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Information Literacy
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Welcome to your world:
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Library Orientation Page
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Information Revolution
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Olympia High School Library Online Database & Catalog Instruction Guide:
Olympia High School Library offers a huge variety of online resources for student use. Online databases are often your best resource for information for research projects.
Why use a database instead of Google?
Databases are reliable. They are an online collection of professional print resources. If a source has a print version, usually that means its author is a professional or an expert in the field, and that it has been edited and checked for accuracy.
There is no editor on the Internet. No one is checking facts, and information you find on the Internet isn't always true or accurate.
Databases provide you with access to the same professional journals and publications used by experts in a field. If you want to do your best research, you need to be using the best resources. Experts don’t rely on Google for their information.
Things to Keep in Mind When Using a Database:
Why Research Databases: video
Different databases contain different types of information. Read decriptions to ensure the database you're using fits your assignment best.
Look to see if your database has an advanced search function. If it does, you can use the advance search to refine your results to make sure you're getting the most releveant resources
Figure out if the database you're using is full text or if it provides only citation information. Full text means you can get the article right now on your screen; citation only means you'll have to order a copy of the article.
Keep in mind that some databases might contain pictures, video clips and other non-print resources.
Choosing your Keywords
How successful you are at finding your information depends on your choice of keywords or search terms. It's unlikely there is no information in any database on your topic, so if you're not getting any results, you might be using the wrong keywords.
Check your spelling. While capitalization doesn't matter, spelling does.
Use synonyms. If the first terms you try don't produce results, try to think of other words for your topic. Try to come up with a list of possible keywords before you begin searching.
Use your keyword choice to help control the number of results you get. Basic keywords will ususally produce a large number of results - sometimes too many, and sometimes not what you need. To narrow your results and to retrieve more relevant results, try more specific keywords or more complex combinations of keywords. If your database has one, use the advanced search function to help.
"The
mission of the school library media program is to ensure that students and staff
are effective users of ideas and information." -
Information
Power
1) Consider the topic below as a possible topic for a three-page research paper.
Indicate whether the statement would be a Good Topic, a Topic Too Broad for this paper, or a Topic Too Narrow for this paper.
Explain some of the benefits of electronic voting machines over paper ballots.
CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.
Good Topic
Topic Too Broad
Topic Too Narrow
2) If you were using the Internet or a database, which of the following search phrases would find information on either of these two terms: "Hurricanes," "Florida"?
CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.
Hurricanes not Florida
Hurricanes and Florida
Hurricanes or Florida
Hurricanes but Florida
3) Which term means lack of bias or prejudice?
CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.
coverage
objectivity
currency
accuracy
authority
4) Which of the following are Boolean operators?
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.
and
or
not
same
5) What term describes information created during the time period in which the person of interest lived
or the event took place? Examples include initial reports of scientific research, legal documents, speeches,
correspondence, diaries, and interviews.
CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.
primary source
secondary source
tertiary source
Try This: Etymology Game!
Etymology Dictionary
Websites for Words!
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