your search, or on the shelf, with the hope of finding something useful. Both methodologies are perfectly acceptable, and often complement each other.
Locating a book by its call number requires finding the item in the library catalog, then matching the call number listed there to the item in the stacks (on the shelf).
Information is further organized within resources, for example using tables of contents and indexes, and chapters and chapter sections in books:
One way to conceptualize the way databases are organized is to compare the layout of a database to that of a grocery store. This conceptualization is also helpful for understanding how to narrow a topic to a more manageable size. Read through the illustration below for an overview of how to navigate a database; the importance of having this understanding will be discussed on the next tab.
To Google or not to Google...
When searching for information, we have all become accustomed to "googling." (The process is so ubiquitous in our culture that it's even become a commonly-used verb!) When we are searching for certain types of information, such as hours and locations, directions, definitions or descriptions, information about current events, and more, Google is the best place to look. In addition, Wikipedia is a useful and legitimate resource for getting a general idea about a topic, and even for getting started with research for class projects, though that doesn't change the fact that it is not an acceptable and citable resource for college level research papers.
It's important to be able to discern between the features of library resources and those out there on the open web for your research. The figures below outline the main points of what you will need to know:
Library Databases vs. Google
Library Databases | ||
---|---|---|
Content |
websites, some self-published (like blogs), some professional, some commercial |
published sources such as magazines, newspapers, scholarly articles, books |
Credibility |
varies widely! Some content is very credible, some is not credible at all |
reviewed for accuracy by publishers |
Cost | free, but some info is behind paywalls | paid for by the library, free for you to use |
Summary | Can be helpful when doing research, be careful to evaluate all material | First place to look for research |
Differences Between Library Databases & Google
Library Databases | |
---|---|
Works best with a keyword search. Example: loneliness epidemic |
Works with natural language. Example: How has loneliness become an epidemic in the United States? |
Library databases match every word you type with the full text of its contents; results will contain every word of your search. | Google or other web search engines contain so much information that you are bound to get results even if they aren't necessarily relevant. |
A long string of keywords or a full sentence will eliminate potentially helpful materials! | |
Easy to filter the info you get. |
Library Database Organization and Searching
As the illustration on the previous tab shows, one way to conceptualize database organization and navigation is to compare the layout of a database to that of a grocery store. Once you have an idea of what you are looking for specifically (as a result of brainstorming, composing a research question, and selecting keywords), within a familiar framework, you will be able to find relevant results much more easily and quickly.
Using the grocery store/database model, you can think of your keywords as departmental signage, indicating that various individual items (articles) are accessible according to your search terms. Entering at least 2 keywords linked with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) into database search boxes will bring you more relevant results more efficiently.
Very much like keywords, though from an official list, Library of Congress subject terms are used to organize the contents of library catalogs, as described in the video on the previous tab; they are also used in library databases, as seen here.
Database searching pro-tips
Title/Author/Publisher/Date | Location/Permalink or Link | Notes (Annotation) |
---|---|---|
Controversies on campus : debating the issues confronting American universities in the 21st century / Joy Blanchard, ed. 2018 | Harry S. Truman Stacks LA227.4 .C68 2018 |
See chapter “Access granted? Challenges, controversies, and opportunities around college access in American higher education” |
Advancing Scholarship and Advocacy to Achieve Equity in Higher Education. | https://search.ebscohost.com/… | Academic journal article |