A Word About Our Users

Our undergraduate students come to higher education with disparate library experience. Some may not be familiar with or comfortable with electronic resources. Others may be proficient at using libraries. Either way, both user groups are overwhelmed at the size and complexity of the university library.

Because an adjustment period is needed, instructors should space their assignments to allow students to acclimate to our libraries organization.

Remember that you are experts in your field and are more comfortable and familiar with advanced resources such as MLA and PsycInfo. Undergraduates (if they have accessed any databases at all) are used to easy-to-search databases that cover all fields of research. We have several that include scholarly, refereed articles as well as popular glossy magazines and major newspapers. Two of the most effective are Expanded Academic Index and Academic Search Elite (EbscoHOST). Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature is a print source familiar to many undergraduates, but is no longer relevant to modern research since databases like the two mentioned above include its coverage, plus much more. Please do not request that students use it to do contemporary research.

Also, remember that not all Internet sites are created equal. We purchase more and more databases each year that are accessed via the Internet. These are high-quality databases developed by reputable companies and are not the same as a Web site "on the Internet." Please be sure to distinguish between them when you discuss "Internet resources."

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