How Do I... ?

What follows here are many of the questions we hear at our various public service desks, roughly categorized to provide you with easier access to them. Have a question you don't see answered here?Ask Us!, using our online Reference Desk email, or contact the Circulation Desk at 464-5366 during library hours and someone will either answer that question or direct you to a library staff person who can.

How do I search GALILEO for library materials?

GALILEO (VU's online catalog) offers basic title, author, subject, and keyword searches. Each time you choose a search type, a help screen offers tips for that specific type. To understand the difference between subject and keyword searching (a distinction that helps you create more powerful searches), read the Terminology section of the user guide, Searching for Information: Concepts and Tools . GALILEO is an electronic resource, so try some tips found in the guide's Tools section as well.

How do I find books and other materials in the Christopher Center?

Use GALILEO to search for print, microform, and audio-visual holdings. Library Services uses the Library of Congress classification scheme to assign call numbers which determine where materials are shelved. (You may already be familiar with the Dewey Decimal system used by many school and public libraries.) Call Numbers: How to Find Library Materials will help you with more detailed information. Christopher Center maps can also tell you where to locate specific call numbers. Government print documents and current journals and periodicals are on the first floor, Reference materials and maps are found on the second floor, general stacks call numbers A - L on the third floor, and M - Z on the fourth floor.

How do I check-out and return materials?

According to all basic Lending Policies, all borrowers must present a barcoded ID to check out materials. This insures that only your record will be called up on GALILEO and not the record of someone else with a similar name. While most items will be checked-out at the Main Circulation Desk, Media Collection items are checked-out from that Circulation Desk. For specifics on returning items, please check the different options available.

How do I renew books using the website?

Information on how to renew books online is available at: http://galileo.valpo.edu/screens/libinfo_11.html

To renew books that you received through our Interlibrary Loan Office, please contact our Interlibrary Loan Manager by email: ill@valpo.edu .

How do I check-out and return Reserve items?

Materials are placed on Reserve by the professor of the course who fills out a Reserve form. The professor determines the loan period which may be 2/hour library use only, 2/hour overnight, 3 days, or 1 week. A complete listing of reserves by course title and professor is available in GALILEO. Simply follow the instructions on the Main Menu under the"Reserves" options and proceed from there. Circulation personnel will be glad to guide you through should you need assistance. For more information, contact the circulation department, (219) 464-5366, or e-mail Moecirc@valpo.edu.

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How do I make copies at the Christopher Center?

There are 4 copiers available in Christopher Center, one on each floor. Cash can be used with all of them. Students, faculty and staff can now use Crusader cash to purchase copies. If they use their cards, they will receive a discount on the cost of copies. Copies are 7 cents with the card, ten cents (8.5x11) and twenty cents (11x17) without the card. Approved VU departments and organizations may charge to accounts; inquire at the Circulation Desk for that procedure.

How do I learn what different library terms mean?

Ask a library staff member or check the Library Service's Jargon page.

How do I use Library Services' electronic resources from off-campus?

You can gain off-campus access to the electronic resources (also called databases or journal collections) by using the VU Proxy Server.

To use the proxy server, all you need to do is click the name of the database you’d like to access, and login using your VU e-mail username and password.

If questions remain, contact IT at 464-5678, the library Reference Desk at 464-6890, or use our Ask Us! email service.

How do I contact the library?

There are many ways! The Circulation Desk, staffed all hours that the library is open, can be reached at 464-5366. Ask Us! is a service for email Reference assistance; the Reference Desk number is 464-6890. For all other department and personnel, contact the staff using the information found on the Library Services Personnel or Services & Departments pages.

How do I make a suggestion?

Use the online Suggestion Box found in GALILEO, our library catalog. Whether your suggestion is a recommended purchase by the library, how we can change a service, or a good idea you'd like to share about the library, we want to hear from you. You may also stop by the Circulation Desk and fill out a paper form if you wish. Circulation personnel will be happy to assist you.

How do I donate items to the library?

Thanks for your interest in donating items to the library! To start this process, print out the library donation form, then send to: Dean Rick AmRhein, Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources, 1410 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383

Please note:

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How do I begin (and carry out) my research project?

Realize that research is a process. Each step requires certain strategies and tools. The first step is to select, define, and transform your topic. This step, and the six that follow it, are clearly detailed in the user guide, Library Research Strategy.

How do I get help with my research?

The Reference Room is often the first place to begin library research. Trained staff provide individualized assistance to you with developing research strategies as well as learning how to use electronic and print library resources. During Fall and Spring semesters, the Reference Desk is staffed 75 hours a week, with additional hours the last 9 weeks of a semester. Summer and interim hours vary. For more information, see the Reference Services webpage.

How do I best search for information?

For a strong start, have synonyms chosen and a research strategy planned for our topic before beginning your search. Many electronic resources can be searched using similar tools and techniques. The user guide, Searching for Information: Concepts and Tools , provides detailed information about concepts, tools, and techniques to apply when searching information resources.

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How do I format my research paper?

Different academic disciplines require different formats for research presentation. Some of the more common styles are MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), CBE (Council of Biology Editors), Turabian, and the University of Chicago Press. Library Services owns print editions of these, and other style manuals, and provides links to online assistance also. The VU Writing Center also provides excellent assistance in all aspects of your research paper writing, in-person and online.

How do I cite sources in my finished project?

Different academic disciplines require different formats for citation styles. Some of the more common styles are MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), CBE (Council of Biology Editors), Turabian, and the University of Chicago Press. We own print editions of these, and other style manuals, and provides links to online assistance also. The VU Writing Center also provides excellent assistance in all aspects of your research paper writing, in-person and online.

How do I find journal or periodical articles? (OR) How do I find out if we own a copy of the article I need?

Once you've found the article citation (using a periodical index), search JournaLocator for online availability through our full-text databases. If your journal title (not the article title) is not listed in JournaLocator, check GALILEO for the periodical or journal title (not the article title) to see if VU libraries own the periodical or journal. Detailed information can be found at the Periodicals and Journals web page.

The library user guide, Accessing Journals and Periodicals, provides you with information on how to search, access, and retrieve journal and periodical articles from the many formats that are available (print, electronic, microform).

No luck there? Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service to provide you with materials that VU libraries don't own. ILL's web page includes information about the process and online request forms.

How do I distinguish between scholarly, professional, and popular journal articles?

There are many types of journals and magazines, ranging from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) to Rolling Stone, and each has a target audience. Academic research often requires that you use scholarly and professional journals as your sources. Look at the user guide, Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals , to learn the applicable criteria with which to make those distinctions.

How do I evaluate journal or periodical articles?

All journals, periodicals, and newspapers have a bias. It may be only in the editorials, or in all of the articles, but it is always there somewhere. Be aware of, and learn to use, those biases in formatting your research arguments. The areas to evaluate are: authorship, publisher/sponsor, purpose/point of view, content, coverage/scope, and currency. Each of these areas has specific points to consider. Some of the more popular periodical/journal titles are noted, along with their biases, in the user guide, Biased Journals. Asking a librarian for advice is also recommended.

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How do I find relevant web sites?

Don't waste your research time surfing the web when you could be gaining valuable information by using sites already noted for their accurate information. Just as librarians select resources for within the Christopher Center, they also select Internet links to use as gateways to valid information on the Internet. The E-Resources page provides links in various subject areas and to sites with basic reference tools.

How do I evaluate web sites?

Using web sites for research requires you to be especially critical of each site's source and contents. The areas to evaluate are the same as for print in many ways: authorship, publisher/sponsor, purpose/point of view, content, coverage/scope, currency, and workability. Each of these areas has specific points to consider. Evaluating the Quality of World Wide Web Resources details the criteria of each of those areas and offers more in-depth information on web site evaluation.

How do I learn more about using the Web?

If you are new to computers, or some time has passed since you last used them, we suggest that you take advantage of the free Helpf for Technology Resources and Services offered by the IT experts throughout the semester. From basic to advanced levels, these hands-on sessions are user-focused and tailored to your needs. These links offer some basic online resources:

Computer Skills

Computer Basics
http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lessonintro.htm
Essential Computer Skills: Getting Started
http://adulted.about.com/cs/computerliteracy/a/computerbasics.htm
Technical Terms
http://www.thirdage.com/features/tech/glossary/
5-Minute Tech Tutorials for PC users
http://www.thirdage.com/features/tech/booster/

Internet Skills

Spider's Apprentice - Search Engine Tips, Information, Strategies
http://www.monash.com/spidap.html
BARE BONES 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web
http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml
YAHOO! Beginner's Guides Directory
http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/Beginner_s_Guides/

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