I-Search: Preliminary Research

By now you've written some IQs and are ready to see if you can find any answers using print sources.  The one guideline for print sources for you is that YOU can read it.  When you find a book or an article, open it up (if possible) to see if it's understandable to you.  If it's too hard to read, you're not going to be able to learn from it without a lot of support. 

I'm going to walk you through three ways to look for print sources: MLK OPAC, SFPL catalog, and SFPL InfoTrac Kids. 

The AIM of today's lesson is for you to do some preliminary research on your topic by searching for print sources that YOU can read on the MLK library online catalog, the SFPL online catalog, and, if you have time, on some electronic databases. 

Here are the steps for today's lesson: 

1. Create a new screen (ctrl + n) so you can read these instructions while still working on another screen. 
2. Log on to your 8th grade site and create a new story called "I-Search Notes," then link it to your name page.  (You may want to copy book call numbers and articles into this page while you search.)  Keep this page open.   
3. Open another screen (ctrl + n) 
4. Click on the OPAC icon to look in the MLK library catalog.  If you find anything there, you're going to have to write the call number into your I-Search Notes page by hand because you can't copy and paste from that database.  (Grrrr.)
5. Click on the SFPL link in the left nav bar and search the catalog or databases as you wish.  If you want to copy and paste information on books or text from articles, you can do so on the SFPL databases. 
6. Keep looking for print sources until you get a good sense of whether or not there are print sources for your topic out there that are readable for you. 
7. If you can't find any print sources that answer your questions, you're going to have to go back to your list and choose a different topic.  Or make up a new one!