INFORMATION

ACCESSING
TOOLS
Introduction

 Information retrieval or accessing is concerned with the exploitation and

extraction of information and other contents of documents from different
information sources, Akanwa & Udo-Anyanwu (2017). Access tools are crucial
for retrieving information for educational outcomes.
 The effectiveness of a library as an instrument of learning is determined by the
success with which it is able to provide the users with the necessary tools capable
of accessing and retrieving the information they seek. Azubuike (2016) listed the
library information retrieval tools to include: reading list, index, abstract, library
catalogue, search engine, OPAC, bibliography, shelf guides, web-based
information retrieval systems which are presently, at students’ disposal to aid them
in accessing information.
Information Access Tool: What are
They?
 Information access tools according to Edom (2012) are the simple mechanisms or
apparatuses that aid the library user to locate, retrieve and use the needed
documents from the library or information from a book or document. He further
outlined the tools to include; bibliographies, indexes and abstracts, catalogues,
computer filing or websites, subject index, title index, directories, OPAC, CD-
ROMS, online databases, internet search engines, etc. Presently, there are various
tools at students’ disposal to aid them in access the information they need.
Index: What is it?

 The word “Index” according to Adey et al., (2021) denote one of three distinct
species of bibliographic guides, to wit Indexing is regarded as the process of
describing and identifying documents in terms of their subject contents. Here, The
concepts are extracted from documents by the process of analysis, and then
transcribed into the elements of the indexing systems, such as thesauri,
classification schemes, etc.
Index continuation…

 There is no doubt that indexes have been employed in several ways to help trace
information and without indexes, information cannot be found and retrieved
quickly. Most books have indexes at the end of the pages. There are also indexes
on particular subjects which also make retrieval easier. In fact, it is possible to
trace an article by an author or by subject through the use of indexes.

 Furthermore, there are periodical and newspaper indexes on particular subject. It

is these indexes that are often referred to wherever librarians talk about indexes.
Indexes, especially those of periodicals and newspapers are usually published
monthly or quarterly. These are then cumulated yearly for easy reference
materials.
Uses of indexes

 (i) They guide to the content of a particular publication.

 (ii) They guide to the content of a particular library.
 (iii) They guide to what literature exist, say in a given area, or in a given time or
period”. It is on the above premise that the library catalogue is sometimes
described as an index to the content of the library and a bibliography as an index
to the existence/ availability or otherwise of a publication.
Uses of indexes continuation

 To prescribe a standard methodology to subject cataloguers and indexers for

constructing subject headings.
 To be consistent in the choice and rendering of subject entries, using standard
vocabulary and according to given rules and procedures.
 To be helpful to users in accessing any desired document(s) from the catalogue or
index through different means of such approach.
 To decide on the optimum number of subject entries, and thus economise the bulk
and cost of cataloguing indexing.
Bibliography: What is it?

 It is also defined as a well-organized list of written, printed or otherwise produced

record of civilization, e.g., of books, articles in periodicals, etc. It serves the
librarians and users in finding documents that they are not aware of (or not sure of
existence), Ratzon et al., (2022). Usually common in the libraries are requests for
documents by author, title or subject which are served by help of library
catalogue. But this fails when a part of a book is required or a book not available
in a library is required, or when a type of material not available in the catalogue is
being hunted for a user. At times, the author or the title supplied by the user may
be incorrect. For all these problems, the bibliographic tools help in locating the
needed materials
Bibiliography Contents

Bibliography entries will compile:

 Authors and/or editors (and translator, if applicable)
 Title of your source (as well as edition, volume, and the book title if your source
is a chapter or article in a multi-author book with an editor)
 Publication information (the city, state, name of the publisher, date published,
page numbers consulted, and URL or DOI, if applicable)
 Access date, in the case of online sources (check with the style guide at the
beginning of your research as to whether you need to track this information)
Other bibliography Contents

Depending on its purpose, a bibliography may include:

 Location of resource
 Price, ISBN/ISSN (for purchase)
 Annotations (for recommended reading or research)
Examples Bibliography

 British National Bibliography, British Library Bibliographic Services Division,

British Library, Boston Spa, 1950-.

 Cumulative Book Index, H.W. Wilson, New York, 1898-.

 Forthcoming Books, R.R. Bowker, New York, 1966 -.

 Indian Books in Print, New Delhi, 1967-.

Uses of bibliographies:

 Make research more efficient.

 Support research advisory.
 Separate reliable, peer-reviewed sources from the unreliable or out-of-date.
 Establish classic, foundational works in a field.
 Provide a guide for independent study.
 Create a course reading and supplemental reading list.
 Assist with student advisory.
 Help with collection development.
Abstract: What is it?

 An abstract is a brief SUMMARY of your work which is capable of being read

independently of it. The abstract is important as it is the first thing that your reader
will see and they are likely to start forming an opinion of your research project
based on your abstract.
 A lot of authors have defined the abstract from different point of view. Kim et al.,
(2020) defines an abstract as a brief but accurate representation of the contents of
a document and he opined that an abstract is different from an extract, an
annotation or summary. Aoyagi et al., (2020) defines an abstract as a concise and
accurate representation of the content of a document in a style similar to that of
the original document. She adds that an abstract covers all the main points made
in the original document and usually follows the style and the arrangement of the
parent document.
Contents of an abstract

An abstract is written after you have finished writing up your research project as it
summarizes what your project contains.
It should contain:
 • what you set out to do and why (hypothesis and research questions)
 • how you did it (methodology)
 • what you found (results and conclusions)
 • recommendations (whether you have any will depend on the type of research
project)
Abstract Example

 This study investigated information retrieval tools and library environment as

correlates of library utilization by students of Rivers State University, Port
Harcourt. Three research questions were posed and two hypotheses were
formulated for the study. The study adopted a correlational design. The population
of the study consisted of 682 registered undergraduate library users out of which a
sample of 227 was drawn using YaroYamene’s statistical formula. The instrument
used for data collection was researcher-made rating scale. The data collected for
the research questions were analysed using the Pearson Product Moment
Correlation (PPMC) and hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-
test.
Abstract example continuation

 The result revealed that, students make use of the various information resources to
a high extent; information retrieval tools are provided in the library to a high
extent, there is a very strong and positive relationship between information
retrieval tools available and students’ use of the library, which is also significant
and a strong, positive and significant relationship exist between the library
environment and students’ use of the library. It was recommended that students
should be sensitized more on the use of periodicals and fiction for relaxation; even
though the relationship between retrieval tools and use is significant, there is still
need for students to be sensitized on how to use the library through adequate
orientation on information retrieval tools. University management should ensure
that the good library environment be maintained and sustained.
• Library Catalogue

 Catalogue is a very crucial saint information source in the library. In fact, for the
proper, efficient and effective use of the library, a reader cannot bypass or totally
ignore the catalogue, Mishra et al., (2020). Going straight to the shelves without
consulting the catalogue to pick books may have its own little advantages, but it
does not however give the user or the readers the opportunity to know very well
the library’s complete and comprehensive holdings. The catalogue indicates where
the books are on the library shelves. Apart from indicating the where about or
location of every books in the library, it will also indicate whether or not the
library has a particular book on a particular discipline.
Library catalogoue uses.

Nevertheless, the precise purposes of the library catalogue vary, they can be broadly
summarized thus:
To help a library user to find a book which:
• The author is known.
• The title is known.
• The subject is known.
To show the library holdings:
• By a given author.
• On a given subject and related subject.
• In a given form of literature.
More library catalogoue uses.

To help in the choice of books:

• As to its edition.
• As to its other characteristics.