ENGLISH R1B: Free Speech & You

Campus libraries

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:54:41 -0700

Click on the image below to view an interactive version of the campus library map.

Printable PDF version
Floorplans (Main Stacks | Moffitt | Doe)

Off-campus access

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:05:17 -0700

Unless home is a campus dorm, in order to access many Library resources you must first configure your computer to use one of two simple access methods:

Proxy Server (easiest method)
After you make a one-time change in your web browser's settings, allows you to use your CalNet ID to access a licensed resource.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)
You install and run the VPN software on your computer. It allows you to log in with a CalNet ID and accesss a licensed resource.

Library hours

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:15:14 -0800

Hours on:
Enter as mm/dd/yy

For:

This guide has been archived

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:29:27 -0700

Please note: this course guide was created during a previous semester, and is no longer being actively maintained. For a list of current course guides, please see http://lib.berkeley.edu/alacarte/course-guides.

Background information

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:45:48 -0700

Encyclopedias are often a good place to begin when you don't know much about a topic. They provide basic background information -- identify people, events, issues, etc., associated with a topic. Knowing this information will help you search for materials on that topic. Entries often have an associated bibliography that identifies related materials.

For online encyclopedias...
- navigate to library electronic resources (reviewed in article databases & other electronic resources section of this tab)
- then link to your chosen Subject and use the sidebar menu to access encyclopedias for that subject (many disciplines have linkable subject specific encyclopedias)
- Alternatively, link to library electronic resources by Type > Encyclopedias and almanacs to see all of these resources

To find print encyclopedias, use OskiCat

The "right" tool for the job

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:37:23 -0700

It's hard to find what you need, if you're looking in the "wrong" place. Choose a resource that includes the kinds of materials needed.

Books & articles: You're likely to need the library catalog and an article database for your assignment. Which one, and when, depends on what you already know and the kind of materials sought.
- if you already have a citation for an item, or you want to find books on your topic, you can start with the catalog
- if you want to isolate articles or essays on a topic, you'll need to use an "article" database
- the details
Encyclopedias provide brief background information

Article databases & other electronic resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:45:32 -0700

access is via FIND INFORMATION tab on UCB Library website

electronic resources are viewable by subject or by the general (interdisciplinary) category
- Recommended sun = central, typically helpful resources
- the sidebar menu (links to other types of resources for the selected subject)
electronic resources can also be viewed by type (news databases, encyclopedias, etc.)
the database description =
- subject(s)
- type of materials
- dates of publication
- if results' full text is available

Library catalogs

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:32:42 -0700

List what a library owns, its location and availability...

OskiCat is the UCB libraries' catalog
- books, journals, films, etc.
access via CATALOGS tab on UCB Library website

Where is the article?

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:37:49 -0700

Many library databases incorporate the UC-eLinks feature. You use it when a result's text is not provided by the database searched. It checks the UC-wide collections to see if the source is available elsewhere...

online (through a different database)
in print (at a library)
example database results with UC-eLinks

News

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:58:36 -0700

THE MOST CURRENT NEWS

Many newspaper websites make their current content available for free
Google News provides a search mechanism for isolating current news from identified news sources
- derived from identified news sources its search robots crawled within last month
- worldwide
- most result content is freely available
- includes results from more than news sites -- blogs, satire sites, etc. These later types should be tagged as such in the search results

"CURRENT" NEWS

News databases are the easiest way to search for recent news
Content typically stretches from current to the last several decades (varies by resource)
access path = Library homepage > Electronic resources > By type> News Databases
Review resource description
- alternative or mainstream press
- historical time period
- geographical focus
- languages
- portal with links to sites on the web or database providing actual news articles...

OLDER NEWS

News sources can be found by their title in the library catalog
Due to their fragility, newspapers have traditionally been preserved on microfilm
- Newspaper and Microfilm Room is in 40 Doe Library
- microfilmed news is arranged geographically [floorplan.pdf]
- microfilm is read on special readers (the News|Micro facility's reader/printers allow you to save pages to flash drives in .jpg and .pdf format).
- Ask Newspaper Microfilm staff for help.

Peer review process

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:59:14 -0700

Your instructor may want you to use "peer reviewed" articles. Or you may be asked to find "academic," "scholarly," or "refereed" articles. What do these terms mean?

Let's start with the terms academic and scholarly, which are synonyms. An academic or scholarly journal is one intended for a specialized or expert audience. They exist to help scholars communicate their latest research and ideas to each other.

Most scholarly/academic journals are peer reviewed (also referred to as refereed). Before an article is published in a peer-reviewed journal, it's evaluated for quality and significance by several specialists (author's "peers") in the same field.

Magazines like Time or Scientific American, newspapers, (most) books, government documents, and websites are not peer-reviewed, though they may be thoroughly edited and fact-checked. Articles in scholarly journals (in printed format or online) usually are peer-reviewed.

Citing sources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:19:13 -0700

Properly citing sources is an important part of your research. It allows you to avoid plagiarism and highlights your engagement with related scholarship.

In a nutshell: "Whenever you quote or base your ideas on another person's work, you must document the source you used. Even when you do not quote directly from another work...."

The above extract is taken from the Library's guide on citing sources. The guide gives an overview of this topic and links to formatting rules for the major citation styles.

Evaluating sources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:24:37 -0800

Research is as credible as the work that goes into it! It's important to analyze the information you find, including where it comes from.

critical analysis of sources (via Cornell University Library)

While a library database lists results from sources known to be reputable/scholarly, finding material via Google requires additional evaluation.

evaluating web sites

Scholarly or popular ?

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:40:24 -0700

Some research databases contain popular as well as scholarly content. Depending on your needs, you may want to limit results to just scholarly content. You can...

choose a resource that only contains it
if using a resource with mixed content, limit to the scholarly material
- here's how

Library subject specialists

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:48:40 -0800

UCB has librarians specializing in certain disciplinary subjects and certain kinds of materials (for example government documents, film, etc.). You may want to speak with one of these specialists.

Film/Media Studies librarian

Governments Documents: review individuals' "subject areas" in order to contact the government document specialist for your needs.
Journalism librarian

Full list of library liaisons

Chat with a librarian

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:14:49 -0800

Research Advisory Service

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:28:28 -0800

Research Advisory Service for Cal Undergraduates

Book a 30-minute appointment with a librarian

help focusing your research inquiry
help identifying online and print sources
help developing search strategies (for humanities and social sciences topics)

Schedule (view/edit) an appointment online [CalNetID required]

A research trajectory

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:30:45 -0700

Decide text/topic you are interested in writing about -- at least preliminarily.

Review suggested resources section, below, and the tool descriptions in the Resources tab.
Select a resource based on the kind of materials you are seeking to find.

For scholarly article/essay content, when selecting a resource, consider which disciplinary focus maps to your topic (meaning publications in that field are likely to be writing about it). Or...choose an interdisciplinary database.
Search selected resources to see what others have written on your topic, or what others are writing about that might suggest further topical focus.

Isolate promising database results to examine closely.

Good practice: as you go, note any information you may need if you end up citing your findings.

Suggested resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:53:27 -0700

OskiCat

find books on your topic
find the periodicals (scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers) you've already identified as having articles on your topic
find encyclopedias to get background information

Article databases (by SUBJECT)

identify article and essay content on your topic
identify current research
identify research focused on an aspect of a topic
search for publications from a specific discipline
- history, literature, film studies, womens studies, etc.

Article databases (GENERAL)

interdisciplinary
often have popular sources (magazine & news) as well scholarly
- how to limit to scholarly results (should you want to)
Academic Search Complete is one recommended resource
- popular and scholarly content (good for popular culture topics)
- some results available online
- has UC-eLinks feature
Google Scholar is one recommended resource
- strength is scholarly journal literature
- Use UC-eLinks to get full text
- Enable UC-eLinks to display (use Scholar Preferences > Library links)
JSTOR is one recommended database
- scholarly journals
- full text resource
- use advanced search mode (to narrow to specific discipline)

News databases

access path = Library homepage > Electronic resources > By type> News Databases
review description : alternative or mainstream press, historical time period, geographical focus, etc.
Access World News is a full text news database
- over 600 U.S. and over 700 international sources
- can search by geographical location
- source list provides inventory of titles included and dates covered
AltPress Watch is another full text resource
- Alternative, radical, and independent magazines, newspapers, and journals in North America

Encyclopedias (subject encyclopedias)

background on topic | biographical information on practitioner in field
link via Library homepage > Electronic Resources > Subject > review sidebar menu to see if there is a link to encyclopedias for that subject area

A few search tips

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:36:05 -0700

Recommended Tips for searching databases (also consider limiting by language)

Catalog searching
- materials about a topic
  - search 2 or 3 terms representing key concepts of your focus
  - try different combinations of term, synonyms, related terms
  - look at the record for a relevant result -- do its subjects suggest other search terms
  - try adding terms for specific types of materials: encyclopedias, biographies...
    
    Sample keyword searches...
    
    hoarding
    obsessive-compulsive disorder
    compulsive behavior
    france and history and class
    capitalism and material*
    eugene o'neill and biograph*
- author search
  - person's name - finds books by, interviews with, correspondence...
  - organization's name - finds materials by agency, government body...
- limit by language - use modify search button
- limit by material type - change default search of Entire Collection
  to seach by type -- i.e. Films/Videos, Journals/Magazines/Newspapers...
- if your search is too broad - use Modify button for available limits

How to use this tab

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:02:13 -0700

This course guide is created as a teaching tool and designed to be read as a unit. Doing so will provide the context for selecting the "right" resource and the techniques for manipulating it -- knowledge and skills that will support immediate and future research needs.

The notes in this tab contain suggestions about how to proceed with research based on your assignment. These suggestions build upon, and presume familiarity with, the general concepts addressed in the other tabbed sections of this course guide.