Checking in with the NCC Libraries

Summer's Coming & Bringing More Student Research Workshops!

Student research workshops are returning this summer! The librarians are again offering workshops to help students with their research assignments. Each student who attends a workshop receives a digital certificate as proof of participation.

Our schedule includes:

Library Orientation
May 26th at 6 p.m., June 14th at 3 p.m., or July 20th at 2 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop:

• how to utilize the libraries for borrowing materials, studying, and completing coursework 
• navigating the library website 
• finding library books and other items using SpartaCat (the library catalog) 
• starting a basic search for online sources with EBSCO Discovery Service  
• getting additional research help from a librarian after the session

Locating Scientific Journals and Articles 
June 1st at 2 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop:

• what is original research?
• what does a scientific article look like?
• where and how can you find them?

Selecting and Evaluating Sources
June 9th at 2 p.m. or August 2nd at
Topics discussed in this workshop: 

• commonly used information sources in academic and college research 
• types of author expertise 
• misinformation and bias 
• evaluation criteria and lateral reading to determine credibility  
• determining relevance (matching your need with a source type) 
• library, internet, and open access search tools

Say What? Finding the Best Resources for Your Speeches 
June 14th at 4 p.m. or July 28th at 3 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop

• 3 types of speeches requiring research
• types of sources
• how to choose the best source for your topic
• troubleshooting your research
• evaluating sources 
• citing your sources

Finding Criticisms on Literary Works 
June 15th at 3 p.m. or July 28th at 6 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop:

• identifying literary criticism
• locating literary criticism in library databases and collections

Scholarly & Peer-Reviewed Sources 
June 16th at 1 p.m. or July 27th at 6 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop:

• what scholarly and peer-reviewed sources are and how to identify them
• finding scholarly/peer-reviewed articles in the library databases
• time-saving tips for reading and using them in your assignment

Searching the Library’s Collections with SpartaCat, Databases, and EBSCO Discovery Service
June 21st at 2 p.m. or July 26th at 6 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop:

• searching with SpartaCat (the library catalog)
• navigating our Databases list to choose an individual digital collection that fits a specific topic or need
• using EBSCO Discovery Service to search across collections

Business and Industry Research
July 12th at 6 pm. or July 13th at 1 p.m.
Topics discussed in this workshop:

• searching D&B Hoovers, the library's best database for business and industry research
• types of reports and information available in D&B Hoovers and how to apply them to your topic or assignment

All sessions will be held over Zoom. Find more details and register at the Library Events Calendar.

Faculty, our workshops might be a good fit as an extra learning activity outside of class time (maybe even for points or credit) and could take the place of the library instruction session you've been having trouble fitting into your syllabus. Not sure if the workshops are the right choice for your course? We can still work with you and your students through library, research, or information literacy classes, embedded librarians, video and self-guided tutorials, or other learning materials. Send any questions to askthelibrarian@northampton.edu.