EVLU 3010
Resources for Research
On a 1-9 rubber duck scale, how confident are you feeling about doing research using the UM Libraries?
Today we will look at:
- Options for accessing resources during the pandemic
- research strategies
- databases, searching beyond the UM collection
- finding images
- Citing the sources you find
Library services during pandemic times
Accessing Books & Digitized Copies
Includes instructions for:
- Placing requests for physical books
- Requesting scanned portions of books
- Accessing ebooks & articles
- Accessing items in HathiTrust
"Physical" Library Services
- Request books to pick up at Elizabeth Dafoe Library
- Late fees are suspended
- Request scanned portions of physical books in & outside our collection (up to 10% or 1 chapter)
Updates this term:
- Study space available at Dafoe
- Returns are quarantined for 3 days (previously one week)
- Expect returned items to stay checked out to you for at least that long
Researching Landscape Design Projects
You may want to learn more about:
- a specific project, its surrounding area
- the designer(s), their theories, ideas, goals
- how other people live with & interact with the landscape in question
- the broader cultural, historical context
UM Library Search
- All physical resources within the Libraries
-
Some (not all) of the databases we subscribe to
- Includes many reference texts available online (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc)
- If you sign in, more search results will appear
- Very broad search engine - may bring up a lot of results from a wide range of areas of study.
Starting your research:
Reference works
(encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc)
- Quick overview of a person, movement, sometimes a specific design project
- Online access options:
- Oxford Art Online (database)
- Credo Reference (database)
- UM Library Search > limit Resource Type to Reference Entries
Keywords
Generally:
- searching with more keywords = more specific = fewer results
- searching with fewer keywords = more broad = more results
You can give the search more options by putting similar words in round brackets, separated by OR
- eg: (college OR university OR academic)
- All results will have at least one of those words in the title, description, and/or full text (for some e-resources)
HathiTrust
Quick access instructions:
1. Following the "Full text available in HathiTrust" link, click the LOG IN button in the top right corner. Select University of Manitoba as your partner institution.
2. Sign in using your UM email account and your email password.
3. At the bottom of the following page, under Viewability, there will be a Temporary Access link; click on that.
4. If available, a "Check Out" button will appear on the following screen. If the book is currently in use, check back at a later time by refreshing the page.
Requesting a chapter or 10%
Search for the Table of Contents:
- in the Details area of a Library Search record
- via Google Books or Amazon (sometimes there is also a preview...)
- email documentdelivery@umanitoba.ca just to request the Table of Contents
- Provide at least the title, author, link to the book in the Library Search
Searching beyond the UM Library Collection
- Library Search > Include Results beyond UofM
-
Document Delivery
- journal articles
- up to 10% or one chapter of a book
-
Databases include results beyond our subscriptions
- Avery Index - architecture & design
- Google Scholar (with links to UM resources)
- Note: Google doesn't share their criteria for what makes something "scholarly" - some results are articles that haven't been peer-reviewed yet, for example. Look critically at search results!
Document Delivery during pandemic times
("Request from another library" link in the Library Search)
No physical book requests from outside the UM collection
Request a copy of up to 10% or one chapter of a book
Request journal articles
Search Tip: to get more results
Try to find all the different ways of expressing the concept you're searching for. This can be done by:
- putting OR between synonyms (rome OR roman)
- adding an asterisk (*) to the root of a word:
E.g.: Canad* - finds Canada, Canadian, Canadians
Christian* - finds Christian, Christians, Christianity...
Note - Christ* also finds Christmas, Christo (the artist)...
Search Tip: to get more specific results
(narrowing down your search)
- Put a phrase "in quotation marks" to find results with those words in that order.
- E.g.: "gothic revival"
- Use NOT to exclude unrelated content.
- E.g. union NOT soviet - for content about unions, but not the soviet one
More search tips on the Graduate Help & Services pages
For more sources, check:
- Bibliographies of works on your topic
- Subject headings:
- "Cited by" feature shows up for some articles, in Library Search and some databases (like Avery)
for more articles:
- Related Reading sidebar
for more books:
- Virtual Browse
- Includes books from ALL UM Libraries
Evaluating Sources
Learn at the Libraries resource page
CRAAP Test - particularly important for evaluating websites
Currency - Is there a date the page was published or updated? How current are the cited sources? Are there broken links?
Relevancy - who is the intended audience?
Authority - is the author a recognized expert in this field?
Accuracy - supported with evidence (citations)? Peer-reviewed?
Purpose - to inform? teach? entertain? persuade? sell? Check the domain (eg: .com = commercial, .org = non-profit, .edu = educational...)
Finding Images
-
Library Search > limit resource type to Images
- Pulls images from the ArtStor database (if you're signed in!) and other sources
- All images in these databases are OK to use for research & educational purposes
- Images in books and journal articles
- Libraries and/or UM Copyright Office can answer Qs
- Images via Google Images
- Might be uploaded illegally, might have copyright restrictions... check the terms of use & use with caution (ask us if you're unsure!)
Citing
Citing & writing support
For help with:
- Resources for getting started with citing
- Questions about citing unusual resources
- Quick help: Ask Us library chat
- Ask Ellen
For help with:
- Going over citation formatting throughout essay in detail
- Guidance on writing style
- Academic Learning Centre > Online Writing Tutors
- Look for someone with experience with Chicago Style
- Academic Learning Centre > Online Writing Tutors
Questions?
General Library Help
- Questions about your library account, or how the UM Libraries work? The Help & Services page for undergraduate students may have the answer.
- During the Fall term, library staff are available via the Ask Us chat service: 9am-8pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-6pm Friday, and 1pm-4pm on weekends.
- Fastest way to ask a general question about the Libraries.
- If we're not online, your message will be received the following morning.
Questions?
Research Support
-
Landscape Architecture subject guide
- databases, resources for research
- citation info
- Contact Ellen for help with your search strategy when looking for resources for your assignments, advice on which databases are the best places to look for various research topics, and with questions about citing.
- By email: Ellen.Tisdale@umanitoba.ca
- By appointment, via phone or video chat
- By cellphone: (204) 583-1528
What did you find most useful about this workshop?
What was hard to understand?
Let me know!