Review (PDF) The Oxford Guide To Library Research
The information world has undergone drastic changes since the publication of the 3rd edition of The Oxford Guide to Library Research in 2005, and Thomas Mann, a veteran reference librarian at the Library of Congress, has extensively revised his text to reflect those changes. This book will answer two basic questions: First, what is the extent of the significant research resources you will you miss if you confine your research entirely, or even primarily, to sources available on the open Internet? Second, if you are trying to get a reasonably good overview of the literature on a particular topic, rather than just "something quickly" on it, what are the several alternative methods of subject searching--which are not available on the Web--that are usually much more efficient for that purpose than typing keywords into a blank search box, with the results displayed by relevance-ranking computer algorithms?This book shows researchers how to do comprehensive research on any topic. It explains the variety of search mechanisms available, so that the researcher can have the reasonable confidence that s/he has not overlooked something important. This includes not just lists of resources, but discussions of the ways to search within them: how to find the best search terms, how to combine the terms, and how to make the databases (and other sources) show relevant material even when you don't know how to specify the best search terms in advance. The book's overall structuring by nine methods of searching that are applicable in any subject area, rather than by subjects or by types of literature, is unique among guides to research. Also unique is the range and variety of concrete examples of what to do--and of what not to do. The book is not "about" the Internet: it is about the best alternatives to the Internet--the sources that are not on the open Web to begin with, that can be found only through research libraries and that are more than ever necessary for any kind of substantive scholarly research. More than any other research guide available, this book directly addresses and provides solutions to the serious problems outlined in recent studies documenting the profound lack of research skills possessed by today's "digital natives."
Paperback: 392 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 4 edition (March 27, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199931062
ISBN-13: 978-0199931064
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 1.2 x 5.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #92,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #8 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Library & Information Science #9 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Bibliographies & Indexes > Science #28 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Reference
I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science. The introduction to The Oxford Guide to Library Research was assigned as a supplemental reading for one of my courses. I liked what author Charles Mann had to say and decided to read the entire book, both for my own benefit as a student and for the benefit of my future library patrons. It should be clarified up front that the libraries being discussed here are research libraries. Usually this means an academic library at a college or university, but also includes private institutions and governmental libraries such as the Library of Congress, where Mann works. I purchased the 2015 ebook edition. Not only was it far less expensive than the required textbook for my course, it also proved to be vastly more beneficial.Mann’s approach to this research guide is unique. Instead of categorizing his research lessons by topic area or type of information resource, he has organized the chapters by search method. For example, he covers searching by Library of Congress subject headings, by database descriptors, by keywords, by citations, and by browsing bookshelves. Mann covers many online resources, but few of them are free and open to the general public. Most are only available to users who log in through their library’s website. In addition to what’s on the web, there’s plenty of research material that’s not available online at all, and Mann recommends print resources when applicable, such as reliable print bibliographies or archival materials. Mann tells you what resources are the best, where to find them, and how to find what you’re looking for within them. He even reminds us of one source of information we often forget: actually talking to knowledgeable people.
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