Sunday, May 30, 2021

Part 7 - Other Databases

Other Databases and Resources

We looked at the traditional databases last week - those that contain text journals, magazine articles and reference books, some of which are also peer-reviewed. The ones that we are looking at today contain a range of information and include videos, statistics, and general knowledge.

The Chisholm Library website has a range of other digital resources that you can access for research, study, or for personal improvement and upskilling. Here are the highlights:

Academic Video Online: Premium: Alexander Street

Unlimited access to full length academic videos. Collection includes videos on business, counselling and therapy, feature films, social sciences, science and medicine.






Acumen

Through Acumen, the Australian Institute of Architects advisory service makes available current material for architectural practice and projects.



Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) DATABASE

The ABS website makes available official Australian data on economic, social, population and environmental matters, published by the Australian government.



Breaking News English Lessons

Open access website of English language activities based on current affairs.





ClickView

Access to educational videos and related teaching resources and worksheets, which are mapped to units of competency.





Go Digi

Open access to a national digital literacy skills platform. Developed by Infoxchange and Australia Post for the ageing, remote communities, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, Indigenous communities and small business to develop digital literacy skills





Kanopy

Access to full length feature films and documentaries.





LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com)

LinkedIn Learning is a leading online learning resource that provides online tutorials to learn everything from computer skills to design software and basic business skills.




Safetyhub

Video content here covers all aspects of occupational health and safety.



NewsBank

NewsBank provides a comprehensive collection of reliable news sources covering a wide array of topics and issues.




News Store - Fairfax Media

The Fairfax Photographic Archive consists of millions of negatives, hard-copy prints and digital images taken for some of Australia’s best-known mastheads, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, The Illawarra Mercury, The Newcastle Herald and The Canberra Times. Turn your favourite Fairfax images or illustration into photo print, fine art print, canvas or an acrylic block today.




Activity 1

Who might use some of these resources? 

Would you use some of these resources? Which ones?

Google Scholar

What is Google Scholar

Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature.





Search Tips



Is it Free?

Google Scholar will lead you to journal articles that match your search criteria. Some of these may be full versions of an article and others may link to a publisher site or subscription database. If the article is of particular interest, you might be able to get a copy of it via your library databases or inter library loans. 

The following is an example of Monash University's Google Scholar link


And the settings required to link it back to the Monash Library databases




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Part 6 - Controlled Vocabulary and Information Databases

Controlled Vocabulary



Controlled Vocabulary refers to an established list, organized arrangement, or database of preferred terms and phrases (usually subject or genre/form terms) in which all terms and phrases representing a concept are brought together. A controlled vocabulary is usually listed alphabetically in a subject headings list or thesaurus of indexing terms. https://www.librarianshipstudies.com/2020/03/controlled-vocabulary.html

Activity 1

Read the section in the above link on What is a Controlled Vocabulary? 

Why is Controlled Vocabulary useful for searching?

For information on Controlled Vocabulary and various Subject headings see https://www.loc.gov/librarians/controlled-vocabularies/

Library of Congress Linked Data Service.

ID.LOC.GOV provides both interactive and machine access to commonly used ontologies, controlled vocabularies, and other lists for bibliographic description.

For some basic information on classification systems https://cameron.libguides.com/ClassificationSystems/Home

And more information on Controlled Vocabularies

Information about URIs (Uniform Resource Identifier)

SCoT Schools online Thesaurus

The Schools Online Thesaurus (ScOT) provides a controlled vocabulary of terms used in Australian and New Zealand schools. It encompasses all subject areas as well as terms describing educational and administrative processes  http://scot.curriculum.edu.au/what_is_scot.asp



Activity 2

What is the Schools online Thesaurus?

What is it used for? Why do you think it is necessary?

Database Thesauri

A database thesaurus is an index of the preferred subject headings used to describe the content of an item. 

Sometimes they are referred to as descriptors or authority terms

Some databases provide searchable links to the thesaurus, for example the databases ERIC and PubMed.

What is the difference?

What is the difference between subject terms and thesauri

See and see also records

See references refer catalogue users from terms not used in the catalogue to terms that are used.

See also references provide additional terms that may assist users to find the information for which they are looking.

Example
Hurricanes
see
    Cyclones

Storms
see also
Cyclones
Thunderstorms
Meteorology

Other terms used in indexes

BT – Broader term
An authorized, preferred heading that is broader in definition and scope.

RT – Related Term
An authorized, preferred heading that is related in definition and scope, but not broader or narrower.

NT – Narrower term
An authorized, preferred heading that is narrower in definition and scope.


Example - Library of Congress Subject Headers:

Dogs with Disabilities http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2006008786.html



U – Use UF – Use for
Hurricanes
Use
Cyclones

Cyclones
   Use For
   Hurricanes


Watch 1LIONTV video on Database Thesauri

ERIC Institute of Education Sciences

At http://eric.ed.gov, powerful search technology makes finding education research easy and efficient. 

Watch this video to learn how to find relevant and timely ERIC records in an intuitive way and, in most scenarios, without the need for advanced search logic or complex search techniques.


ERIC – Education Resources YouTube Channel 

ERIC Multimedia - Educational resources for using ERIC

Boolean Operators and Subject Headings


Library Databases V Google Tutorial - KES

A tutorial to help students know what resource to use and when.
Thank you to Keiser Everglades Southeastern Library

Activity 3

ERIC (Education Resources Information Centre) Worksheet Activity

1. What is the scope of this database? 

2. What are the correct terms for
a. Bookshops
b. Fairy tales
c. Folktales
d. At risk students

3. What is the article Lessons on Character about?

4. Where was it published?

5. Is it available in full text?

6. Provide the publication details for ED507530.

7. Search for articles on burnout/stress in college students
a. Describe your search strategy
b. How many hits did you get?
c. What criteria would you use to narrow down the search?

8. What is the name of the article Anne Hungerford co-wrote on Pre-school children and self-regulation?

9. Sarah Prescott had an article published in School Library Journal, in Aug 2001. What is the article titled?

Activity 4

Under Chisholm Databases locate Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre

1. What is the scope of this database? 

2. Browse Publications. Are the following periodicals indexed in ANZ Ref Centre? What are their holdings?
a. Kakadu National Park
b. PC Week
c. Macworld Australia
d. InCite

3. Find the periodical article called “Armed with Social Media”
What Formats is this available in and is it available in full text?

4. What is the article about?

5. There is an article published June of 2010 called “The dog that didn’t bark” click through to the details and abstract. What is this article about? 

6. I have to do an assignment on alcohol and road accidents. Could you please find me 4 recent articles? Not newspapers.

Activity 5

Internet Searching Activity

1. What is the population of Tanzania?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

2. If it’s 3am here, what time is it in London?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

3. What is 12 lbs in kilograms?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

4. I have a need for furniture. Where is an IKEA store in Melbourne and what hours is it open?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

5. What are the major exports of Kazahkstan?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

6. I am going to Halls Gap, and I’m a bit nervous. Are there any public toilets nearby?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

7.  Can I plant English Ivy in my garden in Victoria?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

8. My son needs to make a volcano for school. Can you find me some instructions?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

9. Where can I find information on diabetes?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:

10. I want information on plain packaging for cigarettes. What are the arguments against it?
The Search Terms Entered
The Search Engine Used
Author of the Webpage
Date the Page was last updated
The URL for the websites:




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Part 5 - Introduction to online bibliographic databases

What is a bibliographic database?


A bibliographic database is a database that contains descriptive records of books, periodical articles, conference proceedings, and audio-visual collections.

When you search in a bibliographic database you will be provided with the information on the articles that match your search. This information is called a citation. A bibliographic database may also contain a description, summary or abstract of the items that have been retrieved during a search. An abstract databases give summaries (aka abstracts) of journal articles which provide enough clues for a searcher to know if the full-text would be useful.

In addition, a bibliographic database can be specific to a certain discipline. For example, Chemical Abstracts and Entrez contain science related information and ARTstor compiles art images.
Source: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bibliographic_database

A full-text database provides the full-text of a publication so as well as providing the citation to a journal article, it may also contain the entire text of the article.

Why are full-text bibliographic databases useful?
In the past...
  • Compiled indexes or printed lists of resources (bibliography listings) would have been used to find an article.   
  • Once the citation of a useful article was found, a print copy of the journal would need to be located. 
  • Once the journal was found the options would have been borrowing the whole journal, photocopying the article or making notes as you read
  • Today full text articles can appear on a computer screen if a correct search is done on a full-text bibliographic database
  • In most cases you can use the Internet from any location to find a useful article if you have authorised access to the database
There are also databases that provide statistical information such as Australian Bureau of Statistics database and other databases that may just hold images, video or audio information.

Common features of online bibliographic databases

There are some features that are almost always found in an electronic bibliographic database. Some of these features include: 
  • A Search Screen 
  • Keyword Searching Capability 
  • Subject Searching Capability 
  • A HELP! Section 
  • A Publications Section

Search Screens

  • There is always a BASIC or SIMPLE way to search an electronic database.
  • Usually a keyword or phrase is entered into a search box in order to search for useful articles from the database.

Keyword Searching

  • Keyword searching is an option on most databases. 

What is a keyword? 

  • A keyword is the principal word or words that may be found in the title, abstract, or the text of an article.   
  • The keyword may or may not be the subject of the article.
  • The keyword search is often the default feature of a database. This means that the keyword search screen will be the first screen that appears when you enter the database.

Subject Search

  • Subject searching is an advanced (and very useful) feature of databases
  • A subject search will always find more precise and "on-target" results than a keyword search. 

What is a subject?

  • The subject is the main topic or main focus of an article.

Subject Search vs Keyword Search

  • A keyword search will look for words that are located within the article. These words may not be the main focus or topic of the article. 
  • There is also a subject listing in most databases. This is an alphabetical listing of subjects used to categorise the articles and this can be useful in determining what subject search to use.

HELP Section

  • The HELP section is designed to assist new searchers on the best way to use the database
  • It may give useful search tips and explain  symbols which can be used to make your search more precise
  • It may also explain how records can be downloaded, printed, emailed or exported into other databases

Publications

  • All databases have a way for the user to find out which publications (magazines, journals, newspapers, etc.) are part of the database.
  • The search screen may include a listing of the database's publications, or a way to browse electronically through a particular issue of a publication.
  • This can be very helpful. Some publication issues may focus on a particular subject or issue. Being able to browse through magazine or journal issues may help you locate suitable articles for your research. 

Distinguishing features of online bibliographic databases

  • All databases have different features from database to database unless the database is part of a suite of databases provided by the same vendor e.g. EBSCO
These may include:
  • Subject and topic coverage
  • Full-text, abstracts or both 
  • Appearance of the screens
  • Advanced search feature

Subject/Topic/User Groups

  • All databases have a particular subject or topic coverage or are aimed at a particular user group/s
  • Some databases are aimed specifically at medical researchers for instance whilst others may cover general reference topics
  • Most databases are aimed at students or researchers but the level of coverage might vary so a database used by secondary school students would not be the same as one used by higher degree students even if they broadly covered the same subject area

Subject Coverage

  • It is useful to know the coverage of a database. Searching in some databases may be more effective than others on particular topics. 
  • Sometimes it is easy to know what can be found in a database by its name; sometimes it is difficult to tell. For example, it would be easy to work out the subject coverage of Oxford Art Online, however, it may be difficult to know what Academic Search Premier covers.
  • Usually, a description of the database can be easily found on the main screen of the database
  • Effective searching begins with choosing the most appropriate database for your information needs
  • To help users to locate the appropriate database(s) for their research, many libraries offer a list of their database with a description or a list of databases by subject or topic

Appearances &Terminology

  • Searches may be called by different names.  
  • Some databases have a Basic and Advanced Search whilst others feature a Keyword search and Advanced Search
  • The HELP section can be useful in pointing out particular terminology, abbreviations, truncations and search choices
  • Search screens can look quite different from one database to another but this is usually superficial 

Advanced Features

  • Databases may offer other advanced features that are an enhanced, unique part of that particular database system. 
  • Some advanced features in electronic databases could include:
    * Natural language searches
    * Searching more than one database at a time
    * E-mailing or saving the results
    * The option to limit a search to full-text or scholarly journal articles

Chisholm Databases


Activity 1 

Have a look at Chisholm Library's databases. Categorise the databases into the following:
  • Bibliographic
  • Full Text Database
  • Video/Audio database
  • Information database
  • Statistical database
If the database fits into more than one category, select the best fit and explain why you think it belongs in the category. Include the Name of database and brief description


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Thursday, May 27, 2021

Part 4 - Referencing

Referencing

Read the article on why referencing is important https://student.unsw.edu.au/why-referencing-important

Activity: Read the information on Referencing Help on the Chisholm website and answer the following questions:

What information should you write down when you are researching?

What are the two referencing styles used within Chisholm?

What is the latest version of APA?

What is the difference between a bibliography and a reference list?

Monash University

Monash University has also designed a tutorial to help you understand why it is important to cite the resources you use in your studies, how to avoid plagiarism as well as how to correctly acknowledge the sources you use:

Activity: Citing and Referencing 
View the presentation about Citing and Referencing on Monash University (link above)

What is "in text citation"? Is this all you need to do to acknowledge a source of information?

What are the four functions of citing and referencing?

Take the "Quiz"

Activity: View the presentation about What and When to cite and reference.

Do you have to cite and reference ideas? What if I put them in my own words? What about statistics?

What is the rule about citing "common knowledge"?

Take the "Quiz" 

More information can be found about citing and referencing from a variety of University websites:

University of Melbourne

Swinburne University of Technology
Or use the Referencing tool for guidance

Deakin University

APA 7

For our Assessment for this unit, we will be using APA 7 for referencing sources of information.

Watch the following video APA referencing: the basics from Victoria University Library

More information can be found on the VU website:

We will go through some of the different information sources using the guides on this website. Once we have gone through the information, take the Quiz to see how much you learnt about APA 7 referencing.

One of the best ways to learn APA 7 is to view the samples and apply them to your own information sources.

MS Word

Microsoft Word also has the ability to reference and cite within a document. The current APA version is 6. While it isn't perfect, it does allow you to add the information as you go.








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Part 3 - External and Networked Sources

The Inter Library Loans (ILL) Officer's Toolkit

Consists of:
  • Policies 
  • Databases
  • Networks

Policies - Internal

Your library’s Collection Development Policy – it should refer to the use of ILLs as a tool to obtain items which can’t be collected but may be requested by customers

Your library’s Loans Policy – this may refer to ILLs,  particularly loan periods

Your library’s Inter Library Loan Policy – sometimes this is included in the Loans Policy

Policies – External

The Interlibrary Loan Resource Sharing Code (ILRS)

Other Libraries’ ILL Practices and Policies

The ILRS Directory is a directory of Australian interlibrary loan and document delivery services and National Union Catalogue (NUC) symbols. 

What are NUC symbols?
National Union Catalogue (NUC) symbols are unique identifiers for organisations which contribute information to the Australian National Bibliographic Database (ANBD) and/or to Trove. They are issued by the National Library of Australia. http://www.nla.gov.au/ilrs/about.html


Use this to find out about a library - its address, loan policy, services etc. 


The Australian Interlibrary Resource Sharing (ILRS) Directory is the primary source for finding a contact for interlibrary loan and document delivery services within Australia and for discovering information about interlibrary loan charges and policies. It is also the directory of Australian National Union Catalogue (NUC) symbols. Australian libraries participating in the Australian interlending community are eligible for entry in the Directory, which also lists organisations such as art galleries, museums, historical societies and commercial services. 

Here is an example of Chisholm Institute's information on the ILRS Directory







Australian Libraries Gateway




The Australian Libraries Gateway (ALG) is a free web-based directory service which has information about approximately 5,200 Australian libraries, their collections and services. 

Started in March 1998, it aims to be a directory of current information about every library in Australia. 

Think of it as a "one-stop-shop" for information about Australian libraries. 

It is a tool for worldwide users, for both library professionals and the general public.

In 2009, when Trove was released, the ALG was expanded to include an additional library type of “Trove Contributor”. Trove contributors are not always libraries but are cultural institutions that have organised collections and metadata that can be included in Trove.

The Gateway has been developed on behalf of the Australian library and cultural institution community by the National Library of Australia and received initial funding as part of Australia's Cultural Network (ACN). 

N.B. Not all of the links work on the site. Libraries update their websites regularly and the ALG has not always kept up.

Here are a few examples:

Find a library




Find a Book in an Australian Library





Knowledge needed

Copyright Act – what restrictions are placed on the lending and requesting libraries 

NUC  (National Union Catalogue) symbols – a code assigned to a library by the National Library of Australia. The first letter of the NUC symbol signifies the state while the rest identifies the particular library

Categories of materials which are rarely/never loaned  (with the exception of travelling exhibitions) e.g. manuscripts

Question: Do you know the NUC of your library?

What Not to Request on ILL as a Rule of Thumb

  • Inexpensive items your library should buy
  • Recent fiction from public libraries
  • High-use and reserve collection items from academic libraries
  • Equipment 
  • Reference books
  • Rare materials
  • Items from distant libraries if local libraries have copies

Best Libraries to which to send ILL requests

  • Local libraries –this minimises the risk of loss
  • Libraries who see their role as resource centres for the wider library community . Some even call themselves the libraries of “first resort”
  • Libraries in the network to which your library belongs  e.g. Translib – transport libraries 
  • Libraries which regularly borrow from your library
  • Libraries which do not charge ILL fees 


Activity: Find some information on the following selection of networks and consortiums:

QShare
CAVAL
One Card Network
Swift consortium (Libraries Victoria)
GratisNet
TAFE reciprocal borrowing scheme
ULANZ / CAUL / CEIRC
UNILINC / Ex Libris
IHEA / COPHE Library Network
Public Libraries Victoria Network  (especially Library Link Victoria (LLV)
SALUS
WA Health Libraries Network

Difficult to Locate or Rarer Resources

Where can library staff go to locate unusual resources such as:
  • complex or specialised information only accessible from other organisations      
  • foreign language materials
  • items held in specialist external collections
  • items not held with collections        
  • out of print materials?

Accessing other external sources such as:
  • commercial document supply services      
  • electronic databases to which the organisation has access through networked sources or document delivery services such as LADD or LibraryLink
  • information sources, such as: commercial vendors, companies, societies, galleries, museums, other information organisations both in Australia and overseas

Kick Start Websites

The following websites are examples of where/how you can find different sources of information.





ACRL/RBMS guidelines for interlibrary and exhibition loan of special collections materials. (2012). College & Research Libraries News, 73(7), 417-432.
Attar, K. (2014). A new book on old: a Directory of Rare Book and Special Collections. CILIP Update, 37-39.

Document Delivery


Libraries Australia Document Delivery – LADD

Read through the User Guides





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Part 2 - Readily available sources of Information

Information Organisation

“In the colossal labor, which exhausts both body and soul, of making into an alphabetical catalog a multitude of books gathered from every corner of the earth there are many intricate and difficult problems that torture the mind.”

Hyde, Thomas (1674) Catalogue for the Bodleian Library


Why Organise Information?

Information is organised so that anyone who wants to, can retrieve it. A method of organisation for easy retrieval is needed to link the person who wants the information with the source of the information.

The purpose of organising information is that it:
  • Provides access to recorded information for the purpose of retrieval
  • Brings together related pieces of information
  • Distinguishes between similar pieces of information 
  • Forms an inventory of what information exists and where it is located
  • Keeps recorded information in an accessible format for the future

Methods of Information Organisation

History of Information Organisation

  • Ancient world - Simple lists
  • Middle Ages – Inventories
  • Eighteenth Century – Taxonomic systems developed
  • Nineteenth Century – Library Classification schemes
  • Twentieth Century – Extensive codification & automation
  • Twenty-first Century – Metadata and new cataloguing formats
This is a great visual on the history and evolution of data storage and organization:

Library cataloguing

  • Library cataloguing became an important function of librarianship in the late 19th Century when each item in a library was described in a standardised way and assigned a shelf number for retrieval.
  • Rules were written for cataloguing collections and adopted by various national library associations.

Bibliographic Records

  • Include standardised descriptions of authors, titles, publishing details, physical characteristics
  • Form a catalogue when arranged or accessed systematically
  • Various terms  - bibliographic records, catalogue records, catalogue entries. bibliographic entries and library records

Access points in records

Any term in a record that may be used to locate that record - think about how you might search for something in your own library's catalogue. You could search by Title, subject, keywords, author etc.

Underlying Assumptions of Information Organisation Systems

  • Information seekers can express their information needs and navigate the system
  • Information seekers’ needs may require looking at related records (e.g. all items by a given author, on a given subject, in a certain genre)
  • The Information seeker may find multiple records and need to evaluate them in order to select the appropriate item

Information Organization in Libraries

Traditional processes:
  • Organize items on shelf by a classification scheme
  • Create & maintain a catalogue that provides access to information resources (surrogate records)
  • Create indexes & databases
  • Create bibliographies
New processes:
  • Create library portals
  • Provide access to variety of resources through unified interface (federated search)
  • Catalogue, databases, resource links, archives, digital libraries, etc.
  • Customize for personal information (my library)
  • Create and organize digital libraries

Information Organisation with Library Portals

  • Provides access to variety of resources through federated/common interface e.g. Chisholm library’s SuperSearch
          Catalogues, databases, resource links 
  • Customisation for personal information – My Library concept

End users of Information Organisation

All people who have an information need and seek to find this information.

Information seekers vary:

Experts: Librarians, information professionals, researchers i.e. people who know a domain and have some idea of vocabulary and the kind of information that’s likely to be available

Novices: People who never learned to use retrieval tools or people who only have a vague idea of what they’re looking for, e.g., a student assigned a research topic or a person who wants to find out why their dog is scratching.

Conclusion

The ultimate purpose of all Information Organisation activity is to create structured data out of unstructured data for the purpose of information storage and retrieval 

Information Search

How do you search for information?




The Internet:
  • choose appropriate or relevant search engine and work out a search strategy

The library:
  • consult the library catalogue for relevant items in the library collection
  • consult relevant reference books such as encyclopaedias, dictionaries, handbooks, manuals etc.
  • search library databases for full-text articles, bibliographic citations or article abstracts

Searching the Internet

Search engines
When you are deciding which search engine to use, think about what type of information you need and choose one that is appropriate for your needs.

Do you need to do a generalised search? Google or similar search engine using simple search


Essential Google search tips for Research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9XZk9CLxK4

*** Country Codes ***
Here is a list of the country codes for top level domain

Do you need to specify language, Boolean, domains, filetypes, dates etc.? Google or similar search engines have the ability to use Advanced searching.

Do you need a directory search engine such as Best of the Web? Back in the early days of the web, most search engines were directory based including Yahoo!

Would a meta search engine be useful? An example might be https://www.dogpile.com/  https://www.dogpile.com/support/aboutus

Do you need more privacy when searching? Try Duck Duck Go https://duckduckgo.com/about

Do you need a specialised search engine? You might try http://www.blogsearchengine.org/ or http://www.animalsearch.net/

Do you need to find “Deep Web” information?
These articles have information about the "Dark Web" and "Deep Web"
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3249765/what-is-the-dark-web-how-to-access-it-and-what-youll-find.html


Direct Research

Ask people for information. This could be by having a formal or informal interview with the person.

Who do you ask?

Professionals:
Someone who has expertise through working a particular field of endeavour

Academics:
A person who has expert knowledge of a particular subject by studying that subject for many years

Researchers:
A person who has gained expertise by doing research in a particular field of enquiry

Evaluating Information Sources

Read the article Evaluating Information Resources from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
https://library.uaf.edu/ls101-evaluation

and

Study Help: Evaluating Information, University of South Australia 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3dkTLjuvE

Readily available sources of information

  • Reference books and websites
  • Parts of the book and the information sources contained within these parts
  • Abstracts, catalogue entries, subject headings etc.

History of Reference Sources

  • Collections of  reference sources were developed by libraries in order to facilitate access to a particular body of literature, subject area, or to assist specialized groups of users. 
  • Catalogues, bibliographies, and subject guides (pathfinders) were developed as in-house tools to facilitate access to a collection or  a  subject area. 
  • Reference books as we know them today are a fairly modern development in the history of the book
  • The first encyclopaedias in an alphabetical format were published in the 1700s  but did not flourish until the 19th Century
  • Samuel Johnson’s  “A dictionary of the English Language” was published in 1755 and was the pre-eminent English dictionary until the Oxford English Dictionary was published 173 years later.
https://archive.org/details/lexicontechnicu2harr/page/n12


Examples of Traditional Reference Books
  • almanacs 
  • directories 
  • dictionaries 
  • encyclopaedias 
  • gazetteers 
  • handbooks 
  • indexes 
  • maps

Purpose of traditional reference books


  • Find facts quickly – look up rather than read
  • Establish the basic information from which a search strategy can be formulated to find more in-depth treatment of a topic
  • Different categories designed for different types of information
  • Geographical information – atlases, gazetteers, map directories etc.
  • Words and meanings – dictionaries, thesauri, lexicons, glossaries etc.
  • General facts – encyclopaedias, handbooks, almanacs etc.
  • Specialized  facts – biographical dictionaries,  yearbooks, language dictionaries, specialized encyclopaedias etc.

Non-traditional information sources

  • Online versions of print sources e.g. Britannica Online
  • Sources available only online  e.g. Internet Public Library Reference Center
  • Apps for smart phones and tablets – Britannica Kids Apps Series
  • Search engines  e.g Google

Sources of information inside books

  • Spine - call number
  • Cover - title, author, illustrator, editor etc.
  • Title Page – details of authors, editors, illustrators, titles, subtitles etc.
  • Copyright Page – details of publishers, places of publication, copyright and other information 
  • Table of Contents  - list of chapter headings, sections etc. (not all books have but)
  • Preface - author comments on text  (not all books have)
  • Body - main part of the book
  • Glossary - mini dictionary of specialized terms used in book (not all books have)
  • Index - alphabetical listing of all important topics discussed in the book with corresponding page numbers (not all books have)
  • Bibliography – listing of all sources of information used by author when writing book
Copyright Page – verso of title page
  • Copyright information - Paragraph about all rights being reserved, no copies, reprints, etc. without permission
  • ISBN – International Standard Book Number. Used for ordering. Every book has a unique number
  • CIP – Cataloguing in publication. Details given by the relevant national library.  Includes subject headings
Why are different parts of the book useful?
By skimming through the pages before and after the main body of text readers can ascertain all sorts of information
  • what the book is about and whether it is scholarly or popular in tone
  • whether it was well researched,
  • Whether the author, editor or illustrator are  well know, expert, reputable etc.
  • whether it was published by a reputable publisher
  • whether the information is current
  • Whether different topics can be picked out
  • Whether there are CIP details
  • And more……

Catalogue entries as sources of information

Much of the bibliographic information found in a physical book, multimedia source and even an online source such as a website can be found in their library catalogue entries
  • Title
  • Author/editor/illustrator/collaborator etc.
  • Copyright date
  • Physical description or URL
  • Subject headings
  • Summary – not in all cases
  • Contents – not in all cases
  • Inclusions e.g. index,  illustrations etc.

Issues with printed reference resources

  • Time-sensitive data can quickly go out of date
  • Reference books are expensive 
  • Complicated information can be difficult to locate 
  • Comparing data can require much manual labour 
  • Only available to one user at a time
  • Only available to users within the library 

Good points about online reference sources

  • Accessed by more than one simultaneous user 
  • Accessed by users outside of the library 
  • Updated constantly 
  • Search function can make it easier to access information 
  • Database format can make it easier to compare information 

Is Wikipedia a good online source?

Wikipedia is a good starting point, but always keep in mind…
  • Facts not opinion: anyone can edit Wikipedia or put up a webpage; Wikipedia has a bias towards certain countries and types of information

Examples of online reference sources


  • ODLIS (Online dictionary of library and information science)
  • CREDO Reference
  • Atlas of Living Australia
  • Catholic Encyclopaedia
  • Australian Dictionary of Biography
  • Columbia Gazetteer of the World
  • Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus
There are so many more as well as online reference sources accessed through library subscriptions



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Part 1 - Introduction to Information sources



Teacher: Michele Hardy michele.hardy@chisholm.edu.au

Breakdown of the Unit

In this unit, we will be covering 4 elements:
  1. Determine customer information needs
  2. Clarify details of required information resources
  3. Search external and networked sources
  4. Obtain and return information

Information Literacy

Take the Information Literacy Quiz


Sources of Information

What are your sources of information? In other words, how do you acquire information?

Your general knowledge?

Your intuition?

Your experiments, direct research or observations?

FROM - other people’s work?

what they write?

books, articles, manuals, notes, doodles, blogs, wikis, diaries, letters, emails, tweets,

what they say?

interviews, discussions, news footage, broadcasts, lectures, tutorials, lessons

what they make?

software, artefacts, films, photography, creative works (e.g. paintings, musical compositions)

Primary Sources

These are items that are "from the horse's mouth"

Examples include:
  • Artefacts (e.g. coins, fossils etc,)
  • Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs)
  • Diaries and journals;
  • Email, listservs, wikis, blogs etc.
  • Interviews in person or recorded
  • Letters and other correspondence
  • Minutes of meetings
  • Newspaper articles written at the time being researched
  • Original documents (birth certificate, wills, passports etc
Other Primary Sources
  • Patents
  • Photographs
  • Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual report, treaty, constitution,
  • Speeches/Lectures
  • Survey Research e.g., market surveys
  • Video recordings e.g. television programs;
  • Works of art, architecture, literature, and music
  • Web site (though not all its content)

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are less easily defined than primary sources.

Generally, they are accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.

They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources.

Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence

Examples:

  • Biographical information
  • Journal articles (other than those reporting original research findings by the actual researchers which are a primary source)
  • Most Non-fiction books including encyclopaedias, dictionaries etc.
  • Content of most websites other than personal websites, blogs, wikis etc
  • Radio and television documentaries

Tertiary Sources

Usually bibliographies, indexes, lists of references, program guides etc. are referred to as tertiary sources.

Examples include:

  • Textbooks
  • Manuals
  • Guidebooks
  • Dictionaries
  • Encyclopaedias

What source is best?

This depends on why you want the information and what you plan to do with it! Horses for courses!

e.g. Historical researchers would require primary source material such as diaries, letters, eye-witness accounts, genealogical records etc. as well as secondary source materials such as journal articles on their chosen topic

e.g. VCE students studying history would require secondary source material such as text books and journal articles

Information Needs Analysis

What do you need to know so that you can help your customer find the relevant information?

  • Does the information need to be up to date?
  • Does the information need to be in a summarised form or very detailed?
  • Does the information need to be primary source material or secondary source material or a mixture?
  • Does the information need to be scholarly and authoritative?
  • Does the information need to be general or specific to a particular time, place or aspect of a topic?
  • Does the information need to be in a particular format e.g statistics, graphs, photographs etc.

Where do I get information from?


If the information needed is from other people’s work there are a few obvious places to trot off to locate it
  • The Internet
  • A library
  • A person or group of people who may possess the needed information
Think about the following topics:
  • History of Cranbourne
  • Growing vegetables at home
Where could you find information for each of these topics and what type of information might you need?

History of Cranbourne
Sources could include:
  • Visiting the local historical society
  • Talking with someone who has lived in the area for a long time
  • Statistics/Census information from ABS via database or online
  • Old maps or survey information - online or State library of Victoria
  • Old photos or film - State library Victoria or local historical society
  • A book that details the local history

Growing Vegetables at Home
Sources could include:
  • Someone qualified in horticulture - local nursery or community garden
  • Books, magazines or journals
  • Internet sites - lots of sites with local information
  • Photos or videos
  • TV programs

Facilitating Information

Have a look at the Monash University Library website, The National Library of Australia website, Mornington Peninsula library, Chisholm TAFE library, and the City of Greater Dandenong Library website and note how they facilitate the customers' access to information






Facilitate - make (an action or process) easy or easier. (Oxford dictionary online)

Things to consider:
  • How is the side laid out? Is it intuitive?
  • What types of information are available?
  • Is it obvious where everything is?
  • Is it easy to use and locate the various resources?
  • What help or guides are available?
  • Anything else that you notice about the sites





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Part 7 - Other Databases

Other Databases and Resources We looked at the traditional databases last week - those that contain text journals, magazine articles and ref...