Students will become effective searchers of the Internet, developing and refining search strategies to increase the relevance of the material gathered. Students learn how to evaluate the information they find, using standard criteria, and how to document electronic information sources using standard style guides. Issues such as the effect of the Internet on society, scholarship, and libraries, are discussed and debated. Resources specific to different subject areas such as business, government, health, arts, humanities, and social sciences will be explored. At the end of term, all students will work for a four-week period in a selected site, and be evaluated on their activities while performing the practicum.
Every effort is made to match the interests of the student to the host site.
Here they will use indexes and thesaurus entries to create access points for several informational database programs. They will learn techniques for writing abstracts, and develop simple instructions for others to use in searching their databases. Includes a computer lab. Students will be introduced to local area networks, and will learn simple maintenance procedures. They will learn to locate reviews of software in print and online, and they will evaluate library software and write coherent reviews.