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BUILD IT Express

A short version of the Bellevue University Information Literacy Development Interactive Tutorial aka BUILD IT

LOCATING INFORMATION

This module will describe the various types of resources and how to locate them

Information is everywhere these days.  This is great news if you know how to find GOOD information, but unfortunately, not all information is accurate or useful.
Knowing where to look and how to search are the keys to finding reliable information.

Other pages in this module are Locating Books, Locating Articles, Discovery Search, and What About the Internet?

There are many more details, as well as sample and interactive searches, in the full module, 
LOCATING INFORMATION, in BUILD IT

Types of Information

The Library has over 65,000 print books.  

  • The print books are all in the General Collection and are available for checkout.
  • You can find these books using eCatalog or Discovery Search.  Even if you do not live nearby, they can be sent out to you through our Document Delivery Service.
  • We also have over 446,000 eBooks, a collection that is growing rapidly Many, but not all, can be found in eCatalog, but all can be found using Discovery Search.

The Library has access to over 47,000 full text periodicals.  

  • Periodicals are so called because they are published at regular intervals - or periodically. This may be daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or any other interval.
  • Types of periodicals include magazines, scholarly journals, trade publications, and newspapers. 
  • Electronic periodicals are found in the library databases and through our single online subscriptions.
  • We also have 72 print periodicals, as seen in the picture above, but  the vast majority are electronic.

 

 

Of course, the Internet is a wealth of information.  

  • Proceed with caution, as the good information is mixed in with the bad information, advertising, personal opinions, and all manner of other marginal or just plain useless information.
  • Some of the best information online is maintained by entities like universities, the government, and museums.
  • The way you set up your search can affect the kinds of results you get.
    • You should evaluate websites for accuracy based on criteria such as the domain  in the web address, the author or organization, the purpose, sources cited, and currency. Also see WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNET.

 

There are many other sources of information, including:

  • Videos, including documentaries, biographies, and educational videos in business, science, history, psychology, and other subjects. In addition to the library DVD collection, thousands of streaming videos are found in databases such as Films on Demand, Kanopy,  and Alexander Street. Video  
  • Legal documents, including court cases, laws, and regulations, related to your topic.  These can be found in WestLawNext and Nexis Uni.
  • Newswires or transcripts from television news shows are found in several library databases.

SO WHERE DO I FIND ALL THIS INFORMATION?

Now that you know about all the types of information, you are ready to start locating it.

Go on to the next page to learn how to LOCATE BOOKS AND eBOOKS in the library