Ready Reference Sources Exercise

Directions

If possible, work in small groups for this exercise (preferably groups of 2 or 3). Each group should submit one assignment with all names clearly at the top. Make sure your group thoroughly discusses your answers. Answer 5 of the following questions. Give the answer to each question, complete citations for the information found, and any other details about your search, e.g. where you looked unsuccessfully, problems you found with a source, etc. For some of these questions you may find the answer, or parts of the answer in a number of sources. Please note discrepancies between sources. Save time: look for each of these items as you examine a given source.

Members of the group presenting Ready Reference sources in class do not need to complete this assignment.

Extra challenge: Use only print sources for all or some of these questions.

Submit your answers via Blackboard. All members of a group should submit this assignment: if you do not submit an assignment, Blackboard will allow me to give you a grade, but not narrative feedback.

Questions

1. Where and when was the first library school in the United States started?

2. How many ALA accredited graduate programs in Library and Information Science are there?

3. Who are the major characters in The Tempest by Shakespeare?

4. What are the adult illiteracy rates in Egypt?

5. What is the boiling point of mercury?

6. What is the average starting salary for librarians in NC?

7. What was the infant mortality rate for Mexico in between the years 1995-2000?

8. What are the contraindications and adverse reactions to Tylenol?

9. What is the address of the Indonesian ambassador to Great Britain?

10. What state enacted the Cold Storage Egg Act?

11. How many visits were made by females to emergency rooms in the United States in 2002?

12. What is Velcro, when was it invented, who invented it, and how does it work?

13. I need a picture of Voltaren (75 mg) and information on its absorption characteristics, as mentioned in its official description.

14. Lexis-Nexis and ScienceDirect, two very large and widely used databases, are produced and distributed by Reed Elsevier, a multinational publishing conglomerate. Can you locate a sketch of the corporate structure of this company and its main subsidiaries? Who are its competitors? Where and how is it listed in the European stock exchange?

15. What products does 3M make? Where are the company’s headquarters? Compare product information found on their website and in printed source(s).

16. In the United States, what occupations are projected to experience the largest job growth in the next decade? The fastest job growth?

17. What is the most commonly landed-on space on the Monopoly board?

Grading

5 points per question = 25 points total

Your answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following rubric. I will assign one point for each item, per question:

1. You found the answer to the question.
2. You found the answer in appropriate sources, and used more than one source.
3. You discuss the details of the answer you found, including disambiguating any ambiguities in the question.
4. You discuss the details of the sources you used: features, pros and cons, what the sources included and did not include, appropriate evaluation criteria, etc.
5. You discuss the details of your searching process, for and within each source.