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INFORMATION LITERACY: GETTING STARTED!

“Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." - Association for College and Research Libraries.

PROPER FOUNDATIONS LEAD TO SUCCESSFUL ENDEAVORS!

Start your research organized, and work with efficiency.

  • Create a new folder on the desktop and rename it the assignment or paper title.
  • Open word and title the page the same as the folder and “save to” this new folder – and then remember to continually save the doc as you work.
  • If you are using a remote memory device/stick be sure to save an additional copy elsewhere as a back-up: email it to yourself, cloud-drive, etc.…

ONLINE TOOLS FOR RESEARCH ORGANIZATION

  • Noodle Tools ​gives students a systematic but flexible framework for navigating the tangled web of research. Students develop expert critical-thinking skills, gain confidence, and replace patchwriting and plagiarism with synthesis.
  • Q-cite  is built for the students and researchers who have too many e-papers, websites and documents to organize. We help you categorize your paper collection, allowing you to add your comments, to sort, to group your documents and to import/exportthe data from/into standard BibTex format. Remember: you have your private online paper organizer for free.
  • Zotero​ is the only research tool that automatically senses content in your web browser, allowing you to add it to your personal library with a single click. Whether you're searching for a preprint on arXiv.org, a journal article from JSTOR, a news story from the New York Times, or a book from your university library catalog, Zotero has you covered with support for thousands of sites.
  • Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research.
  • Evernote allows you to remember and act upon ideas, projects and experiences across all the computers, phones and tablets you use.

SELECTING A TOPIC

College students who use the library sources and seek assistance from the librarians are overwhelmingly satisfied with the return of information and time invested.

 

  • Start with Kendall College Library's online catalog: 

http://kendall.polarislibrary.com/

  • You can start with entering your subject interest into the search bar.

  • Once you select a term, you can expand your search further by defining which format you would like the results to show. Then look into the "Subjects" area in the description field to see related subjects and click on a link to explore to find something you might be interested in. 

  • Click any of the subjects listed to find more in this area to find refined knowledge within each subject region.

  • Use the call number of a book to browse the library shelves. The Dewey Classification system ensures that related topics will be grouped near each other. 

 

Rename the folder the subject or assignment. Keep previous folders together in a folder titled for the class name and number. 

FREQUENTLY!!

Always save your documents to more than one location for ease of access and safety.

SUBJECT SEARCHES IN DATABASES