• Circulation and Reserves
• Reference and Periodicals
• Stacks and Media Center

First you need a Search strategy
   a.  What exactly is my topic?
   b.  What words can I use to describe the concepts of my topic
   c.  What kinds of materials will have information on my topic?
           1.  Reference books - learn basic ideas and gather background information
           2.  Circulating books - provide more specific information
           3.  Articles - provide more detailed and/or current information
   d.  There are a number of sub-steps which must be taken - details to come

3. Hello WebCat - an introduction to the online catalog interface

• Basic Boolean  -  AND, OR, NOT
• Truncation

• Publication Date
• Language
• Item type
• Location - reference, children's etc.

5. Syntax - check here for a definition.  How we construct our search statements can be very important.  Nesting alters the order of operations.

6.  Storing Bibliographic Data - McKinney's Key Definitions

• Database – a collection of information in digitized format, which is arranged in a way to facilitate access by information seekers.  Examples include a digitized encyclopedia, WebCat, Journal locator, Amazon.com's list of books for sale, and the many periodical databases listed on the library home page.  (Print works can also be databases in the broadest sense.) Also see the ODLIS definition of bibliographic database 

• Record – a group of related fields that contain information about a subject/item.  Examples of records with which we are concerned are:  books, periodicals (magazines, journals, and newspapers), musical recordings, music scores, specific articles within a periodical, websites etc. Also see the ODLIS definition of record structure

• Field – a unit of data in a record.  There are many types of fields in bibliographic records.  Examples are author, title, publisher, date of publication, subject headings, place of publication, length of a work, corporate/university affiliations, and many others depending on the type of item.  Also see the ODLIS definition of field

7.  Be sure to read through the Records and Fields section of the Database Structure tutorial at  Washington State University

DUE:  Library Website Treasure Hunt - due at the beginning of class Tuesday 9-2-08. 

DUE:  Term Project topic.  You must be ready to make a selection by the beginning of class Thursday 9-4-08. 

Term Project Selection Page - click here for a selection of topics.  Your name will be posted along side the topic you select.   No two students may select the same topic.  First come - first served - provide a written request or e-mail me.

Readings/Review:
Seven Steps of the Research Process - courtesy of Cornell University Libraries

Duke University Libraries Guide to Library Research - a group effort by several librarians at Duke University Libraries

Handout - WebCat Quick Reference Guide

Course Reserves for this and other classes

Assignments: 

Online Catalog Exercise - will be distributed on Tuesday 8-26-08 - due at the beginning of class Thursday 9-11-08.

Search Project One - will be distributed on Tuesday 9-4-08. 
A draft is due on Thursday 9-25-08.  Your draft will be returned to you no later than Tuesday 9-30-08.  Final print copy due on Tuesday 10-7-08. 
PowerPoint presentations based upon this project will take place on Tuesday and Thursday October 7th and 9th

Readings/Review: - learn the basics of using AND, OR, and NOT in formulating a search statement.  Two excellent sources of information are:

1.   Boolean Searching on the Internet:  A Primer in Boolean Logic  - courtesy of Laura Cohen and InternetTutorials.net

2.  Boolean Searching for the Web - courtesy of Joe Barker and The Teaching Library at the University of California, Berkeley.  Study tip - print and study these two pages and add them to your binder for use on a test

3.  Boolean Operators:  Self Test - courtesy of the librarians at Washington State University