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    September 11, 2008

     Shirley Knight, Reference Librarian                 Kristin Kenneavy, Professor

      sknight@ramapo.edu                                     SOCI 307

 I. Library Homepage: http://library.ramapo.edu

• Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.
• Documents Without Shelves - Access through the Online Catalog to find U.S. documents.
• Research Strategies Worksheet - Use to track  your research and refer back to when compiling your work cited list.

II. Finding Books at the Potter Library

• Catalog: use this to find books, journal titles NOT ARTICLES, government documents, reserve items, music,and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. This may take a few seconds to load.

• Search the catalog using Keywords to find material

  • For example: search for "child abuse surveys " or "victims crime surveys" to locate a broad range of material and look for resources for your topics.
• OR

                                                         

• Search the catalog using Subject Browse feature ONLY if you know the Library of Congress Subject Headings, for example:

Tips

1. Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
2. If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Subject etc. tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
3. Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.

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III. Reference Materials

• The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).

General Sources	Call Numbers
The Sage  Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods	Ref  H 62 .L456  2004
Encyclopedia of Social Measurement	Ref  H62 .E53            2005
Encyclopedia of Evaluation	Ref  H62 .E583          2005
The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research	Ref  H 62 .H2455 2005
A guide to Empirical Research in Communication: Rules for Looking	Ref  H61.8 .S964      2001
Qualitative Inquiry: a dictionary of terms	Ref  H 61.8 .S4435   1997
Interview Source
Handbook of Interview Research: Context & Method	Ref  H 61.28 .H26 2001
Software Source
SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference	Ref HA 32 .G458 2006
Writing Source
A Guide for Writing Sociology Papers	Ref  HM 585 .G78      2001 Course Reserve/Circulation Desk
Annotated Bibliographies
Survey Research Methodology, 1990-1999 : An Annotated Bibliography	Ref  Z 7164 .S667 W35 2003
Demography of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the United States: An Annotated Bibliography with a Review Essay	Ref  E184 .A1 Z99 M6 1984
American Women and the Labor Movement, 1825-1974, An Annotated Bibliography	Ref  Z7963 .E7 S635 1976

          Tips

1. Use reference books to gain an overview of your topic.
2. Use the Bibliographies at the end of encyclopedia entries to find more information on your topic.

IV. Finding Journal Articles at the Potter Library

• Some useful Databases (Electronic Resources) for your projects
• Use these databases to locate journal and newspaper articles and government publications
• These databases are available ONLY to Ramapo students with the exception of GPO Access
• Off campus use requires your Ramapo email and password

1. Always switch to the Advance Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
2. Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT when running a search. For Example: crime and violence  and surveys
3. Always check your Spelling if the database results are Zero.

V. Finding Journals and Interlibrary Loans

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

VI. Finding Web  Sites

• Use the Statistics link under Subject Resources   to locate supportive material.

VII. Evaluating Sources and Bibliographies

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

• Academic Integrity to give credit where credit is due.
• Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources for APA citation style guidance.
• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (Cornell University)
• Writing an Annotation (Collegate University Libraries), Calstate San Marcos Library and Santa Clara University Library
• See a sample of an APA annotation and example of an APA annotated bibliography (Purdue University)

                                                             Need more help?

• Contact sknight@ramapo.edu and/or  201.684.7315
• Visit or call the Reference Desk @ 201.684.7574

• Use QandA NJ - a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.