Library Research Career Research Anthony Valenti Campus Director Learning Resources

Agenda Library Web Page Resources Library Catalog Library Databases Evaluating Resources

Edison College Library Website Library Research Subject Guides Recommended Websites Career Resources Occupational Outlook Handbook CareerOneStop Citation Guides Find Examples based on source: a book with 2 authors, a journal article from a database, etc. Library Instruction Evaluation How was your library instruction survey Please include class, date, and Librarian’s last name http://www.edison.edu/learningresources/index.shtml

Edison College Electronic Catalog Includes Books, Journals, and A/V Titles Searchable by Author, Title, Subject, or Keyword Make sure you select Edison College and Any Campus for items owned by Edison Libraries You do not need to log in to search; However, you do need to log in to view fines and fees, place holds, access e-books, etc. http://www.edison.edu/learningresources/index.shtml

Edison College Access to Electronic Resources Go to the Library website: http://www.edison.edu/library/ Locate the silver search box on the top of the page. Click on Articles in Databases tab. You will see a log in screen. Select Edison as your college if not the default Enter your Connect Card Number, (8 digit Edison ID Number) and your PIN (Default is last 4 digits SS#) Select a database. The default setting is to display databases by Subject. You may also click on the Alphabetical button to see databases listed by name. Begin Your Search

Edison College Electronic Resources Online databases Indexes to articles, book chapters, thesis or other documents: EBSCO, ProQuest, etc. Reference Resources: Online versions of Reference Works: Grove Art Online, Valueline, Gale Literary Criticism, etc. Restricted to Edison College community Sorted alphabetically or by subject Your topic will determine what database to use General Databases for Career Research Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) Academic OneFile (GALE) http://www.edison.edu/learningresources/index.shtml

Skills for Online Searching Subject or Keyword Search Identify Key Concepts “librarians” and “job satisfaction” NOT “Do librarians have a high job satisfaction rate?” Controlled Vocabulary Different databases may use different terms. Use the database Thesaurus Boolean Logic AND, OR, sometimes NOT Limits Full Text, Scholarly (Peer Reviewed), Date, etc.

Using the Internet for Research The Internet can provide information; however, proceed with caution! Anyone can post anything at anytime on the Internet. The Web is populated with an abundance of unreliable and inaccurate information. People who publish on the Web have an agenda. Be particularly suspicious of .com sites, which are trying to sell you something. Most scholarly sources are not on the Internet. Only a small percentage of all journals and an even smaller number of books are available on the Internet. Navigating the vast amount of information available on the Internet can be overwhelming. Only a small percentage of search results generally are relevant. You may retrieve outdated information from search engines, since they are not always up to date. www.google.com

Evaluating Research Results Authority Who wrote or compiled the information? What are their credentials? Are they experts or scholars? Currency What is the date of publication? What time period is covered by the information? Objectivity What is the point of view taken in the material? Is there an obvious bias? Does the author provide factual information or are they expressing an opinion? Documentation Does the material cite the sources for information presented? Are complete citations provided? Is the information unknown?

Research Assistance Anthony P. Valenti Campus Director, Learning Resources 239-732-3776 apvalenti@edison.edu