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Freshman Seminar: Human Communication
INTD 101-33

Prof. Helen McCarthy

  November 5, 2008 10:00am

Guide for Finding Resources at the George T. Potter Library
By Madel Tisi
x7510
mtisi@ramapo.edu

• Library Homepage
• Find Books
• Reference Materials
• Find Articles (Databases)
• Interlibrary Loan/Journal Finder
• Bibliographies
• Websites

I. Picking a Controversial Individual In Society

• Pick a controversial individual that is interesting to you so it'll be fun to make your presentation in class!
• Have a basic idea of what you want to include in your 7-10 minutes presentation. Since you have limited time to present you can't have too much or too little information. Base your research on what aspect of the individual's life/work you want to focus on. Avoid researching something too broad or too narrow. Too broad will mean you will be overwhelmed. Too narrow will mean you might not find enough information to back up your thoughts.
  TIP: If you feel you are overwhelmed or not getting enough, you may need to refine your search. How? Think about broader/narrower time span, a larger/smaller place, broad/specific group of people, general/specific event.
•  Avoid research stress:
• Browse general reference resources to give yourself ideas. For example, "Who's who..." for individual biographies (see suggested references below). Try subject encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, etc. to get the ideas flowing.
• Give yourself extra time to do your research and plan your presentation! Finding materials takes time. Interlibrary loans take time. Putting together your thoughts takes time.

II. Library Homepage

• Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.

III. Finding Books at the Potter Library

• Catalog: use this to find books, journals (NOTE: NOT JOURNAL ARTICLES!), DVDs, etc.

• Search the catalog using Keywords related to your topics to find material to have more control on the results.
  For Example:
  • Emily Dickinson
  • Madame Curie
  • Albert Einstein

  Tips

1. Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
2. Use Advanced Search tab and Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to limit your searches and to have more control on the results.
   For Example:
   • Madame Curie AND Biography
     
3. Do not give up if at first you do not get the results you want. Check your spelling, revise your search terms, etc.
   

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III. Reference Materials

• The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).
• Some useful references for your projects:

Who's Who 2008 Includes 32,000 biographies of people from the arts, business and finance, the church, the civil service, education, entertainment and sport, government, the law, local government, the media, medicine, professional institutions, science and the trade unions.	REF DA28.W6 2008
Who's Who Among African Americans 2008 The biographical entries to more than 20,000 men and women reflect the diversity of African-American achievement by documenting achievments in all fields of endeavor.	REF E185.96.W522 2008
On the shoulders of giants : the great works of physics and astronomy / edited, with commentary, by Stephen Hawking. (Look for the chapter on Albert Einstein (1879-1955): His life and work; Selections from The principle of relativity).	REF QC6.2 .O5 2002
Women and Music in America since 1900: an encyclopedia / edited by Kristine H. Burns This 2-volume encyclopedia Includes entries on Madonna, Tracy Chapman, Tina Turner, etc.	REF ML82.W625 2002
Opposing Viewpoints series. Some topics include: Abortion Gun control Gay rights Illegal drugs Censorship Endangered species Gay marriage Medical ethics Global warming  and many, many more...	REF H3 .O62 (start of call # range)
The Curies: a biography of the most controversial family in science / Denis Brian The first full-scale biography of the Curies that includes the controversy, the drama, the scandal, and the tragedy that surrounded them.	QD22.C79B75 2005 (This is not a reference book)

Tips

1. Use reference books to browse for project ideas and to get started on your research.
2. Use the Bibliographies at the end of encyclopedia entries to find more information on your topic.

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IV. Electronic Resources

• Some useful Databases for your projects:

1. Using the Advance Search page will give you more control over your results.
2. Always use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) when running a search.
   For Example:
   • Madonna AND controversy
   • John F. Kennedy AND controversy
     
3. Always check your Spelling if the database results are Zero.

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V. Interlibrary Loan

Both of these links can be found under QUICK LINKS on the library's homepage.

• Interlibrary Loan: allows students to borrow a book or article that the Potter library does not own. There is a link from the Journal Finder page.

• Journal Finder: this provides information regarding if a journal is available full-text online, in print in the library, or available on microfilm.

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VI. Bibliographies

• Use Citing Sources for examples of "In-Text Citations" and "Works Cited"
• Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources to get call numbers for paper copies of syle manuals.

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VII. Web Sources

• Evaluating Websites: to determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper.

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