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Ever walked into a library, looked around, then wandered around aimlessly, not knowing where to even begin? Take heart, it IS possible to get your bearings and find the information you need.
Your best bet is to find a kindly librarian willing to take you in hand and give you the grand tour. Seriously, a librarian is the best guide for getting a taste for the library and its resources. And most librarians are more than happy to show an interested patron around and help someone get started.
So, once you've started getting a feel for what's available, you're ready to get some direction and head for what you're looking for. Here are some tips to get you started:
(1) Make a list of things you're looking for. If you need a report on one subject, put that subject at the top of your list. Then, think of any keywords associated with your subject. These will help broaden your search to find all available information. For example, if you were doing a report on Watergate, you would put the word "Watergate" at the top of your list, then add such related words as, "President Richard Nixon," "scandal," "conspiracies," and names of some of the other conspirators. Look each word or name up in the card catalog, in order to find a wider variety of resources upon which to draw.
(2) Find the card catalog. If your library has computerized its records, there should be computer terminals strategically placed around the library, for easy reference and use. If the card catalogs are still physically kept, they will be kept in long, narrow drawers in a large, high-standing chest, alphabetically listed. Either way, look for each word or name, and see what resources you find.
(3) When you have gathered a substantial list of resources, it's time to go to the stacks - the bookcases lining the room. Each stack should have numbers on one, if not both, ends, with the range of numbers each row of shelves will cover. For example: 300-492, or something like that. Look up each reference you found, according to where it is found in the stacks, and see if the book you want is in the stacks. If it isn't, it has either been incorrectly shelved, or is already checked out.
Once you have checked for the books on your list, you should begin to notice that books relating to similar subjects are arranged in areas together. So, if you are looking for a book on one president, you may find books on other presidents, as well as books on the presidency itself, all in the same general area. Don't forget to look in these areas for books you may not have noticed in the card catalog. You might find some very valuable resources this way.
(4) Explore the Reference Section. You may need to ask where this is. Sometimes it can be hard to find. In this section, you will find books not allowed to be checked out. You must do your research in these, while still in the library. Among other reference books, you will find Books in Print, Encyclopedia of Associations and simply tons of other books with fantastic resources you may find especially helpful. Just take some time and cruise through the entire section, to see what's there.
(5) Don't forget the periodicals. There will be shelves, maybe stacks, where newspapers and magazines are kept. These will be invaluable in providing you much needed press coverage of your particular topic, in one way or another. There should be various book Indices to look up specific subjects. In the Index, look for specific subjects, and you will find notations as to which specific editions of the magazine you will find related information. Some newspapers will be stored by microfilm. Don't forget to ask the librarian for help in using this piece of machinery. There will usually be lots of great information from a wide variety of newspapers, from which you may find much-needed information.
(6) Once you have found your many resources, pay careful attention to the resources listed at the end of chapters, or at the end of each book. You may find additional resources you never knew existed. You can then go back to the library and search for these extra books or magazines. Also, when you run across information that adds to what you already know, be sure to cross check this information in further searches of the library's resources. You may be able to find many other resources full of information ready and waiting for you.
Once you have poured through all of the resources you can find, if you still can't find something, or if you don't have enough resources on which to draw, go back to the library experts - the librarians. They will be your best resource for locating additional information. Some libraries have reference or research librarians, who will be invaluable to you in deeper searches.
Don't despair, however, if you don't learn everything there is to know in just one trip to the library. A library worth its weight in gold is one in which you can visit hundreds of times and still not find all the information you might wish to know, simply because there is so much there. Use them carefully, and they can be your best resource friends.
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