Research Methodologies
Identifying Library and Information Resources
I. Identifying the Subject
A. Gaining familiarity with subject: This aspect of research will enable the researcher to identify key concepts and words pertaining to the subject and will help the researcher to determine the likelihood of other information that might exist.
1. Preparing to identify major subject descriptors (Read/Read/Read)
a. Encyclopedic entries
b. General readings
c. Specific readings
d. Bibliographic citations from all sources
e. Specific bibliographies on the subject
2. Identifying major and minor access terms
a. Free wheel thinking (brainstorming) - word association with the subject concept and the modifying concept
b. Building key words using thesauri for synonyms
II. Using Identified Access Words in Research Settings
A. Authority Sources for use in library catalogs
1. Subject Headings sources
a. Sears Subject Headings (primarily used in Public libraries)
b. Library of Congress Subject Headings (primarily used in Academic
libraries)
B. Key word access
1. Sources where keywords are used
a. Print Sources
1). Periodical indexes (Citation Indexes)
b. Electronic sources
1). CD Indexes
2). Internet sources using Keyword search engines (AltaVista, HotBot, Webcrawler, etc.)
3). Bibliographic databases (Dialog)
2. Method
a. Boolean Logic (AND, OR, NOT)
C. Concept access
1. Internet Access using concept search engines (Excite, Lycos, Infoseek, etc.
D. Categorical Access
1. Internet Access using category search engine (Yahoo)
III. In formation Sources Systematics
A. Library Collections Arrangement
1. Reference vs. Main Collection
a. Reference contains both monograph reference sources and Indexes to periodical literature
b. Reference Periodical Indexes separated by disciplines
c. Monograph Collections in reference and general stacks are both arranged General to Specific within subject categories
d. Each subject category in the Reference monograph collection contains works in specific formats, i.e., dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, handbooks, atlases, directories, etc., containing information of a general or overarching nature.
e. Each subject category in the general (main) collection contains works of a more specific nature than those generally found in the reference collection.
2. The nature of library collections
a. Layout of subjects
1). Generally by discipline then subject. (see attached LC classification sheet)
a). Generalities
b). Humanities
C). Social Sciences (Sociology, Special populations studies, Economics, Criminology, Politics and Government, Education
d). Arts (Music, Art, Language and Literature)
e). Sciences (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences)
f). Technology
g). Library Science
2). Subject sequence is somewhat arbitrary within disciplines but continues the general to specific orientation, i.e., sociology leads into specific social sciences such as economics, political science, law, education.
3). Geographic arrangement of collections (Geographic designator follows general catalog headings and subheadings except in history/geography sections concerned directly with country studies)
a). By continent:
i.) Europe: Great Britain, Central Europe, Western Europe, Southern Europe, Russia, Northern Europe Note notable exceptions: Poland, Spain and Portugal amongst others.
ii.) Asia: Middle East, South Asia (India, etc.),Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea
iii.) Africa: More or less north to south; Saharan Africa then Sub Saharan to South Africa
iv.) Australia and the Pacific Basin
v.) North America: United States, Canada, Mexico,Central American States
vi.) South America: North to South
3. Government Information Access
a. Arranged by provenance (agency of origin) then by subject
b. Classified by the above system then by subject classification codes developed by the Superintendent of Documents or State/Local classification systems (in the case of State documents collections),
4. Periodical Sources Access
a. Periodical Directories (Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory and Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media)
b. Table of Contents services (ex: Contents Pages in Education) .
c. Types of Indexes
1). Alphabetical Subject/Author/Title
2). Citation Indexes
3). Abstracts Services
4.) On-line database indexes: Dialog, STN, EBSCOHOST, PROQUEST, Individual periodical web pages such as World of Tribal Arts. see EXAMPLE {http://tribalarts.com})
d. Arrangement of Indexes
1). General Indexes (See "A Comprehensive Guide to the Reference Area" and examples below)
a). Readers Guide to Periodical Literature
b). Book Review Index
c). Essay and General Literature Index
2). Arts and Humanities Subjects (See "A Comprehensive Guide to the Reference Area" and examples below)
a). Art Index
b). Arts and Humanities Citation Index
c). MLA Bibliographies
3). Social Sciences Subjects (See "A Comprehensive Guideto the Reference Area" and examples below)
a). Social Science Citation Index
b). Sociological Abstracts
c). Anthropological Abstracts
d). Index of Economic Articles
4). Sciences Subjects (See "A Comprehensive Guide to the Reference Area" and examples below)
a). Science Citation Index
b). Forestry Abstracts
c). Zoological Record
B. Archival Collections (see outline for last fall's class, import here)
1. Archival Arrangement and Description Principles
a. Provenance (hierarchy levels "a" and "b" below): Office or agency or other originating agent
b. Respect des Fondes: Respect for original order
2. Physical Arrangement: Archives hierarchy levels
a. Records Group
b. Subgroup
c. Series
d. File Folder
e. Item
3. Description Process
a. Accessioning: Identifying Incoming materials
1). Calendar (Accession Register)
2). Evaluating content
b. Inventory Preparation
c. MARC-AMC cataloging
4. Access
a. Identify agency/organization of study
b. Know the hierarchy of originating body
c. Become familiar with "authoring" names within the organization(90% of access is gained through individual or corporate names).
C. Museum Collections
1. Similarities to both Library and Archival collections
a. Books and periodical collections for research
b. Archive and Manuscript materials for research
c. Artifact collections (major difference from the other institutions)
2. Accession Records (similar to archives)
3. Catalog records (similar to libraries only using different system of classification for artifacts)