|
Your Name:
Your Animal:
Your Hour:
Date due:
INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SKILLS
Map of the library
Your animal on the OPAC
Your animal in the Reference collection
OPAC
OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog): a computerized file of all materials in our library. Find the icon with the word OPAC on the computer screen and double click.
The icons “Title”, “Author”, “Subject” and “Series” on the top bar of your screen represent a different fields, which are part of a record.
- Type in the name of your animal and click on “KEYWORD”. The “KEYWORD” function looks for your word in every field (the “title” field, the “author” field, the “notes” field, etc. (Think of “KEYWORD” as a big fishing net catching plankton, orcas, sardines, and tuna when you are really fishing for tuna).
How many materials are listed? ___________
- Find one title from your list that has nothing to do with your animal, print the
record and highlight the word’s field.
- Type again the name of your animal and click on “SUBJECT”. This time, the “SUBJECT” function tells the computer to isolate ONLY the titles that deals entirely with your topic. (This time, think of “SUBJECT” as a fishing net catching ONLY tuna).
How many materials are listed? ___________
4. Which technique (KEYWORD or SUBJECT) gave you the largest number of hits?
______
- On the top bar, click on “POWER”. Type in the name of your animal and
“fiction”. Now, did you get more materials than in question #1, the same number,
or less?
- Explain clearly what the “AND” link word (also known as a Boolean operator)
does for your search? ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
- Select any title related to your topic and fill out the following information:
Title of material: ____________________________
Author:
Publisher: ___________________ Copyright date:
- Call Number (a fiction book has the first three letters of its author on the spine
label. A non-fiction book has a Dewey decimal number followed by the three
letters of its author.): _________
9. Is the title available today? ____
10.Is it stored in a special collection (Oversized, Reference, Middle school,
PAMfile (Pamphlet file), or A.V.)? _____
11. On the right of your screen, click on “ADD TO BOOKBAG”. Now click on
“BOOKBAG” on the top bar and notice that you have one title. This is the way
you may compile a list in the future. Print your bookbag and clip it to your
packet.
12. Find one book about your animal and get either Ms. Pohl or your teacher to sign
on this packet that you have retrieved the book successfully.
Signature: _________________
Now you can either check the book out or place it in the book drop. Please do not reshelf books.
REFERENCE
Remember: reference books in our collection have an “R” in front of their call number. They may be checked out overnight only.
1. List 3 types of books located in the reference section?
__________________________________________________
2. Find an encyclopedia and look up the name of your animal:
Title of material: ____________________________
(Usually no author)
Place of publication: ______________________
Publisher: __________________________ Copyright date: _________
On what page did you find information about your animal? _______
3. Find R 591 Lov
Where does the tomato frog draw his name? _________
4. Find R 973.924 His
What was Led Zeppelin's last album called: _____________
5. Find R 796.357 Jam
What was the Baltimore Orioles' claim to fame?
Library floor plan
1. ___ A-V Equipment Storage
2. ___A-V Materials
3. ___A-V Production
4. ___Art Books-700-769
5. ___Atlases
6. ___Biography Books-921
7. ___Checkout Desk
8. ___Connecting Room
9. ___Cutting Room
10. ___Dictionaries
11. ___Encyclopedias
12. ___Entrance
13. ___General Fiction
14. ___High School fiction paperbacks
15. ___History Books-930-999
16. ___Library Conference Room (Room 33)
17. ___Library Office
18. ___Lounge Area
19. ___Magazines-Current
20. ___Middle School Collection
21. ___Middle School fiction paperbacks
22. ___New Books
23. ___Newspapers
24. ___OPACS
25. ___Oversized Books
26. ___Pamphlet Files
27. ___Pencil sharpener
28. ___Periodicals Room
29. ___Professional Library (books for teachers about lesson plans)
30. ___Reference
31. ___Return Box
32. ___Science Books-500’s
33. ___Social Studies Books-300’s
34. ___Sport Books-790’s
| 
