Electronic Database Assignment
Dr. Warren C. Weber


The research report on an approved topic requires a thorough background literature search to insure that you have a foundation of information upon which to base your research.

The background for your report will need to include documented sources of information and quotations from the findings of other writers and researchers (secondary sources). There are a number of good electronic databases which are excellent sources for obtaining this background. You are not limited to databases at Cal Poly (you can search those where you work, the web, etc.).

Databases and Locations

Use your web browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) to access the Cal Poly Library Electronic Databases. From my home page, click on Library or go directly to http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/. Click on the word Databases in the right-hand column for a Quick Pick, or select databases in the by name or subject. You can also find electronic journals, other libraries, search tools, and research tutorials to help you.

Some databases may be easier to find by seeing your friendly reference librarian. See the Reference Librarian, 1st Floor of the Library, provide the problem you are trying to solve, and you will be directed to the best sources.

LIBRARY PASSWORD. You will need to have a Cal Poly Library password to enter some databases or to use the databases from off campus. The password may be obtained from the library checkout desk (write it down, don't forget it, and don't give it to others.

USING THE WEB BROWSERS FOR INFORMATION. You may use the world wide web to gather data; however, all your sources may not be taken from the web. You must use the electronic databases at the library and the electronic books, also. It is not good practice to gather all your research from one type of database since you may be missing valuable information. If you use the web, be sure to keep a record of the URL (Uniform Resource Locator), the date you obtained the information, and other facts to allow you to find the item again.

ELECTRONIC BOOKS NOW AT THE LIBRARY. In 2001, new sources called netlibrary and Books24x7.com are available. Here is information from the library on these electronic books.

The Cal Poly Pomona Library has embarked on a one-year trial of two major electronic book collections - netLibrary and Books24x7.com. These are collections of digitized books that can be viewed, read, and searched on your own computer. We are very excited about this project and believe that the two collections will appeal to a wide range of students, faculty, and staff on campus.

Our netLibrary collection is comprised of some 1800 current academic books in the areas of business, computing, psychology, education, social science, and general science. The business collection has a strong focus on e-business and the computing collection includes popular and technical volumes on programming, web development, networking, and telecommunications. We also have access to netLibrary's free public domain collection of over 3500 volumes.

Books24x7.com began as service for Information Technology professionals working in industry and is now attracting many academic customers with its collection of popular and technical books on networking, programming languages, desktop applications, web development, e-business, graphic design, enterprise computing, and other hot technology topics. With Books24x7.com we have access to over 700 current books and about 30 journals from familiar technical publishers such as Sams, Que, Sybex, IDG, O'Reilly, MIT Press, and others.

For more details and for connection instructions, please visit our new Electronic Book Information Page at http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/html/ebooks.html. We hope you'll bookmark this site!

ASSIGNMENT:

Not later than the last class of the 6th week, turn in to be checked by the instructor (your search results may be printouts, on your intranet site, or on a disk. They will be returned to you quickly). An excellent way to make sure you don't lose your information is to save to a file and upload that file to your intranet site. That way you can access it any time you are on an internet capable computer. Uploading to your intranet account will allow you to save paper and not print anything until you are sure you need a hard copy.

You must submit a total of 20 complete annotated bibliographic sources from at least three different sources (Cal Poly databases, the Web, Electronic Books, etc.) For instance, you could have 5 sources from one database, 5 from another, 5 from the web, and 5 from electronic books. Or 1 from each of 20 different databases! Be sure to keep track of exactly where you obtained the data so you and others can go back and find the original sources.