Part One - General Information
Hours and Location |
| Hours for Fall and Spring Semesters Mon.-Thurs. 8:00 am - 9:30 pm Fri. 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Sat. 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm Sun. Closed Holiday closings and hours for May Term, Summer Terms, and Winter Term will be posted from the link on the Library homepage. |
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Location – The Lavaca Building (East Side of Campus) |
Rules
Before you enter, remember:
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The library has 3 Service Desks. Staff members at each one will help you with different needs.
When
you enter, you will see This is where you check books out and return books. Also, at this desk, you and another person can get a key for one of the group study rooms upstairs. |
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Just
around the corner, you’ll see Here is where you will find a reference librarian who can help you find information that you need for your research paper, speech, or class assignment. Always stop and ask for help from the reference librarian. The reference librarian can recommend the best sources for your topic and will save you lots of time. |
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Around
the next corner, you’ll see This is where you can find magazines and journals for the current year, and recent issues of the Dallas Morning News and the Wall Street Journal. Also, this is where you will come to ask for books and items that have been put on “library reserve” by an instructor. |
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Check out the Library’s Home Page
| You can learn a lot about the library and its resources just by clicking on links on the home page. |
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The Books & Videos tab on the search box will take you to the library catalog to find books, videos, Web sites, and more. The Databases tab will take you to the online subscription databases to search for articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers. ASAP
stands for A Student Assignment Planner. When you click
on this link you, can enter the date your assignment is due, and
the planner will tell you when each part of your assignment
should be completed. It will help you stay on track and
get your assignment finished on time. |
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On the Library Home Page near the top right,
you'll also see: |
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Library Hours & Location - Here you can see location, the hours of operation, and the holiday closing information. Library classes information and a class schedule.
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More features on the Library Home Page include: |
Links to help you with your research process: |
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Free Library Classes
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During the fall and the spring, the librarians teach
free library classes in the library classroom, L126. The class
schedule is available from the library home page. Research 1 classes cover Introduction to College Research. Research 2 classes cover Electronic Research Research 3 classes cover MLA format Students who attend all 3 library classes will receive an Information Literacy Certificate from the library. Plan to attend classes early in the semester. Later classes sometimes must turn students away, due to limited seating in the classroom |
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Help
Sheets for all library classes are available on the
web. Can you find the link? |
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When no classes are scheduled in
L126, the room may be used as a computer lab by students doing library
research. |
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When you want to find a place to study...
| Looking for a quiet study area? You will find a quiet study area
upstairs. |
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Library Computers for Research
Are Available:
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In the Library Alcove
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In the Classroom, L126.
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Beside the Periodicals/Reserves Desk.
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You will have access to: Note: Students doing research have priority use of the library computers. |
Setting Up An Account For Computer Printing and Photocopying
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Set up your account in L122. All prints are black and white and cost 5 cents per page. |
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Pick up computer prints in L123 at the 2 stations
on the right side of the room. |
Library of Congress Classification System
| All College and University Libraries arrange books using the Library of Congress Classification System. Here is a brief guide showing how subject areas are arranged. You will find books arranged A-Z in both the Reference collection and the Main collection. Notice that general encyclopedias are in section AE. Can you find the sections for U.S. History and for Medicine? |
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Part Two - The Research Process
Research is not a 1 day event. |
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| If you attend
the library classes, you will learn tricks and shortcuts,
and you will be better prepared to do your research.
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The Research Process
A Step-By-Step Visual Presentation of the Process
Source 1 – General Encyclopedia
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Once you have a topic, begin in the Reference Collection,
on the main level. Go to section AE, and find an article on your
topic in a general encyclopedia, like the World Book or
Encyclopedia Britannica. This article will give you basic
information and additional vocabulary about your topic. You can
photocopy the article.
Or, you can get your encyclopedia information from Encyclopedia
Britannica in the online
databases.
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Source 2 – Subject Encyclopedias
In the Reference Collection on the main level, you can find articles about your topic in specialized “subject encyclopedias” (reference books). These articles contain in-depth information, written by experts. The reference librarian can recommend the best reference sources for your topic. (Remember to photocopy the title page, along with the article.)
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Decide on what perspective you want for your research
paper.
Do you remember these seeing these sections in the Library of Congress Classification System?
You must make a note of this information. You will need it for your works cited list. Attend the library's MLA class to learn how to use MLA format. See the sample works cited list beginning on page 4 of our sample research paper.
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Source 3 - Current Issue Sources
Also, in the Reference Collection, browse titles on the “Current Issues” table to see if your topic is covered by the print sources you see there. If so, photocopy sections, or articles, that will be useful to you. A Reference Librarian can help you get your MLA citation written correctly for this type of source. Many of the issues found here in these print sources have been digitized and appear in the Opposing Viewpoints online database accessible from the online databases page. Just click on the O in the alphabetical list. |
Source 4 - Books you can check-out from the main collection
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Use the Library
Catalog on the library's home page to search by keyword
for a book on your topic. |
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When the result list appears, look at the titles. You will want to find a book that says: AVAILABLE RL-Main Collection This indicates that the book is at Richland in the Main Collection located on the lower level of the library in the stacks. And, it should be on the shelf, available for you to check out and take home. Other campus locations you may see will be BH=Brookhaven, EF=Eastfield, EC=El Centro, CV=Cedar Valley, MV=Mountain View, NL=Northlake If you want to get a book that Richland does not own, but another compus has it, just click on the "Request It" link and fill in your name and ID number. Select the Richland Circulation Desk for the location where the book should be delivered. In about 3 days, the book will be here waiting for you to pick it up at the Circulation Desk. This is called an Inter-Campus Loan - ICL. |
In order to learn more about an item in the catalog, you can click on the title to see the Record Screen which will give you additional information. For example, the record screen that you see here has a description of this book that tells the number of pages it has in it and its size. It also tells the contents of this book. And, you can see the subject headings for this book. |
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| To find your book downstairs on the lower level, you'll need to write down the call number and the title of the book. For example: RA 649 .G56 2007 Global Epidemics Use a "Find Your Book" slip to fill in this information. Attend the library's Electronic Research class to learn how to use the library catalog more effectively. |
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Remember, the books are arranged
using the Library
of Congress Call Number System. |
| You can click on the link above to see a brief guide showing how
subject areas are arranged. Notice that general encyclopedias are in section AE. Remember how we used subject areas BF, E, HV, KF, and R to locate subject encyclopedia articles about marijuana? |
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On the shelf, the books will be arranged as you see in the picture above. L is the section for education. |
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Now,
you are ready to go downstairs, to the lower level, “the stacks,”
to find your books. |
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You can take the elevator (in the
left corner) or the stairs (on the right) down. Both are to the
right of the Circulation Desk. |
On your way, you’ll pass through the Lago Vista Reading room and |
the Lago Vista Art Gallery where you’ll see the Mind/Body/Health books and the restrooms. |
Now, you are in “the stacks” on the lower level. This is called the “Main Collection” or the “Circulating Collection.” Books down here are arranged with Library of Congress Call Numbers, just like they are upstairs in the Reference Collection. Section A begins on the shelf in the far top left corner. Section B comes next and continues across the aisle to the shelves on the right side of the isle. You’ll find “z” in the back row of “the stacks.” |
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Return to the main floor of the library where you can check your books out at the Circulation Desk.
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You will need your Student ID.
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What if you want a book
that is not at the Richland College Library? |
ICL
– Inter-Campus Loan – free (most common
method used by students) ILL
– Inter-Library Loan – free (used mostly
by instructors) TexShare
– free (a good deal, if another library is closer to your
home) |
Source 5 - Articles from Magazines, Journals, and Newspapers
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Magazine |
Journal |
Newspaper |
Do you know the difference between a popular magazine and a scholarly
journal? See the student help sheet titled |
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Find articles from magazines,
journals, and newspapers that cover your topic. The library
has articles in a variety of formats. |
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Print Articles
(format #1) |
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Find a current article on display in the Lago Vista
Reading Room. |
Find an article from the recent past and ask for
it at the Periodicals Desk. |
Find an older article from several years past in a bound volume located on the lower level. |
Make a photocopy of your article. Be sure to look for an author's name, get the article title, the source title, the date, and the page numbers of your article. You'll need this information for your works cited list. |
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Electronic
Articles (format #2) (most popular and
most likely) |
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Most students online subscription databases
for finding reliable academic articles about their topics. Online databases contain articles on every topic – current events, history, medicine, literature, science, education, sociology, psychology, art, music, law, business, technology, etc. All currently enrolled students and staff have remote access to the databases by submitting their name and student ID number. |
Select the databases that are suitable for your topic. Use keyword searches to locate your articles in the subscription
databases. Be sure to look for an author's name, the article title, the source title, the article's date, the page numbers of your article, the name of the database, and note the date you found the article. You'll need this information for your works cited list. Attend the library's Electronic Research class to learn how to use the subscription databases more effectively. Attend the library's MLA class to learn how to use MLA format. |
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Microform
Articles (format #3) (least likely) |
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Although, it is not often requested, mircoform (microfilm or
microfiche) is a method of keeping film copies of very old articles.
For example, if a student needs an article from Time
magazine from 1940, we have a copy of it on microfilm that students
may read & photocopy on the microform reader. |
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Source 6 - Websites
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Important: Save the WWW for last. Once you have found a variety of reliable sources of information about your topic, you can use the Internet to locate information from Web sites. The Reference Librarian can recommend trustworthy Web sites where you can begin your research. You can print your articles. |
Reliable Web sites are found in the library catalog. Just do a keyword search and refine your results format to Internet links. You can see by the world symbol with the E that these are web sites. Just click under the title where it says "available online" and you will link to the web site.
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| You should also use links provided
by the student handout titled Finding
Web Pages For Your Research. |
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Other recommended Web sites can
be found in The
Opposing Viewpoints Database. First click on a topic from
the list. When the page appears, click on the tab for "Websites."
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A good rule for evaluating Web pages
is to use the CARB
method. Learn more about this in a Research 2 class. |
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To cite your web page, you will need to look for an author's name, the title of the Web page, the name of the entire Web site, the name of the sponsor or publisher of the web site, the date on the page, and note the date you found the page. Attend the library's Electronic Research class to learn how to locate and evaluate reliable web sites for your research. Attend the library's MLA class to learn how cite Web pages using MLA format. |
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Research Sources Review
First, Select & Focus Your Topic - Next,
Use the Following Types of Sources to Locate Information |
1. General Encyclopedias |
2. Subject Encyclopedias |
3. Current Issues Sources |
4. Books |
5. Magazines, Journals, Newspapers |
6. Internet |
This concludes our photo tour and introduction to research in the Richland College Library.
Remember, if you attend
the library classes, you will learn more tips and tricks
for doing your electronic research, and you will learn how to use the
MLA format that is required for research papers.
Ask a librarian for a class schedule.
Always ask a Reference Librarian, at the Reference Desk, when
you need help with your research.
