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An important stop on the Inquiry journey is the Reference Desk
Objective:
Reference and Science Reference are used to describe both places and collections. Our objective
is to convince you that these represent a very important part of our collection and are also
the first place you should visit whether investigating a topic or needing to learn the ins and outs of a search tool.
Discussion, Part 1:
The focal point of a library has to be its reference departments and collections. In the Thomas
Cooper Library there are actually several reference areas. The two most conspicuous ones are
the ones we refer to as Main Reference and Science Reference. Other points of contact between the user and
collection are in Special Collections, Government Documents and the Map Library. While the
reference collection has many uses, the one that you want to keep in mind is
The Place to Start Your Search.
Reference Areas usually consist of at least one of the following components
- Librarians
- A collection of information resources, and
- Computers connected to online information resources
The librarians who work at reference are there because they enjoy working with the public. Many of them
are subject specialists and you might ask if one might have expertise in the field that you are interested in.
Several of the reference librarians also teach and you may have met one in one of your classes or on a tour.
If you work with the same librarian a few times, you might start to develop a professional relationship where
she will know your interests and skill levels. If you get to that level, consider yourself very lucky - - and him
or her a friend or, at least, a significant part of your academic life.
The reference collection can be looked at in many ways. One way is to compare it to that place you have
at home that has the important information. Maybe it's where you keep the manual for the VCR, your thesaurus and
dictionary and a phone book. In other words, where you go first to get an immediate answer. Another way to look at it
is as your tool box or shop. Some of the resources that you can expect to find are a wide
range of dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes and handbooks. A reference collection most definitley reflects the clientele that it serves.
Consider any one of our collections and then walk over to the Law or Music Libraries and look at their reference sections.
The Computers, obviously were not always a part of the reference department but now they
are a mainstay, so much in fact that reference librarians now spend most of their time advising users which
pages or databases are the most appropriate for the mission at hand.
A Sampling of Reference Materials
| abstracts | atlases | bibliographies | concordance |
| dictionaries | directories | encyclopedias | gazetteers |
| handbooks | indexes | lexicons | outlines |
| standards | thesauri | who's whos | yearbooks |
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Action Items:
- Find and check out the reference collection most appropriate to your studies. Reference materials for the
humanities and social sciences are located on the Main Floor Reference Section in the Thomas Cooper Library.
Science, engineering and medical material will be on level 4. On both floors, the Reference Collection is close
to the main desk where you will find a librarian.
If you are new at library research, it is highly probable that you will not know everything. Just tell the
librarian what it is you think you want to do and ask them where they think you should start.
- Find an area within the reference collection that interests you and spend some time
really studying it. While no two sections will be exactly alike, you will get an idea
of what to expect when you go from one sections of REFERENCE to another, format wise.
Discussion, Part 2:Find out a little fast: dictionaries, encyclopedias and other
reference tools.
As you might expect, one of the questions most frequently asked of librarians is,
"Where are the books on such-and-such." In many cases, a few minutes of conversation
reveals that the inquirer knows little on that subject and books or journals might not be the best
starting place to learn. In many cases these are written by specialists for other specialists, at least
at the Graduate Student level.
Consider making the reference collection your starting place when starting a research project.
Browsing the reference area can be a marvelous experience; one, I hope, you
will all share. Get into the habit of making Reference your first stop when beginning any
research project. Even in a large
library, the reference collection is usually a manageable size, particularly when
you are only looking at a certain area. Enjoy it, bits at a time. If you truly
have an inquiring mind, the reference collection might well be your favorite spot.
USCAN Reference
A more sophisticated but less tactile way to visit is via USCAN, our catalog.
This approach tends to be more effective because not every dictionary or encyclopedia
is in one of the established reference areas. You also cut through a lot of physical
space using the catalog. A keyword search for "dictionar? and psychology" reveals
numerous hits scattered throughout the Bs, Hs, Ps and Rs. Also notice that some
are in the reference section and others are in the general collection. You would
miss these if you only browsed the reference department.
Important points.
You can get a few extra hits truncating words like dictionar? and encycloped?.
Remember that when you find something particularly appropriate, use the hyperlinked
Subject Headings to find similar items. This concept illustrates how the keyword
is a scattergun approach and then the subject search is seen to be more laser-like
in its precision.
Dictionaries and encyclopedias are not the only reference materials. There are
many others that you should look for and use. Atlases and handbooks are just a
few examples of what else you will find. For the really curious student or scholar,
the reference collection will soon be a favorite places and reference work a favorite
pastimes.
Keep in mind that there is also virtual reference. Some excellent resources are
now on line. For some examples in the sciences, take a look at
http://www.sc.edu/library/science/sciref.html . Others
can be found at http://www.sc.edu/library/edtindex.html .
Information Literacy Issues
The previous lessons were all based upon Standard ONE.
We are now moving on to Standard TWO. In ONE, we looked at how the student would DETERMINE what their information needs were.
Now we are going to look at how to ACCESS the information, whether it comes from an experiment,
a survey, a dictionary or an online search tool.
Standard Two
The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
Performance Indicators:
2-1. The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative
methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.
Outcomes Include:
- A. Identifies appropriate investigative methods (e.g., laboratory experiment, simulation, fieldwork)
(Using the library is another form of research. Like other forms of research,
there are various levels of library resources appropriate to each situation.
For example, as a student reading scholarly journal articles, your understanding can be expected to
increase using the above referenced dictionaries and encyclopedias.)
- B. Investigates benefits and applicability of various investigative methods
(Look at the various types of reference resources listed above and see if one of them doesn't seem more appropriate than
the others.)
- C. Investigates the scope, content, and organization of information retrieval systems
(These modules are designed to teach you about the many systems that exist. You will need
to spend some time studying what each does, and learn to take advantage of the features attached to each.
Remember, Google, Yahoo etc. are not really academic search tools. We'll talk about why not later.)
- D. Selects efficient and effective approaches for accessing the information needed from the investigative method or information retrieval system
(This is what the library portion of this class is about. Sometimes a dictionary is appropriate
and sometimes an extensive online search is the answer.)
2-2. The information literate student constructs and implements effectively-
designed search strategies.
Outcomes Include:
- A. Develops a research plan appropriate to the investigative method
(A literature search is very often the best place to start.)
- B. Identifies keywords, synonyms and related terms for the information needed
(In the initial stage, whether you are using USCAN or the online indexes, a guess at a keyword is usually the best idea until
you find either a descriptor or a subject heading. These are generally a controlled vocabulary term.
Remember, if you are unfamiliar with a term, try the dictionaries and encyclopedias.)
- C. Selects controlled vocabulary specific to the discipline or information retrieval source
(Keep in mind that one index's controlled vocabulary is often different from another one's; even if they
are both owned by the same publisher.)
- D. Constructs a search strategy using appropriate commands for the information retrieval
system selected (e.g., Boolean operators, truncation, and proximity for search engines; internal
organizers such as indexes for books)
(Always take some time to learn how the reference tools work. After doing it for awhile, it will become second nature.)
- E. Implements the search strategy in various information retrieval systems
using different user interfaces and search engines, with different command languages, protocols,
and search parameters
(Learn them one at a time and you will soon recognize the differences. The number of hits
is not necessarily a quality judgement. The amount of control you have over your search is.)
- F. Implements the search using investigative protocols appropriate to the discipline
(Develop a logical approach. Go to subject specific dictionaries and encyclopedias first,
then the catalog to see what books are available and then the various search tools such as indexes and abstracts.)
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