Final Week:
I have greatly enjoyed my exploration of Marvel. All in all, my biggest discovery was Learning Express, which alas the academic library can't use. But I did tell everybody about it at the last staff meeting and encouraged them to try it at home. Maybe this will be something we can offer in the future. I also will direct students to the Encyclopedia Britannica more often, something I had overlooked in the past. The business sources were also new to me and will be useful here at SMCC. I find the hardest part of doing reference is knowing which database or source to use. So the broader my knowledge, the better. Often, a newspaper turns out to be the best source, if the topic is current and political. I was advised to always find out what the class is that the assignment is for, since this will slant the research in a particular way, such as psychology vs political science vs english comp.

I am a reference-librarian in training, so the more exposure to useful sources the better. Of course, SMCC has other resources and databases as well. We man a centrally located reference desk and also have Ask a Librarian online. We are exploring other ways of reaching our students, such as live chat.
E-reference books are increasingly important, and we subscribe to Credo reference books.

This week I viewed the tutorial for AccessScience, which is very important to SMCC. I also reviewed the literary resources in Marvel, most of which I am already familiar. A common assignment here is to find a review and or criticism of a published work.

EbscoHost

This week’s assignment is easy for me. We often use Ebsco when working with students on research topics. In my experience (limited, I’m new a reference librarianship) the difficult part is knowing which database to use or perhaps a book would be better. So I tried out the request for info about zinc in foods. As I expected, a search for food- zinc content using Academic Search Complete and anything that was medical related, turned up 112 results. BUT these were scholarly articles such as “Heterosis studies for grain iron and zinc content in rice”…very specific high level research, but not simply a list of foods that contain zinc. So when talking with a student, I would need to know exactly what they were after, a list or perhaps some very specific research. That would make a big difference.

In order to find a list of foods that contain zinc, I searched for an ebook. Using Ebsco b books, I again tried my food- zinc content and came up with books such as “Prescription Alternatives” and “Smart Guide to Healing Foods”. Both listed food contents.

I tried another search for an actual topic a student asked me for, an ancient Greek sculpture in Samothrace of Nike. Ebsco turned up “Literature and the Visual Arts in Ancient Greece and Rome.” But I also went to Credo reference, where I found lots more info and photos. It is definitely useful to search all text sometimes rather than subject or keyword. When doing reference at SMCC, the questions run the gamut from art and literature, esp criticism or reviews, to global politics. Some topics are easier than others but again, it takes experience to know which database to try first. And often, they are required to cite a book, so ebooks have been a blessing.