1. Doing Research Online:
A Crash Course
Where do you plug
this damn thing in?
Gary Handman

2. 1. Introduce selected sources for finding
The point of all this...
1. Introduce selected sources for finding
books and journal topics online
2. Introduce a group of basic moves and
features common to many online catalogs
and indexes.
3. Practice using these features in selected
databases.

3. Card Catalogs Contained:
The Information Universe (Then)
The guy next to me
is soooo hot!
Card Catalogs Contained:
Records for:
Books
Journals/Newspapers
Other stuff (maps, media, dissertations, manuscripts…)

4. The Information Universe (Then)
Call #
Kesey, Ken.
One flew over the cuckoo's nest.
New York : New American Library, 1962.
Moffitt PS3561.E667.O5
Library has: 3 copies
Get da Book in da Stax

5. The Information Universe (Then)
I know! I’ll
do my paper on
Indexes/Abstracts
Annual/semi-annual print volumes
Allow subject searching in a group of journals in a particular discipline or topical area.
Some indexes also offer abstracts-- short description of article content

6. The Information Universe (Then)
HENDERSHOT, CYNDY.
The Cold War Horror Film: Taboo and Transgression in The Bad Seed, The
Fly, and Psycho.
Journal of Popular Film and Television v29, n1 (Spring, 2001):21
The journal of popular film and television
Main Stack PN1993.J66
Library has: BOUND 7(1979)-27(winter 2000);
later issues unbound
Get da Journal in da Stax

7. The Information Universe (Now)
Online Catalogs .
--Pathfinder
--MELVYL (CDL cat)
Indexes & Abstracts
Online

8. The Information Universe (Now)
Books in Stax
Online Catalogs
--Pathfinder
--MELVYL (CDL cat)
Full-Text
Online
Indexes & Abstracts
Online
citations
Journals in Stax

9. The Information Universe (Now)
Library Acquires Full-text materials in
three ways:
1. Subscribes to full-text journals
2. Links from electronic indexes and abstracts
3. Subscribes to searchable full-text archives: e.g. JSTOR
But remember...

10. Not everything is online!!!!!:
The Information Universe (Now)
Not everything is online!!!!!:
Indexes: often only go back yrs online
Not every publication is indexed
Fairly small (but rapidly growing) subset of the books and journal universe is currently available in full-text
Remember Also:
Not every topic has lots written about it, either in books or journal lit.

11. The Information Universe (Now)
Google
Rocks!
The Net
LibraryLand

12. How to Begin? Before you click: THINK
Formulate your search in terms of
keyword and key phrases:
The impact of exposure of children to television advertising and television violence on school performance.

13. How to Begin? Before you click: THINK
Formulate your search in terms of:
KEY WORDS and SYNOMYMS:
--Looks for words anywhere in record: title, subject, abstract and full-text (if avail)
PHRASES:
--Looks for words in the exact order entered

14. Keywords
e.g.
-- Keyword: Cold War Horror Film looks for words Cold AND War AND Horror AND Film ANYWHERE in the record
You would conceivably retrieve an article entitled:
“At War With Your Refrigerator?: How to Avoid
the Horror of Moldy Film on Cold Cuts.”
--Phrase: Cold War Horror Film looks only for those 3 words in that order; would not find a book entitled
Depending on db:
--May be able to limit keyword/phrase searching to specific fields: title, subject, or all fields.

16. --e.g.: Advertis* will give you: advertise, advertising, advertisers,
Truncation:
When appropriate, use truncation to scoop up broader results:* # or ? Depending on db
--e.g.: Advertis* will give you:
advertise,
advertising,
advertisers,
advertisements