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Learning
Objectives
1. To
understand the purpose and function of basic reference
sources.
2. To
understand the purpose and basic features of general and
subject encyclopedias.
3. To
understand how encyclopedias can be useful in Stages 2 and 3
of the research process.
Instructions
1. Read
lesson four and complete the accompanying
exercises.
2. Turn
in the completed lesson at the Reference Desk for
grading.
(Be
sure to log in and out on the library's check-in computer
when you spend time in the library working on this course.
Write in any hours spent working on the course outside of
the library on the log sheet in your folder.)
WHAT ARE
REFERENCE SOURCES?
Every
library has a special set of materials - usually in a
separate room or area - called a "reference
collection." A reference collection is composed of a
variety of information sources in both print and
computerized format that are referred to frequently,
hence the term "reference collection." The call
number (identifying location) of an item in the
reference collection is normally preceded by "REF" or
"REFERENCE." Students and researchers are not allowed to
take reference items home because librarians want to make
certain that everyone has access to these valuable tools at
all times. This normally doesn't present any hardship since
reference sources are normally consulted rather than read
cover to cover.
Reference
sources function as starting points or gateways to
information. In the broadest sense, they are designed to
answer questions and identify other sources of information.
Reference sources can provide all or some of the
following:
- brief
factual and statistical information
- introductions
and overviews of a subject area
- answers
to frequently asked questions
- pathways
and guides to other sources of information
Every
year, thousands of books and databases are published that
can be defined as reference material. At Skyline, librarians
purchase only those reference materials that will be most
valuable to students and faculty. The Skyline library print
reference collection contains approximately 3,000 volumes
and is located directly behind the Reference Desk on rows of
low shelving.
A
reference collection is comprised of many types of reference
works, each providing different kinds of information. Listed
below are the main types of reference sources found in a
library's reference collection:
- ALMANAC:
a compilation of statistics and facts on a variety of
subjects, usually in one-volume
- ATLAS:
a book of maps and geographical information
- BIBLIOGRAPHY:
a list of books, articles, and other sources of
information on a particular subject or by one specific
author
- BIOGRAPHICAL
SOURCE: a work that provides information about a person's
life (education, accomplishments, awards, career,
etc.)
- DIRECTORY:
provides names and addresses of individuals, companies,
organizations, etc.
- ENCYCLOPEDIA:
a work meant to provide comprehensive summaries of all
fields of knowledge or specific branches of knowledge
- GAZETTEER:
A dictionary of places. Allows you to look up a specific
country, state, city, town, etc. and read a brief
geographical description.
- HANDBOOK:
concise -- but usually comprehensive -- explanatory
information on a specific subject or area of study
- INDEX:
an organized list of bibliographic citations describing
books, magazine articles, journal articles, etc.
- YEARBOOK:
a summary of the events and trends of a given year
Some
reference tools are a bit complex and you may feel confused
when using them for the first time. For that reason, it's a
good idea to read at least some of the preface
that all reference works provide at the start of the volume
or set. (In computerized reference works, the preface can
usually be found in the "Help" section or "FAQ" --Frequently
Asked Questions - section, although it may not be called a
"preface.") The preface describes the overall purpose and
scope of the work, thereby helping you decide if that
particular tool will provide the information you're seeking.
It explains how current the information is and how that
information is organized and presented. It also describes
any special features and gives you specific directions on
how to use it.
GENERAL AND SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIAS
The
rest of this lesson will examine an especially valuable
reference tool: the encyclopedia. Encyclopedias provide
substantive discussions and summaries of all fields
of knowledge, or specific branches of knowledge.
Thus, there are two types of encyclopedias, "general" and
"subject":
- General
encyclopedias include articles on nearly any
topic, i.e. all fields of knowledge. World Book,
Encyclopedia Americana, and Encyclopedia
Britannica are examples of general encyclopedias.
- Subject
encyclopedias focus on a single subject or
discipline. They can cover very broad subject areas, such
as The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and
Technology, or The International Encyclopedia of
the Social Sciences; or very specific subjects, such
as The Encyclopedia of the Consumer Movement or
Encyclopedia of X-Rays and Gamma Rays. Subject
encyclopedias usually provide more in-depth discussions
than general encyclopedias.
THE USE OF ENCYCLOPEDIAS IN THE RESEARCH
PROCESS
Some
teachers prohibit or downplay the use of encyclopedias for
student research, primarily because students often use them
inappropriately. Many students are tempted to rely on them
too heavily, ignoring other important sources of
information. Remember that it is not desirable or even
possible to write a research paper based only on
encyclopedia articles. There are, however, several ways in
which encyclopedias can be appropriately used and extremely
helpful in your research:
- Encyclopedias
provide good overviews and introductions to a subject.
Especially if you are unfamiliar with the subject, these
articles provide helpful background information and
explanations of key concepts and terms. For that reason,
they are often excellent places to begin your
research.
- Encyclopedia
articles often help with choosing and narrowing your
topic. Reading through an article, you may discover a
specific angle, aspect, controversial issue, historical
event or person, or time period you'd like to pursue.
This specific idea or issue could become your focused
research question.
- Encyclopedia
articles usually contain words and phrases that you might
eventually use when you conduct a database search. This
is especially important if the article discusses a
particular aspect of a subject that might become the
focus of your research. Therefore, pay special attention
to any unique subject words and write them down. These
terms will come in handy later in the research process
(Stage 5) when you are searching various indexes and
databases.
- Encyclopedia
articles often provide facts, figures, dates and
statistics in easily understood formats, as well as good
illustrations.
- Encyclopedia
articles often include a bibliography (a
list of recommended books and articles for further
reading) either at the end of each article section or at
the end of the entire article. Depending on the article
and the encyclopedia, these bibliographies can be very
long, so you should write down the citations only for
those items that seem most valuable or relevant. This
list becomes your own preliminary bibliography of books
and articles on your research topic.
- Encyclopedia
articles are usually written by experts, i.e. respected
authorities in a given subject, who provide the most
widely accepted scholarly views and perspectives. One
valid criticism of encyclopedia articles, however, is
that they tend to neglect or gloss over controversial or
minority views on a subject. Thus, it is important to
remember that any form of communication, even
encyclopedia articles, reflects an author's ideological
biases and disciplinary stance and should be evaluated as
critically as any other source. Lesson 10 will discuss
further how to evaluate sources.
ENCYCLOPEDIA
AMERICANA ONLINE (EAOL) : A GENERAL
ENCYCLOPEDIA
The
final section of this lesson will discuss a widely used
college-level, general encyclopedia: the Encyclopedia
Americana. Although it is available in both print and
computerized formats at Skyline Library, you will be
learning about the computerized version.
Encyclopedia
Americana was the first encyclopedia published in the
United States, the original edition appearing in 1829. It
contains tens of thousands of articles written by more than
6,000 authors. The preface to the encyclopedia points out
that although the articles are written by leading
authorities in each subject field, they are intended to be
read and understood by the nonspecialist. Since this is a
general encyclopedia, all fields of knowledge are covered.
In fact, the editors state that they believe Encyclopedia
Americana provides "an accurate and comprehensive
picture of past and present times."
In
addition to the print format, Skyline Library also has the
computerized version of Encyclopedia Americana
(version 2.5, released in August 2000). Known as
Encyclopedia Americana Online, this computerized
encyclopedia is a 25 million-word collection of text and
images available to paid subscribers over the Internet. The
next part of this lesson asks you to use Encyclopedia
Americana Online (EAOL). Please read the
following guide to EAOL before attempting the
exercise.
GUIDE
TO USING ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA ONLINE
(EAOL)
HOW CAN
I SEARCH EAOL?
- by
article title
- by
full-text (also known as a keyword
search)
- by
predefined topic categories
- by
browsing an alphabetical list of article
titles
HOW ARE SEARCH RESULTS DISPLAYED?
Each
search generates a search results list, from which you can
display the complete text of the article(s) that interest
you. Articles are usually listed in groups of ten. Each
article title is followed by the first few lines of the
article text, which will help you decide if the article is
relevant and worth displaying/reading in its entirety.
DO ANY SPECIAL FEATURES ACCOMPANY THE TEXT OF THE
ARTICLES?
Yes.
Many articles contain supplementary information you can
access by clicking on the corresponding icon on the article
toolbar. These include:
- table
of contents (for long articles)
- maps
- flags
- Americana
Journal (a searchable database of current events
concerning a nation or international
organization)
- tables
(fact boxes, glossaries, etc.)
- Internet
links relevant to the encyclopedia article you're
reading
- related
articles in EAOL
ENCYCLOPEDIA
AMERICANA ONLINE
EXERCISE
Now that you have a basic understanding of how to use EAOL,
complete the following exercise. Follow the directions
carefully.
To
access EAOL from the library's PC's (tables A or C),
follow these steps:
- From
the Skyline Library desktop menu, click on the
Netscape icon, found inside the box labeled
"Internet."
- At
this point, the computer will use the Netscape browser to
bring you to the Skyline Library home page. Wait a few
moments for this connection to be made.
- At
the Skyline Library home page, notice that the 1st
category of choices is Research Databases.
Immediatley underneath the heading "Research Databases,"
find the link for Reference Databases and
click on it.
- You
will be brought to a screen called Encyclopedias,
Dictionaries, and other Reference Databases.
Click on the link for Encyclopedia
Americana, found at the top of the 2nd column of
choices.
- You
are now at the main search screen for EAOL. The
long blank rectangle at the center of the screen is
called the "text entry area." Directly underneath the
text entry area are settings that indicate either an
"Article Title Search" or a "Full Text Search." Notice
that "Article Title Search" is the default setting, i.e.
has already been chosen. Since you will do an "Article
Title Search", do not change this setting.
- Click
once inside the blank search entry rectangle to make the
cursor appear.
- Let's
assume that you've been assigned a research project and
are in the very early stages of the process. At this
point, you've decided on a general subject, but
have not yet narrowed your subject into a workable
topic. The subject you've chosen is freedom of
the press.
- Type
the following in the text entry box: freedom of the
press
Press <enter> or click on the search
button.
- Your
search results screen should display 2 documents. The
second document is the main article on freedom of
the press. Click on the title of the article to
make the full-text appear.
- Find
the 4 icons pictured above the article title. Click
on the "Table of Contents icon. Notice that
this article is divided into 3 main sections:
"Historical Development", "Worldwide Status", and
"The United States."
1)
The section "The United States" is divided into
how many subsections? ______
(HINT: You must count them. Also, the "bibliography"
is not a subsection.)
2) Clearly, this article is a broad overview of many
topics -- both historical and current -- related to freedom
of the press. As you know, however, this subject must be
narrowed into an appropriately focused topic. Looking again
at the sections and subsections listed in the table of
contents -- and reading specific sections of the article if
you find that helpful -- identify an aspect, issue,
historical event, or person that might provide a narrower
focus for your research on freedom of the press. For
example:
Example #1:
SUBJECT: Freedom of the press
A NARROWER FOCUS: Government restrictions on press freedom
in totalitarian countries
Example #2:
SUBJECT: Freedom of the press
A NARROWER FOCUS: Prior restraint and the government's
effort to stop publication of the Pentagon Papers in
1971
Your
Answer:
SUBJECT: Freedom of the press
A NARROWER FOCUS:
______________________________________________________________________________
3) Encyclopedias often provide a bibliography at the
end of the article. Therefore, scroll to the end of
the article and find the "Bibliography." This is a
list of books pertaining to press freedom that the author is
offering as suggestions for further reading. How many books
are listed? _____
4)
Choose one of the books listed in the bibliography and
provide the following information:
Author(s)
or editor:
__________________________________________________________
Title:
______________________________________________________________________
Publisher
and publication date:
_________________________________________________
5) Encyclopedias usually provide the name of the
author(s) at the end of the article. Scroll a few
lines above the bibliography and you'll see the name of the
author of this article. Who is the author and what college
is he affiliated with?
__________________________________ of the
________________________________________________
6) Scroll down slightly and click on "Go to top of
page" . Then click on the "Related Articles"
icon. This icon offers you a list of other articles in
the encyclopedia where additional or related information on
freedom of the press can be found.
Give the title of one of the related articles:
________________________________________________________________
- Return
to the initial search entry screen by clicking on the
"search" button found just above the words "Related
Articles." (DO NOT click on the Netscape search
button at the very top of your screen, or you'll exit
EAOL.)
- From
the list below, choose a country, historical event, or a
famous person:
CHOOSE ONE FROM ONLY ONE CATEGORY!
Country: Thailand, Ecuador, Luxembourg,
Ukraine
Historical Event: Crusades, Battle of Gettysburg,
Renaissance, Vietnam War
Famous person: Abraham Lincoln, Mick Jagger, Joe
DiMaggio, Mozart
Write your choice:
__________________________________________
- Type
your choice into the text entry area (keep the default
setting "Article Title Search") and click on the
search button. Your results list may be one article or
several articles. Choose the article that contains
just your search terms in the article title and nothing
else. This will be the broadest, most substantive
discussion of your topic.
7) Who is the author(s) of the article?
_______________________________________
(NOTE: To find the author, you should click on the "Table of
Contents" link, click on the last section of the article,
and scroll to the end of that section. Short articles may
not have a table of contents, therefore the author can be
found by scrolling to the end. Sometimes no author is given
for short articles. If that's the case, simply write "N.A"
for "Not Applicable.")
8)
Does a bibliography accompany this article? YES or NO
(circle your answer)
9)
If the article is organized into several main sections, give
the title of one of the main sections:
(Write"N.A." if not applicable to your article.)
________________________________________________________
10)
Are any related articles in EAOL listed? YES or NO
(circle your answer)
If yes,
indicate the title of one of the related articles:
__________________________________________________________________
SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIAS
As discussed earlier, subject encyclopedias focus
on a single subject or discipline. Thousands of
encyclopedias of this type exist in both print on electronic
formats. Listed below are just a few of the hundreds of
subject encyclopedias available in print format in the
Reference Collection at Skyline Library:
BUSINESS
- Encyclopedia of Banking and Finance
- The Concise Blackwell Encyclopedia of
Management
ETHNIC STUDIES
- Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and
African-American Experience
- Encyclopedia of the North American Indian
- Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural
America
- The Encyclopedia of the Irish in America
- Encyclopedia of Latin American History and
Culture
HISTORY
- Encyclopedia of Women's History in
America
- Encyclopedia of the Victorian World
- Encyclopedia of the Holocaust
- Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War
- The Sixties in America
LAW
- American Justice
- Encyclopedia of Gun Control and Gun
Rights
- Great American Trials
- Censorship
PERFORMING ARTS
- The International Encyclopedia of Dance
- The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
- The Film Encyclopedia
SCIENCE
- McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and
Technology
- The Environment Encyclopedia
- The Encyclopedia of Mammals
- Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics
- Encyclopedia of Microbiology
- Wiley Encyclopedia of Energy and the
Environment
SOCIAL SCIENCE
- The International Encyclopedia of the Social
Sciences
- Encyclopedia of Family Life
- Encyclopedia of Social Issues
SPORTS
- Encyclopedia of Sports Science
- The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball
- The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia
SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIA
EXERCISE
This exercise will introduce you to one of the
subject encyclopedias available in electronic format: The
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Type the following URL (Web address) into the
Netscape "location" bar:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
- Press <enter> and you'll be brought to
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Let's assume that you're beginning your research on
the philosophical thought of Herbert Spencer. In the text
entry box, type: Herbert Spencer
- At the results screen, Click on the article
entitled "Herbert Spencer". (It may take several moments
for the entire article to display.)
- Scroll down slightly and find the Table of
Contents.
11) This article is divided into how many
sections? (Do not count the "Bibliography.") _____
12) Who is the author of this article?
______________________________________________
13)
Choose one of the books listed in the bibliography and
provide the following information:
Author(s)
or editor:
__________________________________________________________
Title:
______________________________________________________________________
Publisher
and publication date:
_________________________________________________
RESEARCHING
YOUR TOPIC -- ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLES
Starting
with this lesson, you will begin finding information sources
(books, articles, etc.) on the topic you specified at the
end of Lesson 2. For your initial research, please find two
encyclopedia articles related to your topic. The first
article must be from Encyclopedia Americana (a
general encyclopedia). The second article must be from a
subject encyclopedia or other reference source.
ARTICLE
#1:
FROM Encyclopedia Americana Online
14)
Use the Encyclopedia Americana Online to find
an article relevant to your overall research subject.
Print out the 1st page of the article and staple
it to the end of this lesson. Then answer the following
questions about the article you chose:
Title
of the encyclopedia article:
_________________________________________________
(include relevant section title, if applicable)
Author(s)
of the article:
________________________________________________________
(if given)
ARTICLE
#2:
FROM A SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIA OR OTHER REFERENCE
SOURCE
15)
Your second article must be from a subject encyclopedia or
other reference source. Provide the following information
for the article you find:
Title
of the encyclopedia:
______________________________________________________
Title
of the encyclopedia article:
_________________________________________________
Author(s)
of the article:
________________________________________________________
(if
given)
______________________________________________________________________________
Editor(s)
of the encyclopedia (if given):
_____________________________________________
Publisher:
_____________________________________________________________________
City
where publisher is located:
______________________________
Year of
publication or year of edition: ________________
Edition
(if given): ______________
(For example, "Revised edition" ; "Second edition",
etc.)
Number
of volumes (if more than one volume): ___________
LESSON 4: KEY
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Every
library has a special set of materials called a
reference collection made of many types of
reference works. They serve as starting points or
gateways to information.
- There
are two types of encyclopedias, "general" and
"subject."
- There
are several ways in which encyclopedia articles can be
useful in Stages 2 and 3 of the research process,
including:
- choosing
and narrowing a topic,
- background
information,
- finding
subject terms to use later in a database search,
and
- learning
about other recommended books and articles on your
topic.
- Encyclopedia
Americana is a widely used, college-level, general
encyclopedia available in both print and online formats
at Skyline Library.
LESSON 4 -
REVIEW THE CONCEPTS
16)
A reference collection is comprised of many types of
reference works, each providing different kinds of
information. List any 3 types of references sources
found in a library's reference collection:
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
17)
A reference work that provides comprehensive summaries of
all fields of knowledge or specific branches of knowledge is
called an __________________________________ .
18)
What is the difference between general and
subject encyclopedias?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
19)
List any 3 ways in which encyclopedias can be helpful in the
research process:
a)__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
b)__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
c)
__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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