STREAMING LINKS =
Tutorials on the Library Resources Mentioned Below:
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GOOGLE TIP
- If your instructor allows the use of the free web, one of the ways to locate more reliable materials is to use an advanced Google search technique called site-searching.
- The command site: asks Google to search the keywords that precede the command in the domain that follows the command.
- Three major domains to consider using are:
- .gov = federal and state governments
- .org = non-profit organizations (always have a bias!)
- .edu = American universities (watch for student documents)
Samples |
| Outsourcing site:.gov |
| Brazil politics site:.state.gov |
| NAFTA site:.cato.org |
LIBRARY DATABASES
- Facts.com = background on topical issues. From the Reuters news service, this database’s Issues and Controversies section is wonderful for background. Each article, plus anything from its sidebar, can be emailed to your email in-box.
- Academic Search Premier = news, magazines, journals that cost money if found on the internet. A reliable extension of the web, this database provides access to publications on any topic.
- Newspaper Source = a larger group of newspapers is found here, with most articles available on the database itself.
BOOKS
- RACERTrac = local catalog, or index, to the books in the Waterfield Library.
- Use the Advanced Search. This provides a better list of hits, even if only one keyword is typed into one search box
- Open up the information on one good book. Click on the hyperlinked “call number” and browse the shelves in the library virtually
- Books are about large issues. What you want may be a chapter only. Use broad single nouns as your search to begin with.
USEFUL GENERAL SITES
- Google Scholar - Indexes professional publications, but most cost money. SOME FREE. Use the library databases first to find the same material, for free.
- MSU’s list of online reference sources (dictionaries, etc)
- Google News - Current news.
- Google News Archives - Backfiles of news stories, many free
- MSU’s Hot Topics page