Welcome to the Hekman Library Research Assistance Page

for English 101i (Written Rhetoric). Spring 2007

. . . .   . . ... .

The instructor for this course is Dr. Linda Naranjo-Huebl.

Lugene Schemper is the librarian assigned to the course.
Be sure to contact him for help with digital and print research help.
His regular hours at the research assistance desk in the library are:

• Monday 3:00-5:00pm
• Wednesday 10:30am - 12:30pm
• Thursday 8:30am - 10:30am

He's also available by phone, email, or in person in his office on the 4th floor of Hekman Library (see below).

Brief Overview of the Library:

This page is intended to give you a quick overview of the library's collections and services. Most of what's here is found on the library home page:

http://library.calvin.edu

You should learn to use the library home page as your primary library entry point.

You can learn more about using the library from the resources listed on the Research @ Hekman web page.

Library Layout and Contents:

• Four floors - Maps of the floors and collections (Note that the first library floor is the "2nd floor"; the 4th library floor is the "5th floor.")
• 1.7 Million items - books, journals, government documents, microforms, or videos. .
• Items are stored not only in the library itself, but also in the certain "Special Collections": the Meeter Center, the Curriculum Center, the Cayvan Area, the Children's Literature collection, the Science Building, the Rare Book Rooms, Heritage Hall.

Library Organization:

• Most of the library's collections are classified according to the Library of Congress classification system. This is a subject arrangement, so books on the same topic will be shelved next to each other. Here's a brief outline of the basic system.
• Bound journals are given call numbers and are shelved along with the books, but they do not check out.
• Reference books are shelved on the main floor (second floor), although theological reference books are shelved on fourth floor.
• Two libraries: Physical and Digital

Finding Library Items:

• WebCat - the primary database that has records for all print and digital items owned by the library. Records are searchable by keyword, author, title, subject, and other specific fields. WebCat contains records for journal titles - not article titles.
• Research Databases - contain primarily records for journal articles. Use Research Databases to identify articles you want to read, and then use WebCat to see if Hekman Library has a print copy or has digital access to the journal.
• Browse the shelves, the new book areas, the current journals.
• Librarians staff the Research Assistance Desk and are available to help you find materials in the library.

Using WebCat - The Library Catalog

is the library's online catalog and it contains records for all items owned or accessed by the library.

Records in WebCat can be searched by author, title, subject, and various other fields.

Some records in WebCat contain links to full-text (online books, government documents, etc.).

Remember that WebCat does not include records for articles in journals - you will need to use the Research Databases to find articles. However WebCat will contain records for the journal titles, and WebCat will also let you know if the lbirary has full-text access to a journal.

Finding Journal Articles:

• First select a database - some are multidisciplinary; others are discipline-specific.
• Think about keywords that describe your subject; start with a keyword search but be sure to look at the subject headings (or descriptors) used by the database. Using these terms in the subject or descriptor field will make your search more specific.
• Once you have located the articles you want to see (and you should always choose many more than you think you will need), use WebCat to see if our library owns the journal. The easiest way to find journal titles in WebCat is to enter the title information in the search box, and then select "Browse" and "Periodical Title." Some databases allow you to link to WebCat from the record for the article. The Hekman Library will either own the journal in paper format, or access it in an online format, or not own the journal at all. In the latter case you can request the article via InterLibrary Loan, but allow sufficient time (about a week). Start your research early!
• Be aware of the difference between magazines and scholarly journals - you will be using many more scholarly sources in college-level research.

A Few Important Library Specialized Services:

• InterLibrary Loan borrow materials from other libraries for the use of our students and faculty.
• Ask a Librarian is an online email reference service.

A Few Time-Saving Tips:

• Remember the difference between WebCat and the Research Databases. Use WebCat to find books and journal TITLES; use the Research Databases to find journal ARTICLES.
• The term "online" can mean the free web as searched by search engines, but it can also mean: full-text articles found using the library's research databases; or full-text government publications or e-books found using WebCat.
• Keyword searching is a good way to start searching a database, but if you use actual subject or descriptor terms, your searches will be more precise.
• Be prepared to use sources that are not full-text.
• Start your research early to allow time for revision, evaluation, and the possible need to interlibrary loan books or articles (average five-day waiting time depending on proximity of materials).
• Make an appointment with me if you would like some suggestions for doing your research more efficiently.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a handy tool if you use it properly. It is great for information on very current issues, popular culture and media resources, and for getting current bibliography on such topics. It can be useful for gaining background knowledge on a topic about which you know very little. But one should be cautious in using it.

The great strength of Wikipedia is also its great weakness: anyone can add information This video segment originally aired on the Comedy Central television program "The Colbert Report" July 31, 2006. It illustrates in an entertaining way, for better or for worse, how Wikipedia is used. Use the Mozilla Firefox browser to watch the clip:
"Wikiality" Quicktime video

• use Wikipedia to gain access to other resources on your topic.
  
• avoid using Wikipedia information to make important points in a research paper.
• when in doubt, check out the "History" tab on the article you are reading.
  
• Read the Wikipedia Disclaimer, and proceed with caution.

Using Google - Better Searches; Better Results:

Here are some modifiers to type in your Google search box to refine yoru searches-

" " Exact Phrase

• What it does: Searches for an exact phrase.
• e.g., "one small step for a man"
  
  

- Excluded Words

• What it does: Excludes search results with a particular word or phrase.
• e.g., Calvin -Klein
  
  

~ Similar Words

• What it does: searches for a word and all its synonyms.
• e.g., Yosemite ~trails
  
  

site: - Site Specific

• What it does: Searches only Web sites in particular domains.
• e.g., travel vietnam site: edu
  
  

link: - Linked Pages.

• What it does: Searches for Web pages that link to a particular Web site.
• e.g., link:library.calvin.edu

You can also use Google's Advanced Search .

Try other Web search engines and compare their results with Google. Dogpile combines multiple search engines into one set of combined results. Web Directories like lii.org (Librarians Index to the Internet) provide access to great websites perfect for research. Wikipedia is handy to find background information on a wide range of topics but it can be edited by anyone and frequently is.

Check out:
Dogpile

The point is don't rely on one research tool to do all your work. Try a number of them, print and digital to pull together the best set of resources for the job.