Coastal Services Center

Using the Library for Research

This section provides an overview of using the library for research and includes a good basic search strategy for finding materials.

Managing Information on Your Computer

This section introduces concepts for managing information in electronic format. With more and more information coming to us via e-mail, the Internet, and CD-ROM, it's important to have a good filekeeping system in place.

Researching on the Internet

If you are often confused about how to effectively use the Internet for research, this section will provide some guidance. Included are several excellent resources developed by private organizations but available for public use.

Getting the Most out of Interviewing Experts

Subject matter experts provide real world information and expertise. This section provides guidance on how best to find and interview experts.

Assessing Information on the Internet

The majority of the Internet is unregulated and definitely not peer-reviewed. If you use the Internet for research purposes you need to keep this fact in mind. Included in this section are good tips for ascertaining the credibility of Web-based resources.

Quick Exercises – Organizing Information

These quick exercises present an organization and retrieval problem for you to consider, and then go over possible solutions.

How to Use Listservs and Discussion Groups

Listservs and discussion groups can be great tools for networking and research. This section is a short guide to how they work and where to find lists that interest you.

All About Questions

The key to getting good answers from experts is knowing what to ask and how to ask it. This section reviews the four categories of questions, and the five ways they can be used during an interview.