IDS 1071 (Careers): Freshman Seminar
Purpose: To find sources in Cornette Library and on the World Wide Web to complete your assignment
Assignment: Write a paper on the career of your choice.
Reference Books
Kinds of information
- Descriptions of careers.
- Educational and job training requirements.
- Salaries.
- Working conditions.
- Job outlook.
- Job search strategies.
Where are they located?
- Career Books shelves, Reference area, first floor, Cornette Library.
- Can't be checked out, can be copied with your Buffalo Gold Card - add money at the Circulation Desk.
Examples:
- Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
- HF 5381 .E52 2008 Ref.
- VGM's Careers Encyclopedia
- HF 5382.5 .U5 C337 2002 Ref.
- VGM Career Horizons Series
- These include the On The Job, Great Jobs, Opportunities in, and Careers for series on many careers.
Do you have my career?
- Search the Cornette Library's online catalog. For search words use:
- Truncated career name (such as nurs?) and vocational guidance.
- Try related terms, such as writer, author or journalist.
- Try broader terms such as law enforcement for police officer.
- Try a personality characteristic or hobby, such as leadership or bookworms.
- Results show:
- Books on the career shelves.
- Older versions (which can be checked out) located on the Loan shelves.
- Electronic books in netLibrary, which can be read via any internet capable computer.
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Biography Sources
Use these sources to find information about successful people.
- Current Biography
- CT100 .C8 Ref
- Published monthly. Profiles actors, artists, athletes, educators, politicians, scientists, writers, etc. Indexed by name and by profession.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
- Search by name. Lists sources (primarily print) to find articles about the person.
- Article Databases
- Use those listed in the "Journal" section, and add biography to search string.
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Journal, Magazine, & Newspaper Articles
Provide current information
Databases index articles found in journals and magazines.
They may contain:
- Citation only.
- Citation and a short summary of the article (abstract).
- Full-text.
Some are general, covering many kinds of topics. Others focus on specialized areas.
For this assignment you will use a mix of scholarly and general interest magazines. The differences are important, for citation and for evaluating reliability.
How to Access
- On-campus: In the library or HELC.
- Off-campus: Login with your Buff Advisor username (for example, js123456) and your Buff Advisor password (for example, buffaloes).
- Library shelves contain hundreds of bound and current journals.
Which database?
- Academic Search Complete
- Contains abstracts, citations and full-text from newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals, covering a broad range of topics.
- Vocational and Career Collection
- Focused on professional and trade publications. Try subject search phrases like vocational guidance or career development
- InfoTrac Newspapers
- Has full text of hundreds of current newspapers (through the previous day), including the last several years of The New York Times through today.
- LexisNexis Academic
- Has full text of hundreds of current newspapers (often including today's), such as the last several years of The New York Times.
- Subject Guides
- Suggest specialized databases for majors at WTAMU.
Logo
- Displays in most of our databases. Links from a citation to one or more of the following:
- One or more links to full-text of the cited article,
- A link to a pre-set search of the Cornette Library catalog for the cited item,
- A link to a pre-filled Interlibrary Loan request form for the article, or
- A link to various help options.
- For more information see the tutorial Using SFX to Link to Articles .
Need Help?
- Ask at the Reference Desk (first floor) or Periodicals Desk (second floor).
- Or call 651-2215 during the hours Cornette Library is open.
- Use the "Ask A Librarian" form for electronic reference support.
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Web Sites
- The World Wide Web is an excellent source of information.
- Not everything found on the Web is accurate.
- You must evaluate information on the Web.
Professional Associations
- Exist at state and national level for many professions.
- Provide services and activities for members.
- May offer career information and job listings.
- Job listings specify educational requirements, skills, salaries.
How to locate?
- Career books at the beginning of this guide.
- Encyclopedia of Associations, at Reference Desk.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook listed below.
Other Career Web Sites
- Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Current information on careers and their futures: salary, working conditions, education, employment projections, and more. Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Career Guide to Industries
- Government document providing information on specific industries: browse by sector such as agriculture or education, or search by keyword.
- O*Net Online
- Occupational Information Network. Replaces the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Search occupations by keyword or code number.
- Descriptions include task summary, knowledge, skills, abilities, work environment, and needed preparation. Also provides list of related occupations and links to wage and employment information.
- Includes wage data by state.
- Careers and Job Hunting
- Links to web sites that will help choose a career and find a job.
- WTAMU Career Services
- Information about salaries, jobs, interviews, and careers.
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Course Resources
Reserves
Your instructors may reserve material for your class to ensure that it is always available. To find these articles, books etc.:
- Go to the Reserves tab in the online catalog.
- Search by instructor or course or department, or some combination of those.
- Read electronic reserves online by logging in with your WT username and password.
- Print items can be checked out at the reserve desk on the first floor. Checkout period varies from 2 hours up to a week or more.
- Some print items can only be used in the library.
Many classes have a special course guide available on line at all times.
Citing Your Sources
Why?
- To give credit to the author of the information.
- To avoid plagiarism (WTAMU Code of Student Life: Appendix I-Academic Integrity Code)
a serious offense that can result in failure or expulsion. - To allow others to verify information.
- To assist others in their research.
Citation Style Manuals
Provide formats for citing many different kinds of sources:
- Books, including encyclopedias.
- Magazines or Journals.
- Web sites.
Which one?
Instructor may specify.
Most often used are:
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
- A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian).
- The Chicago Manual of Style.
Where?
- Copies of the current edition of each manual listed above are at the Reference Desk.
- Cornette Library's Citation Basics page also has valuable information.
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Your Comments
- Suggestions for improvements?
- Particularly helpful items?
- Please email Linda Chenoweth.
Thank you.
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