• Getting the Most from Your Library Media Center
• Bibliographic Citations
• Focused Search
• How to Conduct Research
• Web Hoaxes
• Plagiarism and Copyright
  • Avoiding Plagiarism
    (Article from Northwestern University)
    http://www.writing.nwu.edu/avoiding_plagiarism.html
  • Plagiarism in Colleges

Focused Search
With the upperclassmen throughout their varied courses, the Library Media Teacher reinforces the concept of a “focused” search. Most students come to the Library Media Center with three basic myths. They are:

1. Books are unnecessary for my assignment.

2. Google, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo, Dogpile, etc. are the best search engines to use.

3. If it’s on the Internet, it must be true and I can use it.

In conjunction with current assignments, we review a focused inquiry without using any of the above search engines, search in depth, use excellent, recommended websites and maximize efficiency. 

Assignments can begin with encyclopedias so there’s a basic understanding of the topic. In some of our online subscriptions, such as Britannica Online, World Book Online and Bigchalk, there are many layers of additional resources. Many of the encyclopedias feature not only encyclopedia articles, but also hyperlinks to related newspaper and magazine articles.  Additionally, these encyclopedias recommend websites which correlate to the featured article. This way of searching is emphasized for in-depth assignments using primary and secondary resources. Searching Google and other mega search engines can often send students on a wild goose chase where inaccurate and misinformation is contained. 

All our websites have been purchased for remote access from home free of charge. Any required passwords can be obtained easily from the Library Media Center. This assures access 24/7.  Additional web subscriptions are being purchased during Fall 2004 and will be announced as soon as they are in place.

Current and relevant print materials continue to be purchased for assignments. The library media teacher strongly emphasizes a combination of print and non-print resources for any assignment.  According to the 2004 California School Library Association's Standards and Guidelines for Strong School Libraries, an exemplary high school has 25+ books per student.  (As of October 2004, TPHS has 7 books per student even though thousands of carefully selected books have been added to the collection in the last 5 years.)   Part of the continued decreased book-to- student ratio is related to a rapidly increasing student population.

How to Conduct Research
Review these informative links to make the challenge of locating research information less daunting:

• Starter Tutorial on Library Skills
  http://www.cityu.edu.hk/lib/instruct/starter/welcome.htm
  
  
• A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW
  http://www.slu.edu/departments/english/research/
  
  
• University of South Carolina Beaufort Library: Bare Bones 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web
  http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml
  

Web Hoaxes
With millions of new websites appearing daily throughout the world, it's often difficult to decipher which ones are credible. Students must carefully evaluate sites according to specific parameters such as authorship, currency and validity. For more tips on evaluating website credibility, check this source:

• www.otterbein.edu/resources/library/libpages/subeval.htm

Visit the Museum of Hoaxes at the link below for examples of web sites that look legitimate, but are not.

• http://www.museumofhoaxes.com