Lesson on researching water

1. TSEM 102
L A K S A M E E P U T N A M
L P U T N A M @ T O W S O N . E D U
R E S E A R C H & I N S T R U C T I O N L I B R A R I A N
Slides: http://bit.ly/tsembarnesfall2015
Please login to your computer
and go to this link!

2. First…
Laksamee Putnam
lputnam@towson.edu
Cook Library Reference:
◦ 410.704.2462.
◦ IM/email
Phone: 410.704.3746.
Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
Albert S. Cook Facebook profile!
Slides: http://bit.ly/tsembarnesfall2015

3. A quick plug…
Programming for Latino Americans:
500 Years of History
National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH) and the
American Library Association (ALA)
Library exhibit and collection
coming!
Check the library calendar for more
info!

4. Agenda
Finding Water Resources
◦ Keywords
◦ Websites
◦ Books/Articles
Evaluating Information
Chicago Style Citation

5. Where do you go to find
answers?
Tell me here

6. Web “Pre-Searching”
Why start your search online?
◦ Find background information
◦ Help solidify research topic
◦ Find new terminology to use as keywords
◦ Find links and/or citations to other sources

7. Find background information
BOTTLED WATER
Environmental Protection Agency
– Water Portal
US Geological Survey – Water
Encyclopedia of Earth
DESALINATION
Cook Library’s Guide to the Web
Advanced Google searching
CQ Researcher

8. Keywords are critical!
Sample topic:
◦ How is bottled water effecting water supply in the United States?
First, break the question down into concepts:
◦ How is bottled water effecting water supply in the United States?

9. More on keywords…
Expand your list to include synonyms then add to it once you have
done some background reading.
 How is bottled water effecting water supply in the United States?
bottled water water supply United States
purified Cryptosporidium USA
Niagra Bottling LLC watershed North America
distilled groundwater depletion

10. Create keywords
Search on water topics through the websites provided
Go to this wall : http://bit.ly/1KimOP5
Share your keywords/key concepts

11. Search Tip #1
“Search Connectors”
AND OR NOT
internet AND children
◦Combining >1 topic
instruct OR teach
◦Combining
synonymous terms

12. Search Tip #2
Use truncation!
Educat* finds
◦ Educate
◦ Education
◦ Educating
◦ Educator
◦ Etc…

13. Search Tip #3
Phrase Searching…
◦ Use quotations to keep a keyword phrase intact (words will be searched in
the specific order)
◦ Examples:
◦ “No Child Left Behind”
◦ “school reform”

14. Putting it all together…
 How is bottled water effecting water supply in the United States?
bottled water
purified
Niagra Bottling LLC
distilled
water supply
Cryptosporidium
watershed
groundwater depletion
United States
USA
North America
“purified water” OR “distilled water” OR “bottled water”
AND
water* OR Cryptosporidium OR “groundwater depletion”
AND
“United States” OR USA OR “North America”

15. Finding Books
Plenty of relevant information in print
Use broad keywords
Multiple places to search
◦ Cook OneSearch
◦ Library Catalog
◦ USMAI Libraries

16. Finding Books

17. Finding Articles
Scholarly – Peer Reviewed
Use specific keywords
Utilized advanced search features
Card Catalogue. [Photographer]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia
Britannica Image Quest.
http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2838287

18. Finding Articles

19. Find a book and article
There are many places to look for resources, you don’t need to
remember them all, just find them listed on the TSEM Course Gateway
Find a Book and Article that look relevant to your topic
Go to this wall: http://padlet.com/lputnam/tsem102water
Enter the Chicago style citation for your book and article

20. Check for CRAP
Currency
Reliability
Authority
Purpose/Point of View

21. Check for CRAP
Currency
◦ How recent is the information?
◦ Can you locate a date when the
resource was
written/created/updated?
◦ Based on your topic, is this current
enough?
◦ Why might the date matter for
your topic?
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloeveryone123/3937374193/size
s/m/in/photostream/

22. Check for CRAP
Reliability
◦ What kind of information is
included in the resource?
◦ Does the author provide citations &
references for quotations & data
◦ Where am I accessing this
information?
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schnappi/5930145952/sizes/l/in/photostream/

23. Check for CRAP
Authority
◦ Can you determine who the
author/creator is?
◦ What are their credentials
(education, affiliation,
experience, etc.)?
◦ Who is the publisher or sponsor
of the work/site?
◦ Is this publisher/sponsor
reputable
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://rantchick.com/a-doctrine-on-respect/

24. Check for CRAP
Purpose/Point of View
◦ Is the content primarily opinion?
◦ Is the information balanced or
biased?
◦ What is the purpose of the
information? Is it to inform, teach,
sell, entertain or persuade
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/5484085301/sizes/m/in/ph
otostream/

25. Chicago Citation Style
Find a Cook Library guide here
But also check out the examples on OWL

26. Thanks for listening!
Remember to contact me if you have any questions
Or ask at the Research Help Desk on the main floor
Or Chat with us online!

27. Questions?
Feel free to contact me:
◦ Laksamee Putnam
◦ lputnam@towson.edu
◦ 410.704.3746.
◦ Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
Or any reference librarian:
◦ Visit Cook Library Reference Desk
◦ 410.704.2462.
◦ IM – tucookchat