HPER H163 Freshman Topics for Student Athletes 

Foraging for information

When you're getting started, take along the essential gear such as,

• Your Official University ID / Library Card - Get it at the Walb Union Information Desk.
• Your Student Computer Account - Activate it at any Student-Access Computing Lab.

And start off with some knowledge of your information environment including,

• Library Tour & Quiz - Learn about the collections, services, and facilities available in the library.
• Service Desk - Get some assistance when you are not finding what you are looking for.
• Reference & Information Services - Meet with a librarian to learn information foraging skills.
• STEPS: Student Technology Education Programs - Sign-up for free short courses to learn technology skills.

Need books?

Use the IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog) as a starting point.

Indiana University Libraries' online catalog, IUCAT will help you to locate library materials such as books, government publications, CDs, videos, or periodicals in the collections of Helmke Library.

Need articles?

Use Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) as a starting point.

This online database leads you to articles in nearly 4,500 periodicals (popular magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers) covering topics in business, education, science and technology, plus many other fields. Articles in nearly 3,500 periodicals are available full text for you to print, e-mail, or save.

Discover other tools for finding articles on Helmke Library's Find Resources By... page.
Also explore our E-Journal Finder.

Need Web sites?

Use Google as a starting point.

Google is a Search Engine that helps you find Web sites with the keywords that you want. More information about how to search the World Wide Web, along with some additional Web searching tools, can be found on Helmke Library's Internet Resources and Guides page.

Judging sources

Is Your Article from a Popular, Scholarly, or Trade Publication?

University instructors often ask students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments. The following Judging Sources: Is Your Article from a Popular, Scholarly, or Trade Publication? (PDF) summarizes major differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Which type of source have you located?

Is your Web site credible?

The Web is a massive, confusing terrain of knowledge producers, research, facts, and entertaining tidbits of information. You must be a critical consumer of materials you find on the Web. Quality and validity are not guaranteed when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review.

There are many useful Internet guides and tutorials to help you understand how to navigate and evaluate Web sites. Apply strict criteria before judging any resource worth your investment of time and attention.

Accurate?
Does the author provide his or her name? Is the information presented verifiable? Is the author affiliated with an idenfiable group? (e.g., company, university, or government agency)
Authoritative?
Who maintains the Web site? What type of creditials does the author have? What is the domain name of the Web site .edu, .gov, .org, or .net?
Objective?
Is there a stated goal or purpose for the Web site? Does the information provide more than one viewpoint? Is there a particular bias shown by the author?
Current?
When was the Web site produced? How often is the information being updated? How many broken links does the Web site have?
Comprehensive?
How far back in time does the Web site cover your topic? Are there gaps in the information? Does the Web site contain important references?

When a Resource is Not Available in the Library

Request Delivery is an IUCAT feature that allows IPFW faculty, students, and staff to request materials held by other Indiana University Libraries and to have them delivered to Helmke Library (see the IUCAT Request Delivery Fact Sheet).

You may also request any item that is not available at Helmke Library through Document Delivery Services (DDS). DDS borrows books and provides photocopies of periodical articles from other library collections. The service is free for IPFW faculty, staff, and students.

And Finally, Ask a Librarian

Librarians and skilled information assistants are always available to assist you. Visit the Service Desk to meet an information assistant who will help you get started. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.

adkinst@ipfw.edu 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499 260-481-6708 Fax: 260-481-6509 Tiff Adkins M.A.E., M.L.S. Reference & Information Services Librarian; Liaison to Education; Collection Developer for Health, Physical Education, & Recreation; FYE & Learning Commons Coordinator Helmke Library, LB 156