5
1
eBook3 (3)
$10.49
$13.99
Save 25%
Current price is $10.49, Original price is $13.99. You Save 25%.
Related collections and offers
LEND ME®
See Details
10.49
In Stock
Overview
With all the changes in information storage and retrieval, anyone doing research today may feel unsure of the most efficient ways to use the library. The Oxford Guide to Library Research provides an overview of little-known but powerful strategies used by librarians and information specialists, through clear explanations of nine fundamental methods of searching. Thomas Mann explains how these techniques can be applied profitably to almost any area of research, and considers all formats -- from newspapers to digital libraries on the Web -- for their unique advantages, as well as for their limitations. Drawing on over twenty years' experience helping library users, Mann enlivens his advice throughout with real-world examples. Against the trendy but mistaken assumption that "everything" can be found on the Internet, he asserts the lasting value of physical libraries and time-tested research strategies, while acknowledging the complementary applications of computer technology. Required reading for anyone navigating the complex universe of information resources, The Oxford Guide to Library Research offers a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the field, one that can save its readers countless hours in the search for information.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780199840274 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Publication date: | 10/06/2005 |
Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
Format: | eBook |
File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Thomas Mann, Ph.D., a former private investigator, is currently a Reference Librarian in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Table of Contents
Preface | xiii | |
1. | Initial Overviews: Encyclopedias | 3 |
General vs. specialized encyclopedias | ||
Examples | ||
How to identify which ones exists in different subject areas | ||
Peculiar strengths of general sets | ||
2. | Subject Headings and the Library Catalog | 16 |
Filing conventions | ||
Filing sequence | ||
Subject headings | ||
Uniform heading | ||
Scope-match specificity | ||
Specific entry | ||
Four ways to find the proper category term | ||
Narrower-term cross-references | ||
Alphabetically adjacent narrower terms | ||
Subject tracings | ||
Subdivisions | ||
Recognition vs. prior specification | ||
Narrowing a topic | ||
Finding foreign-language books | ||
Copy cataloging problem for researchers | ||
Advantages and disadvantages of the catalog | ||
Essay collections | ||
Summary | ||
3. | Systematic Browsing, Scanning, and Use of Classified Bookstacks | 46 |
Possible methods of shelving books | ||
Serendipity and discovery by recognition | ||
Depth of access and full-text searching | ||
Browsing vs. scanning | ||
Shelf arrangement complements library catalog: advantages and disadvantages | ||
Scattering of subjects | ||
Exploiting the library's internal structure | ||
Continuing need for classified bookstacks in computer age | ||
Ways to find the right classification areas | ||
Browsing in other situations | ||
4. | Subject Headings and Indexes to Journal Articles | 59 |
H. W. Wilson Company indexes and databases | ||
Vocabulary control | ||
Information Access Company databases | ||
FirstSearch and Eureka databases | ||
Use of Library of Congress Subject Headings for cross-disciplinary inquiries | ||
Specialized indexes and databases | ||
Narrowing a search | ||
Finding where a particular journal is indexed | ||
Full texts online | ||
Identifying journals in a particular subject area | ||
Cataloging peculiarities of serials vs. books | ||
Problems with abbreviations | ||
Journals whose titles include the name of an organization | ||
5. | Keyword Searches | 80 |
Keywords vs. subject headings: advantages and disadvantages | ||
Print and computer sources | ||
Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) indexes and databases | ||
Trade-offs | ||
Periodicals Contents Index | ||
Printed keyword sources | ||
Indexes to very old journals | ||
Additional keyword sources | ||
Cross-disciplinary coverage of ISI sources | ||
6. | Citation Searches | 98 |
ISI indexes | ||
Examples | ||
Advantages and limitations | ||
Additional citation databases and indexes | ||
Extra features of ISI indexes | ||
7. | Related-Record Searches | 105 |
ISI CD-ROMs | ||
Circumventing limitations of keyword searches | ||
Searching backward, forward, and sideways in time | ||
8. | Higher-Level Overviews: Review Articles | 110 |
State-of-the-art reviews | ||
Sources for identifying reviews | ||
Key points of Chapters 4 through 8 | ||
9. | Published Bibliographies | 117 |
Advantages over computer printouts | ||
Boolean combinations without using a computer | ||
How the use of bibliographies compares to other search techniques | ||
Separate shelving of bibliographies | ||
The "--Bibliography" subdivision | ||
How to find bibliographies | ||
Guides to the literature | ||
Great books lists | ||
10. | The Differences Between Real and Virtual Libraries | 132 |
Copyright restrictions | ||
What, Who, and Where tradeoffs | ||
Quality control | ||
Format differences and their significance | ||
Cataloging | ||
Ranges of electronic sources in real libraries | ||
Bait-and-switch claims | ||
11. | Computer Searches: Types of Sources | 144 |
Bibliographic Citation databases | ||
Online Public Access Catalogs | ||
CD-ROMs | ||
OCLC FirstSearch | ||
RLG Eureka | ||
CARL UnCover and Faxon Finder | ||
Dialog | ||
Full Text Databases | ||
CD-ROMs | ||
Internet full-text sources | ||
NEXIS and other fee-based sources | ||
Internet and World Wide Web sources | ||
Points to remember about computer searches | ||
12. | Computer Searches: Types of Searches | 159 |
Comparison of computer and print capabilities | ||
Keyword searches | ||
Document-type searches | ||
Boolean combinations | ||
Component-word searches of controlled-vocabulary terms | ||
Searches of coded elements | ||
Geographic area codes | ||
Combined citation and keyword searches | ||
Web searches | ||
Hierarchical and direct stab | ||
Boolean combinations outside computers | ||
Keyword searches outside computers | ||
Consequences of naivete | ||
How to identify appropriate databases | ||
13. | Locating Material in Other Libraries | 183 |
Determining which specific sources exist on your topic | ||
Shortcuts to finding the best books | ||
Library of Congress catalog online | ||
Printed catalogs | ||
Determining where copies can be found | ||
Online union catalogs | ||
National Union Catalog: Pre-1956 Imprints | ||
Other union lists | ||
Determining which libraries have special collections on your subject | ||
14. | People Sources | 203 |
Attitudes and assumptions | ||
It's okay to ask for help | ||
Advantages of getting overviews and feedback | ||
Internet groups | ||
Tips on phone calls | ||
Sources | ||
Talking to reference librarians | ||
15. | Hidden Treasures | 220 |
Microform sets | ||
CD-ROM collections | ||
Government documents | ||
16. | Reference Sources: Searching by Types of Literature | 245 |
Reference vs. research questions | ||
Summary of major points of book | ||
Methods of searching and types of literature | ||
Explanation of types | ||
Understanding formal properties of retrieval systems | ||
Advantages over subject knowledge | ||
Sources | ||
Appendix | Special Cases | 259 |
Archives, manuscripts, and public records | 260 | |
Biography | 266 | |
Book reviews | 269 | |
Business and economics | 269 | |
Conference proceedings | 280 | |
Consumer product evaluations | 281 | |
Current awareness sources | 281 | |
Films and audiovisual material | 282 | |
Genealogy and local history | 283 | |
Illustrations, pictures, and photographs | 287 | |
Literary criticism | 289 | |
Maps | 293 | |
Newspapers and newspaper indexes | 294 | |
Out-of-print and secondhand books | 296 | |
Primary sources | 297 | |
Psychological and educational tests | 298 | |
Reports | 301 | |
Standards and specifications | 302 | |
Statistics | 303 | |
Tabular data | 305 | |
Translations | 305 | |
Index | 309 |
From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of