Good Citations

When completing essays and assignments, are you continually forgetting to record the bibliographic details of books you use? "It had a red cover" may not be much help when you try and find that good one again.  

Perhaps you found a great quote for your essay from an online journal article and have no idea how to use it in your work and provide a correct citation for it.

Is your idea of a bibliography a page of indecipherable Google URLs? Really??? 

Maybe after reading the above you are thinking, "I don't even know what a citation is."

Then perhaps it's time you used an online citation/bibliography generator. There are many out there,  but some of our favourites are EasyBib, BibMe and RefMe.

In our most recent Library Hack session, Ms Mileto showed how to set up a RefMe account and demonstrated some of the features it includes. Click here to see her Prezi!

Choose the best one for you and get organised, keep a record of your research and produce credible work! 

Library Cards Rule!

On his SearchReSearch blog, Google’s research scientist Daniel Russell has this to say about doing great research. “One of the more powerful research tools you can have is a library card… this is worth repeating: A library card is instant access to a world of resources. Both offline AND online.”  What a wonderful endorsement for libraries everywhere!

One of our many goals here in the Library is to help students perform great research. Librarians are available to personally assist students. Our collection is tailored to the curriculum. Students have access to a selection of subscription databases. The Library pages are accessible through all Canvas courses. But sometimes it may be necessary for students to go further afield for their research needs. This is especially the case for students undertaking their HSC and IB Diploma. That’s why we encourage students and members of staff to visit and join other libraries - to gain “instant access to a world of resources”. A good one to start with is our own state library. Membership of the State Library of NSW is free and you can sign up for a card online. Once you receive your card by post, you have free web access to the library’s eresources - local & international newspapers, ebooks, full-text journals, magazines, and online databases.

Let’s not forget the “offline” component of Daniel Russell’s quote. Studies have shown that the availability of online resources and networks has not diminished demand for “offline” channels of advice and information. Meeting with teachers and librarians in the shared space of the library, asking questions and exchanging ideas continues to be valued by the 21^st century learner.