Critical Thinking & Information Literacy Across the Curriculum

ENGLISH 103 - ACCESSING INFORMATION - Linked to Math 120, Sections A & B

Assignment 7 - LMC - ProQuest: Score:             

Name:                                                              Name:                                                 

The purpose of this exercise is to give you practice in using ProQuest Direct in the Library Media Center (LMC) system, then to compare it with EBSCOhost.

Procedure

• Open a browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator).
• Type in the following: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/
  This is the BCC Home Page.
• Click on LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER, this will connect you to the BCC Library Media Center.

• Click on Periodical Articles, then click on the PROQUEST button. 
• Make sure you are searching ALL Databases.  You will be searching newspapers, periodicals and academic journals. Many of these periodicals are academic journals and are very good sources.

1. Let's search for Mathematics OR Trigonometry.  Record the number of articles.               

Now check them out.  Are you noticing any pattern? Please comment below.

2. Select the search option again and search for Trigonometry.  Record the number of articles.            

Now check them out.  Are you able to draw a conclusion about the above search and this search?  Please comment.

3. Try searching for Precalculus, alternate name for our course. Are you getting the same results?                                      

How many articles are there?              

Now check them out.  Are you able to draw a conclusion about the search done in (1) or (2) above and this search? 

4. If you are not satisfied with your search results the following technique might yield more results.  Instead of typing Mathematics or Trigonometry completely type part of the word and then put a *.  Try "Math*, then try Trig*".

How many entries are there in each case?                                                                      

Are the results what you expected?  Please comment below.

List two or three results that had nothing to do with Math or Trig :

5. Now do a search for the biography of a Mathematician. 

How many entries are there?                              

Give the name of the Mathematician you chose:

Give the date of birth and place of origin:

Is this Mathematician still alive? If deceased give the date of death.  If alive where is this Mathematician at the present time:

Give the bibliographic references for the articles written about this Mathematician:

Tell something about this Mathematician that you found very interesting:

6. Check if the references listed in (5) are available in the BCC Library and find the location where you can find these references in the Library.

Reference 1:

Reference 2:

If there is a book icon in the Full text column you may want to see the full text and print it out. Compare it with the actual article if the periodical is carried at BCC.

7. Let us compare this search with the EBSCOhost results.  Which one gave you more interesting results? Explain:

8. Ready to do more searches?

Try one of your choice.  Document your search.

Library Media Center
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Bellevue, Washington 98007-6484

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Permission is granted to copy these materials for educational purposes
provided complete acknowledgement is included.

Updated August 25, 2003