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Course Pathfinder: Interlink RW 4&5, Reading/Writing, Spring 2008
Prof. Rob Vega
Getting Started
American libraries might be very different from those in your native country. Here at VU, the Christopher Center offers many resources to help our students on campus. We have books, videos, CD-ROMs, magazines, computers, and electronic resources-- all chosen for you.
- Everything in the Library is yours to use: books, videos,
CD-ROMs, computers, magazines, and newspapers. While some of the items
are available for use only within the library, most can be loaned to you
for use outside of the library, free of charge.
- Everyone in the Library is here to help you--that's our primary
job! If you have a question about finding information, how to
use a computer or database, or just need to find a pencil sharpener, please
ask! The Circulation Desk staff will help you directly or take you to
someone else who can.
- The Christopher Center has four floors of materials.
Be sure to use a map when first learning where resources are located.
Maps are available by the circulation and reference desk bulletin boards.
Signs posted around the Library are helpful also.
- Christopher Center Locations:
- Current periodicals (journals and magazines) are on the 1st floor.
- Reference books are on the 2nd floor.
- Regular circulating books are on the 3rd and 4th floors .
- call numbers starting with A-L are on the 3rd floor
- call numbers starting with M-Z are on the 4th
- Periodicals (journals and magazines) published before the year 2002 are located in the automatic storage and retrieval system [ the ASRS] on the 2nd floor. You can request these items through Galileo, then pick them up at the Circulation desk.
- To help you find materials in the Library, they are given "addresses," or " call numbers." This allows materials with the same subject to be placed near one another on the shelves. Be sure to ask for help when first using this system. A guide, Call Numbers: Finding Library Materials, is available on the library web site at http://www.valpo.edu/library/user/call.html
- The Christopher Center offers many quiet study areas throughout
the building. The third and fourth floors tend to be quieter
than the first two floors. There are also group study rooms on the top
two floors that are nice to use if you need to work on a project as a
group.
- To a large degree, the Christopher Center is a "self-service"
library. This means that you are allowed to go into the library
shelves and retrieve the materials you want to take to the Circulation
Desk for borrowing.
- Christopher Center has prepared many guides to help you use
the library. See the list of them (and access them online!) at
http://www.valpo.edu/library/user/index.html
- The library's web site allows you access to electronic databases, Internet resources, and more information about the Library. The homepage address is http://www.valpo.edu/library
We look forward to seeing you in the Library!
Consult library research guides as necessary to begin creating a research strategy.
Understanding Library Terminology http://www.valpo.edu/library/jargon.html
Library terminology can be confusing, even to those who speak English as their native language. This web page provides definitions to many library terms that you will hear used on campus.
How Do I . . .? http://www.valpo.edu/library/howdoi.html
Many of your library-related questions are listed here. Answers to the questions often lead you to another web page, but be sure to ask a library staff person if you still don't understand.
Basic Library Research Strategy http://www.valpo.edu/library/user/basic.html
Knowing how to find information in books and electronic resources is very important. This strategy will take you through the process in a very basic way.
Listed below are four indexes that are easy to use. They also provide access to many full-text articles.
Some indexes and databases will provide the full-text of articles online; others offer only a citation and/or abstract of the article. If the database you're using doesn't provide the full-text of an article, first check JournaLocator to see if it is available online in another database or in Christopher Center's in-house collection. If not available through these options, make use of Interlibrary Loan. Still wondering what to do? Go to Quick Tips: Searching for Articles.
Working from off-campus? You'll be using our proxy server. All you need to do is click the name of the database you would like to access, and login using your VU e-mail username and password, and then you'll be able to search our collections as if you were on campus. Contact the IT (Information Technology) Help Desk directly with any questions or problems you encounter: (219) 464-5678 or email them at IT.HelpDesk@valpo.edu.
Article Databases & Indexes
| Academic Search Premier |
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Provides many full-text articles
in the humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and current events.
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| Lexis Nexis Academic
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Provides access to a wide range
of news, business, legal, and reference information, many in full-text
articles. International newspapers may also be found here.
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| CQ Researcher | |
Provides 48 reports a year on
current, hot, and controversial topics such as "Embryo Research","Rethinking
Ritalin", "Drinking on Campus", and "Subsidized
Access to the Internet for the Poor." |
Use GALILEO, our online catalog, to find books on a particular subject, or whose author and/or title you know. Follow GALILEO's on-screen instructions and use the examples given for guides. For finding resources in the Christopher Center and other libraries, construct keyword & subject searches. A good strategy is to do a keyword search first, using words that you think might be in the title or content notes. When you find a resource that looks worthwhile, see what subject headings are used to categorize that item and use them to do subject searches.
To locate the books in our library, note the location (Reference, Stacks, Documents, Lower Level), find the first letter of the call number of the book on the library map, and go to that area of the library. Be sure to ask for help when you need it!
The Reference area should be the place where you start most of your research projects. While there are many materials located in this section that are subject-specific, some general materials are listed below. Encyclopedias and dictionaries are often good places to start.
For more information, go to Quick Tips: Searching for Books.
| GALILEO (VU's Catalog) | |
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| WorldCat |
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Encyclopedias
The World Book Encyclopedia. Reference AE 5 .W55 1996
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Reference AE 5
.E363 1998
Academic American Encyclopedia. Reference AE 5 .A23
1998
Try to find other words that have very close meaning to the words that you are using to find information. Called "synonyms," related information may often be easier to find with these types of words.
Dictionaries
Christopher Center has many language dictionaries. Most are located in the Reference area. They are in the call numbers P 765 through PL 1455. Just like encyclopedias, there are many subject-specific dictionaries. While not quite the same as the "encyclopedia" searches, doing a Keyword search of WORD: religion and dictionary will give you a good idea as to how to search for dictionaries in this way.
Various Other Books as Appropriate
In addition to finding and using those resources, there are some other
general materials that will probably be very helpful to you.
CQ Researcher Reference H35 .C67 (print version) VERY
helpful resource!
Contemporary World Issues series (includes 135 books): examples:
Abortion : a reference handbook HQ767.5.U5 C67 1996 (2 copies,
one in Ref, one in stacks)
Affirmative action : a reference handbook Reference HF5549.5.A34
E39 1999
Capital punishment : a reference handbook Reference HV8699.U5
K76 2001
There are many more of these books, to see a complete
list, go into Galileo and
do a title search for "Contemporary world issues"
Europa World Year Book Reference JN 1 .E85, annual
World Almanac and Book of Facts Reference AY 67 .N5 W7,
annual
Statistical Abstract of the United States Reference HA
202 .A3, annual
Statistical Yearbook (United Nations)
Reference HA 12.5 .U63, annual
Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations Reference PE 1693
.A37
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang Reference PE 3721 .O94
1992
The Internet is a very useful resource, but it can be frustrating to use
if you don't know where to look for scholarly information, or to learn if
the information you have found is accurate and true. To begin, use Internet
sites that your program and the Christopher Center staff have chosen. Those
sites have been checked for the accuracy of their information.
If you still question the information, ask your instructor, a librarian,
or use the Christopher Center guide, Evaluating
the Quality of World Wide Web Resources, to help you evaluate various
web sites.
Subject Guides
YAHOO! http://www.yahoo.com
Look under such topic headings as: Society & Culture, Recreation & Sportsabout.com http://www.about.com
Look under such topic headings as: Cultures, Food & Drink, Hobbies, Recreation, Travel
Search Engines
Google http://www.google.com
AltaVista http://www.altavista.com
HotBot http://hotbot.lycos.com/
Christopher Center's International & Foreign Government Resources http://www.valpo.edu/library/govdocs/inter.htmlBest Information on the Internet very good information in easy-to-use categories http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/
Newslink a great site for finding online newspapers from around the world
http://newslink.org/
Citing Resources (with information on citing MLA style)
http://www.valpo.edu/library/citing.html
Christopher Center Virtual Reference Shelf
http://www.valpo.edu/library/select.html#ref
Diana Hacker's Bedford St. Martins Research and Documentation Site
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
(An outstanding site!)
MLA handbook for writers of research papers Reference, Reserve, Stacks LB2369 .G53 2003
Additions
and corrections for this page may be directed to