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MI512 Information Literacy Tools for Research – Lent 2011
Class 2 Going beyond Google
Assuming 10 past start
Introduction slide 2 - 1 minute CW
Aims: Find and evaluate materials on the internet to select material appropriate for doctoral
level research including:
 Being familiar with the advanced search features of Search Engines (such as
Google) and other tools for finding specific types of content on the internet.
 Being able to provide examples of types of content that search engines cannot find
 Understand the value of subject gateways for locating high quality resources
1)Literature searching: How did you get on? Refresher on last week’s session
slide 3
 Which databases did you use?
 Did you have any problems?
 Check that all have an EndNote Library set up
 Thanks for completing questionnaire
4mins
2) Introduction to session 2: quality and the internet – issues slide 4
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Hands up anyone who DOESN’T use Google – every week / every day?! We ALL use it
Finding very easy – but how do you assess quality?
3 mins
WTO example and others
15 minutes including exercise time & feedback (20 mins if lots of feedback)
Exercise 1 Links in Moodle to look at the 3 WTO sites-with links set up already
Ask students to look at all 3 sites and discuss with each other which you think is the
real site.
o How can you tell?
o What sort of things do you look for or what can you see that sets off alarm
bells?
o Brief discussion then feedback to class.
Generate discussion on quality control
Use whois.net to show how you can check who owns the domain but also how easy it can
be to get a URL e.g. a URL with ‘lse library’ in the name
Use these to lead discussion on how to assess quality, using slide as back up slide 5
Show article on how Canadian MP was fooled by Yes Men hoax WTO site.
All stuff to bear in mind when reviewing resources we’ll find today.
3) Google: how it works, how to get the best out of it
slide 6- 7
5mins
 OK now we know what not to look for, we’ll get on with some searching
 Quick summary of how Google works – links also on Moodle to relevant sections slide 8
 Talk about advanced searching – limits etc
 Then slide 9
3a & b) Google Scholar and Google Books
5 mins
 Overview of Google Scholar and the types of materials you will and won’t find slide 9
 then slide 10 reminder of off campus access
 Searching Google books overview slide 11
Class activities
15 mins
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Using the advanced search screen in comparison to the basic search to reduce the number
of hits Exercise 2
Searching Google Scholar in comparison to regular Google Exercise 3
Searching Google books hands on Exercise 4
5) iGoogle and Google Alerts
5 mins
 Stop and get class to look at screen
 Overview of what iGoogle is and why it might be useful slide 12-13
 Show own i-Google
 Google alerts to email. Limits/tips Don’t mention RSS feeds here – we will be looking at
alerts more thoroughly in class 6
 Exercise-how to set up an iGoogle account Exercise 5
 Exercise setting a Google alert – problems with this(reinstated from Keeping up to Date)
Exercise 6 slide 14. 15 minutes for both exercises
 Might find it easier to do alerts first then i-google
6) Other search engines
 Don’t want Google to take over the world?
 Stop and get class to look at screen
 Overview of other search engines slide15
 Show U Berkley comparison site
 Zuula comparison
 Bing – Rupert Murdoch & news
5 mins
6a) Delicious
slide 17
3 mins
 Extra resource to find quality resources
 Use subject tags
 Importance of record keeping
 delicious demonstrates how you could organise your refs
(mention of CLT classes BUT DO NOT do exercise in creating own delicious page in MI512 class –
this will be an optional exercise at the end of class 4)
Class activities
 Exercise 8 Access Library free resources page and search delicious sites
15 mins
10) Wrap up CW slide 18 Next week slide 19
3 mins
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Stop and get class to look at screen
What to use Google for and what not to use Google for
Further questions
All links available in Moodle – why not post to the forum
What’s happening next week – including more resources for finding quality research papers
on the internet
 Reminder of contact details
If anyone is interested in images then use slides 20-22 as a prompt
For the session we will need:
Handouts of slides for tutors
Exercise handouts?
Spare pens
After the session
Check how tasks are going
Add tasks for next week
Release next week’s class
Review any feedback taken during the
session e.g. revise timings