Navigating Sterling,
Other OPACs, and
Internet Search Engines
Presentation Outline
Objectives of this Module
• To demonstrate how library resources can
be used to update a course syllabus.
• To review efficient search techniques for
searching library catalogs, and search
engines.
Method
• A representative syllabus from a course in
the School of Communications has been
chosen to illustrate the objectives of this
module.
• Name of the Course: Survey of
Communication Research
Course Objectives
• Identify major research traditions and
trends in the field of communications.
• Define basic concepts and theories of
social science research.
• Plan, design, and conduct a research
project or investigation.
The Research Project
• Find information on “How did journalists
and the news media influence
perceptions of race in the coverage of
the Hurricane Katrina disaster?”
Tips for Searching
• Keyword searching: review Boolean
searching at this Web site:
http://www.lib.jmu.edu/gold/boolean.htm
Researching a Topic
• Jot down keywords from the research topic:
“How did journalists and the news media
influence perceptions of race in the coverage of
the Hurricane Katrina disaster?”
• Formulate search statements.
• Examples:
• Hurricane katrina
• hurricane katrina and (media or journalism or
journalists) and (racism or race)
• Hurricane katrina and (racism or race)
• Hurricane katrina and african americans
Searching Sterling, the online
catalog
• Log on to the library home page:
www.howard.edu/library
• Click on Sterling to begin.
• Search by keyword for Hurricane Katrina.
Searching Other OPACs
and Books in Print
• WorldCat
• ALADIN
• A selected CIRLA library: University of
Maryland
• Books in Print (BIP)
Logging on to Other OPACs
and Databases
• Log on to the library home page:
www.howard.edu/library
• Click on Other Catalogs.
• Click on the desired link.
• Type your search statement.
Searching Books in Print (BIP)
• You may search for books that are in print,
out of print, and forthcoming in various
formats: book, audio, or video.
• You may also search by keyword, author,
title, or ISBN number.
• Begin by logging on to the library home
page: www.howard.edu/library
• Click on Other Catalogs.
• Scroll down and click on Books in Print.
Logging onto WorldCat
• Log on to the library home page:
www.howard.edu/library
• Click on Research Assistance.
• Under the heading Services for Faculty &
Teaching Associates, click on Resources for
Teaching and Research
• Under the heading Tools for Identifying or
Accessing information, click on First Search
Databases.
• Change the database from Dissertations to
WorldCat.
What is WorldCat?
• WorldCat is a union catalog created and
maintained collectively by member
institutions from more than 80 countries
worldwide. The database contains
millions of online records from the
contributing libraries.
• Records typically have library holdings
information attached. Users can quickly
evaluate relevance, decide if it's the
correct resource and see where they can
access it.
A WorldCat Sample Search
• Search by keyword hurricane katrina and
racism.
• Which libraries worldwide own the book After the
Storm by David Dante Troutt?
ALADIN
• What is ALADIN?
• ALADIN (Access to Library and Database
Information Network) is the shared union
catalog for the eight member universities
in the Washington, D.C. area. It has been
in operation since 1980.
• The members include American, Catholic,
George Mason, George Washington,
Georgetown, Marymount, and U.D.C.
A Sample ALADIN Search
• Begin by logging on to the library home page:
www.howard.edu/library
• Click on Other Catalogs.
• Scroll down and click on ALADIN.
• Search for the journal
Journal of Communication.
• Is vol. 55, no. 3 (Sept. 2005) at Catholic
University?
CIRLA
• What is CIRLA?
• CIRLA (Chesapeake Information and
Research Library Alliance) is a consortium
of educational and research institutions in
Delaware, the District of Columbia, and
Maryland.
• The members include G.W. University,
Georgetown U., Howard U., Johns
Hopkins, Library of Congress, National
Agricultural Library, the Smithsonian, U. of
Delaware, and the U. of Maryland.
CIRLA Benefits
• Provides reciprocal borrowing privileges to the
registered graduate students, current faculty,
researchers and fellows of the other CIRLA
institutions.
• The lending library determines specific privileges,
including the maximum number of checkouts and
the specific ending date for borrowing privileges.
Borrowers under this program are subject to the
regulations and loan periods established by the
lending library.
• Inquire at the Loans Services desk for a direct
borrower’s card.
A Sample Search from one of the
CIRLA Libraries
• Begin by logging on to the library home page:
www.howard.edu/library
• Click on Other Catalogs.
• Scroll down. Look under the heading CIRLA and click
on University of Maryland.
• Search for Come Hell or high water : Hurricane
Katrina and the color of disaster, a book by Michael
Eric Dyson.
• In which Univ. of Md. library can you find this
book?
Finding Other types of
Library Material in Sterling
• Audiovisuals
• E-journals
Limiting Sterling results to
audiovisuals
1. Log onto Sterling.
2. Search for your topic by keyword.
3. When the results are displayed, click on
Limit Results.
3. Choose a format from Material Type.
4. You may also put a check in the box
Sort Results by Year.
5. Click on Submit.
Finding E-journals in Sterling
Search by keywords:
• Example: ejournals and mass media.
Or, search for mass media by keyword;
then, limited results to ejournals.
• If you are looking for a particular journal
title, search by Journal in Sterling. If the
electronic format is available, you can
click on that link.
• Example: Search for Discourse. When
the results are displayed, click on
Discourse Online Muse.
Image Databases
• Google. Log on to Google
(www.google.com).
– To begin your search, click on Images.
– Type your search statement.
• Yahoo! Log on to Yahoo!
(www.yahoo.com)
• AltaVista Image Search:
http://www.altavista.com/image/default
• To begin your search, click on Images.
– Type the name of the image you want to
search.
Suggested Web Sites for Images
• Capturing, processing, and storing
images:
– http://www.controlledvocabulary.com/imageda
tabases/
• Images of Art and Architecture:
http://www2.art.utah.edu:81/index.html
• To find other image databases:
– Search for “image databases” in Google,
Yahoo! and AltaVista.
Free Web-based Citation Builders
A citation builder is an online tool for creating basic
citations in various formats.
• This citation builder illustrates differences among
several major styles.
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/lobo2/citationbuilder/citationbuilder.php
• APA and MLA Styles:
NoodleBib http://noodletools.com/login.php.
NoodleBib is more complex than “Citation Builder,” but very
accurate if you follow the directions.
• Chicago Style:
http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/bb-f1.html
• IEEE Style:
http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/bb-f1.html
Searching NoodleBib
• When you log onto NoodleBib, ignore the request for
Personal ID and Password.
• See NoodleTools at the top of the page. Click on Home.
• Scroll down and look under Free Tools. Click on
NoodleBib Express.
• Follow directions for generating a citation. Choose the
MLA style or the APA style.
• When the next page appears, choose a citation type
from the dropdown list and click the Go button.
• Proceed with the directions. Click the Next button to
continue.
Sample Entry for Citation Builders
• Try the various citation builders using
the entry below.
• Come Hell or high water : Hurricane
Katrina and the color of disaster
by Michael Eric Dyson. published New
York : Basic Civitas, c2006.
Evaluating Web Sites
• 5 W’s for Evaluating Web Sites
http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/5ws.htm
• Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
• Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and tools
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/ research/webeval.html
• Quick: The Quality Information Checklist
http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm
Citing Internet Sources
• Citing Internet sources, articles on the
Web, Web sites, etc. (APA, MLA, and
Chicago styles)
http://www.library.ucla.edu/yrl/referenc/citing.htm
• Citing Electronic Sources.
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/gateway/referenceshelf/writ.htm