1. TSEM 102: Current Issues in Education:
Living and Learning in a Digital Society
LAKSAMEE PUTNAM
LPUTNAM@TOWSON.EDU
RESEARCH & INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN

2. First…
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 Cook Library Reference:
 410.704.2462.
 IM/email
 Phone: 410.704.3746.
 Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
 Albert S. Cook facebook profile!

3. Welcome!
 Website introduction
 Resources in the library
 5 Floors!
 Research Process Overview
 General search strategy
 Brainstorming keywords

4. The Website
 http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/
 Hours
 Ask a Librarian
 Course/Subject Gateways
 Spotlight on … and other events

5. Resources in the library
 More than just books!
 Computers
 Printing
 Group Study
 Leisure Reading

6. Resources in The Library
 Student Computing Services
 Academic Achievement Center
 Copies Plus
 Starbucks
 And there are actually books here too…

7. 5 Floors
 1st Floor
 OTS
 Student Computing Lab
 Vending machines!
 2nd Floor
 Baltimore Hebrew Institute
 Periodicals
 Quiet Study
 Media Resources

8. 5 Floors
 3rd Floor
 Main Floor
 Reference and Circulation Desk
 Reference Collection
 Leisure Collection
 Group Study
 Classroom 317
 Copies Plus
 Exhibits! – Rosenthal miniatures

9. 5 Floors
 4th Floor
 Stacks N-Z
 5th Floor
 Stacks A-M
 Juvenile Collection
 Special Collection
 Classroom 526
 Academic Achievement Center

10. The Research Process
Interpreting the
Selecting a Assignment
Topic
Reading Identifying &
Background Listing
Refining a Information Vocabulary
Topic
Using Online
Databases
& Indexes
Evaluating Citing
Sources Gathering Sources
Sources
Drafting Paper or
Presentation

11. research skills ≠ needle in the haystack

12. Web “Pre-Searching”
 Why or why not start your search online?
 Respond here: http://bit.ly/TSEMonline2

13. Web “Pre-Searching”
 Why not start your search online?
 The Invisible Web
 http://goshen.libguides.com/beyond_googling
 Can you trust this information?
 TED video:
 Online filter bubble – Eli Pariser
 http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bub
bles.html

14. Web “Pre-Searching”
 Why start your search online?
 Find background information
 Help solidify research topic
 Find new terminology to use as keywords
 Find links and/or citations to other sources

15. Identify Subject Gateways for your topic…

16. Cook Library’s
Subject Gateways

17. … and other familiar tools to identify
websites with academic content.
Source: www.google.com.
Source: www.wikipedia.org.

18. Try new features to help build your keyword list
and search strategy.
Keep this in mind!
Any topic might include various facets that
you might want to explore and consider as
you clarify your topic at the beginning of the
research process.

19. Keywords are critical!
 Sample topic:
 What are some ways elementary teachers can assess whether a
certain technology solution is effective?
 First, break the question down into keywords:
 What are some ways elementary teachers can assess whether a
certain technology solution is effective?

20. More on keywords…
 Expand your list to include synonyms then add to it once
you have done some background reading.
 What are some ways elementary teachers can assess whether a certain
technology solution is effective?
teach* assess* technolog*
learn evaluat* comput*
strateg* test* [software name]
method gauge
instruct*

21. Search Terms and Keyword Reminders
 Keywords come from the search question
 Use Boolean “search connectors” to combine
keywords in ways that capture the results you need

22. Good searching starts with good keywords
Boolean “search connectors”
AND OR NOT
For example:
internet AND children
• Combining >1 topic
instruct OR teach
• Combining synonymous terms

23. Search Tip #1
 Use AND when you need to combine more than one
topic
innovation education
 Innovation AND education

24. Search Tip #2
 Use OR to combine synonymous terms (to get results
regardless of what term an author uses).
instruct teach
 Go here and post a few more!
http://bit.ly/TSEMteach2

25. Search Tip #3
 Use truncation!
 Educat* finds
 Educate
 Education
 Educating
 Educator
 Etc…

26. Search Tip #4
 Phrase Searching…
 Use quotations to keep a keyword phrase intact (words will be
searched in the specific order)
 Examples:
 “No Child Left Behind”
 “school reform”

27. Putting it all together…
 What are some ways elementary teachers can assess whether a
certain technology solution is effective?
teach* assess* technolog*
instruct* evaluate* comput*
method* test* [software name]
learn*
teach* OR instruct* OR method* OR learn*
AND
assess* OR evaluate* OR test*
AND
technolog* OR comput* OR kidspiration

28. Searching for academic content
 Articulate your topic by choosing important ideas
 Brainstorm
 Ideas  Concept Map  Terminology/Keywords
 Dig for the content
 EVALUATE!

29. Two worksheets
 Worksheet 1
 Basic library information
 Hand in at the reference desk before next Thursday
 Worksheet 2
 Come up with key words for you topic
 Find a good and bad web resource
 Bring back to class next Thursday

30. Next Thursday
 We will go over the answers to worksheet 1
 You will show your website examples and share your
keywords
 We will go over how to search the library for books
and articles

31. Questions?
 Feel free to contact me:
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 410.704.3746.
 Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
 Or any reference librarian:
 Visit Cook Library Reference Desk
 410.704.2462.
 IM – tucookchat