Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Request books from another TCC campus Online with your TCC LRC account.
When you’re searching the LRC catalog and you find a book you want, but it’s at another TCC campus, what do you do? You can request it online with a few clicks of the mouse. Simply click on "·NEW!!! REQUEST BOOKS!!! -" link in the blue box under actions. This will take you to the log in page for your account. Log in using your CWID beginning with a T and then enter your last name in the second box. This directs you to the Patron Request page. There you’ll find two options: requesting an available book or placing a hold on a book that’s currently checked out by another patron. Make your selection. When requesting an available book you can select the location you wish to have it delivered to. You also need to enter your CWID again on this page. You’ll receive an email at your MyTcc address telling you when the book is in transit and when to expect it at the pickup location.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Using Wikipedia for research
You’ve probably heard your professors tell you over and over not to use Wikipedia for research. But, it’s so convenient and has articles on so many topics, right? Just like any source, there are good ways to use Wikipedia and bad ways to use it.
When you’re first starting your research, Wikipedia is a great place to go to get a general idea about your topic. Many of the articles have loads of information about different aspects of their subject. Plus, the articles are supposed to cite their sources, and you can check the bibliography at the end to see if any of those sources would help you out.
When you’re in the middle of some class reading or research and you come across a term, a person, an event or something else that’s unfamiliar to you, Wikipedia is, like print encyclopedias, a good place to find straight-forward background information.
When is it a bad idea to use Wikipedia, then?
In nearly all circumstances, Wikipedia should not be used as part of your research for class. After you’ve gotten a handle on your topic, turn to books, scholarly peer-reviewed journals and other material that is written by experts and reviewed by other experts before publication. Those are the sources on which you should base your research.
In the case of controversial issues or very recent events, Wikipedia may also be less reliable. Wikipedia’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness; anyone with internet access can edit articles, and while that provides us with a vast amount of correct, factual information, it also means that opinions, biases, incorrect information and even lies can be easily inserted into an article.* Wikipedia tries to keep tabs on errors and vandalism, and will turn off editing if it happens frequently to one article, but their editors are volunteers and can only do so much.
*It’s true, too, that books and scholarly articles can have the same problem but the editorial and review process helps keep it to a minimum. A good dose of skepticism can help you identify the errors and biases in what you read and watch, and will help you produce higher quality research!
When you’re first starting your research, Wikipedia is a great place to go to get a general idea about your topic. Many of the articles have loads of information about different aspects of their subject. Plus, the articles are supposed to cite their sources, and you can check the bibliography at the end to see if any of those sources would help you out.
When you’re in the middle of some class reading or research and you come across a term, a person, an event or something else that’s unfamiliar to you, Wikipedia is, like print encyclopedias, a good place to find straight-forward background information.
When is it a bad idea to use Wikipedia, then?
In nearly all circumstances, Wikipedia should not be used as part of your research for class. After you’ve gotten a handle on your topic, turn to books, scholarly peer-reviewed journals and other material that is written by experts and reviewed by other experts before publication. Those are the sources on which you should base your research.
In the case of controversial issues or very recent events, Wikipedia may also be less reliable. Wikipedia’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness; anyone with internet access can edit articles, and while that provides us with a vast amount of correct, factual information, it also means that opinions, biases, incorrect information and even lies can be easily inserted into an article.* Wikipedia tries to keep tabs on errors and vandalism, and will turn off editing if it happens frequently to one article, but their editors are volunteers and can only do so much.
*It’s true, too, that books and scholarly articles can have the same problem but the editorial and review process helps keep it to a minimum. A good dose of skepticism can help you identify the errors and biases in what you read and watch, and will help you produce higher quality research!
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