Patrick Henry Community College
Connect for Success
What is Connect for Success?
CONNECT For Success is a set of Web-based instructional modules designed by the Carrier Library reference staff at James Madison University and adapted by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS)
Library Automation Advisory Committee. The goal of CONNECT For Success is to introduce students to the services and collections in their college library and to teach students basic information-seeking
skills.
The VCCS Core Competencies Initiative requires students to meet objectives relating to information-seeking and technology skills and includes the following skills:
• The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
• The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
• The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
• The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
• (Developed primarily from the American Library Association Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education)
What do the modules cover?
Module 1— Orientation to the Libraries
• Reference
• Interlibrary Loan
• Periodicals
• Government Documents
• Media Resources
• Circulation
Module 2 — An Introduction to the Information World
• Describe how information is organized in libraries
• Given a need for a particular type of information (i.e. overview, research report, news), identify an appropriate type of source (i.e. encyclopedia, scholarly journal, newspaper)
• Interpret a bibliographic citation
• Characterize the quality of information found on the Internet vs. in libraries
Module 3 — Searching an Electronic Database
• Define the terms database, record, and field
• Define three types of information databases: bibliographic, full-text, numeric
• Determine the subject scope and years of coverage of a given database
• Identify the main concepts of a research topic and generate a list of search terms
• Build a search strategy using Boolean operators
• Compare and contrast a free text search with a controlled terminology search
• Define truncation, nesting, field-specific searching, and phrase searching

Module 4 — Finding Information Resources
• Use VCCSLinc to locate materials held by the Library (including books, nonprint media, and government documents)
• Find relevant background information on a topic
• Locate and effectively use the following types of information o
Periodical articles o
News sources o
Biographical information o
Primary sources o
Critical reviews o
Government information o
Statistical information
Module 5 — Using Internet Sources
• Locate a specific web site given a URL
• Conduct an Internet search on a given topic
• Compare and contrast a database search with an Internet search
Module 6 — Evaluating Sources of Information
• Authority of the author or producer
• Appropriateness of the date of publication
• Supporting documentation
• Purpose of the work
• Review process
Module 7 — Information Ethics: Citing Sources and Fair Use
• Identify the bibliographic elements essential for properly citing an information source
• Define plagiarism
• Apply appropriate ethical guidelines to the use and citing of information
Module 8 — A Search Strategy for Research Papers and Speeches
• Choosing a topic and identifying its main concepts
• Narrowing the focus of the topic
• Identifying reference books, indexes, and Internet sites appropriate for researching the topic
• Using a variety of sources
• Evaluating the sources found for appropriateness and quality
PHCC students can access Connect to Success directly off of the Lester Library Webpage