This document provides an overview of library resources and services available at Ohio Northern University. It introduces the personal librarian program, research process, catalogs, databases, and more. Key resources covered include the POLAR catalog, OhioLink, Academic Search Complete, and MasterFile Premier. Tips are provided on searching, evaluating sources, and getting research help from librarians.

1. TREX: MYTHBUSTERS EXPERIENCE
Kelly Kobiela, Systems Librarian
Heterick Memorial Library

2. WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY
• Kathleen Baril, k-baril@onu.edu
• Heather Crozier, h-crozier@onu.edu
• Jenny Donley, j-donley.1@onu.edu
• Kelly Kobiela, k-kobiela@onu.edu
• Reference Email, reference@onu.edu
Librarians on duty:
Monday – Friday
8:00 AM - 12PM, 1PM – 4:30 PM
Monday – Thursday
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

3. PERSONAL LIBRARIAN PROGRAM
• Kathleen Baril
• Chemistry, Education, Mathematics and Statistics,
Mechanical Engineering, Modern Languages,
Pharmacy, and Physics
• Heather Crozier
• Biological & Allied Sciences, Business, History and
Political Science, and Nursing
• Jenny Donley
• Art, Communication & Media Studies, English,
English Language Program, Human Performance
and Sport Sciences, Philosophy, and Religion
• Kelly Kobiela
• Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer
Engineering and Computer Science, Music,
Psychology, Sociology, and Criminal Justice,
Theatre Arts, and Technological Studies
• Sarah Crawford
• Undeclared majors

4. WHAT WE’LL COVER
Introduction to the library
Basic research process
How to find books
How to find articles

5. LIBRARIES AT ONU
 Heterick Memorial Library
 Undergraduate library and
accessible to all students
 Taggart Law Library
 Library for law school and
accessible to all students

6. WHAT THE LIBRARY OFFERS:
 ~400,000 items in POLAR, the ONU library catalog
 ~20,000,000 items in OhioLink
 260 Databases
 400+ print periodicals
 Tens of thousands of electronic journal titles
 Juvenile, Young Adult, and Graphic Novel
collections
 DVDs, CDs, streaming audiovisuals, and streaming
music

7. HOW TO DO RESEARCH:
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Identify and
develop your
topic
Look for
background
information
to learn more
Identify
appropriate
tools and
resources for
finding more
information
Evaluate
your findings
Cite
Remember, the research process is circular. Try multiple
searches using different combinations of your keywords.

8. HOW TO START YOUR RESEARCH
 State your topic as a question
 Identify main concepts or keywords
 Look for keywords, synonyms, and related terms for
the information sought
 Google it!
 Start with a vague search, then use results to narrow
 Subject headings in catalogs
 Built-in thesauri in many databases
 Reference sources
 Textbooks, lecture notes, readings
 Librarians, instructors

9. WIKIPEDIA
• Use for keywords and ideas
• Article can be helpful background information
• Use the references at the bottom to find other
resources, using the CRAAP test to evaluate.

10. CRITICALLY ANALYZING RESEARCH SOURCES:
CRAAP TEST
Currency
• Timeliness
Relevance/Coverage
• Depth and importance
Authority
• Source
Accuracy
• Reliability
Purpose/Objectivity
• Possible bias present

11. CATALOGS – BOOKS AND MEDIA
 POLAR Catalog – Search for physical and electronic items
(ebooks and ejournals) that are available from Heterick
Memorial Library and Taggart Law Library

12. FIND A BOOK – POLAR: KEYWORD SEARCH
 Looks in several locations
 Subject
 Article title
 Abstracts
 Table of contents
 Does not require an exact match
 Generates comparatively large number of hits
 Good if you are not familiar with terminology
 Good for a beginning search

13. FIND A BOOK – POLAR: SUBJECT SEARCH
 Looks at the subject headings in the records
 Requires an exact match
 Provides a results list with related headings to use
for broader and narrower searches
 Generates comparatively smaller number of hits
 Good if you are familiar with terminology
 Good for a next step after a keyword search

14. POLAR – RESULTS
ebook
Law Library
Heterick Library

15. FIND A BOOK – OHIOLINK
 Materials owned by 121 other libraries in Ohio:
colleges, universities, public libraries
 Can submit request for an item to be delivered to
Heterick Memorial Library
 Most requests arrive in 2-3 working days
 No charge to request items (unless they become
overdue)
 Maximum of 25 requests at a time
 Items can usually be renewed

16. FIND A BOOK – OHIOLINK
 From POLAR results list:
 Button will recreate the POLAR search in OhioLINK
 From an item record:
 Button will go directly to the same item
 Use if the copy in POLAR is checked out
 Direct link to the OhioLINK catalog:
 http://olc1.ohiolink.edu/search

17. FIND ARTICLES – DATABASES
 What is the basic definition of a library database?
 A library database is an electronic (online) catalog or index
 Library databases contain information about published items
 Library databases are searchable
 The library subscribes to many databases so the ONU community has
access to these resources. When you’re searching a database, you
are not searching “the web.”
 What types of items are indexed by library databases?
 Articles in Journals/Magazines/Newspapers
 Reference Information (i.e. entries from Encyclopedias, Dictionaries,
etc.)
 Books & other documents
Source: http://web.calstatela.edu/library/whatisadatabase.htm

18. WEB RESEARCH VS. LIBRARY DATABASES
Internet
 Material from numerous
sources, individuals,
government, etc.
 Search engines must work
with material prepared
without regard for specific
software
 Quality of material varies
 Generally do not access for-
profit information
 Content often anonymous
and undated
Databases
 Usually created by a single
publisher
 Content pre-arranged for
easy searching
 Quality-controlled by editorial
staff
 Most are available only to
subscribers
 Sources are usually identified
and dated
 Databases often focus on a
specific subject or discipline,
but some cover several areas

19. Choose by
TITLE or
by
SUBJECT
from the
library’s
homepage.
DATABASES

20. SEARCHING IN DATABASES: BOOLEAN OPERATORS
Use Boolean operators in library databases and catalogs
when searching to find more relevant results.
AND – Use for narrowing a search.
Example: veganism AND risks
OR – Use to expand a search.
Example: veganism OR vegetarianism
NOT – Use to exclude a search term.
Example: veganism NOT vegetarianism

21. Magazines or Popular Periodicals
• Glossy pages and lots of pictures
• Edited by magazine editors
• Articles usually written by staff journalists
• Short articles
• Targeted to general audiences
Scholarly Journals/Periodicals
• Peer-reviewed
• Longer
• Citations/Bibliography
• Written by scholars, experts in the field of study
• Targeted to scholars, students in a particular
field of study
POPULAR VERSUS SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

22. PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES: ACADEMIC
SEARCH COMPLETE
A great general database to start your research. Use limiters to narrow
your search.

23. PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES: ACADEMIC
SEARCH COMPLETE
• Click on the title to view the abstract and other information
about the article.
• Full text is usually available in PDF format. Choose PDF
whenever possible as this format is easier to cite and
contains all photos and data tables.

24. Click on Find IT @ONU to access the full text of your article outside of the
database.
Click on Request this item through Interlibrary Loan to request an
article be sent from another library. This process takes at most 3 days,
articles are emailed to you directly.
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES: ACADEMIC
SEARCH COMPLETE

25. POPULAR ARTICLES:
MASTERFILE PREMIER

26. QUESTIONS?
 Contact your personal librarian and set up an
appointment
 Visit the library during reference hours for assistance from
a librarian
 Monday-Thursday 8AM – 12PM, 1PM – 4:30PM, 6PM
– 9PM
 Friday 8AM – 12PM, 1PM – 4:30PM
 Ask at the reference desk
 Phone the reference desk : 419-772-2185
 Contact the library by e-mail, reference@onu.edu
 Contact me directly, h-crozier@onu.edu or 419-772-2182