This LibGuide was created in order to showcase a wide variety of Information Literacy tools available to faculty. If there are any questions, or if you would like the embed code for any of the videos, email margaret.montet@bucks.edu. We still have a large menu of short video tutorials on our website here: https://bucks.libguides.com/videos.
Request an Information Literacy session (in-person or Zoom) by filling out this form: https://www.bucks.edu/library/infolit/session-request/. Use the same form to request an Embedded Librarian for online courses. Don't be afraid to tell us what you need, because the librarians are committed to collaboration with faculty! We want to make sure your students learn what they need to be successful with YOUR course and YOUR assignments.
BTW, we can custom-make one of these LibGuides for your class, too!
CREDO Reference is a great place to start as it is comprised of entries from specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias. Look up topics for preliminary reading, discover the meaning of subtopics and obscure terms, and use the interactive mind maps to learn of related topics. Students will need to be reminded that CREDO does not take the place of magazine and journal articles in the other library databases, but the information here is reliable making it a substitute for wild and feral internet searching. Link to this video here: https://use.vg/3rhnMt.
Opposing Viewpoints is a great source for multiple types of sources especially for Persuasive Speeches and Argument Essays, or wherever a student must show the pros and cons and opinions in-between. Take note of the trending topics displayed on the home page, or type a topic in the white box at the top. Please note that there is also an Advanced Search option in tiny letters under the white box. Not all topics will have all types of sources available, but broader topics might include radio transcriptions, pre-vetted websites, and images along with magazine, newspaper, and journal articles. Librarians love that the various kinds of sources are clearly labeled so that searchers understand what kind of sources are showing. Link to this video here: https://use.vg/JEMRhc.
EBSCOhost is a great place to begin research once students have selected a topic and are aware of possible subtopics. The searcher must first identify which databases within EBSCO are relevant to their topic, and then search all selected simultaneously. EBSCO will supply citations for each article in the major styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), and the extended records usually show additional search terms and abstracts. Link to this video here: https://use.vg/UYVbr8.
Once the basics are mastered, searchers can refine their searches with the additional tricks in this video. Although I used EBSCOhost to demonstrate, most of these tips will work in other databases. Link to this video here: https://use.vg/SGcgie.
Of course ARTstor is a great place to find...art...but it also contains portraits of important people, images of buildings and places, and ephemera such as posters, tickets, and other treasures. The images are of excellent quality and don't lose resolution when enlarged to project on a screen or to show tiny details. In other words, images don't become pixelated when enlarged as with images grabbed off the World Wide Web. Just as with words, images must be cited, and ARTstor has you covered. Citations are available for every image.
Please note: in order to download images, the user must create a secret login and password beyond the Bucks login and password. Write these down so that you don't forget what you created!
Link to this video here: https://use.vg/Ezf8L1.
