LIBRARY TUTORIAL AND RESEARCH PROCESS

Go to Top of Page A. Identifying and Developing a Research Topic

State your topic as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about the effects of global warming, you might pose the following questions: “How Does Global Warming Affect Wildlife?" or “How Does Economic Aspects of Global Warming Affect Development Aid?”. Before embarking on your research you should identify the main concepts or keywords in your question.
If you are finding too much information and too many sources, you may need to use more specific keywords to narrow the focus or narrow your topic by using the Boolean operators. Finding too little information may indicate that you need to broaden your topic. It may be necessary to think of synonyms or similar words for your keywords to find more information.

Go to Top of Page B. Finding Background Information

Boğaziçi University Library has a computerized catalog system called Millennium. You can search the library catalog through a networked computer from anywhere on the BU campus or, for that matter, from anywhere in the world. The library’s catalog provides access to details of books and other publications held by the library. Millennium enables users to carry out either a general search by subject or to find the exact details of where an item is classified in the library depending on the amount of information a user has to begin with.

Go to Top of Page C. Using the Boğaziçi University Library Catalog

Millenium olarak adlandırılan kütüphanedeki elektronik katalog sistemi, gerek kampüs içinden gerekse dünyanın herhangi bir köşesinden kütüphane kataloğuna erişim sağlar. Bu katalog sayesinde kütüphanede bulunan kitap ve diğer yayınların detayları görülebilir. Araştırılan konuyla ilgili elde edilmiş verilerin azlığına veya çokluğuna göre yalnızca konu başlıkları doğrultusunda genel bir araştırma yapılabilir veya kütüphane tarafından ayrıntılarıyla kataloglanmış herhangi bir eserin tüm tasnif ve bibliyografik detaylarına erişilebilir.

Go to Top of Page 1. Accessing the online catalog

The catalog can be accessed from any public terminal in the Library. The main group of online public access catalog terminals is located in the hall on the ground floor near the Circulation Desk. Users may access the catalog via the following links:
http://www.boun.edu.tr
http://www.library.boun.edu.tr/
http://seyhan.library.boun.edu.tr/search

Go to Top of Page 2. Conducting a search on the catalog

Millenium is a software package that allows users to look specifically for a particular item where the author’s name or the title of the work is known. On the other hand, where the user does not have specific details to begin with, it is possible to carry out a general search for materials in a given subject area.

Example: Let’s assume that you are looking for a novel entitled Puslu Kıtalar Atlası by İhsan Oktay Anar, a Turkish author.
If as in the above case you happen to know the author’s name as well as the title of the book, you have the option of either carrying out a search by title or by the author’s name. A search under the author’s name will reveal details both about the above book as well as possibly other books that may have been written by the same author. Let’s assume that you are to carry out your search by the author’s name.



You will see the following screen listing books by this author in the BU library.



Click on any item to see the full information about the item you have selected (the location, call number and whether or not the book is checked out). Below is a full record display of a selected item (Item number 8; the 2006 edition of the book, Puslu Kıtalar Atlası).

Go to Top of Page 3. Making sense of the catalog

The most critical information needed to locate the book in the Library is provided on the bar which is situated in the middle of the screen where 3 pieces of vital information are listed: the book’s location i.e. where it is kept in the library, its call number i.e. the unique code which identifies the book and its exact place on the shelf in the stacks, its status i.e. whether the book is in the library or borrowed by another user for use outside the library.

Go to Top of Page a. Location

In the above example, the book is indicated as being located in the General Collection. Our library’s General Collection is kept on the 1st and 2nd floor in open stacks which means that users may freely browse among the stacks and examine the books freely, and if they wish to do so take it to the Circulation Desk on the ground floor and borrow it for use outside the library.
The library’s holdings or stock (i.e. the books and other materials that are held by the library) are kept in separate collections. A collection basically consists of books and other material held by a library and grouped together under a particular heading in a separate room or location on account of the special nature of the material e.g. material in the Reference collection may not be taken out of the library and is of a kind that readers will usually consult but not necessarily read from cover to cover.

Go to Top of Page i. Collections at Boğaziçi University Library

Materials at BU Library are kept in several different collections. Not every library will have the same type or number of collections. For instance, one of the unique features of BU Library is its extensive Near-East collection. On the other hand, certain collections will be found in almost every library such as the general collection or the reference collection.
An abbreviated location indicator such as “ref” or “near” identifies the collection which the item belongs to. Below is the list of location indicators used in B.U. Library.
ref: Reference Collection
near: Near East collection
gen: General Collection
auvi: Audio-Visual Collection

Go to Top of Page ii. Finding what you are looking for in the collection

Yukarıda vermiş olduğumuz örnek taramaya dönecek olursak artık aramakta olduğunuz kitabın Genel Koleksiyon altında sınıflandırıldığını ve açık raf sistemine göre 1. veya 2. katta bulunabileceğini biliyorsunuz. Bu araştırılan kitabın bulunmasında çok iyi bir başlangıç olmakla beraber Genel Koleksiyona ait eserlerin içinde kitabın tam yerini tespit edebilmek için daha fazla detaya ihtiyacınız olacaktır. Bu aşamada yer numarası yardımınıza yetişir.

Go to Top of Page b. Call number

Yer numarası aradığımız eserin tam olarak hangi rafta, hangi sırada olduğunu göstermesi ve böylelikle eserin kolayca bulunmasını sağladığı için son derece önemlidir. Yukarıda değinildiği üzere eserle ilgili bu çok önemli bilgi sayfanın ortasındaki yatay alanın merkezinde yer alır.

CALL # PL248.A525 P87 2006

Go to Top of Page i.Dissecting the call number

The spine of the book by İhsan Oktay Anar, which we are trying to find in the library, will bear the same call number as that displayed on the online catalog. Learning how to read a call number is an extremely valuable skill since the better you are at interpreting it the quicker and more efficient you will be in finding the precise location of a book on the shelf.
According to The Library of Congress Classification System, each subject is assigned a particular letter of the alphabet. For instance, D is for history, H for social sciences, K for law, and P for Language and Literature. These letters are called classmarks or classification marks. Books that deal with a particular subject are then shelved together under that particular classmark.
All the collections in the BU Library are arranged according to the Library of Congress Classification System. You should therefore be aware of the fact that certain books, despite being classified under classmark P, such as a literature related book, may be located in a section other than under the General Collection.
The letter P is used by the Library of Congress System to cover a wide range of subjects that come under the general heading of Language and Literature. Each subclass that is created by the addition of another letter narrows down the subject further. Several subclasses exist under the classmark P which cover a variety of subjects ranging from general philology and linguistics to fiction. Languages of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Turkish language as well as literature books are found in subclasses PL. You should therefore be familiar with these classmarks and know the subjects that are covered by them.
The letters and numbers assigned to the work describe its subject matter and may be likened to its “address” on the shelf. When using the catalog you will see the call number in the middle of the bar where details are displayed for the book. The spine of the book will have the same call number as that shown on the catalog.

 

The books on Book Shelf #1, above, are shelved in the correct order. Notice that books are shelved alphabetically by the first letter in the call number.
The books on Book Shelf # 2 are also in correct order. Notice that within a single letter, or classification, such as "H", alphabetical order is still used. "H" comes before "HD", which comes before "HL", etc.


On Book Shelf #3, above, three of the books are within the classification, "HA". (Notice how "HA" would follow the plain "H" designation.) When books have the same first line in a call number, as on Book Shelf #3, they are shelved in numerical order, looking at the second line.


If the first two lines of a call number are the same, books are shelved by the third line of the call number, which is a decimal arrangement. A decimal arrangement is shelved number by number. Remember that all .A6 numbers (whether .A6, .A65 or .A652 will come before .A7 numbers, as in the call numbers above, on Book Shelf #4.

 

Now, let’s go back to our example and examine the call number, PL248.A525 P87 2006 for Anar’s book which is made up essentially of 2 parts: a classification and book number.

• Classification Number: PL248. is the classification number, for that particular subject, which is made up of the following components:
  • "PL": P, the classmark, which indicates the general subject matter: language and literature. PL, the subclassmark, which indicates further that the book is classified as one coming under the subject of Languages and Literatures of Eastern Asia Indian, Africa, Oceania and also Turkish Language and Literature.
  • "248.": 248. is the additional code number which distinguishes the book from every other book in the library i.e. it is analogous to the book’s identity card (248 = Turkish fiction)
• Book Number: The second code, “A525 P87 2006” is the book number. The number that relates to the author and the title of the book is formed of the following:
  • The first letter of the author’s last name: “A” for author last name Anar’s A, and
  • The number “525” is again assigned to author last name according to LC cutter rules.
  • The letter P in the second cod is the first letter of Anar’s novel Puslu Kıtalar Atlası,
  • The number: “87” again assigned the book according to LC cutter rules.
  • Another number: “2006” indicates the year of publication. Many call numbers will end with the date of publication.

 

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This section will explain what the various letters refer to in the classification system. In the Library of Congress Classification System all areas of knowledge are organized in categories beginning with letters: A through Z (note that the letters W, X, and Y are not currently used, being reserved for future expansion of the system; I and O are not used for clarity sake). The arrangement of works in the LC System is as follows:

A -- General Works
B – Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
C -- Auxiliary Sciences of History
D -- World History and History of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
E -- History of the Americas
F -- History of the Americas
G – Geography, Anthropology, Recreation
H -- Social Sciences
J -- Political Science
K -- Law
L -- Education
M -- Music and Books on Music
N -- Fine Arts
P -- Language and Literature
Q -- Science
R -- Medicine
S -- Agriculture
T -- Technology
U -- Military Science
V -- Naval Science
Z – Bibliography, Library Science, Information Resources (General)

For the full LC Classification Outline, see http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/

Go to Top of Page c. Status

The status of the book indicates simply whether the book is available in the library or not. For instance, in our example, the catalog search reveals that the book has been borrowed by another user and is not due to be returned until the 24th of April and after that date another user will borrow the book. Since you know that the book is out, you would not bother to go up to the 1st floor and to look for it on the shelves.
You could, however, if you are keen on borrowing this book, place, what is called a “hold” on the book through the online system. The system will prompt you to enter your name and library identification number. Once the book is returned, you will have priority over other users who may wish to borrow the same book and you will be alerted by an email message to the fact that the book is being held in the library for you.

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Thus far you learned how to locate books by using the catalog and to find books on the shelf by using the Library of Congress Classification System. However, books often do not contain the most recent information. If you are conducting research on a current topic, magazine or journal articles are a good source of information. You can use a journal index to locate articles just as you have used the catalog to locate books. Articles in magazines such as National Geographic and Atlas, and more scholarly journals such as Journal of Turkish studies and Türk Dili: Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi are accessed by subject using various journal indexes.
The library provides access to a vast collection of electronic sources such as electronic books and periodicals through its subscriptions to internationally established service providers that make available scholarly publications via their databases. These databases which are commonly referred to as aggregated databases store several independent packages which include abstracts, full-text articles and other types of information. You could also use periodical indexes and abstracts to find citations to articles. The indexes and abstracts may be in print or computer-based formats or both. Choose the indexes and format best suited to your particular topic. You can find periodical articles by the article author, title, or keyword by using the periodical indexes in the Library Catalog. Electronic services are accessible either through the terminals within the library or from outside the library for users who hold a valid library card. If the full text is not linked in the index you are using, write down the citation from the index and search for the title of the periodical in the Library Catalog. The catalog lists the print, microfilms, and electronic versions of periodicals at BU Library.
For accessing the most recent day-to-day events, newspapers are an excellent source of information. Current events can include foreign relations, local and national politics, natural disasters, social problems, etc. BU Library is a subscriber to several newspapers including Cumhuriyet, Dünya, Hürriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Türkiye, Milli Gazete, Turkish Daily News, Financial Times, The Herald Tribune, and Le Monde. Each issue of these newspapers is held in the Serials Department for a period of during two months. Microfilms for the newspapers Milliyet and Cumhuriyet are also available, as of 1970 and 1924 respectively.

Go to Top of Page D. Finding Internet Sources

Use search engines to find information on the internet. There is a wealth of information on the Web - primary sources, specialized directories and databases, statistical information, educational sites on many levels, policy, opinion of all kinds, and so much more - and tools for finding it are steadily improving. You can also find tutorials that explain the essentials for conducting an effective search on the internet. You can access one such site via the following link:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

Go to Top of Page E. Evaluating What You Find

Evaluating the authority, usefulness, and reliability of the information you find is a crucial step in the process of research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, multimedia titles, or Web pages are similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item, a physical item in hand, or an electronic version on a computer. For more information you can access the following link:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/evaluate.html

Go to Top of Page F. Citing What You Find Using a Standard Format

Give credit where credit is due; cite your sources.
Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes, it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials used, and it allows those who are reading your work to verify your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references. Knowingly representing the work of others as your own is plagiarism. For citing sources you should use one of the styles that are required or approved by your instructor.

Some style guides in print (book) format that are available in the Boğaziçi University Library:

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Gibaldi, Joseph, 6th ed., New York: MLA, 2003.
  Referans Bölümü LB2369 .G53 2003
• The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
  Referans Bölümü Z253 .U69 2003
• Concise Rules of APA Style [American Psychological Association]. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, c2005.
  Referans Bölümü BF76.7 .C66 2005