General Introductions

• Introduce Philip McEldowney, pm9k @ virginia.edu and inform about reference specialist Sajjad Yusuf, msy @ virginia.edu
• Review handouts ("Getting Started with Library Resources", "Evaluating Web Pages", and the Library brochure)
• Explain the structure of the 5-part session:


1. Orientation to the Library System
2. Library Home Page
3. VIRGO
4. Virtual Trip to the stacks
5. Articles

1. Orientation to the Library System http://www.lib.virginia.edu
• 15 libraries in all.
• Name a few: Clemons, Brown Science, Law, Education.
• Students can use any of them.
• Mention why to use libraries: make use of the research expertise.
• Define funny words used in academia:
• Catalog: VIRGO, online listing of book and journal titles, and databases.
• Stacks: Where the print books and bound journals are shellved
• Citation: a brief listing of author, title, date, pages, subject for book or article
• Abstract: A paragraph or so summarizing what the article discusses
• Full-text: the whole article, as it was originally written
• Refereed and peer-review: scholarly articles which others have reviewed before it is published.
• Call number: A catalog code of letters and numbers from the Library of Congress, see http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html



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2. Library Home Page
• Introduce Library Web site. http://www.lib.virginia.edu
• Point out highlights for later viewing: hours; maps; services; etc.
• Point out the various ways to ask for reference help.
• Connecting to databases from off-grounds (from the database page, click on Services for Users).


3. VIRGO
Introduce VIRGO. Say what it is and what can be found in it.
• Review top red menu bar.
• Review searches
• Explain Keyword, Begins With, Exact (Do a keyword demo, with "and" and truncation [truncation examples are politic$, narrat$, comput$, and efficien$ or Arab$])
• Explain Keyword Anywhere, Author, Title, Subject, Journal Title (Do a title or author search demo, combined author/title Sabbagh and Defiance)
• Briefly review Boolean operators [Arab$ and (middle adj east)]
• Review elements of a catalog record. [call number, author, title, etc.)
• Show the value of More - author, subject, etc
• Difference between keyword and subject search.
• Exercise: Pass around box of searches and have students do one.
• Print/save/e-mail from VIRGO.
• Discuss recalls. Request (see Sabbagh and Defiance search)
• Show "Help" button where they can get more searching answers.

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4. Virtual Visit to the Stacks
See: How to find a book in Alderman at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/subjects/find/
Exercise: Look up a book then show the students how to read an LC call number and find the book in the stacks.
In Alderman, look up either Ramza by Out El Kouloub in 1994 or War of the Crowns: A novel of ancient Egypt by Christian Jacq in 2004 or Verses of Forgiveness by Myriam Antaki in 2002. These books are right outside the classroom door.
In Clemons, look up either You Go Girl or Art of Soccer. Both of these are on the far end of the second floor. (Be sure and lock the door to 407 behind you unless the class instructor stays.)



5. Articles
• Discuss the difference between popular magazines and scholarly journals.
• Show examples of both.
• Discuss databases (what they are and what they can find there).
• Infotrac Searching
• What's in Infotrac? both refereed and non-refereed; some full-text
• Review general searching (ask about what they're researching to get relevant keywords)
• Review results list., looking at bottom for further information and links
• Show the difference between citation, abstract, and full-text.
• Show how to print or e-mail articles to themselves.
• Show how to save articles to Home Directory.
• Show another database in VIRGO if time allows. Lexis/Nexis, Index Islamicus, Anthropological Literature.

Pass out evaluations.

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Webber Philip McEldowney
Last Update - Monday, 02 June 2008