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Colleagues--
A few of you
have faced this situation recently and so Jennifer and I came up with something that may help you
and your customers manage the print versus database issue. It is here as
email text as well as an attached reproducible
document.
Suzan Nyfeler
Youth Service
Specialist
Central Texas Library System
512.583.0704 x17
PRINT versus DATABASE
This is a discussion
of the situation faced by students, teachers, faculty and librarians with regard
to research papersthe issue of print vs. database (or electronic)
sources.
- Many
times teachers will ask students to do research using original
documents or "print sources" that
is, they want the student to locate the actual, physical book or periodical
issue. Students can learn a great
deal using this process and it is important that print sources be included in
research. However, it can be
difficult to conduct research in a public library using
only print sources especially for any report beyond elementary
school.
- Students
should be clear as to the teacher or faculty members
expectations. Likewise, faculty should be clear
and be able to point students to an appropriate research library, if
original print documents are required. Very few public libraries are research
institutions, and therefore will not have print collections to support even an
entry-level academic research assignment. Librarians can, however, educate
students and teachers about print and electronic formats.
- Electronic
databases save students time and allow them access to a range of research
previously available only in sizeable research libraries. Before databases, the student would
find the citation (provided their library carried research-level indexes), ask
the librarian to find out which library owned the item, and then request a
photocopy from the library owning the actual item. The copy would be mailed or
faxed to the requesting students library. For example, most libraries in
Texas will not have hard copiescurrent or back issueof say, The
Virginia Quarterly Review or London Magazine, but through
electronic databases, the student has these and thousands of other periodicals
at their fingertips. And most are available at home at any hour of the day - a
luxury not afforded students even five years ago.
- When a
student locates a citation and then prints out a copy of the article, they
will receive two pieces of information: 1)
the citation to the original document, including author, article or book
title, name of periodical or book, issue and/or publication date, and page
number(s); 2) an electronic reprint of the article. This reprint will not be
an actual photocopy of the original. The reprint will be
a digitized version of the actual text. Please note that while the
original article may have been 10 pages long, the reprint may be
shorter. The original document
may have been in a smaller format (thus filling more pages) and may include
advertisements or illustrations.
- Even
with electronic databases, academic rigor can be maintained. The
student still has to organize their research and find the appropriate
materials, gather the items (print them out) and use them appropriately in
their assignments.
Librarians
strive to understand what customers need. When they help students, they must
operate in a grey area, between what is assigned by the teacher and what is
understood by the student. Rely on
your librarian. Helping people find
information is what they do best.
Suzan Nyfeler and Jennifer
Patterson
Library Services
Specialists
Central Texas Library
System
Database versus print.doc
Description: MS-Word document
