1. Library Research Career Research Anthony Valenti
Campus Director Learning Resources

2. Agenda Library Web Page Resources Library Catalog Library Databases
Evaluating Resources

3. 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

4. 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.

5. Edison College Access to Electronic Resources
Go to the Library website:
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

6. 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)

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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?

10. Research Assistance
Anthony P. Valenti Campus Director, Learning Resources