Librarians select books, journals, and databases that contain authoritative information produced by experts in a certain field. These might be expert researchers, professional experts, or journalists from news sources with a long reputation of credibility or editorial oversight.
Libraries are able to purchase one copy of a book or DVD, which can be shared by many people. Libraries also pay to subscribe to Databases, which can contain millions of full-text articles and book chapters.
The NWTC Library offers Library Search, which lets you search the library's physical and electronic resources using one simple search box!
Items are organized so you can find all the sources on a topic. For example, when you search for a book in the library catalog you will get a call number. The books shelved near the same call number will cover a similar topic.
A primary function of a library is to be an organized storehouse of information. As well as finding very current information, you can also find books that are no longer published and older issues of magazines.
Libraries have staff who are trained to help you. They'll help you learn to use online resources and answer any questions that you have. See who works in the NWTC Library and how to ask for help!
Your first instinct may be to go straight to Google to search for resources, but please keep in mind that:
Anyone can publish on the Web without passing the content through an editor. Pages might be written by an expert on the topic, a journalist, a disgruntled consumer or even a child.
Many Web pages are free to view, but some commercial sites will charge a fee to access their information.
Some directory services provide links to sites in subject lists. But there are too many Web pages for any single directory service to organize and index.
Rarely will you be able to use a search engine on the Web to collect information about your topic from earlier decades and different types of sources.
Some well-maintained sites are updated with very current information, but other sites may become quickly dated or disappear altogether without much if any notice.
Yavapai College Library (Permission: You may embed this video in your course/class/LibGuide.)
Pfau Library, Cal State San Bernardino - Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)