Mary E. Brown, Ph.D., Professor
Information Science

Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515

Department of Information and Library Science
Fax: 1.203.392-5780 / Phone: 1.203.392-5781
Toll Free: 1-888-500-SCSU, then press 4

NOTE: Please print a copy of this page and keep it nearby for ready reference.

WEEK 2 READING ASSIGNMENT

LECTURE: Read the lecture notes below (then take a quiz on the material).

READINGS IN TEXT: Read chapters 3 and 4 (pp 51-91)) in List-Handley (then take a quiz on the material)

OTHER READINGS: Read page 19 of the following:

• Pursuing Excellence, Fostering Leadership, Empowering Communities: A Strategic Plan for Southern Connecticut State University

This week you will look for dictionaries specific to your subject area. In your Guide you will give an overview of what kind of information is available in these resources and list specific sources and their call numbers (if in print) or URL (if on the Web); where appropriate, give notes on coverage of and how to use each resource.

This week you are also to identify and examine encyclopedias in your area of study. Give an overview of what kind of information is available in these resources and list specific sources and their call numbers (if in print) or URL (if on the Web); where appropriate, give notes on coverage of and how to use each resource.

This week you are also to identify and examine indexes in your area of study. Give an overview of what kind of information is available in these resources and list specific sources and their call numbers (if in print) or URL (if on the Web); where appropriate, give notes on coverage of and how to use each resource.

Resource Guide

A Resource Guide is a tool to help individuals identify resources in a certain area. A Resource Guide will explain the types of resources that would be useful for that subject or topic, where to find them, and how to use them. It would also give examples of specific resources, such as books or journal articles.

A Resource Guide would include a variety of different kinds of resources: books, journals, databases, Websites, people. A Resource Guide can be printed on paper or developed as a Webpage with direct links to certain electronic sources.

During the rest of this term, you are to create a Resource Guide to your major or primary minor area of academic study. The Resource Guide will help you and other students identify resources in a broad area of study and list specific tools and sources in a given library (such as Buley Library) that may help locate books, journals, newspaper articles, and other resources for research in this area.

Here is an example of what you will be adding to your Resource Guide this week: Be sure to find at least one print and at least one online item for each kind of resource. Be sure to include the URL for online items.

Each week you will complete a section of the Resource Guide. By the end of the term, you should have a very useful, and impressive, product.

WEEK 2 WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

This week you will repeat the Big Six process to write a short (2-3 page) paper on :The relevance of Excellence in personal pursuits, Access to opportunities, Understanding and appreciation of diversity, Personal success, Life-long learning, and Community involvement in shaping a responsible, healthy and contented citizen:. For ideas about these topics look at Southern's strategic plan on the website. When writing your paper try to focus on writing with (1) No excess words; rather, write with nouns and verbs and (2) No long, confusing sentences; no groups of short, monotonous sentences. The following schedule is offered to help you manage your time and the work:

Day 1

1. Select a topic. Define the topic by rewriting it as a question.
2. List the information you will need to find.
3. List possible information sources.
4. Select the best sources.

Day 2

1. Locate the selected sources, including through finding appropriate subject headings.
2. Find information within each source.
3. Engage information in the source.
4. Extract inforamation from the multiple sources, using a graphic organizer.

Day 3

1. Organize the information from the various sources into a logical sequence, perhaps following an outline format.
2. Write a draft linking the various pieces of information into a coherent telling.
3. Revise the draft for a better telling/reading.

Day 4

1. Evaluate the paper. [How effective was your work?]
2. Evaluate the research process. [How efficient was your research activity?]

Day 5

1. Be sure you have included a Bibliography or List of References, giving the sources you used.
2. Paste your final draft into the threaded discussion area of this week.

WEEK 2 LECTURE

Reference and Information Sources

Reference, from the verb refer, means to turn to for aid or information. A reference, therefore, can be a person or a thing (such as a book or journal or database). A library, then, is a reference collection because it is selected, organized, and arranged to facilitate finding information.

The Reference section of the library is often touted as "one of the most useful collections in any library." In the Reference section you will find resources that contain information: encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, handbooks, manuals; and resources that tell you where information can be found: indexes and bibliographies.

When you visit the Reference section of the library, ask at the Reference Desk to find out if there is a Ready Reference section of frequently used reference books that are stored near the Reference Desk. If so, look at the resources that comprise the Ready Reference collection.

Also check to see if the library has a Reserve section where materials are held that circulate for a limited time (such as for an hour or overnight). Learn how to determine if a sources you cannot find might be held on reserve.

How to choose a reference source

Before heading to the library, rewrite in question form the topic about which you wish to find information. For example, If need to write a paper on pets. After careful consideration I rewrite the topic as How are pets used to assist people with ailments, disabilities, disease, and disorders? Then ask yourself:

• What kind of information is needed to answer the questions? (definition, statistics, explanation, brief summary)
• In what subject area does the question belong? (a single field or in several fields)
• What factors affect the question? (date, location, economic conditions, historical events)
• What kind of reference source is needed? (dictionary, encyclopedia, yearbook, atlas, several reference sources)

How to evaluate the usefulness of a reference source

The usefulness of a reference source for a particular purpose may be determined by answering these basic questions:

• Are those who produced the subject matter specialists in their fields as indicated by the ac academic or other positions they hold?
• Is the usefulness of the subject matter affected by time, and if so, is this source out of date?
• Is it arranged for quick and easy use, with adequate index and cross-references?
• Does it provide text alone, or does it include useful illustrative material as well?
• How is the material treated (simple, technical, scholarly)?
• Is there any indication of bias in the treatment of the material?
• Does the source provide bibliographies, and are they up to date?
• Is the print clear and legible?

Dictionaries

All dictionaries are not the same. They can differ in the range of words they define and in the kinds of information they give about each word. Two main types of dictionaries are Dictionaries for general use and Dictionaires for special use.

Examples of Dictionaries for general use are:

• Defining dictionaires: a general purpose dictionary that excludes proper names, obsolete and dialetal words and only touches on slang and abbreviations.
• Encyclopedic dictionaries: includes entries for famous people and institutions and also important places; it defines terms in the arts and sciences and contains illustrations.
• Dictionaries of abbreviations: contains abbreviations and acronyms (a 'word,' such as 'NATO,' formed from the initial letters of other words).

Examples of Dictionaries for special use are:

• Learners' dictionaries: developed for foreign students of the language.
• Historical dictionaries: includes how words have been used since they entered the langage and may give examples.The Oxford English Dictionary is an exampe of an historical dictionary.
• Slang dictionaries: contains jargon and phrases peculiar to certain occupations or groups or regions.
• Dialect dictionaries: generally deal with the dialects of paricular regions.
• Subject dictionaries: contains terms used in particular trades and professions (for example, The Librarian's Glossary and Reference Book by Ray Prytherch). [NOTE: Be sure to locate any subject dictionaries in your major area of study and add these to your Resource Guide.]
• Glossaries: a dictionary of words not part of present-day standard vocabulary.
• Dictionaries of synonyms: gives terms of the same general meaning; generally coupled with antonyms (a term opposite in meaning).
• Thesauri: a classification of words and phrases of similar meaning intended to help writers find the word or words eith the exact shade of meaning they want for a particular composition. [NOTE: the terms used to classify books and other library materials can be found in thesauri -- they are intended to help the seeker locate the best terms for entering into online or print catalogs when looking for books, articles, etc.]

A very small sample of dictionaries available online:

• Oxford English Dictionary
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• Dictionary of American Regional English
• A Dictionary of Slang
• Rhyming Dictionary

Even the same kinds of dictionaries differ considerably in portability, durability, legibility, understandability, and finding aids. It is important to explore a number of different dictionaries and find the one that is best suited to you for your current needs. An individual's need in dictionaries changes over time. If you are using the same dictionary you had at the beginning of high school, it might be time to start shopping for a new one.

Dictionaries of quotation and concordances

A dictionary of quotations are collections of striking observations from many sources. They identify the authors of the quotations and some also give the location. Dictionaries of quotations vary in scope and arrangement. Some arrange quotation alphabetically by authors, some chronologically by author, and others alphabetically by subject.

A concordance is defined as an alphabetical arrangement of the principal words contained in a book, with citations of the passages in which they occur. Most concordances, however, are an index to the writings of individual authors of classic works.

Encyclopedias

'Encyclopedia' derives from a Greek word meaning 'a complete circle of learning.' The purpose or function of an encyclopedia is to synthesize existing knowledge in a form that can be retrieved easily. 'Encyclopedias' go under a variety of names, including 'encyclopedcia,' 'dictionary' (usually small-scale subject encyclopedias), 'companion,' and even 'yearbook.'

An encyclopedia is a good starting place when you need to write a paper on something that you know little about. An entry about the subject in an encyclopedia while give you a broad understanding of the subject as well as a sense of the vocabulary that is used to talk about that subject. It is a good idea to make a working 'glossary' of the new terms and look up their meaning in a general or subject dictionary. The special language and names of people in the entry may prove excellent clues to subject headings that can be used to find books and articles on the subject or some aspect of it.

Generally, it is not a good idea to use an encyclopedia as a primary information resource. Rather, use it as a mini-course in the subject and then find books and articles, using the vocabulary found in the encyclopedia, to gain the information you will use in your paper. You may want to return to encyclopedias from time to time to help put new information found in books and articles in context.

A few encyclopedias available online:

• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Encarta
• Funk & Wagnalls

Indexes

Indexes are a tool for bibliographic control of sources such as contributions to periodicals, periodicals themselves, newspapers, book chapters, and conference proceedings.

Most items on an established subject will appear in the periodicals, books, and proceedings expressly devoted to it. But not always. Valuable articles on a subject can turn up in very unexpected places. Indexes help you turn up those unexpected places.

It is important to know the subject indexes for your field (such as Current Technology Index) as well as citation indexes (such as the Social Science Citation Index), and abstracts (such as Psychological Abstracts).

If your college or university does not have access to Citation Indexes, it is generally worth your time and effort, especially if you are writing a major paper such as an Honors Thesis, to find a college or university that does and will let you use them (and show you how to use the various volumes).

A few online indexes (be sure to explore these):

• Librarians' Index to the Internet
• Population Index

WEEK 2 QUIZ

Test what you learned from this week's reading.

There is a short 15 question quiz covering each of the assigned readings for this week (lecture, chapter 3, chapter 4). Take a maximum of 30 minutes for each quiz. Some questions require you to apply what is learned from the readings. Other questions ask you to recall specific material. After you have taken the quiz, go back and check your answers in the text.

WEEK 2 JOURNAL ENTRY

In the appropriate threaded discussion, write a narrative describing what you have gained from this course so far, your feelings toward this mode of instruction, and problems you may have encountered--including any solutions you may have already found. Be sure to mark the entry with the title "REFLECTIONS AT THE QUARTER -- date".