Blended Services Training Programme

Here are some links to previously-posted tips, practice assessments and self-tests:

• from March 23/09: Multiple Choice Review Exercises | Answers
• Technology Checklist
• from April 29/09: Trial Assessment | Trial Assessment Answers
• from May 21/09: Study Tips
• last year’s assessment:
  • without answers: BST IF Assessment 2009 No Answers
  • last year’s assessment, with answers
• from Oct. 22/09: Technology Self Assessment

April 8/10 — Susan Shepley & Nora Gaskin

Puzzlers

• BST 17 Puzzler Questions
• some written answers: coming

April 1/10 — Nora Gaskin & Ines Perkovic

Content

• academic integrity
• citation styles used in the humanities and social sciences

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page: BST 16 Citation & Academic Integrity
  • 2 slides per page: BST 16 Citation & Academic Integrity 2
  • 3 slides per page: BST 16 Citation & Academic Integrity 3
• Links:
  • video: McMaster Office of Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity
  • Academic Integrity Office @ McMaster
  • OWL @ Purdue. List of Disciplines & Their Citation Styles
  • OWL @ Purdue. Research and Citation Resources – detailed guide to APA, MLA and Chicago styles
  • http://www.apastyle.org/
• Exercises:
  • BST 16 Exercise A Identifying Citations
  • BST 16 Exercise A Identifying Citations Answers
  • BST 16 Exercise B Tracing Citations
  • BST 16 Exercise B Tracing Citations Answers

Homework

• watch these videos
  • McMaster Office of Academic Integrity: Plagiarism
  • McMaster Office of Academic Integrity: Tips to Avoid Plagiarism
  • Info Literacy 11. Plagiarism & Citation Styles
• complete the following tutorials
  • Dalhousie University: You Quote it, You Note it
  • Chris Niemeyer, University of Missouri-St. Louis: Interpreting Citations Tutorial — at the beginning of the tutorial, click “cancel” to do the tutorial anonymously
• complete the following exercises
  • BST 16 Exercise C Formatting Citations |  Exercise C Answers
  • BST 16 Homework | BST 16 Homework Answers

Mar. 25/10 — Nora Gaskin & Andrew Colgoni

Content

• stable links & DOIs
  • what they are; how to find and create them
• database output
  • marking, saving, emailing and exporting records to RefWorks
• brief introduction to RefWorks

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page: BST 15 Managing Information
  • 2 slides per page: BST 15 Managing Information2
  • 3 slides per page: BST 15 Managing Information3
• Links:
  • Library Linking to e-Resources page

Homework

• BST 15 Managing Information Homework
• BST 15 Managing Information Homework Answers

Mar. 11/10 — Nora Gaskin, Susan Shepley

Content

• definition of the reference transaction/interview
• stages of the reference interview
• open and closed questions
• the reference interview and teaching

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page: BST 14 Reference Interview 1
  • 2 slides per page: BST 14 Reference Interview 2
  • 3 slides per page: BST 14 Reference Interview 3
• Exercises, handouts and activities:
  • BST 14 Sample Open & Closed Questions
  • BST 14 Open and Closed Questions Dialogue
  • BST 14 Role Play Activity
  • BST 14 Reference Interview Observer Checklist

Homework

• read the article: Ross, Catherine Sheldrick, and Patricia Dewdney. ”Negative Closure.” Reference & User Services Quarterly. 38.2 (Winter 1998): 151(1).
• read the “Teaching Moment” script we didn’t have time to do in class! It illustrates how to incorporate teaching into the reference interview.
  
• go to the Reference Interview web page, read the page, and do the 2 online exercises: Help Mark find a professor and Help Betty with a history assignment. Bear in mind that this page was created at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) so some of the answers are specific to its resources, however they are still fun and instructive, especially if you try the wrong answers as well!
• run these 3 role-playing scenarios with your mentor, same set-up as in class: BST 14 Role Playing Homework. Have fun!

Content

• circulation, reserve, ILL/RACER
• mandatory only for non-Access Services people

Participants

• Trainees: Rhonda Moore, Kelly Penfold, Tamara Monster, Lorna Turcotte, Ed Sernie, and possibly Anne Pottier
• Trainers: Lead - Ann Pearce, Debbie Trebych, Kim Pickett and Helen Creedon
• The trainers are working on the modules; more details will be posted later

Schedule

• Session #18: Wednesday May 26 – 9:30-11 am
• Session #19: Wednesday June 2 – 9:30-11 am
• Session #20: Wednesday June 9 – 9:30-11 am
• Session #21: Wednesday June 23 – 9:30-11 am
• Final Assessment: Wednesday July 7 9:30-11 am
• All sessions will be held in the eWong Room

Mar. 4/10 — Nora Gaskin, Krista Godfrey, Andrew Colgoni

Content

• Survey: most confident/still have questions
• Finding books and articles activity

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page: BST 13 Unit 2 Review
  • 2 slides per page: BST 13 Unit 2 Review 2
  • 3 slides per page: BST 13 Unit 2 Review 3
• Exercise:
  • BST 13 Finding Books and Articles on a Topic Exercise
  • BST 13 Finding Books and Articles on a Topic Exercise Answers

Homework

• BST 13 Homework
• BST 13 Homework Answers

Feb. 18/10 — Nora Gaskin, Krista Godfrey, Andrew Colgoni

Content

• intro to Boolean logic
• use Boolean logic in databases and the library catalogue
• use print periodical indexes to find articles on a topic

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page: BST 12 Advanced Searching
  • 2 slides per page: BST 12 Advanced Searching 2
  • 3 slides per page: BST 12 Advanced Searching 3
• Handouts & Video:
  • video in presentation: U. of Auckland Library: Boolean Operators
    
  • BST 12 Advanced Searching Class Boolean Activity
  • BST 12 Advanced Searching Class Print Index Exercise

Homework:

• watch the video: USF Polytechnic Library: Boolean Searching
• do the tutorial: DOT@MAC Keyword Searching section
• read University of Queensland: Database Searching “How-to” Guide

Feb. 11/10 — Andrew Colgoni, Nora Gaskin, Krista Godfrey

Content

• introduction to controlled vocabulary
• Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
  • headings and subdivisions
  • how to find and use them:
    • keyword search to id. appropriate subject headings
    • to create new searches
    • to browse a list of subject headings
    • to find reference materials, primary sources, etc.
    • as facets in the library catalogue
• descriptors and thesauri in databases
  • broader, narrower & related terms
  • how to “explode” a descriptor
• hands-on application of what was covered above: activities
• citation searching, including incomplete or incorrect citations

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page: BST 11 Controlled Vocabulary & Citation Searching
  • 2 slides per page: BST 11 Controlled Vocabulary & Citation Searching
  • 3 slides per page: BST 11 Controlled Vocabulary & Citation Searching
• Handouts:
  • LCSH Subdivisions Handout
  • Primary Sources & Subdivisions Handout
  • Citation Finding Exercise
    

Homework

• do the assignment:
  • BST 11 Homework
  • BST 11 Homework Answers
• watch this video tutorial: Database Search Tips, Part 4: Subject Headings, from MIT Libraries

Supplementary Material

• Baker Library, Harvard Business School. Article Searching Tips

Jan. 28/10 — Andrew Colgoni, Nora Gaskin, Krista Godfrey

Content

• searching a database to find articles on a topic
• using synonyms, truncation, limits, and fielded searching in Scholars Portal
• getting full text (Get it!)
• creating and revising a search strategy as necessary to retrieve an appropriate number of relevant results

Session Materials

• Presentation slides:
  • 1 slide per page (all slides, plays as a show with animations): BST #10 Intro to DB Searching
  • 2 slides per page: BST #10 Intro to DB Searching (pdf)
  • 3 slides per page: BST #10 Intro to DB Searching (pdf)
• List of topics: BST #10 Intro to DB Searching Topics for Pair Activity

Homework

• use the Research Worksheet to research a social sciences or humanities topic of your choice
• you may use any Scholar’s Portal database, or group of databases (for example, choose “Social Sciences” or “Arts & Humanities” from the dropdown menu “Change… Subject Area”) in Scholars Portal Search