LT901 Library resources and information skills

1. LT901 Library resources and information skills Emma Wisher LiFTS Librarian October 2011

2. Undergraduate to postgraduate • Where are you starting from? • Not only searching and finding, but also identifying and assessing • You may need • To develop your information/research skills • To gain awareness of your particular research area and the wider framework of literary study

3. Literature searching • A key part of the process of doing a literature review • The sort of material you are looking for will affect both where and how you search • Takes longer than you may think! • Not necessarily a linear process

4. Sources & the information hierarchy • As a general rule, the purpose of your search will determine what sources you use • Start with sources where the information provided: • Is aimed at an academic audience • Has been through a quality control process • Takes a critical rather than a descriptive approach • Such as: • MLA International Bibliography (LION) • Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (LION) • JSTOR/Project Muse/EBSCOHost • For very contemporary topics, you may need to look at news sources, and the internet more generally

5. Search strategy • Before you start looking, think about the keywords which you will use to search • Synonyms, plurals, spelling variations • Ways of combining different search terms • May require you to investigate how a source works before you use it but will save time in the long run

6. Women’s cinema and women’s identity in Latin America Women, woman, wom?n, female, feminine, femini*… Cinema, film, motion pictures, acting, actors, act*,director… Identity, personality, essence, characteristics… Latin America, South America, Brazil, Chile, Argentina… (Women or female or feminine) and (cinema or film or motion pictures) Women and film and “Latin America”

7. Literature Online (LION) • Primary texts • Biographies and bibliographies of major writers • Indexes to secondary texts (MLA/ABELL), and access to journal articles in full text

30. Refining a search • If you are getting too many results, think about ways to narrow down your search • Make search terms more precise • Include additional search terms • Combine terms with AND • If you are not getting enough results, think about ways to broaden your search • Make search terms less precise • Use fewer terms in your search • Combine terms with OR • Use truncation symbols

31. Searching for different types of material and getting hold of them • Books & Journal articles • Albert Sloman Library catalogue (book suggestions) • Other library catalogues/online bookshops • Inter library loans • SCONUL Access • Theses • Library catalogue • EThOS • Index to Theses/Proquest Dissertations and Theses • ILL/SCONUL Access

32. Searching the internet • Getting started on the internet • http://www.essex.ac.uk/myskills/skills/research/criticalUseInternet.asp (Critical use of the internet on MySkills) • http://www.vtstutorials.co.uk/tutorial/english • (Internet tutorial from Virtual Training Suite) • http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/Subject_Guides/lit.htm (Literature subject guide)

37. What to look for • Who has produced the site? • Who is the intended audience? • How current is the information? • What evidence is there of quality control?

38. Contact me Emma Wisher ewisher@essex.ac.uk Ext. 3181 Enquiry desk Wed AM in term or ask for me at any time (Esther Wilkinson, ewilkin@essex.ac.uk after Christmas)