Summon – a game of 2 halves

Emma Coonan, Research Skills & Development LibrarianCambridge University Library

Cambridge University Library

Isla Kuhn, Deputy & Reader Services LibrarianCambridge University Medical Library

From ‘finding’ to ‘decoding’: a Summon before-and-after snapshotEmma Coonan, Research Skills & Development LibrarianCambridge University Library

Cambridge University Library

Before and after Summon

2011: ‘How to find things on your reading list’

2012: ‘How to decode your reading list’

The ‘reading list’ session

• First step in modular Research Skills provision

• Target audience: o students in directed learning phaseo newcomers to Cambridge library system

• Essay writing rather than extended research

• Tracking down known items, not discovering ‘unknown unknowns’

2011: ‘How to find things ...’

Aims

• To discover how to decipher your reading list

• To learn how to find incomplete references

• To find out where to search for what

• To save yourself time and energy in getting to the sources you need

‘Phrenology’ by dylan17, flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0

2011: ‘How to find things ...’

2012: ‘How to decode ...’

Learning outcomes

• understand reading list structure and purpose

• know how to critically evaluate a reading list

• understand the various material formats

• recognise and reconstruct incomplete references

2011: ‘Where to search for what’ handout

2012: Guide to major scholarly formats

2011: System does not match user expectations

Davidson, D., ‘Locating literary language,’ in Literary Theory after Davidson, ed. Reed Way Dasenbrock (University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1993)

Tip: if you’re being asked to read a chapter, you

need to look up the book title on LibrarySearch

2012: Engaging with the found material

• Maintain your critical distance from the text

• Keep asking: how does this contribute to my understanding/my argument/my essay/my research?

Beware of “white rabbits” - ideas and arguments that lead

away from your topic

Summon – the other side of the coin

Cambridge University Library

Isla Kuhn, Deputy & Reader Services LibrarianCambridge University Medical Library

Dave’s Law

users should not have to becomemini-librarians in order to use the library

http://www.daveyp.com/blog/archives/1800

But in the words of Ben Goldacre…..

"I think you’ll find it’s a bit more complicated than that…"

http://www.badscience.net/2008/12/i-think-youll-find-its-a-bit-more-complicated -than-that-and-other-excellent-christmas-gifts/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-20014/Back-pain-Just-ignore-it.html

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007612.pub2/abstract

Advice to rest in bed versus advice to stay active for acute low-back pain and sciatica.

1. clinical trial.pt.2. randomized.ab,ti.3. placebo.ab,ti.4. dt.fs.5. randomly.ab,ti.6. trial.ab,ti.7. groups.ab,ti.8. or/1-79. Animals/10. Humans/11. 9 not (9 and 10)12. 8 not 1113. dorsalgia.ab,ti.14. exp Back Pain/15. exp Low Back Pain/16. backache.ab,ti.17. (lumbar adj pain).ab,ti.18. coccyx.ab,ti.19. coccydynia.ab,ti.20. exp Sciatica/21. sciatica.ab,ti.22. spondylosis.ab,ti.23. lumbago.ab,ti.

24. or/13-2325. exp Spine/26. discitis.ab,ti.27. exp Spinal Diseases/28. (disc adj degeneration).ab,ti.29. (disc adj prolapse).ab,ti.30. (disc adj herniation).ab,ti.31. spinal fusion.sh.32. spinal neoplasms.sh.33. (facet adj joints).ab,ti.34. intervertebral disk.sh.35. postlaminectomy.ab,ti.36. arachnoiditis.ab,ti.37. (failed adj back).ab,ti.38. or/25-3739. exp activities of daily living/40. activities of daily living.tw.41. day to day activ$.ti,ab.42. daily activit$.ti,ab.43. ordinary activit$.ti,ab.44. normal activit$.ti,ab.45. stay$ active.ti,ab.

46. exp Bed Rest/47. bed rest.mp.48. or/39-4749. 24 or 3850. 12 and 4951. 48 and 50

Horses for courses?

Postgraduate vs

Undergraduate

Known Knowns (eg reading lists) vs

Unknown Knowns (eg self-directed research)

Just enough vs

Everything

But……

PUBMED

SCOPUS

JSTOR

LEXIS NEXIS

CINAHL FACTIVA

MATHSCINET

ARTstor

SUMMON

GEOref

ERIC

Thank you

Isla Kuhn

Cambridge University Medical Library

ilk1@cam.ac.uk / @ilk21

www.slideshare.net/ilk21/jibs-2013-summon

Emma Coonan (in absentia)

Cambridge University Library

Emma.Coonan@lib.cam.ac.uk / @LibGoddess

www.slideshare.net/LibrarianGoddess/before-and-after-summon