2. In this workshop we will look at..
• What we do
• What we have
• Why we have them
• Searching for info…top tips
• Good info….bad info
• Reading lists
5. Evaluating information
Imagine you are writing an essay on Robots
Have a look at the 4 items that you have been given and
consider the following:
• Which item is the most relevant to your essay?
• Which item would be no use?
• Which item has the most academic authority?
• Are any of the items biased?
• Which item is the most current?
11. Keeping in touch
• Librarian Blog http://satlibrarian.blogspot.com
• Librarian Twitter http://twitter.com/SATlibrarian
• LR Facebook Learning Resources Middlesex University
• LR Twitter http://twitter.com/LRMDX
13. Need further help?
Your Librarians are :
Adam Edwards a.edwards@mdx.ac.uk
Vanessa Hill v.hill@mdx.ac.uk
Ask a Librarian http://askalibrarian.mdx.ac.uk/
Notas do Editor
WelcomeIntroductionsKate has invited us to come here and give you some tips on how to search for relevant/quality infoThought we would also take the opportunity to introduce you to some of the types of information available in the library that you might not have been aware of
Investigating the range of resources available from LR and why we have themDifferentiating between resources and their usesUnderstanding the value of resources in an academic contextBasic search principlesSearching for info….our top tip…..getting your keywords in orderGood info…..bad info….How to evaluate informationFinding your reading lists online
Divide class into groupsEach group has been given some resourcesAsk students to look at their resources and think about why we have them, and how they could use them (10 mins).
The items we have shown you come from Hendon and mostly located in the Materials RoomOpen M-F 12-2You will have a chance to see the Materials Room at our next workshop in November.
We’ve looked at the fun resources, now we’re going to look at more traditional resources……Divide class into group and handout worksheet and 4x items.Discuss. No right or wrong answers. All items found by doing a search on Robots.Which item is most relevant:Journal Article: specialist journal of robots and roboticsBook: broad overview of robots and robotologyWhich item would be no use:Newspaper Article from the SunWebsite (fake)Which item has the most academic authority:Journal Article: peer-reviewed, citations and ref list, biography of authors, etcBook: author has some academic authority (back cover blurb)Are any of the items bias:Newspaper article could be depending on the subjectWebsites can also show bias if created for specific purposeAlso be aware of trade journals that have advertsWhich item is the most current:Journal article: Dec 2009Book: 1984Newspaper article: Nov 2004Website: Oct 2011Would need to continue search.
Authority : Who is the author? What is their knowledge base/qualifications? How have they carried out their research? Relevance : Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the right level?Intent : What is the purpose of information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, academic etc?Objectivity : Balanced view? Opposing views represented? Links to supporting information?Currency: How old is this information? When was it last updated and by whom?
Many of our resources are electronic, so need to search for them on DBs. Therefore need to think about keywords….same if using Google.In groups how many words can you come up with in 5 mins:What can you see in the picture…fruitIf type ‘fruit’ into database will get millions of hits, how can you break it down ie. search for something more specific to get more manageable resultsCan you be more specific ie. Type of fruit: apples, oranges, bananas etcLocation: Stall, market, outdoor market, fruit market, BritainDetail: boxes, signs, astroturf, prices, colour of fruit, lights, pound £ signs, special offer etcPeople in background: old, young, male, female > stall holder, customers, browsers etcThink of related subjects eg. retail, commercial, financial, point-of-saleShopping, shops, fish/meat/clothes market, shopping centres, high streetTown, city, centre, British townNutrition: vits and minsAlso: Orange or Blackberry: fruit NOT telephoneApple: fruit NOT computerThinking beyond the obvious, looking for the detail that might make a difference.
Explain to students how to access our resources:Go to UniHub > Login in to MyUniHub > My Study > My LibraryProvides access to our Library catalogue, Summon, Journal Databases etcThis is new to you. No longer need to log in to Athens. Seamless access to our e-resources if you log in to myUniHub.We’ll cover searching when we see you in February.
VHLibguides bring together all the resources for your subject area.
Introduce reading listsLinks from Library and IT website, Library Subject Guides and also MyLearning
Hands on exploration of our collections(Nov): exercise to find inspiration from our resources for a mini-project and a chance to look round the librarySearching for Information (Feb next year): Using our e-resources to find information for your projects
