This section of Blackboard was prepared by your EDU 125 library liaisons, Shelly Davis and Laurie MacWhinnie. The resources are designed to assist you with finding information for your Current Controversies in Education panel discussion assignment. We have included tutorials, handouts, information on how to obtain materials from other libraries, and links to key library forms. Through these resources, you can learn about the library’s online catalog (URSUS), the electronic databases, books in the library’s reference collection, and recommended Web resources.
Each tutorial can be used as a training tool and is designed to walk you through a sample search in the online catalog or a database and demonstrate the key features. If you attended a library session with an LIA101, ENG100, or other class and are familiar with some of the resources, the tutorials can serve as refreshers.
Many of the Library Resources for EDU 125 documents are in PDF format. You will need to have Adobe Reader in order to view and print the documents. If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can download it for free by going to the Adobe web site at http://www.adobe.com/.
If you have any questions about these resources or would like assistance with your research, please contact an EDU 125 library liaison:
| Shelly Davis Library Information Services Manager |
Laurie MacWhinnie Head of Reference Services |
| 778-7224 |
shellyd@maine.edu IM: shellyumf (AOL, MSN, or Yahoo) |
778-7219 |
macwhinn@maine.edu IM: laurieumf (AOL, MSN, or Yahoo) |
Clarification on MUDDIEST POINTS from the Library Session
| If these explanations still leave you "muddy" or if anything else is "muddy" to you, please contact either Shelly or Laurie for assistance. | |
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Each
record in the ERIC database is assigned a unique number.
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The
ERIC thesaurus is a standardized list of terms that identify subjects for
the records within the database. The thesaurus can help you identify
appropriate search terms.
For example, your topic has to do with teenagers who are in foster care. In ERIC, you enter teenagers and foster care in the Search box. Only 16 items come up, which seems low for this topic. Go to the Thesaurus, and search for the term "teenagers." The thesaurus indicates that instead of "teenagers," you should use the term "adolescents" instead. Now search for adolescents and foster care - you get 300+ results. Terms from the Thesaurus also show up in
every item's record as Descriptors. (Click on the title of
any item in your Results List and on the left, look for a list of
Descriptors.) When you find an article that is just what you are
looking for, take a look at the Descriptors. You can either click on
one to go to a list of items that also have that descriptor, or use one or
more to add to your search statement for more precise results. |
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If an article or document is not available in full-text in the database, you need to determine if you can access it either in print at or electronically through the Mantor Library. If you cannot, then you need to submit an interlibrary loan request for the item. A document outlining the steps for how to do all of this, and a link to an online interlibrary loan form, may be found in the Using INTERLIBRARY LOAN section of this page. |
QUICK LINKS
EDU 125 ASSIGNMENT
Locating BOOKS
This self-paced tutorial will walk you through how to search for books in both the URSUS and Maine InfoNet catalogs. If you locate books that are not at the Mantor Library, you can request that they be sent here. It only takes a couple of days for books to arrive, and it doesn't cost you anything! See the tutorial for all of the details.
Once you have located a book in URSUS that is at the Mantor Library, use this guide to find it on the shelf.
Locating JOURNAL ARTICLES
Scholarly, or peer-reviewed, periodicals (referred to as journals) are viewed as being more authoritative than popular periodicals (referred to as magazines). This is why faculty often require students to use scholarly, not popular, articles for their research. This guide provides information to assist you in determining whether a periodical or an article is from the scholarly or popular press.
Locating and Evaluating WEB RESOURCES
Using INTERLIBRARY LOAN
You are not restricted to using resources available only at the Mantor
Library. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service whereby you may have access
to books, articles, and other documents held by other libraries. (This is
almost always a free service!)
The Mantor Library has thousands of books and hundreds of periodicals (journals, magazines, and newspapers), however, the occasion may arise when you need a book or article the Library does not own. ILL to the rescue! In some cases, you can submit an ILL request yourself and other times, you will need to fill out an ILL form and let us do the work. See this guide for all of the details.
Use this form to request books not available in URSUS or Maine InfoNet and articles not available either in the library or from our Indexes and Databases.
Avoiding PLAGIARISM and Proper APA CITATION STYLE
The University of Maine at Farmington Writing Center/Mantor Library Anti-Plagiarism Website includes information on creating in-text parenthetical references and proper citations for a References list for commonly used resources such as books, articles, and Web pages.
A copy of the comprehensive guide to APA citation style is located at the Mantor Library in the Reference Stacks. The call number is REF BF76.7 .P83 2001.
Departments of EDUCATION
Last Updated: Thursday October 6, 2008