THE LIBRARY LOG
Library Log Research Exercises
A complete library log contains both the subjective diary of your search and an objective account of the specific resources (books, newspapers, journal articles, interviews, online sources) that you have found during the research process.
Below is a student log (the subjective part) done by a student in a previous semester's English 102 class. Yours will be different, but it should exhibit the same degree of thoroughness. This diary-like part of the assignment is like a rough rough draft of your research paper. You should indicate essential information that you have found that will go into the rough draft of the research paper. The final draft of your research paper is not acceptable without the log and the rough draft.
LIBRARY LOG [NOTE: These two logs combined would make a nearly perfect library log. The first is a good account of this student's search except that as it is below it is NOT acceptable since it does not contain specific examples of what she found in her search. Your log must include book, newspaper, and journal titles with call numbers for books and locations of journals and newspapers, just as the other student has done. Her log is a working log. The information should be useful to you and leave a record of your search for materials.] [The second log has a lot of useful information, but it doesn't have much about why this topic is so important to the writer. It needs more questions that will lead her to find information important to her topic. She needs more about the process of discovering a topic, but it does contain a lot of specific information. If you were to combine the two logs, you would have a complete Library Log.]
Thursday, March 29, 2001
I started browsing ACC’s library this morning, trying to choose a topic for my research paper. I tried to figure out the computer system but had no luck, so I just walked around a while, becoming familiar with everything. I browsed the newspapers, magazines and journals and I’m really impressed with the variety here. I made a list of possible topics, but nothing really sounds good. My son has a brachial plexus injury so this would be an obvious topic, but I think it’s too technical and boring. I really need to just choose a topic so I can get started on this research.
Friday, March 30, 2001
Looking over the variety of research papers on Professor Napora’s website, I think I’d like to try an I-Search/Collage. I could tell my story of having a child injured at birth and research how other people deal with having a disabled child. I ask for help with the computer system and a nice lady shows me how to use the Mansbach Memorial Library website. We go over the government documents, the periodical index, the specialized journals and newspaper index. I’m amazed to find a newspaper article on a family I actually know from San Diego. I take this as a good sign and continue my search. I find a couple articles on shoulder dystocia, which is a common factor with BPI’s, but no books on how parents deal with having a child with special needs.
Monday, April 2, 2001
I visited the Boyd County Library
today. Their computer system seems
simple enough, but I still have to go to the front desk for help.
A nice girl shows me how to use their system and I’m able to use it to
find several books I think will be helpful.
While I’m there, I get the information I need from a dictionary and an
encyclopedia source. I ask about a vertical file and a couple people look at me
like I’m crazy. I interviewed a
friend of mine via email earlier, so I’m finally getting most of my sources
together. I’m secretly glad this
assignment has forced me into the library because I don’t even remember the
last time I visited one on my own.
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
I went back to ACC’s library today and spent an hour sifting through the databases and links on the website. I mentioned to one of the girl’s working there that I wished I had more time to go through everything, and she told me that I could access the Mansbach Library online from my own computer at home. I’m absolutely amazed that I can find full-text articles this way, but I wonder if this is cheating the assignment somehow. I feel a little guilty about searching the library from home, but figure the process will essentially be the same whether done at home or in the library. I hope Professor Napora sees it this way as well. I still need to find magazine articles and a specialized reference work.
Wednesday, April 4, 2001
I finally got the kids down for a nap and I visit the online library. A grown-up shouldn’t have this much fun at a library website, but I’m thrilled that I can do this from home while my kids sleep! I find 3 trillion articles on children with disabilities and begin to sift through them. There’s no way I’d have enough time to look through all these from the library, so I’m feeling less guilty about doing some of my research from home. It takes me two hours to find good magazine articles. This assignment is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I finally have everything I need for the work’s cited page except the vertical file source.
Tuesday, April 10, 2001
I found the reference material I need from the vertical file today. I was surprised to find so much information here. There were sections on “disabled individuals,” “handicapped people,” and “handicapped children.” I chose a pamphlet from the last category and copied all the bibliographical information. I feel pretty comfortable now in both the Boyd County and the ACC libraries. I have a feeling my new library skills will be put to the test this fall when my nursing classes start.
Library Log
Leah McDowell
English 102
August 20, 2003
I found three interesting books today for my research paper. The first is, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Psychostimulants, and Intolerance of Childhood Playfulness. The second book is titled, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment Second Edition. The third book is titled, ADHD and the Nature of Self-Control. With these books I hope to gather some good information on the emotional and behavioral effects of ADHD.
August 22, 2003
I visited the Boyd County Public Library today and found a few more books about ADHD. The first book is titled, Out of the Fog, Treatment Options and Coping Strategies for Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. The second book I found is titled, Facing Learning Disabilities. I hope to find useful information in these books about treatment options for children and adults who suffer with ADHD.
August 23, 2003
I was searching the Internet for information on ADHD and pulled up a lot of information on WEBMD. I will use some of the information from this site for my research paper.
August 25, 2003
I visited the Boyd County Public Library today and found two more books about ADHD. The first book is titled, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Psychostimulants, and Intolerance of Childhood Playfulness: A tragedy in the Making?” The second book I found is titled, Emotional and Behavioral Effects of Long-Distance Running on Children.
August 28, 2003
I visited the South Point Briggs Library today. I found three books on ADHD, the first one is titled, Jogging Can Modify Disruptive Behaviors. The second book is titled, Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children with Learning Disabilities. The third book is titled, What To Do When Your Child Has Trouble At School. I would like to use the informative information that I found in these books for my research paper.
September 2, 2003
Today I found the books that I had purchased at Waldenbooks about a year ago. My son was diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago and I purchased these books to learn more on the disorder. The first book is titled, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment Second Edition. The second book is titled, Is This Your Child? The third book is titled, ADHD and the Nature of Self-Control. I found a lot of interesting information in these books and I will definitely use that information in my research paper.
September 3, 2003
I was looking on the Internet for one last piece on ADHD and found some interesting statistics on Internet Mental Health: www.mentalhealth.com. I will definitely use these statistics for my research paper.
September 3, 2003
Today I ran across my old Psychology book and it had information in it about ADHD. I will consider the contents of the information on ADHD for my research paper. The book is titled, Introduction To Psychology, Sixth Edition.
September 5, 2003
Today I went to ACC’s Library. Betty Frye helped me find some interesting information on ADHD. The first source I found was “ADHD.” World Book Encyclopedia. I also found information in The Encyclopedia Americana. I don’t know how this information will incorporate into my paper, but it gives me great information to work with.
September 8, 2003
I ran across an interesting article about ADHD in Parents Magazine. I hope to incorporate this information into my research paper.
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