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One of the more interesting subjects to come up when talking about library research
is the matter of books and journals and when to use one rather than the other.
Objective:
Here we will consider different vehicles for reporting research. It will be
apparent that there are many and also, that there are reasons for choosing the different resources.
As the researcher, it will soon be apparent to you that you will locate interesting material within a
particular set of resources. As a librarian, I often see certain researchers checking the
same titles week after week. They have learned by trial and error where their information is going to be.
In your Inquiry classes you are going to examine several different ways to do research. In your
library research, I think that you will discover that how and why people publish their ideas is also
somewhat governed by the discipline that they practice.
In some cases, this is a matter of funding and the involvement with private industry or
government agencies. In other areas it might be the nature of the people who practice the
particular discipline. Available outlets might be yet another factor.
This will be an oversimplification but it is quite well established that scientists have been publishing their
work in scientific journals since the Seventeenth Century. In the humanities, the case is
quite different. Books would seem to be the preferred mode of publication by any measure. Social Sciences seem to represent
an amalgam of the other two academic areas with proportionatley
fewer published journals than the sciences but probably more than the humanities.
To get a graphic example, simply take a walk through a few sections in the library and you will
see how they differ. There are areas in science(Q - 4th floor) where you would be very hard pressed to find a book among all of the bound journals.
Conversely, take stroll through the fine arts (N - 3rd floor) and you will find that the opposite situation exists.
You can also practice using USCAN. For example a search for
Subject = United States --History --Civil War, 1861-1865 --Periodicals yields 19 items. A search for
books, using the same search term minus the final --Periodicals yields over 5000. A subject search for
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 --Periodicals yields 13 possibilities whereas removing the
final word again yields close to 5,000 items. Both of these topics, of course are of immense
interest to an academic community. These figures would not necessarily hold on any other comparison
and are only intended to provide a comparison.
| You can experiment with
areas of interest by entering keyword searches in USCAN for "periodical? and subject of interest." |
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If and when you get some results look at the record and try re-searching on the subject by
selecting one of the hyperlinked LC Subject Headings (visible here on the bottom line).
This will illustrate my suggestion of starting with a keyword search (guess) and then focusing in using the more
specific LC Subject Headings for a more precise search. |
Books
When to choose a book as a research tool is a decision that might be helped by contemplating
the many types of books that are available.
The following list was no great trick to develop. I am sure you could do the same with a
few spare minutes and a hint or two. It will serve as a reminder of the enormous flexibility
to be found in books. Look at them and see if they don't suggest a few ideas for research projects.
Types of Books
- Almanac, Anthologies, Archives, Atlases, Autobiography
- Bible, Bibliographies, Biography
- Collections
- Dictionary,Directory, Dissertations
- Encylopedias, Epic
- Festschrift, Fiction
- Gazetteer, Government Document
- Handbook,History, Historic Novel, etc.
- Index, Indices
- Journal
- Keepsake book
- Lexicon
- Manual, Manuscript, Minutes, Monograph
- Novel
- Omnibus, Outline
- Pamphlet, Periodical, Poetry, Primer, Proceedings
- Quick-reference books
- Reference books, Report
- Serials, Standards
- Thesaurus, Thesis, Tract, Transactions, Trilogy
- Unclassified material
- Vocabulary
- Word Book
- Xylographic book
- Year book
- Zoological Literature (yes, I know it's a stretch.)
Types of Periodicals
These could probably be divided into numerous categories also. However, what you really need
to know might best be shown in a few definitions.
- Serial - any publication issued in succesive parts, appearing at intervals,
usually regular ones, and, as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. The term includes
periodicals, newspapers, annuals, numbered monographic series and the proceedings, transactions
and memoirs of societies.
- Periodical - similar to serials. "one issue in a continuous series under the same title,
published at regular or irregular intervals, over an indefinite period, individual issues in the series being
numbered consecutively (if issue #1 ends with page 136, issue #2 will begin with page 137), or each issue being dated." Newspapers or society publications
are not considered periodicals.
- Magazine - a periodical that is not a newspaper and the individual issues are paginated independently
and the issues are dated rather than given volume and issue numbers. These are the ones you buy in the drugstore.
- Journal - a periodical. Formerly these were issued by a society or institution and containing news,
proceedings, reports, substantial articles and reviews of publications in a particular scientific or scholarly field.
Today an enormous market for both scientific and learned journals has brought many commercial firms into the business
publishing both current and retroactive material.
- E-journals - subgrouping of journals which are available online. In many cases certain
years are available in print while others are available in print or digital formats. In some cases
journals have ceased print entirely while others never were printed but exist solely in electronic form.
Information Literacy Issues
This particular standard is directly related to
the intent of this library workshop.
Notice in 2-3 that every out come begins with the verb uses. Those are the tasks that you need to
master and that these modules are presenting to you. Being informationally literate refers not only to
understanding the material but in being adept in locating and retrieving material.
Standard Two
The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
2-3. The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using
a variety of methods.
Outcomes Include:
- A. Uses various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats
(To find out what's in a book, you might look at either the Table of Contents or an index.
To find a phone number, an internet search, a phone book or information might work. Locating journal
articles can best be done using an index. )
- B. Uses various classification schemes and other systems to locate information resources within the library.
(e.g., call number systems or indexes)
- C. Uses specialized online or in person services available at the institution to retrieve
information needed
(e.g., interlibrary loan/document delivery, professional associations, institutional
research offices, community resources, experts and practitioners)
- D. Uses surveys, letters, interviews, and other forms of inquiry to retrieve primary information
(This will depend on what your particular field of inquiry is.)
2-4. The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary.
Outcomes Include:
- A. Assesses the quantity, quality, and relevance of the search results to determine whether
alternative information retrieval systems or investigative methods should be utilized
(All citations are not equal. Check the date and size of the document. Is the journal one you are familiar with? )
- B. Identifies gaps in the information retrieved and determines if the search strategy should be revised
(There are many ways to search and there usually are several search engines for a specific area.)
- C. Repeats the search using the revised strategy as necessary
(Try different databases and different terms. Consult with your friendly librarian.)
Questions, comments or make an appointment with the Inquiry Librarian.
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