Information Seeking: Sources and Methods
Course code
INT6073.DT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Infootsing: allikad ja meetodid
Course title in English
Information Seeking: Sources and Methods
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
To create preconditions for obtaining knowledge in information seeking theory, strategy and tactics;
To support the acquisition of knowledge on national and international universal and special information sources;
To support the formation of practical skills of information search.
To support the acquisition of knowledge on national and international universal and special information sources;
To support the formation of practical skills of information search.
Brief description of the course
Information literacy, concepts and theories. Recognition and identification of information needs. Process of information seeking, its strategies and tactics. Formulation of information queries, search techniques. Defining and choosing appropriate information sources. Concept and types of document. Primary and secondary information sources. The concept of bibliography, its main types. The system of national bibliography. The types of data carriers, selection principles. Information sources enabling library retrieval. Library catalogues and databases, their types and functions. E-catalogues and e-databases. Information search in library catalogues: traditional and new possibilities. Electronic catalogue ESTER and catalogues of other countries. Archives. Information seeking on the web (search-engines, thematic catalogues, meta-search engines, web-portal services, virtual libraries, e-libraries), visible and invisible web. Google and other search engines. Sources of fact information. Sources of secondary information. Full-text sources. Digital collections and repositories. Information search in databases (open content and licensed content). Citation indexes and rules. Selection and evaluation of information resources. Quality assessment of information sources. Citation guides and rules, plagiarism. Information and citations’ administration: Reference Management Tools, organizing information.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- is familiar with context and components of information literacy;
- knows and describes different information search strategies and tactics;
- knows different information sources;
- is able to choose a proper information sources according to information need;
- names and uses main library services;
- names the possibilities of digital libraries, e-libraries and archives;
- effectively uses libraries’ electronic catalogues;
- formulates efficient search queries in search systems;
- knows the purpose of bibliographic and reference guides;
- knows where to look for administrative and law information concerning Estonia and his native state;
- finds relevant information in open access and licensed online databases; by using internet search engines and other search systems (like directories and metasearch engines);
- evaluates found information critically and can be responsible for the quality of information on the web;
- knows common citation and information representation rules;
- knows how to organize information by using special reference management software.
- is familiar with context and components of information literacy;
- knows and describes different information search strategies and tactics;
- knows different information sources;
- is able to choose a proper information sources according to information need;
- names and uses main library services;
- names the possibilities of digital libraries, e-libraries and archives;
- effectively uses libraries’ electronic catalogues;
- formulates efficient search queries in search systems;
- knows the purpose of bibliographic and reference guides;
- knows where to look for administrative and law information concerning Estonia and his native state;
- finds relevant information in open access and licensed online databases; by using internet search engines and other search systems (like directories and metasearch engines);
- evaluates found information critically and can be responsible for the quality of information on the web;
- knows common citation and information representation rules;
- knows how to organize information by using special reference management software.
Teacher
lekt Aira Lepik
Prerequisite course 1
Prerequisite course 2
Study programmes containing that course