Orientation to BC Libraries

1. Orientation to BC Libraries AD140 College of Advancing Studies Brendan Rapple Spring, 2007 (rappleb@bc.edu)

2. What is a Library? • Defined narrowly: “A building, room, or set of rooms, containing a collection of books for the use of the public or of some particular portion of it, or of the members of some society or the like; a public institution or establishment, charged with the care of a collection of books, and the duty of rendering the books accessible to those who require to use them” – Oxford English Dictionary

3. Today • Libraries hold much more than just books: • Digital resources, journals, sound and video recordings, newspapers, government documents, DVD’s, etc. • Point the user to the world of global information • Not limited to what is physically in the building • Online resources help open up access to the global world. • Collections can often be accessed remotely.

4. BC Libraries Facts • Support teaching, learning, and research at Boston College with: • Over 2 million printed volumes • Over three hundred research databases that can be accessed in the library or remotely • Specialized libraries throughout campus • Subject specialists available to assist you.

5. Boston College Libraries and Centers Complete List of Libraries and Centers: http://www.bc.edu/libraries/centers/ O'Neill Library • The main research library • Wireless Internet + Laptop connections • Group study rooms available Also in O’Neill: • Government Documents and Microforms • Media Center • Music, films, CD-ROMs, plus facilities for viewing and listening. • The Connors Family Learning Center • Free tutoring • Support services to students with learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder • Instructional support for graduate students and faculty

6. Boston College Libraries and Centers (cont.) Other Libraries at BC: • Bapst Art LibraryThis English Collegiate Gothic building houses the art and art history collections, graduate and undergraduate study space. • Burns LibraryIn addition to rare books, special collections, and university archives, the John J. Burns Library is home to the Irish Music Center and the Irish Music Archives. • Educational Resource CenterThe Center, located in Campion Hall, primarily serves the resource needs of the School of Education faculty and students. • Social Work LibraryLocated in McGuinn Hall, this library serves the resource needs of the Graduate School of Social Work. • Law LibraryPrimarily serving the law school on the Newton Campus, this library houses legal and related materials. • Weston/O'Connor LibraryThe Weston Observatory houses a collection focused on earth sciences.

7. The BC Libraries Web Site • BC Libraries home page • Subject Specialists • Subject Quick Starts • Research Guides • How do I…? • Tutorials • Electronic Journals • Online Databases

8. Advantages of Online Databases • Preliminary research from home or office • Search whole database at the same time • Online searching is much faster

9. Advantages of Online Databases • More complex searches than with print (BODY IMAGE AND ADVERTISEMENTS AND (ANOREXIA OR BULIMIA)) NOT FEMALES • Generally, more sophisticated research

10. Advantages of Online Databases • Limit searches by restricting to a range of years a particular language a specific document type a particular audience group

11. Advantages of Online Databases • Download and manipulate search results • Even printing is preferable to writing or photo-copying from print indexes • E-Mail Searches to another

12. Advantages of Online Databases • Alert you by email to new publications • Able to specify peer reviewed articles • Immediate online help • Direct links to Internet Sites

13. Examples of Databases • Online database page from libraries web site: • Online Databases • Browse databases by title • Browse databases by subject

14. Quest: BC Libraries’ Online Cataloghttp://www.bc.edu/quest/ • Use QUEST to locate material owned by BC • Different types of searches: basic, advanced, electronic reserves • Limiting searches: by library, format type, language, date, etc. • Some Features of Quest: • Requesting books checked out, in process, or on order • Interlibrary Loan • “Your Account”: • Renew online • View account activity history • Request book delivery, article photocopies • Request a library session • Recommend library material • Set up alerts

15. How long are books loaned out?

16. Finding Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Articles • Online Databases

17. Look for the Find It Icon • You’re in a database and found an article you want. How do you get it? • Easiest way? Click on Find It. • Find It will tell you: • Does BC have the article in full text online? • . . . Or is it in print in the libraries? • . . . Or can you get it through interlibrary loan?

18. Subscription Databases: e.g. ERIC (education) PsycINFO 1840-current Expanded Academic ASAP (multidisciplinary) Historical New York Times Available freely on the Web: e.g. through search engines Google Yahoo Internet Public Library Fee vs. Free

19. About Resources in Print… • There is much material available only in print format that remains essential. • Only a small percentage of the full-text contents of books and journals are presently accessible electronically.

20. Scholarly vs. Popular Resources

21. Scholarly • Scholarly: • Scholarly journals contain reviews and articles written by experts in the field. Scholarly journals always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies. They are generally published four or six times a year and are peer-reviewed journals • Often contain original research Examples: American Journal of Education;Harvard Business Review; Mind

22. Popular • Popular: • Popular journals come in many formats and are most often colorful in appearance, with lots of photographs and/or graphics. The most reliable kind of popular periodical often cites sources (though perhaps not in standard bibliographical format), but the less reliable kind will seldom cite sources. • Often cover current events and topics • Examples: Business Week;Time; Cosmopolitan

23. Alert Services • Set up a search profile/strategy • Stay up to date • Receive newly-published info in your research areas—via e-mail

24. Library Consortia • Boston Library Consortium

25. Plagiarism

26. Plagiarism • Standards of academic integrity: • Clearly identify another writer’s words or ideas • Give proper acknowledgement • Note citation information for all materials you find in your research explorations • Make sure that this information appears in your papers in association with quoted or paraphrased words and ideas. • Common knowledge in the public domain does not need to be documented i.e. the Earth is round

27. Helpful Tips • Take excellent notes: Students often forget to add quotes while taking notes • Utilize them effectively • Visual materials need to be documented • Write the entire paper yourself • Document sources well and honestly • Manage your time

28. Documentation Styles and Guides • MLA: Modern Language Association • APA: American Psychological Association standards • Other styles include Chicago, Turabian (many others too).

29. RefWorks: A Useful Tool • Footnotes and bibliography can be generated in a variety of formats such as APA, MLA. • Web based tool for automatically formatting your paper. • Allows you to store, organize and keep track of citations. • References can then be inserted into papers.

30. RefWorks Help? RefWorks Tutorial • step by step instruction • Details on setting up your account and using RefWorks remotely • Importing records from specific databases

31. Final Advice . . . . Don’t Forget to Ask Your Friendly Librarians for Help!!! • Contact a Subject Specialist • Visit or call (2-4472) the Reference Desk during these hours • Email or online chat (Ask 24/7) reference help