I was lost but now I am Found by Info! Tuesday Tech Topics– October 3, 4:00 pm David Cox, Skeen Library Director

Welcome Being Found by Information Being found by research is different than simply making a list of quotations It is not like High School when papers might pass that summarized what we read in the encyclopedia or a text book. A good paper shows that the author has assimilated/synthesized/digested the material and drawn out conclusions.

Research Isaac Felipe Azofeifa, writing in Spanish, says this about research (now given to you in English- thanks to someone brighter than myself) Research is a Systematic Search— For Adequate Information— To reach Objective Knowledge— Of a Specific Topic. A library friend of mine describes “a search as less systematic and more as a open-ended process informed by successive results”… but I think in Science, Engineering, Math and Technology “systematic” is necessary and prudent.

At Skeen Library We have the tools to help you begin. Portals to the world of knowledge You are the one, however, working the process. SAOS—is the pattern. Think Taos… and then get to SAOS. Systematic search- using the great tools we have online. Adequate information- not just “stuff” that touches your search, but precise Objective knowledge- facts, not conjectures, and not pet ideas Specific topic reporting- you aren’t writing an encyclopedia-but about a topic, a particular problem.

A process of Problem Solving Research and problem solving… Now that is a life-long skill of learning! You basically need to find information, and break it down. Ideas and facts into small, bit sized sentences that become paragraphs. You are looking for truth as you analyze. What ever that truth may be. Even if you might disagree with it. Research defends. It assists logic. Observation. Analysis. Synthesis of the Concept, the Idea. Judgment of the material, the facts, the point…

Start with the Library Really! The Internet is full of data. You want information. There is a difference. Data//Information//Knowledge. That is the pathway. Web Site has access to the “catalog” (books, journals, other good stuff) The Electronic Catalog is a tool needing things like Keywords- author, title, subject headings. Keywords are good. Your professors name and course reserves might be good, too. USE Your Syllabus. Use words that define your themes of particular lectures.

Boolean Operators Catalog Search Article Discovery Web of Science   Google Scholar   Search Library Site   Search NMT Skeen Library and beyond. Everything Books DVD's                                                                                                                           Advanced Search Old Se Catalog Search   Article Discovery   Web of Science   Google Scholar   Search Library Site   Search NMT Skeen Library and beyond. Everything Books DVD's                                                                                                                           Advanced Search Old Se Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators Booleans are not people who frighten you at the Halloween Spook House. These are Search Terms!! Topic AND Topic – Cats AND Birds, for example, would bring up items that have BOTH cats and birds. Cats OR Birds brings up everything that has one term or the other. Cats AND NOT Birds (or just “NOT”) will bring up anything with Cats but no references to birds.

Catalog Search   Article Discovery   Web of Science   Google Scholar   Search Library Site   Search NMT Skeen Library and beyond. Everything Books DVD's                                                                                                                           Advanced Search Old Se Reference Materials The Reference Section of books on Skeen First Floor are beginning places to get information. Remember, no copying or free form paraphrasing from the paragraphs. But basic information might kick you to an idea you did not have in the first place. Wikipedia is great for generalities. It is not a source for academic work, not something to be sited. NOTE TO SELF- find good material. Skeen has the good stuff! Do the Skeen, not Wikipedia. You can use the EBSCO materials on our site by generally going to Article Search. You can also find material by going to Web of Science or Google Scholar.

Information on the Web Go to the Library site, http://infohost.nmt.edu/~nmtlib/ You will see on this page the following tabs: Catalog Search Article Discovery Web of Science Google Scholar Search Library Site

Search Library Site Type in, Tutorials You should be sent to http://nmt.libguides.com/tutorials 16 different tutorials, very visual, very helpful Hit the button, Research Guides, http://nmt.libguides.com/ This page has links to different departments. We want to make this a more full section, so suggestions from you are welcome

A to Z List 137 Databases listed, http://nmt.libguides.com/az.php Very important sites to use amongst the list, just in the A section: Academic Search Premier, http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/basic?vid=0&sid=7360a4a8- 643b-4f83-859d-c2177c1f2b8e%40sessionmgr102 American Meteorlogical Society, http://journals.ametsoc.org/ Applied Science and Technology Source, http://www.nmt.edu/~nmtlib/cgi- bin/pl.cgi?ehast And Publications, we have e publications http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/search/basic?sid=0f7ecc3e-11c9-4eeb- bfcd-22317764f328%40sessionmgr102&vid=0&sdb=edspub&tid=3000EP

Enough Already!!! Thanks for coming to the first Tuesday Tech Topics We have some we are going to do as time goes on, How to read an Academic Paper, How to write an Academic Paper… What would you appreciate? Next week, Tuesday Tech Topics, same time, same place, same dude.

See ya!