Library Skills Tutorial

Grand Valley State University
http://www.gvsu.edu/library/webtutor/title&tc.htm

Narrative || Tutorial Contents || Checklist



Narrative

This is an excellently organized, thoroughly comprehensive presentation of important concepts, beginning at the most elementary level. The repeated message to "ask a reference librarian" is especially valuable, as is the detailed coverage of periodical resources and database searching.

Although the content is excellent, the weakness here lies in the presentation. Pages are long, and the graphic effects are little more than colorful text with links, although the floor plans of the library are effective. There is some interactivity in quizzes and a library Research Profile to be filled out at the end; however this is not consistent, nor extensive enough.

A combination of this content with advanced technological features, shorter pages and engaging graphics would make an impressive tutorial.


Tutorial Contents

Module 1
Getting Started
Module 2
How is a library arranged?
Module 3
Start with Reference Materials
  • Understanding the assignment
  • Decide what keywords apply to your topic
  • Identify what types of information you need to understand and write about your topic
  • Locate the materials you need to take notes on your topic
  • Remember to make a correct citation for each source
  • Remember to record your findings in your own words and avoid plagiarism
  • evaluate your sources
  • Service areas and material storage areas
  • How are materials arranged within the library?
    Books and Journals
    Dewey and Library of Congress Systems
    Government Documents
    ERIC Documents
  • What is the Reference Area in the library?
  • What kinds of materials will I use in the Reference Collection?
  • Selected reference sources
  • Module 4
    Database Searching
    Module 5
    Finding Periodical Articles
    Module 6
    Government Documents
  • What is a database?
  • What do you want from a database?
        References
       Full Text
        Full Images
       Pictures
        Other
  • Deciding what database to use
  • Structuring your database search
       Title screen, keyword searching, narrowing your search, using AND, NOT, NEAR, quotation marks, refining, refining in Alta Vista, broadening your search, using OR, broadening with truncation, relevancy, etc.
  • Voyager - local catalog to find a book, journal title, government document, video, etc. that GVSU library owns
  • Other databases 'FirstSearch' 'ProQuest'
  • Searching the World Wide Web
       Elements of a Web page
       Using search engines
       How to choose a Search Engine
        What should I look for on a web page
       Authority and the WWW
       Internet resources evaluation checklist
  • What is a periodical?
  • What is the difference between a magazine and a journal?
  • What kind of information do I need?
  • How do I find a periodical article?
  • How can I tell if the library owns the periodical?
  • How do I locate the periodical in the library?
  • How do I get a periodical the library doesn't own?
  • What information do I need for a citation
  • How do I read a citation
  • Interactive test on Government Documents
  • Module 7
    Evaluating Sources
    Module 8
    Citing Sources
    Indexes
  • Currency
  • Authority
  • Scholarliness
  • Plagiarism
  • Links to APA, MLA and Turabian styles
  • I Glossary
  • II Selected Reference Sources
  • III Research Profile (by student)
  • Resources for writing in the Disciplines
  • V Incorporating Information Literacy: examples for Instructors



  • Checklist

    Research
    Understanding information needed Yes
    Narrowing research topic Yes, good
    Database definition Yes, excellent
    Catalog Searching Yes, excellent
    Article Searching Yes, excellent
    Keyword searching Yes, good
    Boolean searching Yes, excellent
    Controlled vocabulary Yes
    Primary vs. Secondary Resources No
    Scholarly vs. Popular Materials Yes, excellent
    Peer Review Yes
    Evaluating Sources yes, good
    Locating Materials Yes, excellent
    Organization of Library Materials Yes, excellent
    LC Call Number System Yes, excellent
    Citing Sources Yes, excellent
    Plagiarism Yes, excellent
    Reference Resources Yes, excellent
    How to get Reference Help Yes, excellent
    Web Searching
    Understanding the Internet/Web (what it does and doesn't do) Yes
    Search Engines vs. Subject Directories Yes
    Evaluating Internet Resources Yes
    Web search operators (+/-) No
    Web vs. other resources (content) Yes, weak
    Look
    Wordy vs. Terse Too wordy
    Use of Graphics Yes, weak
    Interactivity
    Passive vs. Active User Too passive - some practice and quizzes.
    Ongoing Testing/Quiz Some
    Navigation
    Clear vs. Confusing Clear
    Technology
    Minimum Browser Requirements ?
    Sound Card No
    Java ?
    Shockwave No
    Assessment
    Pre-test No
    Post-test Yes
    Users Registered No
    Feedback
    Ongoing vs. At the end Both, but not enough
    Printable Certificate No
    Credits
    In-house vs. licensed code This appears to have been don in-house with links to Internet and specific library sites. The tutorial does not contain a credits page nor a description of how it was done. The Information Literacy Coordinator of the library is listed as Kim Ranger, rangerk@gvsu.edu. The "Structuring your Database Search" section has an author listed as Kathryn Waggoner.


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