MIS 303 part 1

Summary

This tutorial from George Mason University introduces students to the library's resources, emphasizing the importance of evaluating information quality. Librarian Joanne Henson guides viewers through the library's homepage, databases, and subject guides, highlighting over 850 databases and the CRAP test for resource evaluation. She also mentions services like interlibrary loans, study rooms, and research consultations, encouraging students to utilize these resources for academic success.

Takeaways

• 😀 The tutorial is designed to introduce students to the resources available at George Mason University libraries and to teach them how to evaluate those resources.
• 👩‍🏫 Joanne Henson, a librarian, introduces herself as a resource for students and provides her contact information for research assistance.
• 🔍 The library homepage (library.gmu.edu) is the starting point for research, offering access to articles, databases, catalogs, and subject guides.
• 📚 The library has over 850 databases covering various disciplines, including business, finance, engineering, and computer sciences.
• 🔎 There are multiple ways to access databases, and descriptions are provided to help students determine which ones are most valuable for their research.
• 📖 The library catalog allows students to search for materials within the library's physical and electronic collections, as well as those from the Washington DC Consortium and the Library of Congress.
• 🏛️ Students can utilize services like interlibrary loan, check their library accounts, and reserve study rooms online.
• 📝 Subject guides are organized by subject and created by librarians to provide students with valuable materials for their research.
• ✅ The tutorial emphasizes the importance of evaluating resources using the CRAAP test, which stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
• 📈 The second video will delve deeper into finding databases and using library resources effectively.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the tutorial mentioned in the script?

The purpose of the tutorial is to provide an overview of the resources available at George Mason University libraries, how to evaluate those resources, and to guide students on finding the best resources for their research.

Who is the speaker in the script?

The speaker in the script is Joanne Henson, a librarian at George Mason University.

What is the main starting point for research at George Mason University as per the script?

The main starting point for research at George Mason University is the library homepage, which is library.gmu.edu.

What types of resources can be found through the library's search box?

Through the library's search box, one can find articles, databases, catalogs, and subject guides.

How many databases does George Mason University library have, according to the script?

George Mason University library has over 850 databases.

What are the core resources highlighted in the business and finance section of the databases?

The core resources in the business and finance section are not explicitly listed in the script, but it is mentioned that they are at the top of the list for finding articles.

What is the significance of the Consortium mentioned in the script?

The Consortium refers to the research libraries in Washington DC, which George Mason University students have borrowing privileges with, expanding the range of available resources.

What services does the library offer to help students with their research?

The library offers services such as Library accounts, study rooms, ask a librarian, workshops, research services including meeting with librarians or attending workshops, and instructional services for faculty.

What is the CRAP test mentioned in the script and what does it stand for?

The CRAP test is a tool to evaluate the quality of research materials. It stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, and Purpose.

How can students get help from Joanne Henson, the librarian mentioned in the script?

Students can get help from Joanne Henson by scheduling an appointment through the function on her info guide or by emailing her directly.

What additional resources does the script suggest for citation and evaluation of research materials?

The script suggests using the 'right site' for citation help and the CRAP test for evaluating research materials.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to George Mason University Libraries

This paragraph introduces the audience to George Mason University's libraries and the resources available to students. Joanne Henson, a librarian, welcomes viewers and offers her assistance for research. She emphasizes the importance of evaluating information and finding the best resources for academic work. Joanne introduces the library's homepage as a starting point for research, highlighting features like the search box, quick search, and the variety of resources such as articles, databases, and subject guides. She also mentions the extensive database collection, with over 850 databases, and guides viewers on how to navigate and select relevant databases for their research. Joanne invites students to utilize the library's services, including interlibrary loan, study rooms, and research assistance.

05:00

🔍 Navigating Subject Guides and Evaluating Research Materials

In this paragraph, the focus shifts to subject guides, which are organized by academic disciplines and created by librarians to provide tailored resources for students. Joanne showcases her own subject guide for business, which is designed to offer a comprehensive overview of available materials. She discusses the organization of databases into categories and the importance of using quality materials in research. The paragraph introduces CRAP Test, an acronym for evaluating resources based on currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. Joanne encourages students to use this test to ensure the quality of their research materials. The paragraph concludes with a teaser for the second video, which will delve deeper into finding and evaluating databases, and ends with a thank you note to the viewers.

Keywords

💡George Mason University Libraries

George Mason University Libraries refers to the academic libraries that serve the George Mason University community. In the video, these libraries are presented as a valuable resource for students, offering a wealth of materials and services to support research and learning. The script mentions how the libraries can be utilized to find articles, databases, and other resources, highlighting their central role in academic research.

💡Resources

Resources in this context refer to the various materials and tools available to students for their research and academic work. The video emphasizes the importance of knowing how to access and evaluate these resources, such as articles, databases, and subject guides, to ensure that students are using the best available materials for their studies.

💡Evaluate

To evaluate, in the context of the video, means to assess the quality and relevance of information sources. The video script introduces the concept of evaluating resources as a critical skill for students to develop, ensuring they use reliable and appropriate materials for their research. The video aims to teach students how to properly evaluate information, which is crucial for academic integrity and the quality of their work.

💡Librarian

A librarian, as mentioned in the script, is a professional who works in a library and assists users in finding information and using library resources. Joanne Henson, the librarian introduced in the video, offers her expertise to help students with their research, emphasizing the personal support available to students at George Mason University Libraries.

💡Databases

Databases are electronic collections of information, often containing articles, journals, and other research materials. The video script discusses the library's extensive collection of over 850 databases, which cover a range of disciplines. These databases are a key resource for students conducting research, as they provide access to a vast array of scholarly materials.

💡Catalogues

Catalogues in a library context refer to the system that allows users to search for and locate books, journals, and other physical and electronic materials held by the library. The video script mentions the catalogues as a way for students to find items in the library's collection, including those available through the Washington DC research libraries consortium.

💡Subject Guides

Subject Guides are curated lists of resources organized by academic disciplines or specific topics. The video script highlights that these guides are created by librarians to provide students with a selection of valuable materials for their research in various subjects. They are designed to help students find relevant and specialized resources more efficiently.

💡Research Services

Research Services are the various forms of assistance provided by the library to support students in their research endeavors. The video script outlines services such as one-on-one meetings with librarians, workshops, and instructional sessions for faculty. These services aim to enhance students' research skills and provide personalized support.

💡C.R.A.P. Test

The C.R.A.P. Test is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, and Purpose, which are criteria used to evaluate the quality of information sources. The video script introduces this test as a tool for students to assess the reliability and appropriateness of the materials they use in their research. It is a method to ensure that the information is up-to-date, relevant, authoritative, and serves the intended purpose.

💡Library Accounts

Library Accounts are the personal accounts that library users, such as students, have to manage their borrowings and interactions with the library. The video script mentions that students can check their library accounts to see what materials they have checked out, which is useful for tracking loans and avoiding late fees.

Highlights

Introduction to George Mason University libraries and available resources.

Tutorial's purpose: to guide students on evaluating and finding the best resources.

Introduction of Joanne Henson, the librarian, as a resource for research assistance.

Library homepage features and how to navigate them for research.

Explanation of the different types of resources available through the library.

Access to over 850 databases for various disciplines.

Demonstration of how to find and use databases for research.

Overview of the library catalog and its search functions.

Details on borrowing privileges and accessing resources from other libraries.

Information on library accounts, study rooms, and other student resources.

Introduction to subject guides organized by subject and created by librarians.

Demonstration of how to use subject guides for specific research help.

Importance of evaluating resources using the CRAAP test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

Emphasis on the responsibility of the student to ensure the quality of research materials used.

Encouragement to use library resources and librarian assistance for research excellence.

Preview of the second video with more in-depth exploration of library resources.

Transcripts

welcome to George Mason University

libraries this tutorial along with the

one that follows is designed to give you

an overview of some of the wonderful

resources that you have available to you

here at George Mason University along

with um how to how to evaluate those

resources and find the best resources

for what you're doing I'm hoping that

this is information that you will be

able to use in all of your classes and

also to help you to learn how to

properly evaluate information so we're

going to get

started I'd like to start by introducing

you to what I hope will be a valuable

resource for you as you do your research

and that is me I'm your librarian my

name is Joanne Henson my contact

information is here I hope that we will

get to know each other if we don't

already and that you will uh let me help

you with your

research I'd like to start with just

giving you an overview of the library

homeage page some of the features of the

library and then we'll move into how to

look for the proper resources for the

work that you're doing and I'll show you

more than one way to get to the

databases so that um it shouldn't be too

confusing for you so library.gmu.edu

is where you're going to start with your

research and from this page you can go

into the search box here on the black

bar or you can go into the quick search

I normally recommend that if you're

looking looking for articles that you go

into the search box here and this is

going to show you the different types of

resources that you have to do your

research so we have articles and

databases cataloges covers most of the

items in our physical and electronic

library and then subject guides we'll

look at all these things for starters

though I'd like to show you articles in

databases and we have over 800 probably

over 850 databases in our library

collection this is going to show you how

to find databases if you're not familiar

with our wonderful collection um some

some ways to look into the different

categories that we have for our

databases so obviously we want to look

at business and finance and E economics

of course but let me also point out to

you that we have engineering and also

Computer Sciences and it quite a few

different categories and different

disciplines that are probably relevant

to your research in the in your class so

be sure and go in and take a look at

some of these they're all very valuable

resources I'll just open business so

that you can get an idea of what this

looks like so business and finance and

we have some core resources on the top

that you can go and take a look for

finding articles and then other very

specifics as you can see the databases

all have descriptions which will help

you figure out which ones are going to

be the most valuable for your

research so let's let's go back to our

library homepage now and again back to

the search function um cataloges I'll

just show you what this looks like so

that you can get an idea of the

different resources that we have we have

in addition to our own Library

Consortium which is the research

libraries in Washington DC you can take

a look at those Collections and we do

have borrowing privileges in all those

libraries and Library of Congress you

might want to take a look at that as

well Mason libraries

when you go into this it'll show you

that you can do different types of

searches for the types of materials that

you're looking

for so I'm just going to click back now

and take you back to the library

homepage before we go further with this

I'd like to point out some things that

are um available to you as students at

Mason use the libraries in library loan

is a way that you can request materials

that we don't have in our library we're

have to get those for you at no

additional cost to you um Library

accounts if you want to see if you have

things checked out you can always look

at your own um on the records and see

what you have and then we have study

rooms for our students and all of our

libraries that you reserve online so be

sure and take advantage of some of these

really nice resources while your

students here and um and take advantage

of of ways that we can hopefully help

you to to do better with your schoolwork

under learn you'll see things like ask

librarian the various workshops that we

have a lot of online tutorials Research

Services which include meeting with

Librarians or attending workshops and

instructional Services primarily for

faculty to have us into your classes so

back to search we looked at articles and

databases and again I hope you'll look

at some of those great resources and get

familiar with them we'll get back to

that in a few minutes but for now I'm

going to just show you the subject

guides

and the subject guides are similar to

the database lists in that they're

organized by subject however these are a

little different in that the Librarians

here at Mason have created these so we

try to give you materials that might be

of value to you in different subject

areas and some topics as well so

engineering you can see there and

business and econ and management a lot

of different guides that you can choose

from and hopefully get some very

specific help with your research I'm

going to go ahead and show you my main

info guide now which is

business so you can just click on it and

this is organized in a way to give you a

lot of information um hopefully kind of

give you a better concept of what's

available to you and then I've also

taken databases and arrange them in

these different categories we'll look a

little more at this later but for now I

just want you to get an overview of

what's here if you scroll down you can

um use this function to schedule an

appointment with me or you can email me

for an appointment if you don't see

something that works for you and then my

other guides are listed here as well so

again my email is here my main info

guide is here and back up to the top

different ways to help you find specific

types of things um I'm going take a

moment now because I'd like to show you

right site and evaluate this is a tab

that helps you to figure out how to um

put together a decent

citation and you can look at some

different resources that I have for that

and then underneath important

information for you to really keep in

mind is how to evaluate the resources

that you're using so it's very important

that you understand that you want to use

quality materials in your research we

have access to these fantastic resources

a librarian out in California put

together this crap test crap being an

acronym and it stands for currency

relevance Authority accuracy and purpose

these are all very very important

elements in your research um things that

you could consider should consider

rather every time you look at articles

and make sure that you are really

finding articles that fulfill all these

requirements for Quality material so

keep this in mind and please do go back

to it when um when you're in doubt and

refer to it it's just one of many types

of tools that can help you to evaluate

your research materials and I'll just

mention in passing that if you're using

Library databases you don't have to be

quite so attentive to this because we've

tried to do that work for you but

ultimately of course as the author of

your research papers you should really

want to be responsible for whatever it

is that you're um that you're working on

and and using in your research so we're

going to look a little more at all of

this in the second video I would like to

um just leave you with a little bit of

what we've already talked about how to

find databases in our library catalog of

course we're going to get a lot more in

depth in the second video that you'll

also be seeing soon so thank you very

much