CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN LIBRARIES

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CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN LIBRARIES
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INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS

• Consider the type,quantities and format of the
  information needed.
• Is it a 5 minute oral presentation, a 10 page
  paper of 50 page paper?
• The amount of information needed.
• Is the current information needed?
• Format of information needed print/nonprint
  (from books,journal, and diaries to trade
  catalogue)
• Is it an opinion paper?

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THE USE OF KEYWORDS

• Use significant terms,concepts and keywords to
  describe the topic.
• The key terms are searching catalog, indexes and
  databases to get the information on the subject.
• Example- How would a reading campaign influence
  the reading culture in Malaysia?
• Keywords Reading Culture
• Malaysia Reading
  habits

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• Begin your research by getting and reading short
  articles to enable you to get an overview of the
  topic
• Good sources of reference materials will provide
  you with a variety of information
• In addition, they may provide bibliographies
  (list of books,articles,etc) which lead to a
  chain of other related information
• Developing a search strategy

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DEVELOPING A SEARCH STRATEGY

• Begin with reference works (dictionaries,
  encyclopedias and bibliographies) in which can be
  found background and contextualising information
  on the topic then to more specific reference
  works (abstracts, indexes and databases). Then
  design a search strategy, beginning with general
  sources and working to more specific sources.

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DEVELOPING A SEARCH STRATEGY

• A search strategy will include the following
  major components
• Background source dictionaries and encylopedia
• Bibliographies (on people relevant to the topic)
• Reviews of literature and research reports (to
  cover how others outline or overview the subject)

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DEVELOPING A SEARCH STRATEGY

• Print indexes and bibliographies (for list of
  sources materials by subjects)
• Library online catalog and other databases
  (including CD-ROM) for subject and keyword
  searching of books and journal articles on the
  topic
• Primary research (for firsthand information such
  as interviews or surveys)

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Examples of reference materials

• General encyclopedias
• Specialised/subject specific encyclopedias
• Specialised/subject specific dictionaries
• Almanacs
• Handbooks
• Periodicals articles from full-text databases
• Biographical information
• Others via OPAC(Online Public Access Catalog)

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General Encyclopedia

• Provide all branches of knowledge to include some
  information on every topic
• Good sources for initial consultation giving main
  concepts on the subject and introduce other
  sources
• May use the subject heading encyclopedias and
  dictionaries when searching the OPAC
• Example The World Book Encyclopedia

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Specialised / Subject Encyclopedia

• Provide detailed articles written by experts in
  the field
• May use the subject heading on the subject
  followed by the word encyclopedia (eg.
  Sociology Encyclopedia)
• Example Companian Encyclopedia of Sociology)

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Specialised / Subject Dictionaries

• Provide usually more details than that given by
  standard dictionaries
• May provide illustrations and bibliographic
  references
• Enter the subject heading under the subject,
  followed by dictionaries (eg. Sociology
  Dictionaries)
• Example A Dictionary of Sociology

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Almanacs

• Provide up-to-date answers to all kinds of
  questions
• Provide information, from basic statistics on
  trade to recent winners of the Olympics
• Provide figures,charts,tables and statistics
• Enter the subject heading under almanac
• Examples World Almanac and Book of Facts or
  Whitakers Almanac

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Handbooks

• Provide concise factual information like
  charts,formulas,tables,statistical data,and
  historical background
• Enter the subject heading search under the topic
  plus the term handbook (eg. Sociology
  Handbooks)
• Example Handbooks of Sociology

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Periodical Articles from full-text

• Articles in newspapers or general interest
  periodicals provide quick overview of a subject
• Use full-text databases
• Example General Periodicals On disc (GPO),etc

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Biographical Sources

• Brief information about a person, not the
  full-length biography
• Libraries provide biographical references works
  with brief articles about people in all fields
• Enter, subject heading country and biography
  dictionaries.
• Examples Encyclopedia of World Biography, Whos
  who in Malaysia, Dictionary of National Biography
• Best biographical indexes(available online) are
  Biography Index and Biography and Genealogy
  Master Index

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THANK YOU