Skimming and scanning – I can get an overview of a resource by quickly looking through the material.

Questioning techniques – Spending time developing good questions helps me get to the best information.

Interviewing – People can give me lots of information but I must plan my interview to focus on what I need to know.

Identifying alternative topics – If my topic is too narrow or too broad I need to modify it or think about a different topic.

Note taking, summarizing and storing information – Keeping my information organized so I can find and use it helps me have a successful project. I need to take good notes and carefully summarize my information.

Rechecking information – If I'm not sure about the information I find, I need to check to be sure it's correct.

Recording bibliographic information – I need a record of where I got my information so I can go back to it easily and to let others know my sources.

Knowing when to get help – If I run into problems with my project I try to figure them out. If I can't then I should ask for help.

Determining relevancy – I can usually find lots of information but I need to know if it's factual, accurate, up-to-date, and helps answer my questions.

Using location information – Understanding how a library is organized and being able to follow directions for finding resources helps me find what I need.

Searching – Recognizing and understanding four ways to search will help me get better results.

Four Strategies for Searching

1 Explore
- looking or surfing with just a general idea of my topic

2 Browse
- going through an index or alphabetical list

3 Hierarchical
- starting with a big, broad topic like art and narrowing down by making choices

4 Analytical
- using keywords and special features to search electronically