160 8.1 GatherinG and UsinG sUpportinG Material
It is a good idea to become familiar with your library’s layout before you have to
do research under the pressure of a deadline.- Books. Libraries’ collections of books are called the stacks. The stacks are
organized by call numbers, which are available on card-catalog entries.
Many libraries offer a location guide or map to guide you to the floor or
section of the stacks that houses the books with the call numbers in which
you are interested.
Do not wait until the last minute to conduct library research for your
speech. Increasing numbers of libraries are beginning to house some of their
stacks off-site, meaning that you may have to fill out a request form and al-
low some wait time before a book becomes available to you. - Reference resources. In a library’s card catalog, the call numbers of print refer-
ence resources will have the prefix ref, indicating that they are housed in the
reference section of the library. Print reference resources are usually avail-
able only for in-house research and cannot be checked out.
Reference librarians are specialists in the field of information science.
They are often able to suggest additional print or electronic resources that
you might otherwise overlook. If you plan to use the reference section, visit
the library during daytime working hours. A full-time reference librarian is
more likely to be on hand and available to help you at that time than in the
evenings or on weekends.
Quick Check
Supporting Material in the Library
library resources may include- Books
- periodicals
- online databases
- newspapers
- reference resources
Interviews
When you don’t know the answers to some of the important questions raised
by your speech topic but you can think of someone who might, consider inter-
viewing that person to get material for your speech. For example, if you want to
discuss the pros and cons of building a new prison in an urban area, you might
interview an official of the correctional service, a representative of the city ad-
ministration, and a resident of the area. Or if you want to explain why Al Gore
lost the 2000 presidential election, even though he won the popular vote, you
might consult a professor of political science or American history.