1. GERO 101: Research Process
and Searching
LAKSAMEE PUTNAM
LPUTNAM@TOWSON.EDU
RESEARCH & INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN

2. A quick plug…
 The Cellist of Sarajevo: A Tribute to the
Uplifting Power of Music during War
 When: Tuesday, October 30th from
7pm – 8pm
 Where: Center for the Arts Recital Hall
 What: In times of hardship and
war, music can truly uplift the spirit.
For example, the sorrowful Adagio by
Albinoni has been forever linked with
the courageous cellist of Sarajevo. Join
us for a discussion on the book, The
Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven
Galloway, and a selection of inspiring
music for cello and cello ensemble. This
program is being held in connection
with the One Maryland One Book
program whose 2012 selection for this
statewide reading initiative is The
Cellist of Sarajevo

3. Agenda
 Scholarly vs Popular
 How to formulate a search
 Finding Books/Articles
 Citation Resources
 Hands on database practice

4. How can I help you?
 In class session to learn how to use resources
 Phone help 410.704.3359.
 Chat help
 Go to Library website and click “Ask a Librarian”
 One-on-one appointments
 Help at the reference desk

5. Scholarly vs Popular
 Scholarly  Popular
 Written by an expert for  Entertaining but lack
other experts depth
 Support your argument  Grab people’s interests but
with high quality should not be your only
information resource

6. Scholarly vs Popular
Images take from the Purdue University tutorials

7. Scholarly vs Popular
 The Invisible Web
 http://goshen.libguides.com/beyond_googling
 Filter Bubbles
 http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_
bubbles.html

8. Formulating a Keyword Search
1. Choose a Topic

9. Formulating a Keyword Search
1. Choose a Topic
 End of life care of elderly

10. Formulating a Keyword Search
2. Narrow/Broaden your search

11. Formulating a Keyword Search
2. Narrow/Broaden your search
 Elderly depression in end of life care

12. Formulating a Keyword Search
3. Identify the key concepts

13. Formulating a Keyword Search
3. Identify the key concepts
 Elder
 Depression
 End of life care

14. Formulating a Keyword Search
4. Consider synonyms/alternative spellings for terms
 Elder
 Depression
 End of life care

15. Formulating a Keyword Search
4. Consider synonyms/alternative spellings for terms
 Elder
 Elder*
 Senior
 Aged
 Older person
 Older adult
 Depression
 hopelessness
 End of life care
 Palliative care
 Terminal care

16. Formulating a Keyword Search
5. Formulate your search utilizing various
combinations of your words
 String them together using AND/OR/NOT
 Truncate *

17. Formulating a Keyword Search
6. Evaluate what you find
 Check for CRAP
Currency
Reliability
Authority
Purpose/Point of View

18. 3 ways to find Books
 http://cooklibrary.towson.edu
 Towson Books
 USMAI Books
 Interlibrary Loan

19. Finding Articles
 Go to the Gerontology Subject Gateway
 Numerous databases to choose from
 Search more than one
 Use your keywords and refine your search

20. Writing and
Citing  Allows your readers to verify and
Resources identify where the information
Cook Library and ideas in your paper
originated
Quick Tools
 Gives credit to the owners of the
Citing Sources ideas (avoiding plagiarism)
 Provides a connection between
your research and the research of
related sources

21. Let’s start searching!
 Follow the example searches first to familiarize
yourself with the databases
 Then begin researching your own topic
 As you are finding information on your topic please
fill in the worksheet

22. Questions?
 Feel free to contact me:
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 410.704.3746.
 Twitter: @LibrarianLaks
 Or any reference librarian:
 Visit Cook Library Reference Desk
 410.704.2462.
 IM – tucookchat