Parents Page

So, you've got a son and/or daughter at Valparaiso University. Congratulations! But don't think you are finished. A recent study* shows that more and more, college students are turning to their parents for help with academic work. It's three a.m. and the phone rings... "Mom! Help! My 10 page paper is due tomorrow and I can't find anything on the Internet!"

What do you do? What DO you do?

Getting Started

Use these resources to refresh yourself on the research process:

   Library Research Strategy
   Searching for Information: Concepts and Tools
   Other Library User and Research Guides

Then ask, "Have you looked at the Research Guide for this assignment?"

Research Nuts and Bolts

"I've Googled my topic and got 63 million hits. And I still can't find what I need!"

   Finding information in books: Galileo
   Finding information in journals, magazines, and newspapers: Databases
While VU students can access our databases from off campus, parents can not. So you might look at the databases available from your home state:

For Indiana parents: Inspire Databases
For Illinois parents: Cyberdrive Illinois
For Ohio parents: Ohio Web Library
For Michigan parents: MEL: Michigan eLibrary
For Wisconsin parents: BadgerLink

"But Mom, VU doesn't have the book/journal I need! Now what?"

   It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's librarians to the rescue!
   The miracle which is Interlibrary Loan

Putting Pen to Paper, so to speak

"My participle is dangling! And what's MLA and APA?"

  
   The Writing Center
   Citing Resources

Sweet Rewards

How your $tudent could earn cold hard ca$h ($1000 buys a lot of lattes!) ~
   The Library Award for Undergraduate Research

*Footnote

"Study Examines the Impact of the 'Electronic Tether'." Recruitment & Retention in Higher Education, June 2006: 5-6.
For extra credit, can you find this article using the tools we talked about today? (Hint: JournaLocator)