Author Archives: Karen Kronenberg, J.D. MLS

Exam Day Jitters

What is the best way to deal with exam jitters?

Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go, Ask.com, and other sources will give you common wisdom and anecdotes about various techniques that have worked for other test takers. These may work for you.

But what if you want some no-nonsense, scientifically reliable, double-blind-tested techniques? If so, the best way to find them is to start by carefully selecting a source that contains that kind of material. You may have to try several sources until you find a good one.

I knew I wanted to find an article that contained carefully researched methods of dealing with test-day jitters. I was not interested in studies that simply measured anxiety levels. I wanted articles that would give me reliable advice. I settled on ProQuest eLibrary. I knew this source contained a range of newspapers and magazines that could have articles describing how to deal with exam jitters that would be properly sourced. I found the following tips from Sue Shellenbarger, Toughest Exam Question: What is the Best Way to Study?, WALL ST. J. ONLINE, Oct. 26, 2011.

  • If you are taking the exam in an unfamiliar place, visit the room in advance.
  • Set aside 10 minutes beforehand to write down your worries. Expressing yourself in writing will unburden you.
  • Envision yourself in a situation you find challenging and invigorating. Then switch your mental image to the testing room and imagine yourself feeling the same way. With practice, you’ll be able to summon up more confidence on test day.

Google Search by Image

(No, I am not talking about Google Image Search, although I like that feature. Google Image Search will respond to your Google search with images from the web. I used it to find this great blog that compiles cartoons about libraries and librarians: http://librarycartoons.wordpress.com/.)

Google Search by Image is a new feature that allows you to use an image as your search. You can drag and drop your image if it is online, or type in its URL. If the image is not online, you will need to save the image to your hard drive, and then upload it. Firefox and Chrome add-ons are available to make the process easier. They have a video on how it works here:  http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html.

Do you have a picture of a building, and need to know what it is? Have a picture of a vehicle, and need its make and model? Give Google search by image a try.

Aron Swartz, Open Access, and Libraries

The tragic suicide of Aron Swartz has put the Open Access movement in the spotlight. Open Access is the practice of providing free, unrestricted access to scholarly work through the internet. Proponents of open access to scholarly journals argue that since taxpayers fund almost all research, they should not have to purchase the results of that research from a private publisher.  Journal subscription costs are born by libraries, who are increasingly saying “No,” to expensive journals. For more discussion of open access, see this web page by Peter Suber, Director of Harvard’s Open Access Project: http://bit.ly/oa-overview

The CRAP test.

I like to follow blogs about libraries and research. One of my favorites is Lisa Gold: Research Maven. Lisa is a professional researcher, who explains research concepts well. Check out her colorful post, “The CRAP test for evaluating sources,” for a good explanation of how to decide if a source you have found can be relied upon. If you click the “Highlights” link at the top of her page, you can see a list of her most notable posts. My favorites are, “Spell-check is evil, but funny: The Cupertino Effect,” “Let’s talk about search,” and “In praise of browsing.”

Do you need to keep track of a research subject?

If you are writing an ALWR this semester, there may be new developments on your ALWR topic before the due date. Your professor will expect that you research your topic diligently throughout the semester, and deal with any new developments appropriately in your paper.

If your ALWR paper concerns doping in sports, you probably heard about Lance Armstrong’s confession as it happened. But what if your paper concerns proposed SEC regulations, or the activity of the Senate Banking Committee? You can’t count on this material being big news, and you do not have the time or inclination to repeat the same searches in the same search engines every day. You might be thinking, “If only I could arrange for news on my topic to be delivered to me automatically!”

Congratulations. You can set up alerts to do exactly that. Go to the Google Altert page here: http://www.google.com/alerts, and fill out the simple form. Lexis and Westlaw also provide this service. See instructions on how to set up alerts in Westlaw here, and in Lexis here.

Enjoy the Discovery of New Library Materials

Hello everyone!

It’s time to enjoy the Discovery of new Library materials!

To view a table listing the new print resources that the library received in November 2012, click Continue reading below. Most of the items listed there can be found in the General Collection and checked out for up to three weeks by members of the Coastal Community.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to stop by the Reference Desk on the third floor of the Library & Technology Center or contact the Reference Librarians via email, telephone (904.680.7612), or the Ask a Librarian form.

Check back here for monthly updates on what the Library & Technology Center is adding. Updates will be published on the second Tuesday of every month.

If you think we should consider adding something to the collection, please feel free to recommend it here (Coastal ID login required).

Continue reading →

Exam Day Jitters

What is the best way to deal with exam jitters?

Google, Bing, Duck Duck Go, Ask.com, and other sources will give you common wisdom and anecdotes about various techniques that have worked for other test takers. These may work for you.

But what if you want some no-nonsense, scientifically reliable, double-blind-tested techniques? If so, the best way to find them is to start by carefully selecting a source that contains that kind of material. You may have to try several sources until you find a good one.

I knew I wanted to find an article that contained carefully researched methods of dealing with test-day jitters. I was not interested in studies that simply measured anxiety levels. I wanted articles that would give me reliable advice. I settled on ProQuest eLibrary. I knew this source contained a range of newspapers and magazines that could have articles describing how to deal with exam jitters that would be properly sourced. I found the following tips from Sue Shellenbarger, Toughest Exam Question: What is the Best Way to Study?, WALL ST. J. ONLINE, Oct. 26, 2011. See more tips from this article in the Library display case on the 3rd floor:

  • If you are taking the exam in an unfamiliar place, visit the room in advance.
  • Set aside 10 minutes beforehand to write down your worries.
  • Envision yourself in a situation you find challenging and invigorating. Then switch your mental image to the testing room and imagine yourself feeling the same way. With practice, you’ll be able to summon up more confidence on test day.

Controversy divides the nation: Is it better to salt or to brine your Thanksgiving turkey?

There is a controversy in our nation that goes to the very heart of what it means to celebrate Thanksgiving – is salting (also known as a dry brine) the best way to prepare your Thanksgiving bird? Or does soaking the turkey in a wet brine yield the best results?

Researching this issue is easy in one important way – the researcher is very unlikely to find material with a hidden agenda. There are no forces of “Big Brine,” abroad in the land, posting misleading websites on “objective” studies of the salting vs. brining variety. Any material found in a simple internet search is likely to be the honest opinion of cooks.

Here is a link to a set of search results from Dogpile, a metasearch engine. Here you will find many links to sites that examine this important questions and come to a conclusion. However, they do not come to the same conclusion. The controversy rages on.

What to do this weekend.

Welcome everyone! We hope your first week of school was a good one. If you need to unwind a bit this weekend, try A Walk in the Woods at the Jacksonville Arboretum on Saturday. There are two walks: one focused on fitness, beginning at 8:00 am, and one nature-oriented, beginning at 9:30. Both are fun and informative. Both are free and open to the public. See the link for details.

More of an indoor person? The Florida Theatre will be showing Some Like is Hot Sunday at 2:00 pm. This Oscar and Golden Globe winning film is considered an all-time classic. Take a break at see it in a theater. See this Florida Theatre link for location and time – only $7.50!