Information Literacy, Search Strategies & Catalog Instruction Frederic Murray Assistant Professor MLIS, University of British Columbia BA, Political Science, University of Iowa Instructional Services Librarian Al Harris Library frederic.murray@swosu.edu Information Literacy • It is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. Library Instruction in the Information Age • A single current newspaper contains more written and visual information than the average person in the 18th Century was likely to come across in their entire lifetime. There are many areas of literacy that all add up to Information Literacy: Cultural, Visual, Media, Network, Computer, Traditional Alphabetic Literacy, and Library Instruction. Did You Know…. Educational Goals for 21st Century 1. Teach Students to be self-directed & understand how to organize more & more of their own learning. 2. Teach our students the importance of global communication. 3. Teach our students to deal with massive amounts of information. Library Instruction in the Information Age • Varied Types & Sources of Information • Critical evaluation is more important than ever • Construct Your Search Catalogs, Databases, & Search Engines • A comprehensive list of the books, periodicals, maps, and other materials in a given collection. • A large, regularly updated file of digitized information related to a specific subject or field. • Computer software designed to help the user locate information available at sites on the World Wide Web by selecting categories from a hierarchical directory of subjects (example: Yahoo!) or by entering appropriate keywords or phrases (Google). Search Techniques • Keyword • Basic Boolean Identifying Keywords • Identify the significant terms and concepts that describe your topic from your thesis statement or research question. • These terms will become the key for searching catalogs, databases and search engines for information about your subject. Thesis Statement Advances in digital communication have made online social networks an integral part of daily life. Thesis Statement Advances in digital communication have made online social networks an integral part of daily life. How do I pick the right keywords? • Here is an example of a visual word search tool: – Visuwords – Use Subject Headings – Use the suggestions made in the databases – Use keywords provided by abstracts Keyword Phrases • Single concept, multiple words • Some electronic resources require keyword phrases be enclosed with punctuation – Quotation marks – SWOSU Catalog – Parenthesis Thesis Statement Advances in digital communication have made online social networks an integral part of daily life. Boolean • AND = Narrow • OR = Expand • NOT = Exclude Boolean Operators • Connect keywords only • Must be placed between keywords • AND – Narrows your search • OR – Expands your search with synonymous terms • NOT – Excludes words from your search – If used too much, it can work against you! Class Exercise • Keyword Building Exercise Topic: Global Warming • Thesaurus.com • Visuwords Global Warming Policy Science Business Environment Global Atmosphere Antarctica Warming Ozone Catalog: Finding books • Relevance • Keyword searching with Boolean operators • Limiters/Filters • Subject searching (hyperlinks) SWOSU Catalog Dewey • All of human knowledge is broken into Ten Major Categories Open WorldCat E-Books: Ebrary/Netbook • • • • • • 24/7 Full Text Searching* Highlight Markup Note Taking Changeable Font Size Online Bookshelf • Multiplicity of Use Exercise • Catalog worksheet – SWOSU – WorldCat – Ebrary Questions? • Contact me: – Frederic Murray • 774-7113 • frederic.murray@swosu.edu Thanks!