Learning Exercise

Reference Books Exercise (20 points) Please note you can either do this exercise at the PSU library or if you live at a distance at a library local to you. Should you have to do this exercise in a public library that uses Dewey classification use that library's guide to Dewey or consult with a reference librarian there to pick your subject areas in the reference and regular collections. 1. A. In the reference room go to the shelves that have reference material in a specific subject area--for example nursing, or sociology—use the LC subject headings guide to find the call number area to go to—and select any two items from one subject area i.e. medicine. Do not select the same kind of items—so don’t choose two dictionaries, or two handbooks etc. List the title, the author and the call number of the items and then write a brief paragraph for each item describing how you could use that tool for research—what kind of information it provides, how it is organized and can be used. Remember to also think of it in terms of information characteristics—analytical/factual… etc. B. Using the call numbers of the items you selected in the reference room in part 1A now go to the regular stacks and explore that same rough call number area and select any two books and list the title, the author and the call number of the items and then write a brief paragraph for each item describing how you could use that source for research—what kind of information it provides, how it is organized and can be used. Remember to also think of it in terms of information characteristics. 2. A. In the reference room go to the shelves that have material on another, different subject area say history, or geography— again use the LC guide to find the exact area to go to—and select any two items from one subject area, .ie. history. Do not select the same kind of items—so don’t choose two dictionaries, or two handbooks etc. List the title, the author and the call number of the items and then write a brief paragraph for each item describing how you could use that tool for research—what kind of information it provides, how it is organized and can be used. Remember to also think of it in terms of information characteristics. B. Using the call numbers of the items you selected in the reference room in pt 2A go to the regular stacks and explore that same call number area and select any two items and list the title, the author and the call number of the items and then write a brief paragraph for each item describing how you could use that source for research—what kind of information it provides, how it is organized and can be used. Remember to also think of it in terms of information characteristics. Submit this as word processed WORD file attached to an email to me with your name, lib 102wc and refbook included in the subject line of the email.