Library Services & Finding Information for M.Sc (DL) Students

Library Services & Finding Information for M.Sc (DL) Students Gareth Johnson [email_address] Tue 8 th AM Apr 2008

Session Outline Services An overview of services available from the Library Distance Learning Service Resources Introduce key subject information resources available Accessing Explain access to physical and electronic information Next steps Taking your searching beyond the basics Time for questions

Services: Your Key Contacts Hywel Williams (Education Librarian) ( [email_address] ) Tel: (+44) 0116 252 5048 Distance Learners Enquiry service [email_address] (+44) 0116 252 5051 http://www.le.ac.uk/li/distance/

Services: Essential Things Your library number is on your student card under the barcode 075… Your PIN is a 4 digit number Emailed or from an enquiry point Your CFS username and password Once registered with the Computer Centre https://register.le.ac.uk/

Services: Library Website Provides a lot of online information Contact information What support and help is available Information resources & catalogue Leicester e-Link for journals Passwords for off-campus access to resources Distance learning support Dedicated section Details of all services open to you Demo!

Resources: Library Catalogue Accessible globally without a password Offers simple and more advanced searches Links to other library services Access your library record on-line Tips Use author/title search when you know an item E.g. drennan risk management Use subject search to find books on specific topics Advanced searching options Boolean logic Truncation $ e.g. educat$ for education , educated etc Demo!

Resources: Bibliographic Dbs To find specific articles in journals Need to search bibliographic databases Each one indexes lists of bibliographic information for publications Such as journal articles, reports, theses and some books Some overlap in coverage Bibliographic information normally comprises: Author, title, source (journal title), year, volume, page numbers & abstract summary Not full text of articles

Resources: Bibliographic Dbs Education bibliographic databases British Education Index (BEI) ERIC Australian Educational Index (AEI) Each one specifically covers literature In the field of education and training Overlaps to a degree with each other Use all for comprehensive searching Can search all three at once

Resources: Bibliographic Dbs Web of Knowledge Covers all subjects Sophisticated but easy to learn interface Very useful filtering tools Best when researching cross-disciplinary areas PsycINFO For educational psychology articles Subject Rooms Lists other useful databases Portal to trusted educational resources on the web Includes guidance, tutorials and contacts

Resources: Open Access A move from academics annoyed over journal prices No passwords, subscriptions or access restrictions Full text (not just abstracts) in most cases Researchers make articles available for free Outside of journals and held in online repositories 100,000s of articles Still include peer-reviewed materials Very useful when journal not available Can easily be searched OpenDOAR Search or BASE

Accessing: Information Resources Off Campus www.le.ac.uk/library/digital/authentication.html Start at Library Home Page Digital Library Demo! Education Indexes Web of Knowledge

Accessing: Journal Articles Use Leicester e-Link to check if journal is available Links on Library Web page, Catalogue and from databases Demo! If articles are not available via Leicester e-Link Try finding an Open Access version Check the library catalogue to see if available in print Request a photocopy through document supply Limits 20 requests a year paid for by Library Additional ones may be purchased No more than one article from a single journal

Accessing: Books (Worldwide) Search Library Catalogue to see if we have the text Postal Loan Service Up to 4 books by post on loan for 6 weeks You are responsible for costs incurred when returning Short Loan and Reference items cannot be borrowed by post Alternatively individual chapters (or 5%) of texts can be photocopied for you

Accessing: Other Libraries Take advantage of access schemes SCONUL Access scheme Application form on Web site 6 tips to remember Check opening hours before you go Search online catalogues beforehand Have your Leicester ID or library card with you If unsure contact Leicester Enquiry service Take money (for photocopying) Remember – their rules bind you not ours!

Next Steps: Searching Strategies Step by step plan Step 1 Consider resources Step 2 ID keywords Step 3 Build search Step 4 Test search Step 5 Refine results Step 6 Evaluate Step 7 Locate and read!

Next Steps: Boolean Logic Allows more sophisticated searching than keywords alone AND disaster and management <- focuses down OR disaster or management <- broadens a search NOT disaster not management <- eliminates terms (handle with care!)

Next Steps: Sophisticated Searches (risk or disaster) and management Simple, will find some results (risk* or disaster*) and manag* Better, will find more results May need to limit/refine ((risk* or disaster* or emergenc*) and (manag* or admin* or super*)) not earthquake* Best! But might need tweaking…

Next Steps: Tools to Refine Results You can also use limits/filters to narrow your search E.g. by date or publication type Can include before or after a search Helps avoid potentially overwhelming levels of results Easier to chose the pick of the crop Saves you reading through hundreds of semi-relevant results

Next Steps: Improved Internet Searching Use more than one search engine as they use different searching algorithms Use the advanced search features in Google & Yahoo Phrase searching Search a specific field e.g. title or URL Limit by language, file type, domain Use the options for specific media e.g. images, groups, news…etc.

Next Steps: Google Scholar “ Searches specifically for scholarly literature ” No definition as to what Google classify as scholarly! There are some odd gaps/omissions http:// scholar.google.com Often links to full text Might not link to the version of the full text available to the University On-campus e-link option will show whether you can access the full text for free Good first place to see what is available and what keywords to use But use bibliographic databases in your subject too!

Next Steps: Evaluating Websites Intended Audience Is the site aimed at researchers or the general public? Authority and Reputation Is the resource well known? Is it an academic site? Is it factual or opinion based? Does the information have a basis in research and is a bibliography provided? Subject Coverage Is the site an overview or does it cover the subject in-depth? Currency Has the site been recently updated?

Next Steps: Top Tips Explore resources yourselves Experiment with searches Get in contact with the library for support General assistance (e.g. books, accessing resources and general difficulties) Contact the enquiry service Expert advice and assistance with searching information resources Contact the Education Librarian If in doubt – ask!

In Conclusion Library provides access to physical and electronic resources The library catalogue contains books on broad topics of interest Use bibliographic databases and other resources when looking for specific subject information Time invested searching increases the quality of results

Library Services & Finding Information for M.Sc (DL) Students

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