The university library has 2.4 million books, 3,000 periodicals and 2,800 online journals and databases – in other words, a mountain of information that could confound any student stressing about an upcoming research paper.
But help is at hand.
Discover how to find resources by attending the Research Quickstart Workshop on Thursday, May 2, from 1 to 2 p.m. in room 2907 at the library.
The workshop’s goal is to give students an overview of the resources and services available in the library to assist them in completing their class assignments and research projects. This includes making students aware of the research guides, online tutorials, the FAQ and the online chat.
“We also want to make students aware of the subject librarians available in aiding students in their research needs and that we are always ready to help,” says Emma Gibson, department chair and head of the library’s public services.
The Research Quickstart Workshop will show students how to obtain the full text of articles not available via the databases without making the common mistake of paying for the privilege.
“The library subscribes to more than 250 online databases, of which about 20 are discipline-specific,” says Nancy Daugherty, a university library assistant. “A common mistake for first-time users is to pay for subscriptions to online databases, such as Google Scholar.”
Although articles are free to preview, most online databases will not allow users to see the document in its entirety without paying a subscription fee.
“Getting your research done through the university’s library gives you the ability to access and obtain these articles for free,” Daugherty says. “There have been numerous times when I’ve heard students ask, ‘I was paying for this?’ once they’ve found out that you can navigate through our databases.”
The workshop will also address common mistakes students make during the research process.
“One of the biggest problems is procrastination,” Daugherty says.
Students who wait until the last minute to complete their research projects typically run into problems, especially when a particular document is not available.
“If we don’t have immediate access to an article, we can always request to have it sent to the university library; however, it may take two to three days before we receive it,” Daugherty says. “This can be a problem for the student who is trying to get their assignment done the day before.”
Besides providing resources, the library serves as an inviting location to meet.
“We want to showcase that the Library is a welcoming space for research, group study, and just for a place to relax,” Gibson says.
To register for the workshop visit, www.cpp.edu/~library/spotlight/2013/april/quickstart.html.
(Photo: students conducting research at the University Library.)