Author Archives: Anne Leonard

Notes from today, and blogging & reading for Wednesday and Thursday

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Today we reviewed the guidelines for the research paper outline (due Wednesday 4/15) and the research paper draft (due on April 27 – 2 weeks from today!) and played the evaluation game. Two teams (Alessandra, Kelly, Jay; Wil, Jonathan, Adonas) received perfect scores, so we’ll have a tie-breaking round on Wednesday, time permitting. On Wednesday we will discuss writing a research paper. Please read Badke, chapter 10 and Appendix One, pp. 263-286.

Before Break, I overlooked assigning 2 articles that discuss the importance of evaluating information in any format. Please read the following 2 articles: Fister, The Devil in the Details and Grimmelman, The Google Dilemma. Write a 100-word reading response blog post by 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 16.

Remember, your research paper outline is due on Wednesday, April 15 by 10 a.m., preferably emailed to me as an attachment, though you may submit a printed copy in class that day. Questions about this assignment? Get in touch!

~Prof. Leonard

Mapping Brooklyn wrap-up, and spring break bonus blogging

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Today we visited the Mapping Brooklyn exhibit at BRIC. For one bonus blog post point (due by 10 a.m. on 4/13/15), write a 100-word blog post in response to the following questions:

What map was the most interesting to you and why? How did viewing this exhibit change how you perceive maps in daily life? What information or data in your daily life would you like to visualize on a map? Why would it be helpful or interesting?

I distributed guidelines for the next research-paper-related assignment: the outline, due April 15. I’ll post guidelines for the research paper draft over spring break and distribute them in class on April 13.

Enjoy spring break, and remember, the City Tech library is open Monday-Friday 9-5 if you need a quiet place to study, use a computer, or print.

~Prof. Leonard

 

Evaluating information, new due dates, and preparing for the off-campus activity Wednesday

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Today we crowdsourced evaluation criteria and came up with currency, relevance, and accuracy as 3 important criteria we’ll use in the evaluation activity in class on April 13. We also reviewed the annotaeval_criteria20150330ted bibliography assignment. Thanks to Steeve for showing us how the References feature in MS Word.

The blog post that would normally be due today (Monday, March 30) at 10 a.m. is due by Tuesday, March 31 at 10 a.m. Please write one research journal blog post in response to this prompt:

Do a search on your research topic in at least one internet search engine and one library database. What words or phrases did you use to search? What are the similarities and differences between the results of your two searches?

On Wednesday, we’ll visit the Mapping Brooklyn exhibition at BRIC at 647 Fulton Street, about a 10 minute walk from here. We will meet at 9:55 at the Jay Street entrance of the college and walk over together. Please let me know if you will be coming on your own so I know not to wait. We will finish by 11 a.m. so you’ll be on time for your 11:30 classes. I will distribute guidelines for the research paper outline and draft on Wednesday.

Tomorrow you’ll get an email from me with your midterm grade.

Please note there is a NEW DUE DATE for the annotated bibliography: you may hand it in as an email attachment to me by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 2.

Questions about upcoming assigments, our schedule, or anything else? Please ask…

~Prof. Leonard

Wrapping up searching, and moving into evaluation

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Greetings from Portland, OR, where I’m participating in the Criblib Unconference and the Association for College & Research Libraries Conference. Today you discussed – and searched in – library catalogs and databases. I hope everyone made good progress on finding useful resources for the annotated bibliography and research paper.  On Monday, March 30 we’ll discuss techniques and strategies for evaluating information. Steeve has volunteered to show us all how to use the citation management feature in MS Word. For Monday, please review the following 2 websites in advance of class:

UC Berkeley Library, Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
Cornell University Libraries, Critically analyzing information sources.

Your blog post builds on your in-class searching exercise; since you already have an assignment due on Monday 3/30 — the final version of the research topic proposal — this blog post is due by Tuesday, March 31 at 10 a.m. Please write one research journal blog post in response to this prompt:

Do a search on your research topic in at least one internet search engine and one library database. What words or phrases did you use to search? What are the similarities and differences between the results of your two searches?

The final version of your research topic proposal is due on Monday, March 30. 

 

~Prof. Leonard

Wrapping up internet searching & reading/blogging for Wednesday, March 25

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Today we spent time searching scholarly resources on the internet and making use of the advanced search strategies we discussed a few weeks ago. On Wednesday, my colleague Prof. Nora Almeida will guest lecture on searching library catalogs and databases. Please read Badke Chapter 5 and review the Library of Congress Classification Outline.

Your research journal blog post prompt is based on today’s class activity. Please write one 100-word research journal blog post in response to this prompt:

In class today you tried out advanced search strategies and scholarly internet resources from the Badke reading to search for sources on your research topic. Describe one advanced strategy or scholarly resource you used. Did you find different information sources than you found doing a regular internet search (just using Google, Bing, etc.), and if so, how are they different? Did you encounter any difficulties that you haven’t encountered in a regular internet search?

Remember that the FINAL version of your topic proposal is due on Monday, March 30 and the Annotated Bibliography is due on Wednesday, April 1. Please get in touch with your questions…

~Prof. Leonard

Wrapping up research topic development, and looking ahead to searching and finding

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Today we spent a good bit of time in class developing research questions and using bubbl.us or regular old pen and paper to draw concept maps. Feel free to scan & post your concept map to our blog.

The draft of your research topic proposal is due on Monday, March 23 by the beginning of class. Please email it to me as a MS Word attachment; that way I can grade, it offer comments, and return it to you by email, even if I’m out of town.

On Monday, we’ll talk about — and do some — advanced internet searching. I hope that by the end of class, everyone will have found at least a few potential sources for their annotated bibliographies (due April 1). Please read Badke chapter 6 (all) and chapter 7, pp. 163-172.

~Prof. Leonard

Research topic refinement this week, and reading/blogging for Wednesday, March 18

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On Wednesday, March 18 we will continue discussing developing a research topic, including further refining a topic and developing search strategies. Please bring your topic proposal worksheet in progress to class. I will try to bring extra copies to class, but you can download and print a copy if needed. For Wednesday, please read the following: Badke Appendix 1 pp. 250-260 and review Badke chapter 3, pp. 60-66.

Your blog post for Wednesday takes the form of a research journal. Please write a 100-word post in response to this prompt:

You are working on choosing a topic and developing a research question for your paper. What difficulties (if any) have you encountered as you work on your research proposal?
What strategies (if any) have you used successfully during this work?
What questions (if any) do you have about the assignment?

Questions about the research topic proposal or the annotated bibliography assignment? Get in touch.

~Prof. Leonard

Search engine wrap-up, and reading & blogging assignments for Monday 3/16

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Check out this recent New York Times editorial on the global digital divide – very timely! Today we discussed the mechanics of search, how search engines work, and how Boolean operators [AND, OR. NOT], truncation [education*], and nested searching (Teen or adolescent) can help refine your search results. We’ll spend next week assessing research needs, generating search keywords, and developing and refining topics. For Monday, March 16 please read Badke, chapter 2, “Taking Charge,” and chapter 8, “Learning How to Read for Research.” Be sure to read the study guide & practice/assignment sections carefully.

The draft of your research topic proposal is due on Monday, March 23 and the final is due on Monday, March 30. Please get in touch with any questions about your topics.

~Prof. Leonard

Metadata wrap-up, and reading/blogging for Wednesday, March 11

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Today we discussed metadata in many forms and structures: hierarchical taxonomies, user-generated folksonomies, subject-specific thesaurii such as MeSH, and the revealing patterns created by analyzing our personal metadata, such as that generated by emails. On Wednesday, March 11 we’ll discuss the mechanics of searching, including how search engines work. We’ll also address databases: what they are and what’s in them.

For Wednesday, please read the following:

Badke Ch. 3, “Database Searching with Keywords and Hierarchies”
Liddy, How a Search Engine Works
Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post.

~Prof. L.

Access wrap-up and reading/blogging for Monday, March 9

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Today we discussed access to information, especially equitable access by age, educational attainment, and economic status. We used the Pew report, “Who’s Not Online and Why?” as a starting point; see this chart for the demographics of online access, according to the report. Related to our discussion of information access via cultural institutions, here is the list of all museums that offer free/discounted admission with a CUNY ID.

On Monday we’ll hear from group #4, who will report on research and social movements from pp. 141-142 of “The Politics of Research” by Brian Martin.

Metadata (information about information) is our topic for next Monday, March 9. Please read the following for Monday:

Badke, Research Strategies, chapter 4 (our textbook, remember?)

Dye, Folksonomy: A game of high-tech (and high-stakes) tag

Crockford, Graphs by MIT Students Show the Enormously Intrusive Nature of Metadata

Your blogging assignment is one reading response blog post. Questions about the research topic assignment, due March 23? Get in touch!

~Prof. Leonard