What Graduate Assistants Need to Know About the Library
One of your duties as an RIT graduate assistant may be to do library research
and information gathering for the professor with whom you are working.
This can be something as easy as being asked to come the RIT Library to copy
a journal article or, you may be asked to find a bit of factual information,
such as the annual rainfall of Australia. You could possibibly be sent to find
ALL the information on a given topic, say, everything on digital video.
This guide is specifically written for the Graduate Assistant asked to do
library research as part of their GA assignment. Here are a few things to help
you in the experience.
Know the Job Assignmnent
What exactly are you being asked to do? This can be perhaps the toughest part
of your assignment. You will have to interview the professor to find out exactly
what kind of information is being requested. You may also want to ask the professor
for any ideas where you may start looking for this information. Never be satisfied
with a request to "Find me ALL the information on X." There is alot of
information available and certainly your professor does not want to weed through
it all. That's going to be part of your job and to do it you'll want to have
a precise understanding of exactly what it is that your professor hopes to have
you research. Let's look at an example of a "Find me ALL" type request and see
how, by asking some very basic questions, you can end up with a manageable information
request.
The Interview
PROFESSOR: I would like you to go to the library and find me all the
information you can on digital video.
GA: Digital video. Ok, before I go may I ask you a few questions about the
subject matter? I want to make sure that I know what you want.
PROFESSOR: I want everything you can find.
GA: Do you want information from a technical perspective or a business
perspective?
PROFESSOR: Actually, I am looking at the possibilities of digital video from
an educational perspective; specifically I would like to see what the technical
advances in compression have been.
GA: Do you want material that is older than three years?
PROFESSOR: Oh, no, just bring me the journal
articles on this subject that have been published in the last year. Oh yes,
you may want to take a look in the Einstein
catalog for any recent books that the library has accquired.
GA: So, you want the most recent information on the technical aspect of video
compression, and I guess I should also look for any innovative examples of the
use of video in an educational setting? I thought that I would start with Academic Search Elite.
Are there any other databases you'd recommend?
PROFESSOR: Academic Search Elite is a good multidisciplinary database and it contains a lot of full-text articles. Try ERIC for the educational perspective;
it's a database that indexes most of the journals in the field of education.
GA: Oh yes, I've used other subject specific databases. The librarians are
very helpful in pointing out good databases for my subject. Databases are also located by subject here.
PROFESSOR: It's a good idea to ask a librarian for guidance, but remember
that you'll have to wade through a lot of information to bring back just the
type of articles that I want to see. You'll be doing that on your own, and it
may take you a bit of time. If you have any questions about what I'm looking
for, please ask.
GA: Okay, I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for now.
Develop a Plan
During the interview you were jotting down the key words to describe your
topic. You can then developed a search strategy to help you make your search more precise.
Depending on the type of information you are looking for, you will want to
develop a plan. If you are looking for a fact, say the amount of rainfall in
a single location, you would want to consult a factual reference book, such
as an almanac. To do a more comprehensive search of a subject, consider using
encyclopedias, bibliographies, indexes, databases and catalogs available at
RIT Library. Some of these resources you may want to consult are listed by subject.
A list of the subject
guides created by RIT Library is also available.
Photocopying at RIT Library
The best way to pay for copies at RIT Library is to have money placed
on a Vendacard or ID. If in the course of your duties as a GA you are making
copies at the library, you may want to suggest that the department for which
you are working purchase a vendacard and place money on it for copying purposes.
Checking out books from the RIT Library
To check out books for your professor, make previous arrangements to have
authorization to borrow materials under his or her name. This can be accomplished
by submitting the Graduate Assistant Borrowing Authorization form to Laura DiPonzio Heise , Head of Circulation. RIT Library borrowing
polices have been outlined for your information.
Borrowing Materials from other Libraries
Graduate students placing Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests for faculty through
IDS Express should read the Interlibrary
Loan Proxy account information.
In addition, please feel free to contact the Information Delivery Services
office with any questions, or just to let us know that you are going to be working
for a faculty member. You can reach them by phone (585) 475-2560 Voice/TTY or
by E-mail ILLWML@rit.edu. There is no charge for requesting ILL journal articles
or books. Interlibrary loan forms can be filed electronically
after the proxy registration for the service is completed.
Support to Expect from Library Staff
As an RIT student employed as a GA and working for an RIT Faculty member,
you have the right to expect library support in all of your research
efforts. You also have the right to expect instruction in the proper use of
the library resources and services. Librarians are available for consultation
for your graduate studies or your work as a graduate assistant. Setting
appointments with a librarian is strongly advised to take full advantage
of this opportunity.
As a graduate assistant, you are expected to be competent in library research
and in the information resources in your field. Librarians are available to
assist all GAs, or to refer you to workshops and instruction which can make your library research
more productive and efficient. As a GA, you are expected to do the library research
duties assigned to you as independently as possible.
Maintained by: Linette Koren
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