Engineering & Physical Sciences Librarian
Activity Questions
Take some time and work with your group to search for information in your assigned area. Use the questions below to guide your search. After a few minutes, your group will share what they found with the class.
- Which resource is this? What types of information (articles, data, images, etc) are you finding in this resource?
- What do you think works well in this interface? What does not work well?
- Pick any one source for your group's problem scenario and evaluate it. Where does the information in this source come from? What can you learn about the author/organization behind it?
- What follow-up questions would you ask the person in your group's scenario, to uncover more about their situation?
Problem 1
Your best friend is concerned about mental health issues among college students. They want to find two authoritative sources on this topic. Using your group's assigned link, search for information on this topic.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. Coverage includes history, economics, political science, demography, mathematics, humanities and social sciences.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatistics, studies, reports and dossiers from over 18,000 sources. Includes data from businesses, federal agencies, NGOs, and more.
Problem 2
Your younger sister is working on a poster project for her high school history class. She wants to talk about Valentine's Day in different countries and cultures. Using your group's assigned link, help her find items that she could use to inform this project. She needs at least two citations to include in her poster.
- Access World News This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive collection (newspapers, newswires, broadcast transcripts, and more) of news publications at the local, regional, national and international level. Coverage starts in the early 1900s and continues to present day.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatistics, studies and reports from over 18,000 sources. Includes data from businesses, government departments, market research concerns or associations and more.
Problem 3
Your roommate is learning about the UN's sustainable development goals in their own COR 1100 class. They want to focus on issues around homelessness for an upcoming research paper, and they need at least two sources. Using your group's assigned link, help them discover more information.
- Access World News This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive collection (newspapers, newswires, broadcast transcripts, and more) of news publications at the local, regional, national and international level. Coverage starts in the early 1900s and continues to present day.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. Coverage includes history, economics, political science, demography, mathematics, humanities and social sciences.