Hi! Welcome to your First-Year Experience course.
On this page, there are five different exercises. Use the tabs at the top of the page to move between exercises.
1) Marx the Spot Library Tour. Get to know the resources at Marx Library by completing this library tour.
2) Meet the Marx Library. What is a library? A place to borrow books, right? That's not all! The Marx Library has so much more for you to discover. From tutoring to private study areas, and from Starbucks to meeting places for student groups, there is a plethora of resources at your finger tips.
3) To Google or Not to Google? What is a Library Database? Why do I need to use one for my research? Why can't I use Google, or can I? This tutorial will teach you how to search a Library Database and how to effectively use Google for scholarly research.
4) How to Use Google Suite. Your Jagmail account is a Google Gmail account. Why does that matter? It means that you have access to Google Drive and a means to never lose your work! Learn how to use G Suite to save your work and make it accessible on any computer, or even your phone!
5) Popular vs. Scholarly Sources. What's the difference between a magazine and an academic journal? How do you know when to use what kind of source? Learn why scholarly sources are your best bet when doing college-level research. How do you know if a source is good or bad, reliable or unreliable? This video will help you figure it out.
The first pair are intended to orient you to the Marx Library. The second group is meant as tips to improve your research on the open web. The final video walks you through the 5 criteria for determining whether a source is scholarly or popular (something you'll need to know to do college-level research). You may not be required to complete all these assignments, so please ask your professor which exercises to complete and when.
If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to contact Beth Shepard at erugan@southalabama.edu.
