The Library

ENG 01- STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH
TOPIC 1 Notes
Coverage: Library Skills and Guidelines Basic Research Skills Citation of Electronic Journals and Websites/APA Citation Paraphrasing, Summarizing and Quoting
USING THE LIBRARY
A. What is a Library?
According to Dunlap, a library is a “collection of graphic materials —books, films, disc and tape recordings, computer tapes — organized for use.” She said that the phrase “for use” is important because books and other graphic materials brought together for other purposes do not necessarily constitute library. Thus, copies of recent books on various subjects in a publisher’s warehouse and the recordings found in a music store are not “libraries”. On the other hand, she considers a library “a shelf of cook books and recipes maintained by a housewife for use in her kitchen.” The purpose then rather than the size is the factor that determines whether a collection of graphic materials forms a library.
B. Using the Library
Your university has a library for your use. In as much as your skills in using it can help you a lot in your studying and thinking work, it will pay you well to check on it and see how you can explore and mine it for this purpose. In doing so, consider the following pointers:
1. A university life is a life whose every pathway from classroom leads to the library. The message is simple. Your life as a college student should be library-oriented. Your classroom attendance and work are there to lead you to the resources you should look for in the library.
You can have this drive if you consider every lesson introduced and discussed in the classroom as a mere tip of an iceberg. The rest of it, its flesh and core, are in the resources of the library.
2. Know you librarians. These are the people you can always go to for help. While your library is equipped with instructions on how you can use it and find your way through its resources n your own, it is possible that t times, you will feel lost in it. If you know your librarians, you can always g to them for assistance.
3. Discover the policies concerning the use of the library. Your knowledge of these policies can guide you in availing of the resources of your library. These are generally the policies on the following:
a. Membership requirement such as membership fee and identification and borrower’s card. b. Services rendered such as library hours kept, lending services, copying services, etc.
c. Disciplinary actions on books lost, returned late or torn.ENG 01- STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS IN

4. Familiarize yourself with the physical set up of your college/university library. To this effect, it is very important for you to note that university libraries generally have the following sections: a. General Circulation Section. Books in this section are lent out for home use, for duration of time that depends on the policy of the library on the matter. This section contains the largest portion of the collection. Most of the books here are fiction, plays, poetry, nonfiction and books on philosophy, religion, social sciences, languages, mass communication, history, arts, biography, etc.
b. Reserved Book Section. Books here are reserved upon advice of professors/teachers for their students’ use inside the library. These books are generally those required of the students to read in connection with their lessons in the classroom.
c. Reference Section. This is the section of dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, yearbooks, atlases, gazettes, and books generally comprehensive, condensed, and provided with indices for easy use.
d. Periodicals Section. In this section, the resources are for use only in the library. This section contains bound volumes of magazines, newspapers, journals and a collection of indices and bibliographies helpful in research work.
e. Asian section. This is the section where all books written by authors of Asian countries are collected.
f. Filipiniana Section. This section is the collection of all books written in any language and about any subject by Filipino authors.
In some libraries in the country, the Asian and Filipiniana collections are put together in just one section as Filipiniana-Asian section.
5. Discover the resources of each section of the library. This means look into the resources available for use in each section. The questions to consider in following it are: How updated are the books in each section? How big is the collection in each section? A discovery of the answers to these questions will be able to make you see how well your library can serve you for studying and thinking needs.
6. Know how the library collection is categorized. The catalogue is the key to the entire collection of a university/college library. It is a list of all books collected for use by its public.
Generally, cataloguing is made in index cards that are filed in drawers. However, many libraries, especially the big ones in the cities, have already catalogued their collections in computers. In whatever system this is done, it is important for you to know how to go about using it.
Reference: Mazon, C. M. (2005). Study and Thinking Skills in English: A Worktext for College Freshmen. Manila: St. Augustine Publications, Inc.

ENG 01- STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH
TOPIC 1 Notes
WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT THE LIBRARY?
1. You can check out books for free.
Granted, you may pay a minimal fee for a library card. But, when you become a member of your local library, you have access to an untold number of books and other literary resources — all free of charge.
2. You'll find great places to read.
A great many libraries are filled with comfortable spots to read, whether you enjoy a comfortable chair, a table and chair, or a window seat.
3. You'll be illuminated.
Libraries tend to offer lots of light, so you won't ruin your eyesight by squinting at that tiny print.
But, libraries also offer great reference materials. If you have questions about what you're reading, you can look it up in any of the number of dictionaries, encyclopedias, or other reference materials.
The resources are illuminating!
4. You have access to book experts.
Librarians are professionally trained to help you find what you're looking for at the library. A librarian can point you in the right direction, answer questions, or help you find a book you'll enjoy to read.
5. Libraries offer access to rare and out-of-print material.
Some of the rare and out-of-print volumes may be on reserve, so you may have to put in a special request to see the book you require. But, one of the most amazing things about a library system is the access that readers have to manuscripts and books that you can't buy. Some readers travel around the world to visit rare books and manuscripts at the holding library.
7. The library is a great stress-reducer.
Just walking down the rows of books has a way of relaxing even the most stressed-out individual.
And, then, start thumbing through a few volumes; and you're bound to be lost in the world of books. Perhaps it's the quiet atmosphere, the stillness, the presence of books, or just browsing through those lines of text. Visiting the library can just make a difference in your whole outlook.
9. You can meet people who —like you —are book lovers.
ENG 01- STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH
TOPIC 1 Notes
A library is a great place to meet other people who share your passion for books and literature.
You'll probably be encouraged not to talk to other readers while you're in the library. But, since so many other readers will be visiting the library, you can post an announcement for a book club or literary discussion. Other readers may post literary activities and events that might interest you as well. 10. Read, read, read. You have access to books!
You can read about love and life and freedom and hope and faith and happiness and tragedy. You'll read about all the passions and devastation in life. You'll read about death, about humanity and compassion. Books open up a world of possibility to you. With a library, you can educate your mind and fill the depths of your soul. You can become the kind of person you want to be--by opening your mind, and introducing your sensibilities to ideas that you'd never before considered. So, read.
Source: Lombardi, E. (n.d). Reasons To Visit The Library. In About.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from http://classiclit.about.com/od/litlibraries/tp/aa_reasonlibra.htm

BASIC RESEARCH SKILLS
What Skills Do We Need to Write Good Research Papers?
The following list of skills and abilities is in completely random order. The categories are not mutually exclusive. Every one of these skills makes you a better employee and a better boss, as well as an academically successful person. Can you think of more skills that are needed? Which ones do you already have?
Reading for meaning -- denotation (What do the words say?) and connotation (What is the author doing or trying to do in this piece? What could it mean?)
Writing in order to fulfil a requirement
Critical thinking
Researching facts and opinions
Differentiating between facts and opinions
Evaluating ideas
Evaluating presentation styles
Analyzing and identifying issues and problems
Synthesizing and solving problems
Organizational skills, both mental and physical

ENG 01- STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH
TOPIC 1 Notes
Analyzing the arguments of others
Constructing your own arguments
Expressing your ideas and arguments effectively
Persuading and impressing others with your ideas and arguments
Presenting and packaging ideas
Following through and completing projects independently
Meeting a deadline
Source: Bender, P. & Tipton, R. (n.d). What Skills Do We Need to Write Good Research Papers? In English 122: How is the Writer Writing. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/guides/skills.htm

IMPORTANT!
A. For you to read and understand the basic research skills (Knowledge & Skill A-M, plus what successful student does), kindly use this link to download: http://www.richlandcollege.edu/library/rubrics/basicILskills.pdf B. For your basic research skills, read and understand the Elements of a Research Paper using this link: http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr8.htm C. For you learn and eventually apply about the APA Citation, especially citing website articles and journals, kindly use this link:
1) For Books: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/08/
2) For Websites: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
D. For you to understand about quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, kindly choose any of these links: http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/paraquo.pdf http://www.uc.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/paraphrase.pdf ENG 01- STUDY AND THINKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH
TOPIC 1 Notes http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/ Reminder: Please find time to read and ‘digest’ the above materials so that you can improve your academic skills, and in particular, pass your
Formal Assessment No. 1 and Midterm Exam. –Mr. J. Dacillo Jr.