library skills & knowledge to take you from high school to college
TRANSCRIPT
Library Skills & Knowledge
To take you from High School to College
Using a Library Catalog• At college or University, books are arranged using
the Library of Congress Classification system. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/
• It is similar to the Dewey Decimal system, except that it uses letters and numbers to subcategorize subject areas.
• It is universally used in Universities and Colleges.• When you are looking for a book, you can search the
catalog by Author, Title or Subject. Once you find an appropriate book, you will get a Call Number, which is the “address” of the book on the shelves.
• Once you have the call number, find the shelf with that range of letter/numbers in the stacks, and get your book.
Two types of Resources
Books• Published, edited,
reviewed• Broad/
comprehensive information on a topic - comprehensive
• Mostly viewpoint of one or more author
• Currency not as important
Journals• Published, edited,
reviewed• Narrow or specific
analysis on a topic – limited
• Mostly viewpoint of one author
• Currency important – published frequently – important in university research
Scholarly or Peer Reviewed VS popular Sources
Scholarly or Peer Reviewed Popular
• Published – edited and peer reviewed
• Replicated, scrutinized, reviewed & critiqued by respected authorities in the field
• Not for profit – usually subsidized by a scholarly organization
• Ongoing scholarship in a multitude of fields
• Review process takes time & thought
• Can be published – authors often on staff/journalists
• Reviewed only in-house by an editor
• For profit – commercial• Whatever’s popular,
trendy or will sell copies• Instant
response/comment on events
Reading to build knowledgeIt is expected that you will read assigned
materials to build your knowledge of the subject area.
This is different from reading for content. Although understanding of content is important, your reading at college should facilitate the expansion of your knowledge, your ability to synthesize ideas from a number of sources and capacity to “play with ideas” and offer new insight.
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/social-justice-12-wage-gap.pdf
Online Databases• An Online Database is a comprehensive collection of information
in electronic form and organized for quick retrieval. Typically it is comprised of a large collection of encyclopedia, magazine, and/or newspaper articles, and occasionally other media such as transcripts, interviews, maps, historical documents, photos and videos. Databases, like encyclopedias can be general or subject specific.
• Importantly, information contained in published articles has gone through some degree of editing. That means knowledgeable people from the field have reviewed and edited the information before it is published. We call this process refereeing.
• You cannot Google these articles – they are available only through subscription.
• Through your University/College Library, you will have access to many online databases. Check the catalog or with your librarian.
• To access our databases go to: Surreyschools.ca >Students • >Homework Help >Digital Resources >Secondary
Google vs Library Database
Google Database• Search Engine• “Free” – as long as
you have a computer and internet access
• Limited – approximately 3% of the internet
• Anyone, can say anything, anytime!
• Curated collection of published information
• Subscription paid for by Library
• Comprehensive and subject specific
• Published, edited and peer reviewed
Critically Evaluating Webpages• University professors expect
only credible websites for research
• You must learn how determine if information is accurate, reliable and from a respected source
Accuracy Author indicated? Qualifications indicated? Can you contact him/her? Authority Is the publishing institution indicated? Purpose of publishing institution
indicated? Is this website attached to an
“institution”?
Objectivity Are the goals/objectives of the page met? Is the information comprehensive or
complete? Are there opinions expressed by the
author?
Currency Is the page dated? Has the page been updated? Are the links up-to-date? Coverage Do the links compliment the page? Is there a balance of text & images? Is the information presented cited
correctly?
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/evaluating-webpages-3.pdf
Plagiarism Citing Sources
Whenever you use someone else’s ideas or data in your work, you must give them credit. Failure to give credit is call Plagiarism.
• You give credit to your source by using a specific citation style: MLA (Modern Languages Association), APA (American Psychological Association) etc.
• At the beginning of your course, your instructor will give you a course outline which will indicate which style you are to use.
• Citing a source is very technical; the style format used demands that you use required information in a specific order, accurately punctuated.
• Douglas College has a great handout entitled Plagiarism How to Avoid It, accessible here:
http://library.douglascollege.ca/~/media/7B07E4D717074B02AB9091B033D6843E.ashx?la=en
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/citing-sources-quick-guide.pdf
Plagiarism Summarizing and Paraphrasing To Summarize means to put a main
idea into your own words. It is a succinct, brief overview.
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/summarizing.pdfTo Paraphrase also means to put your
source material into your own words. It is a condensing of a broad section of the original source.
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/paraphrasing.pdf
In-Text Citations• Parenthetical References or In-Text Citations are
references placed within the body of your writing that document ideas, information, data, opinions and quotations that you have taken from your sources. Remember, you must always give credit to the authors whose ideas or information you have used in your Works Cited List and in the body of your writing through In-Text Citations. The In-Text Citation and the Work Cited List are linked and it is clear to the reader from where/whom the idea or information came.
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/in-text-citations3.pdf
• Kwantlen University guide http://libguides.kpu.ca/c.php?g=183915&p=1212581
Bibliography • A Bibliography or Work Cited List is the list of sources you have used
to obtain information and/or ideas for your work (written or otherwise)• Any information you obtain from another source, published or not,
must be cited (including images)• Plagiarism can get you put on academic probation or expelled• A very specific and rigid format must be followed• Your instructor will tell you which format is to be used: eg. MLA, APA,
Chicago• Kwantlen University citation guide http://libguides.kpu.ca/citations • MLA style example: Author last name, author fisrt name. Title. City where
published:Publusher, date. Slover, Tanya. The Instant Genius: an indispensable handbook
for know-it-alls. Los Angeles:General Publishing Group, 1998.
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/citing-sources-quick-guide.pdf
The Research Question• Sometimes you will be given topics to research,
sometimes you will have to create your own• You must read widely and understand the topic well –
opposing viewpoints, major researchers/writers in the field
• A Research Paper involves: Critical thinking Source evaluation Exploration & interpretation of primary & secondary
sources Organization & composition are critical Not an informed summary – interpretations & a
unique perspective on issues are offered OWL at Purdue https
://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/1/
Thesis Statement• Must be debatable – it is a claim that is argumentative or
persuasive• Must be narrow & clear – supported by academic evidence
• Types of claims Claims of fact or definition – is something an established fact Claims of cause and effect – often supported by data, one
event caused another to occur Claims about value – the subjective worth of an event or issue Claims about solutions or policies – argue for or against a
certain solution OWL at Purdue https
://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/ Ddouglas Collegehttps://www.douglascollege.ca/~/media/BA0F480C2C734758B7C66D55F44CF94B.ashx
Post-Secondary Writing• Different kinds of writing Analytical – evaluates an issue or idea by considering component parts Expository – explains an issue or idea Argumentative – supports a stated claim by using evidence
• Presenting an argument – one method is the Toulmin Method Claim – overall thesis Data – evidence to support claim Warrant or bridge – how the data supports the claim Backing – additional logic to support claim Counterclaim – what are counter arguments Rebuttal – addressing the counter arguments OWL at Purdue https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/
Technical writing standards are also important. For example, MLA offers a style guide for setting up your writing on the page.
https://northsurreylibrary.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/writing-standards-for-social-studies-papers.pdf
Organizing your research
Organizing your ideas and research is one of the most difficult aspects of essay writing.
Create an Outline of your essay before you begin. 1. Create a Thesis Statement2. List the “reasons” why this statement is true.3. Now, each of these “reasons” is used to create a
Topic Sentence and Body Paragraph.4. Finally write a concluding paragraph, restating your
thesis and summarizing your arguments.• Douglas College has a great tutorial, Making an Outline
from the Top Down, which can be accessed here:
http://www.douglascollege.ca/~/media/F6560411057D4E5BAFD2D5261AC1980A.ashx?la=en
Study Skills & Time management: You are responsible for your own success• Keep a planner – schedule everything• Keep your notes organized – learn a note taking
system• Sticky notes & highlighters very useful• “Thinking early leads to starting early.” – don’t put
off what you need to do• Break work down into small, achievable chunks• Have a quiet, organized place to study and turn-off
the social media• Know your study style – what works for you• Take breaks• Exercise and eat well (not too much coffee!)• Get help when you need it• Procrastination only pays off now!
The class Lectures are designed to provide you
with enough background to support your learning.
Instructors in college and university just touch on the highlights in class.
You are expected to learn from your reading, not just content but knowledge.
Exams will include questions on lecture material as well as material you were expected to learn on your own.
Ask a Librarian
Ask a Librarian!
Thank you!
This presentation was created byMartha Cameron, North Surrey Secondary
Maureen McDonough, Semiahmoo Secondary
This presentation is available online through the
North Surrey Library website, www.northsurreylibrary.com
Click on Student Toolkit, then Library Skills and Knowledge