SVCC Library

Another LRC Quick Tip

2011-12-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Have you ever written an absolutely brilliant paper but misplaced your flash drive? All is not lost, just copy your masterpiece and paste in your email or save (temporarily) on one of the LRC computers and add as an attachment to your email. Quick and easy!

Browsing electronic resources

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

LRC quick tip:

Have you ever wondered how to browse our eBooks and electronic resources?

Just select the SVCC card catalog from the home page; type in either electronic resources or eBooks as a search term; choose keyword; choose SVCC catalog; and hit enter. Now you will be able to scroll down and browse our collection.

2011-11-14T09:47:00.001-08:00

**On November 15th, 2011 the LRC will be open 8:00a.m.-4:30p.m. due to Fall Workshop**

Citation help

2011-10-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Another LRC Quick Tip:

If you need to cite something but have no idea how - check out EasyBib. We first let you know about this awesome resource from our home page’s Other Resources Links but thought it was worth rementioning.

You will be able to find EasyBib at the top right of the page in Credo Reference once a search is performed or at http://www.easybib.com/.

EasyBib will guide you through your citation:

Choose either autocite or manual.

Here is an example showing autocite for an entry on "Solar Energy" within Credo Reference:

But EasyBib can also cite source information from many different types of sources (even paintings). If you would like to enter your own information, choose manual and choose the correct type of resource from the boxes. Then fill in the rest.

Here is the screen where the information is added :

Here is an example using information from a journal article from Academic Onefile:

From the entered information, EasyBib created this citation for MLA 7:

The next screen shows both citations:

Fast and Easy!

(Always remember to double check the citation to be sure you are citing according to the

preferred style of your professor!)

Be sure to check out other LRC Quick tips!

2011-05-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

LRC Fall Hours

Beginning August 22, 2011

Monday-Thursday 8:00a.m.-8:00p.m.

Friday-8:00a.m.-3:00p.m.

2011-05-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's Not About the Book: Information Sharing in a Digital World

Recently a distinguished University Librarian at Stanford University published a column in a library trade journal in which he discussed the phenomenon of the ever-increasing availability of digital information sources. Paper is decreasing in popularity as the preferred medium of information sharing as more consumers turn to eBooks and online journals. In January of this year sales of e-books outpaced sales of paperbacks at Amazon.com. What are the implications for you as a Sauk Valley student, employee, or community member?

The Learning Resources Center is committed to providing the best possible library and media services to you in response to your individual and collective needs. Due to the increasing prevalence of digital research resources and their greater versatility compared to print resources, the LRC has developed a collection of databases that provide access to many thousands of articles covering a wide array of research topics. As e-books are made available in increasingly user-friendly formats we have purchased and will continue to purchase titles that support the Sauk Valley Community College curriculum. The overwhelming advantage of these formats is that they can be used by students off-campus, which is especially important to our distance learners.

We will also continue to purchase books that can be checked out and used by our patrons who prefer the tactile, page-turning experience. Our aim is not to abandon or ignore one format in place of another. The mission of the library has always been, and continues to be that of providing information to people when they need it, in the format best suits their needs. To that end we always welcome your suggestions and input, so that we can continue to make informed and responsive choices using the resources provided to us by the citizens of the Sauk Valley.

Getting the most out of SFX

2011-05-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever searched for a journal article and found a graphic that says “SFX”? Did you wonder what it was? Well, SFX connects citations from one Sauk database to another Sauk database via a link resolver. That way you do not have to search each and every database to locate your full text article; in a sense SFX does that for you. To learn more about SFX, click below.

How SFX works: (For our purposes, information results will be categorized as good information or best information.) When you click on the SFX button and see “Check SFX for full text”; the link resolver is searching other databases owned by Sauk that have the same journal title and article. If the data matches perfectly, the full text article will be found. (This is the best information.)

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Here is an example of an SFX connection which found the full text article in another database:

We started from Sauk’s EBSCOhost database and chose CINAHL Plus with full text:

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Next, we typed in head injury AND football and clicked on search. (AND was capitalized because it is a Boolean operator)

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Entries for results appeared on our screen. We clicked “Check SFX for full text” to see if SFX had matched all the information and located the article.

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In this case, SFX matched the information to a source or journal within Gale’s Academic OneFile. We did not know if SFX could match the exact year, volume, and issue that we needed. We clicked “Full text may be available in” to see if SFX would be able to locate an exact match with data from the article.

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Notice that SFX linked EBSCOHOST to ACADEMIC ONEFILE.

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We clicked on the paper graphic to open.

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Our article was located. Locating the full text article is the best possible outcome and so is the best information.

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Stay tuned for part 2 of SFX - (the good information).

Article Search

2011-04-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sauk LRC quick tip!

Use "Citation Linker" to check online availability quickly using the article's citation information.
Find out how below.

The "Citation Linker" can be found by starting at the home page and choosing LRC under departments. Next click on the A-Z e-Journal List within the left side grey area of the screen. Now you will be able to choose "Citation Linker".

This is what your screen will look like:

Just fill in the blanks-

For instance, here is an example for the title "Using Voice Thread to Promote Learning Engagement and Success for all Students" from Teaching Exceptional Children, Mar/April 2011, volume 43, issue 4, pages 28-37:

If the journal title is located within the databases, the screen will look like this:

You may be asked to login (use your login for blackboard). The next screen should be your article:

2011-04-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

Research Tip: Effective Internet Searching

Searching for credible information on the Internet can be a difficult and frustrating task. The sheer volume of information on the Internet guarantees that you will find much more useless information than useful information, unless you learn to use the tools of Internet searching. Following are a few helpful tips to help you make the most of your online searches.

Make an effort to learn how your favorite search engine works. Search Engine Showdown offers a wealth of information about search engines and how they work, along with a chart that compares features of six popular search engines.

Learn about Boolean Logic as it applies to online searching. In essence, Boolean searching involves using the operators AND, OR, and NOT between search terms to either narrow or expand your information-seeking focus, so that your search results include information you need, and exclude information that is not helpful to you. Colorado State University Libraries have created a simple interactive tutorial to help users understand Boolean searching.

Use quotation marks around phrases. If you type the words occupational therapy in a search box, the search engine will find websites that contain both of those words anywhere. If you type the phrase “occupational therapy” in a search box, the search engine will find websites that contain those words together in that order.

Most, if not all, search engines feature an Advanced Search page that makes use of Boolean logic without requiring the user to design complicated search strings. They do this by offering multiple search boxes with the options to search for all of the words typed in the search box; at least one of the words typed in the search box; a complete phrase typed in the search box; or to exclude all of the words typed in the search box. Google’s Advanced Search link is located to the right of the basic search box, in small blue letters.

When in doubt, make use of the search engine’s help functions. Google’s Web Search Help Center can be found by clicking on more at the top of the basic search page, and then selecting even more from the drop-down menu. Web Search Features will open a page that gives hints on how to find specific types of information along with links to Basic Search and Advanced Search help and more.

Effective Internet searching is an acquired skill that requires time, patience, and practice. Make the effort to learn the tips and techniques provided by information professionals and editors of popular search engines. This will eventually pay dividends in terms of your increased efficiency and decreased frustration!

Term Paper Problems?

2011-04-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Having problems locating information for your term paper? Finding too much information? Don't even have a topic yet? Don't worry- the Librarians at SVC LRC are available to help! Just come in to the LRC to get assistance. We will be happy to help you with any information needs you have. Also, don't forget you can always text us - just text AskSVLRC to 66746 for instructions!

Credo Reference Part 2-

2011-03-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Credo Reference has a wonderful feature called the "Topic Page" which is found with many (but not all) subject searches. The "Topic Page" offers a wealth of information in various media types with linking to articles as well.
Read more about topic pages.

Often searching Credo Reference will give a “Topic page” along with the “Reference entries” for results. The “Topic page” provides a great deal of information including background information, definition, related topics area, and links to different types of media (including journal articles, books, images, news, and videos), and suggestions for citations.

Let’s take a look at a typical “Topic page”.
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Here is how you get there:
From the library home page, choose Online Databases, and then click on Credo Reference.
For this example, type “Supreme Court” as a search term and hit enter or click on the search button. Next, click on the highlighted blue words under topic page. (Remember, not all searches have a topics page.)

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These three screens demonstrate the page that will open next:

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Now, let’s look closer: To read the full article, click on “Read Complete Article”. Below the article, notice the suggestions for citations which are given in different bibliographic formats. Just be sure to choose the citation that your instructor prefers.

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To locate images for your research, just click on an image from the image area. The image area is located to the right of your screen at the very top. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to locate more images or even videos.

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The “Related Topics” area is located underneath the “Images” area in the middle of the page and offers connected ideas or search vocabulary that you might not have thought about using.

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The “References” area is also in the middle of the page and is a wonderful place to find book titles to help with your research. Just copy and paste to find a title in the SVCC or ISHARE catalog.

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Want journal articles? Our search for “Supreme Court” links to the database JSTOR; just click on one of the links to open.

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At the bottom of the page, are current news links as well as a link to Google Books if you are interested in purchasing an item.

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When you need more ideas or ways to expand your topic, try the Concept Map at the top of the page. Just click on concept map and search.

More about Credo Reference to come .......

2011-03-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

Research Tip: Identifying and Selecting Research Resources

When a research paper is assigned, after choosing a topic, composing a thesis statement, and identifying keywords and phrases for searching, the next step is identifying good quality resources for your research. Following is a summary and descriptions of some common research resources:

Traditional Print Materials

· Books are a useful resource when comprehensive coverage of a topic is needed. A book is normally written by an expert in a given field and subject to verification and editing prior to publication. This greatly reduces or eliminates the need for the researcher to evaluate information for authority and accuracy. Be sure to check the publication date in cases where the currency of the information is important.

· Journals (trade or academic) may be the best choice when the most up-to-date information is needed. Journals are published at regular intervals and contain articles written by authorities in a specialized field. They report new research developments and provide scholarly discussion on a topic. Both books and journal articles contain bibliographies that the researcher can scan for more sources on a topic.

· Newspapers are useful for information on current events and recent trends. Information tends to be more specific in nature, and because articles contain factual information and opinions it may be necessary to evaluate the content accordingly.

Electronic Information Sources

· Subscription research databases like EBSCOHost and JSTOR contain the digitized versions of articles that have been published previously in print form. The information in these articles is subject to the same review process used for print articles and books, so there is little or no need to evaluate information for authority and accuracy. The institution offering the database pays a subscription fee so that its users can access the information freely.

· Some governmental, educational, and scientific entities publish information portals that are accessible free of charge. The Statistical Abstract , published by the U.S. Census Bureau, contains a wealth of statistical information about the American people, government and economy. The CIA World Factbook provides comprehensive profiles of the world’s nations. The National Library of Medicine provides a portal to its branches and a searchable interface to information on all aspects of health and medicine.

The Open Internet

· Websites contain the bulk of the information on the Internet. A website may be maintained by a well-known institution such as the National Geographic Society, or by an individual with no appreciable expertise on a subject. It is therefore necessary to evaluate websites used for research purposes in terms of accuracy, authority, objectivity, scope, credibility, relevance and timeliness before using information found in them.

· Blogs, message boards, discussion lists and chat rooms also vary widely in terms of the quality of information they contain. Many prestigious and public personalities maintain an online presence where quality information may be found. Likewise, many blogs and lists are poorly researched at best and must be used very judiciously.

2011-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

The LRC will be open over
Spring Break...

March 7th-10th,
Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:30
March 11th,Friday-Closed

Using Credo Reference (database)

2010-12-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

So you want fast, fun reference that’s oh so much better than Wikipedia – try Credo Reference. It is a reference database with almost 500 digitized reference titles from 70 different publishers covering many different subjects. Credo Reference is a wonderful place to start your research. Read more about Credo Reference.
From the library home page, click on online databases and then click on Credo Reference. (If you are off campus; from the library homepage click "They are also available off-campus" first and then click on the online databases.) This is what your screen will look like:

Next, type in your keyword search term in the box next to “search for” and click on the purple search or hit enter on your keyboard. For example, type in “renewable energy”.

This is what you will see for results. Notice, there are 737 results. The first 10 results will be displayed on the page. Each entry gives the word count for the article and any images available.

Clicking on the words in bold type allows you to expand the entry.

Expanding the entry allows you to gather more information on your topic. Notice the options to print, save or share this article. Easy bib is a very helpful citation tool, (which demonstrates MLA7, APA or Turabian).

At the very bottom of the entry is another citation example.

For fewer results, click on any of the limiters to the left of the “Reference Entries” screen.

Coming soon, more information about what makes Credo Reference so great!

2010-10-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Research Tip: Defining Your Information Need

In the research process, whether your project involves a five-minute speech or a twenty-page paper, the first step is always defining your information need. Before you sit down in front of a computer to begin your search for information, take the time to clarify exactly what kind of information you are searching for. Do you have a thesis statement or an essential question to be answered? Do you have auxiliary questions that will help you prove your thesis or answer your larger question? Without this kind of direction your search for information can become a confusing and frustrating experience.

Once you have taken the necessary time to spell out your information need, you should be able to pull from your thesis or questions several keywords and phrases that you will use when searching the library catalog, online article databases, or the Internet for information. In addition to these words and phrases, try to brainstorm others that tie in with your topic, or that mean the same thing. When you strike out with one word, substitute another and see if you get better results.

Make sure you use different kinds of information sources, and weigh the benefits of one source against another so that you end up choosing the best ones. For instance, a book is often the best resource because the author is usually an expert who has spent substantial time researching the information, which is then verified prior to being published. A scholarly article can be better than a book when the topic is a time-sensitive one, because journals are published more frequently and usually contain the latest findings in a given field. Don’t wait until the last minute to gather your information, but allow yourself enough time to get resources from places besides your own library.

Check back here in another few weeks for tips on effective online searching strategies!

2010-06-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

The LRC has officially gone GREEN…Email notices for overdue materials, items available, and fines/fees notices will be sent to students and community members (who have provided an email address). If anyone has any questions, please feel free to stop in the LRC and ask. Thank-You

21st Century Literacy

2010-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Before the Internet burst on the scene, a good education was measured in terms of the 3 R’s – Reading, wRiting and ‘Rithmetic – and how well you were able to master them. But as information becomes increasingly digital people are starting to make a big deal of what are now being called 21st Century Information Skills. (If you want to know more about this movement, check out the website of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills .) Now students are still expected to learn the 3R’s, but also how to integrate that knowledge with the ability to think critically, collaborate with their peers on multiple platforms, and become proficient at finding and using online information efficiently and ethically. How does this relate to SVCC students?

It has something to do with the tools that are provided to help you learn and succeed in your courses and your level of proficiency when it comes to using these tools. Consider, for instance, the range of reference and journal databases offered through the Learning Resource Center. Most students are familiar with at least one magazine/journal database when they arrive on campus, but to get the maximum benefit from them, it’s important to learn a few pointers before you can become really proficient.

In the coming weeks the LRC blog will be featuring advice and information about the best practices for searching for information online, whether you are looking for books in the online catalog, for scholarly research articles in the databases, or for background information on any topic on the Internet. Please check back here now and again for new information, and we will help you sharpen your information literacy skills.

SVCC Library

Another LRC Quick Tip

Browsing electronic resources

Citation help

Getting the most out of SFX

Article Search

Term Paper Problems?

Credo Reference Part 2-

Using Credo Reference (database)

21st Century Literacy

2009/2010 Books Placement Exams

2009/2010 Books Nursing/Pharmacy/Radiology/Dental

2009/2010 Graphic Novels

2009/2010 Books Employment/Resumes

2009/2010 Books Agricultural/Animals/Pets

2009/2010 Audio Books

2009/2010 Books Sports/Exercise/Leisure/Travel/Hobby

2009/2010 Books Psychology/Sociology

2009/2010 Books Art/Music/Writing

2009/2010 Books Cooking/Diets/Crafts/Home Repair

2009/2010 Books Education

2009/2010 Books Business

2009/2010 Books Religion/Inspirational/Humor

2009/2010 Books Medicine

2009/2010 Books Science/Math

2009/2010 Books Social Problems

2009/2010 Books Technology

2009 Books History/Current Events/Politics

2009/2010 Books Young Adult & Juvenile-fiction/nonfiction