Watch this “Library Resources” video. There are MANY resources on the libraries homepage, but the video focuses on three of the most popular. You should watch the video in it’s entirety to be able to complete Step 2.
Step 2:
Find two resources related to your topic/research question. In both cases, the source should answer questions for you or build on your understanding of the topic in a useful way. If the source is hard for you to understand or if it’s only “kind of” related to your topic, keep looking. Find one that you understand and that helps you build more knowledge on your topic.
One source must be located using a library database.
The other may be found using Opposing Viewpoints in Context or the Library Catalog.
Use the information from the video to help you do this. Then answer the following questions for each source:
Introduce the source concisely (aim for about 50 words).
Include the full name of the speaker(s), provide their most relevant credentials, and describe their rhetorical situation (genre, audience, and purpose).
Then discuss how this source answers questions you have about your topic and/or enhances your understanding in some way. Include a brief (1-3 sentence) summary for each source that highlights the most important things you learned about your topic from that source. (Note – if you didn’t learn anything, then this is not a good choice.)
Consider how the source participates in a conversation:
What aspect(s) of the problem/issue/topic does this source seem to focus on most? What kinds of information does this source not discuss?
What new, surprising, or unexpected information came up in this source? (This can be information that was in response to your questions, or information unrelated to your questions.
Does this source seem to take strong position on the issue? Does this source mention other resources?
Describe the features of the text. What genre is it (a news article, journal article, book, etc)? How does the text package the information within (Does it include lots of graphics/quotes/statistics? How is it organized? What’s the tone of the text?) Who do you think the original audience is?
Summarize how you found this source. What library resource did you use, what search terms did you use, etc?
Step 3: Reflect
Did you find information you had not found before by using the library webpage? Or did you find a kind of source you had not found before? Had you ever used the library webpage in this way? What did you learn through this activity? What questions do you still have about the libraries? Did you feel comfortable using these resources?