HCE 604 - Career Development

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact tlynch@usm.maine.edu (780-5344/780-5156), Research and Instructional Services Librarian; Liaison to the Human Resource Development Program. Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine.

"This graduate level class covers theory of career development, techiques and practice in career counseling and personal/life career development throughout the lifespan." (D. Drew)

Please also make use of the excellent courseguide HRD 110 created by Barb Mann, Coordinator, Information Literacy Program.

The key to all your library research is your USM Card. On that card is your Library Barcode beginning (2502. . .) This card will gain you access to remote databases, Interlibrary Loan, Request items from other libraries in Maine and will allow you to check-out books from the University of Maine Library system. This card must be activated by the Circulation staff at one of our libraries before you may use it.

To start us off, lets begin by learning how to search the catalog and databases at USM:

Searching Using AND and OR: (This process can be used in most any database including journal indexes and databases)


Keyword, Title and Author

Currently search strategies are catagorized by four types of searches: Keyword; Title; Author; and Subject. Keyword searches use "key words" from areas of the book or document record like the title and the abstract and match the exact instructions of your search (See Basic Search below). Title searches are performed by entering the exact wording of the title, While Author searches are performed by entering the Last name of the author followed by a comma and the first letter or first name of the person or entity responsible for the content of the work. Corporate Authors would be entered as written without commas.

Basic Search using Keywords

1. State your topic in one sentence. (Ex. I'm looking for careers involving Adult literacy)
2. Separate important terms. (Ex. adult AND literacy AND careers)
3. Did you find enough information? If not continue. . . .
4. Add IMPORTANT synonyms and related terms that you would find in the professional literature: adult AND (literacy OR education) AND (careers OR employment OR jobs)
5. Truncate terms to get plural as well as singular form.
   Ex. adult* AND (literacy OR educat*) AND (career* OR employ* OR job*)

Advanced Search using Keywords (Default)

AND and OR searching can also be accomplished by filling in the search boxes using the AND connector in the Adanced search mode. Make sure and place all the OR terms (ie synonyms) together in the same box connected with the word OR. Also place the AND terms in a separate box, connected with the word AND.

URSUS
In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials owned by the University of Maine system you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject). Essentially, the difference between URSUS and other databases is that URSUS searches items like books, journal titles and videos in their entirety. URSUS can show you Time Magazine and tell you the issues we have in our collection, but it cannot reach into Time magazine and show you the articles. Just as it cannot reach into a book and show you specific chapters. Other Databases called Indexes can do those things!

Subject Headings

Subject searches are altogether different. A subject search (See Subject Headings Below) is an attempt to find a collection of works determined to be in the same subject area. The Library of Congress creates these Subject Headings and new works are either matched to an existing Subject Heading or new Subject Headings are created. The best way to use a Subject Heading is to find a book, using a Keyword search, (See above) that very closely fits your topic, then look to the bottom of the record for the Subject Headings that belong to that book. Using the blank subject search on its own is possible but will probably not give you the information you are looking for unless you know exactly the right Subject Headings to use.

The following is a listing of selected Subject Headings relating to HCE 604 Each Subject Heading is hotlinked directly to URSUS. Notice how they appear at the bottom of the record of each book you choose.

To obtain materials not located at USM, but within the University of Maine System, you will need to click on the black Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card). Remember, your barcode will need to be activated at the Circulation Desk usually on the first floor of our libraries. Remember also to choose a location for the item to be delivered. Items requested in this manner require 3 to 5 days for delivery.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet (A service including the public and private libraries in the state of Maine) you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad). Interlibrary Loan is a service by which students can request books, articles and other items from outside the USM libraries, the state of Maine, or even outside the United States to use for their classwork.

Unfortunately, many students are reluctant to use such a powerful service, relying instead on full-text items online. At the Graduate Level of a discipline, it is often more advantageous to look for articles and books that narrowly define one's topic. This will result in more serious research and ultimately a better grade!

To use the Interlibrary Loan service called Illiad. First look for the Interlibrary Loan Forms and the "First Time Users" link. Read the information and continue to follow these links until you reach a screen that requires you to imput your personal information. It is on this screen that you will choose a Username and Password that will allow you to quickly access your Interlibrary Loan service, minimizing the time and effort to make requests and, if you have an article, allowing you to get that article right from your screen!!

Because they are mailed, books requested by Interlibrary Loan may take a week to 10 days to arrive. Articles requested by interlibrary loan usually arrive in under 3 days!

Off-Campus (remote) connection to databases: Use your name and library barcode number (2502. . . . ) available from your student ID to access Indexes and databases from home. Indexes and Databases that can be accessed remotely will have a small yellow "remote access" icon next to the Index or database. If you are having trouble, try using the state funded Marvel Databases. To Register enter personal information including ZIP Code.

Encyclopedias and Handbooks

Career Information Center (Series)
Gorham Ref. HF 5382 .V5 C27 1999 [13 vols.]
Portland Ref. HF 5382 .V5 C27 1999

College Majors and Careers: a Resource Guide for Effective Life Planning
Gorham Ref. HF 5382.5 .U5 P445 2003
Portland Ref. HF 5382.5 .U5 P445 2000

Counselors Guide to Career Assessment Instruments
Gorham Ref. HF 5381.7 .C68 1995

Encyclopedia of Aging
Gorham Ref. HQ 1061 .E53 1995
Portland Ref. HQ 1061 .E53 2001
Lewiston-Auburn HQ 1061 .E53 1995

Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance
Gorham Ref. HF 5381 .E52 2003 [4 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Education
Gorham. Ref. LB15 .E47 2003 [8 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Human Behavior
Gorham Ref. BF31 .E5 1994 [4 vols.]
Portland Ref BF 31 .E5 1994
Lewiston-Auburn Ref BF 31 .E5 1994

Encyclopedia of Human Development and Education
Gorham Ref. BF713 .E65 1990
Lewiston-Auburn Ref. BF713 .E65 1990

Encyclopedia of Human Intelligence
Gorham Ref. B431 .E59 1994 [2 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Psychology
Gorham Ref. BF 31 .E52 2000 [8 vols]
Portland Ref. BF 31 .E52 2000

Enhanced Guide for Occupational Exploration
Gorham Ref. HF 5382 .M37 1995

Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook
Gorham Ref. HF 5382 .F368 2005

Growing Up
Gorham Ref. HQ767.84 .B76 1995

Handbook of Alternative Education
Gorham Ref. LC45.4 .H36 1994

Job Hunter's Sourcebook
Gorham Ref. 5382.75 .U6 J63 1996
Portland Ref. 5382.75 .U6 J63

Job Skills for the 21st Century
Gorham Ref. 5381 .J654 1996
Portland Ref. 5381 .J654 1996

What Color is Your Parachute 2004
Gorham Ref. HF 5382.7 .B64 2004
Portland Ref. HF 5382.7 .B64 2003

Other Research Resources

Dictionary of Counseling
Gorham Ref. BF637 .C6 B444 1994

Dictionary of Multi-cultural Education
Gorham Ref. LC 1099 .D53 1997

Dictionary of Statistics and Methodology
Gorham Ref. HA17 .V64 1999

Educator's Resource Directory
Gorham Ref. LB1028.27 .U6 E53 2001-02

Journals, Serials and Periodicals
All of these words stand for the same thing: items that come via subscription at regular intervals

Because of the publishing cycle of a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals often contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by a professional organization or society, university, research center or scholarly press; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; have a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs

To find scholarly articles it is necessary to consult a discipline-specific electronic or print index/database. The following are electronic indexing sources available to the Unversity of Southern Maine in the area of Education and Human Resource Development.

Academic Search Premier
Date coverage: varies according to publication. See coverage information
Provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Approximately 300 journals indexed are in the field of Education

ERIC
The Educational Resource Information Center, formerly sponsored by the US Department of Education, is the major research database for the field of Education. It collects, indexes and abstracts (summarizes) articles from virtually all of the 950+ US journals devoted to Education. Additionally, ERIC collects, indexes abstracts and publishes as ERIC Documents other items of interest to the educational community, such as conference papers, official reports of federally funded research projects, materials produced by state departments of education and other educational entities, a small number of commercially published books (abstracts only) and even classroom and other materials submitted by individual educators, although as of 2004 this type of information may no longer be included. Coverage in ERIC begins in 1966 but with journals varies by title.

Because ERIC has been sold to a private contractor for management, it is unknown to what extent the database will change. The new model promises full-text online for much of the information indexed in ERIC whenever possible. See more information at the http://www.eric.ed.gov/ site.

PsycINFO
The online edition of Psychological Abstracts, produced by the American Psychological Association is the major Research Database related to the field of Psychology. The database includes abstracts of articles from the professional journal literature in several languages. It also includes abstracts of books and book chapters, dissertations and reports in psychology. ERIC and PsychINFO will, in some cases connect to the full-text of articles.

Social Services Abstracts
Social Services Abstracts covers journal articles and dissertations in social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development since 1980.

Social Work Abstracts Plus
Index to articles and dissertations on social work, social welfare, and related fields.

Sociological Abstracts
Covers sociology and related disciplines including anthropology, criminology, demography, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, political science, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies. Comprehensive and international in scope. Covers about 2,600 journals in 30 different languages from 55 different countries. Also includes books, conference papers,and doctoral dissertations.

National Career Development Association

USM Career Services and Professional Life Development

In using resources it is imperative that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct article layout, citation method and in avoiding plagiarism.

Writing Handbooks

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(Gor. Ref. BF76.7 .P83 2001)

St. Martin's Handbook
(Por. Ref. PE1112 .L86 1989)
(Lew Ref. PE1112. L86 1989)
Contains sections on the writing process, sentence construction, punctuation, doing research, and academic writing.

A Writer's Reference, 3rd Edition
(Gor. Ref. PE1408 .H2778 1995)
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Citation Styles

Be sure to check out the EndNote program description available on library and lab computers.

Online! A Reference Guide Using Internet Resources

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(Gor. Ref. BF76.7 .P83 2001)

Plagerism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Dont's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism (Indiana University)

Last Updated :10.05
Comments: Ask-A-Librarian