Grasselli Library Newsletter Summer 2009

With the start of a new academic year just one month away, many faculty are thinking about developing their research assignments. Library faculty, as liaisons to academic departments, are excellent resources to consult regarding research assignments and have outlined the following tips to assist you in your preparations.

Additionally, librarians can inform you of the availability of library resources, notify you of newly acquired sources, suggest appropriate library services, and alert you to possible assignment problems. We strongly encourage testing your assignment with a trial run each time it is given, as resources can (and do!) change within a short period of time. As a service to faculty, liaisons can conduct a test run for you. Simply e-mail your liaison a copy of the assignment.

Advise students to start their research on the library's homepage rather than using the OhioLINK homepage or the open Internet. The library's homepage serves as a gateway to more than 250 databases and 7,600 e-journals licensed through multiple vendors and consortia. For this reason, it is important for students to realize that if they start a search on OhioLINK's website, they will bypass many valuable resources such as Factiva, ATLA Serials, and Gale's Literature Resource Center, to name a few. Starting a search on the open Internet will result in inconsistent authentication, inconsistent links to electronic journals, and a possible charge for content otherwise available for free via the library homepage.

Provide clear direction when limiting use of Internet resources. Some requirements that may be clear in your mind are often unclear to students.

Students often approach the reference desk for assistance, indicating that they have a research assignment due and cannot use the Internet. Students sometimes misinterpret this to mean they can use no electronic resources, including e-resources available through the library's homepage. With each passing year, more and more articles from fine academic journals are available only in electronic format through Grasselli. Our print collection of journals has shrunk from over 2,000 in 2000 to 893. Conversely, our growth in e-journals has spiked in the last decade from 90 to 7,600. Unless you clarify your instructions with regard to use of "the Internet, "students may believe they are not permitted to use the electronic resources that now constitute the majority of JCU's scholarly content.

Advise students of the best way to search for journal articles. Reference librarians are available to assist students having any difficulty with article, journal, or database searches.

Search databases as the best way to find magazine, journal, or newspaper articles on a particular topic. These databases offer precise results, cover a wide range of publishers and cover an extensive range of years.
Use the library's A-Z electronic journal list to determine if JCU has a particular electronic journal or if you already know which article/journal you need. The A-Z list is a comprehensive listing of most of our electronic journals.
Discourage starting a search directly on the Electronic Journal Center (EJC). It does not provide access to a large amount of e-content available through the library. It is a collection of electronic journals available through OhioLINK.
Discourage starting a search directly on JSTOR. In some cases, it is a sound approach to refer students directly to JSTOR, rather than to the list of topical databases available through the library homepage because some of the JSTOR collections are focused on a particular topic (e.g., Latin American History). However, it is important that students access JSTOR through the library's homepage in order for authentication and links to journal articles to work properly.

Provide convenient access to course materials for your students, using links to electronic text whenever possible.

Create links from your Blackboard site as the best method of linking to electronic text available through Grasselli library. These links will provide 24/7 access to online materials, including links to our e-books, databases, e-journals and individual articles. Check with your liaison about creating a link using a persistent URL.
Use the electronic course reserve system. At the faculty member's request, individual course pages are created and hard copies (which may include chapters of books, tests, and journal articles) are digitized and uploaded. Copyright permission requests are typically valid for one semester only. Contact Adam Green (x1635) or consult the library's ERes policy for details.
Use print reserve service if necessary. A class of students trying to use one printed book or article usually leads to misplaced materials and frustrated students. If electronic text is not available, use the print reserve service where appropriate. Items that can be placed on reserve include library materials, personal copies of books, and professionally produced audio/videotapes or DVDs.

Stay current. Library resources are continually changing, and these changes will impact your research assignments. Test your assignment each time it is given (or ask your liaison for help). If a student is asked to use an outdated source or can't find a required source because its format has changed from print to electronic, they quickly become frustrated, often assuming that the library does not have what they need.

Foster critical analysis. Design assignments that ask students to use the information they find in a meaningful way. Requiring students to analyze, evaluate, or comment on the search strategy they used and the information they find helps integrate information literacy skills into your course and makes students more likely to retain these skills. It also reduces plagiarism!

Discuss the research process in your field. Each field has slightly different methods and approaches to the research process, and students need to be acclimated to the research environment of your field. Make certain your students are aware of key terms and concepts in the disciplines. Make sure they understand the benefits of taking a systematic approach to their research.

Schedule a bibliographic instruction session for your class to further develop your students' research skills.

Grasselli faculty are eager to partner with classroom faculty in helping students make use of information in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. As students tend to interpret your instructions very literally, we hope these suggestions provide some food for thought.

Reference librarians are eager to help in using information sources. We can offer pointers on developing an effective search strategy, identifying/locating credible sources, citing sources correctly, and finding digital video, audio & images online. Please do not hesitate to steer your students to us for research help.