Objectives for First Year Students

First Year Students will understand how to...

• navigate the library's website

• wield reference sources to help refine a broad topic and to identify important keywords and synonyms related to that topic

• use the library catalog to discover books and media on their research topic

• identify and employ appropriate subject-specific academic databases and other tools for researching their topic

• construct effective database searches using Boolean logic, nesting, truncation, and field searching

• locate the full text of books, articles, and other discovered sources based on the citation information

• appreciate the distinct characteristics and advantages of various publication types and how information flows through them chronologically

• evaluate resources for authority, accuracy, timeliness, relevance, and purpose

• seek research help from librarians with an awareness of the ease, safety, and benefits of doing so