Lauren Kay, Jessica Gaylord, April Montebon, Kyle Henley, Tiffany Cox BOOKS Lauren Kay, Jessica Gaylord, April Montebon, Kyle Henley, Tiffany Cox

Definition A set of written, printed, or blank pages fastened along side and encased between protective covers a set of prescribed standards or rules on which decisions are based (something regarded as a source of knowledge or understanding) In library and information science, a book is called a monograph (a scholarly book on a single subject or a group of related subjects) to distinguish it from serial periodicals such as magazines, journals, or newspapers.

Examples Bible or Koran Log (log book) Diary Business and Accounting books Textbooks Online Books E-book Reference books -Almanac -Handbook -Manual -Dictionary -Encyclopedia -Atlas

Examples cont. Fiction - Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts - B-More Careful by Shannon Holmes - Charm City by Laura Lippman Non-Fiction - Woodholme: A Black Man’s Story of Growing Up Alone by Dewayne Wickham - Jewish Baltimore: A Family Album by Gilbert Sandler - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

What type of information do they have? Since there are so many types of genres of books, the information that they have differs The two main classifications of books are non-fiction, and fiction; after that they are classified into sub-genres, which is where the different information can be found

Non-Fiction- literature that tells a story Fiction- literature dealing with information that is based on factual data Non-Fiction- literature that tells a story Biography/Autobiography - Narrative of a persons life, based on facts about a real person; an autobiography provides facts about the person from the person’s own account. Textbooks- Teaching tool that provides factual researched information on people, events , and a variety of other subjects ( e.g. animals species, time periods, etc…) Historical fiction- Creates a story about made up characters during an actual event. There may be some factual details, but most are created through the author. Poetry- tells a story through word patterns, images, etc… Also can provide information about a specific time period, and/ or life of the subject or author. Fables/ Fairytales- usually are stories passed down through generations. Although they are made up stories they can provide information about certain culture’s customs and traditions.

Strengths Provide such a variety of information on many different aspects of a subject Books are very accessible and easy to deal with The information provided can be a mixture of facts and also a little human knowledge ( ex. Combining text book facts with fables allows a person to learn about cultures from both sides)

Weaknesses When it comes to using a textbook or another nonfiction work sometimes they can be hard to follow, and therefore information that may be useful is hard to find. Since books cover such a wide range of topics and subtopics on subjects, it can be hard to narrow down the information that can be useful to a persons specific topic Bias- just like in any other piece of work an author may place their own views on what they are writing.

Searching for Relevant Information LIBRARIES: a collection of books Most use a classification systems [Library of Congress, Dewey Decimal] that’s subject-based. Books are organized on shelves according to subject matter. One can use a library’s catalog [card or internet] to locate books according to subject. BIBLIOGRAPHIES: an extensive list of sources used for the research Provides relevant sources [sometimes provide specific details] that can guide you to more books INDEXES: a directory that shows you the pages that contain the relevant keywords

Reliability Books do not have the same deadlines as newspapers and magazines, so writers have more time to gather more facts that those other sources may not have had the time and to analyze the facts to take the information to another level of conscious thought Because books do not have the same deadlines as those of newspapers and magazines, there may be more time for in-depth editing Some publishing houses do have “fact-checkers” to evaluate the accuracy of the facts stated in the books they will publish Some books are republished and updated, so they may be subject to more editing and evaluation Books of scholarly merit are peer reviewed by fellow experts More likely, books are subject to bias and editorializing -Does the reviewer mention other books that might be better? Locate critical reviews -Is the review positive?

When Analyzing a Book, Ask: Is this the first edition of this publication or not? (many printings or editions may indicate that the work has become a standard source in the area and is reliable) What type of audience is the author addressing? Is the work aimed at a specialized or general audience? Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda? -Does the info appear to be well researched? -Is the author’s point of view objective and impartial? obtained from the Cornell University Library website

When Analyzing a Book, Look: For a connection between the subject and the author of the book. For the preface to determine the author’s intentions. For the table of contents and index. (read chapters that deal with your topic) For a bibliography of sources used. At other books or sources that discuss the same topic to obtain a variety of viewpoints obtained from the Cornell University Library website