Jonathan Grix - Information Skills: Finding and Using the Right Resources

Information Skills

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Information Skills

Finding and Using the Right Resources

Jonathan Grix
Gerald Watkins

Jonathan Grix and Gerald Watkins 2010

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.

Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published 2010 by

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.

Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martins Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

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Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries

ISBN 9780230222502

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

Printed in China

Acknowledgements

A number of people need to be thanked for their help, assistance, patience and forbearance during the making of this book. First and foremost, we would like to thank Suzannah Burywood. Jonathan Grixs enjoyable previous experience of working with Suzannah, a publisher at Palgrave, was the reason why we took on this project in the first place. We would also like to thank the illustrator, Sallie Godwin, for so successfully transforming the original concept drawings by an ageing librarian into something more in tune with the modern world. Also, thanks to David Pulford of the University of Birmingham for the original idea of the Information Landscape in , an attempt to use graphic methods to counter death by bullet point in presentations. Thanks, finally, to Palgraves editorial assistant, Jenni Burnell, whose firm emails ensured we did as we were instructed, thereby keeping the project on schedule.

JONATHAN GRIX AND GERALD WATKINS
March 2010

To Andrea, Lebensgefhrtin and wife

Jonathan Grix

In memory of my Mum, Denise

Gerald Watkins

The results of reading Information Skills

Before
Tangled and confused

After
Sorted!

Introduction

The intention of this slim volume is to provide a text that offers students and researchers alike an overview of information skills and best practice in finding resources. Whilst a plethora of texts exist on specific study skills, the research process and particular research techniques, there is no single, short text dedicated to finding resources, and offering sound advice on how to do so. Until now that is. This volume has the advantage of being able to offer a more detailed text on a wide variety of sources, including the ever-expanding online resources available. Our target audience ranges from college students to postgraduates working within the social sciences, or the broader area, human sciences (that is, all subjects that focus on social phenomena; some schools of social sciences, for example, do not include health studies or social geography, subjects we are keen not to leave out).

Universities and colleges in the UK have at their disposal a massive range of academic quality resources the following chapters show you how to make the most of them. If you do not have access to such resources, we offer insights into how to access and make the best of those that are freely available.