Picking the ‘best’ book for your assignment
Compiled by the Youth & Children’s Services Librarian, Wyong Shire Library & Information Service
May 2006.
Congratulations! You have successfully…
- defined your topic so that you know what to look for,
- searched the library catalogue to get a subject call number; and,
- found the subject area on the shelves.
Now you are faced with a decision of which book/s to take home. How do you pick what to choose to best answer the questions in your assignment?
Here are some things that you should look for:
- look at the Contents page at the front of the book – this will give you a guide to the main subjects covered in the book.
If the subject area you need to research is not listed, the next best place to check would be –
- the Index page in the back of the book because it will –
- list all the topics included in the book
- give you an indication of how much is written about each topic
If your topic is listed then check the page numbers as listed to ensure that the amount of information you need for your assignment is covered in the book.
Helpful hint: Remember if you need to write a number of pages about a subject, do not borrow books that only have your key topic as a caption for an illustration or a brief mention in one or two lines. |
Look for other useful features in the book that can help your research such as –
- Bibliographies are great as they provide a list of other books to read on a certain subject
- Glossaries provide a list of dictionary meanings for key words that have been included in the information
- Timelines can be very useful as they provide a visual sequence of how events happened or developed
- Website lists are helpful as they give you another option to investigate
Final checklist
In the end, the best questions to ask yourself are –
- Does the book have the right amount of information you actually need?
- Can you understand the language being used?
- if not, find the next level down so that you can use the book more easily
- Does the book have good, clear illustrations or other graphics that will help the presentation of your assignment?
If at any time you are having difficulty in locating information, please ask library staff to help you.
Wyong Shire Branch Libraries –
Tuggerah Library & Information Centre
Telephone: 4353 5666
Information Service: 4353 5271
Youth & Children’s: 4353 5271
Lake Haven Library & Council Services
Telephone: 4392 7843
The Entrance Library & Council Services
Telephone: 4332 2256
Toukley Library
Telephone: 4396 4247
Bateau Bay Library (Bay Village)
Telephone: 4332 3243
Websites
Council – www.wyong.nsw.gov.au
Library – www.wyong.nsw.gov.au/libraries/libraries_home.html
Page last updated: 27/08/2006 |
