Happy Doc Student Podcast

Leverage Your Librarian (and other time saving tips) with Anna Uribe

May 26, 2021 Heather Frederick, PhD Episode 29
Happy Doc Student Podcast
Leverage Your Librarian (and other time saving tips) with Anna Uribe
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Show Notes Transcript

 Take-home message: Utilize the librarian and your library! 

Anna Uribe: Masters of Library and Information Services and lead instruction librarian and the liaison for doctoral programs at the University of Arizona global campus, AUGC.

Tips:

1.     Don’t use links to save your research

2.     Download that resource

3.     Figure out how you will organize your references: Zotero, Mandalay, Refworks (check to see if your tuition covers citation software – if not, check out the free links I have on my website: https://www.expandyourhappy.com/online-resources)

4.     Book a one-on-one appointment with a librarian to discuss your research area

5.     Don’t spend more than 30 minutes being confused or frustrated!

6.     Start learning how to do advanced searches now so you have this under your belt by the time you get to your dissertation/doc project

7.     Librarians are experts in finding information  - they do this for their JOB and they LIKE IT! (utilize them: 24/7 chats, emails, phone calls, etc.)

8.     Estimate that it will take you 90 minutes to find ONE resource – this includes searching, evaluating search results, reviewing an article, and note taking

9.     Schedule time to be in the library to work on your research (communicate your need for this dedicated time with your family and friends)

10.  Research AND then write (don’t try to do both together)

Get the article: The Doctoral Journey - 12 Things You Should Know (that they probably won't tell you!): https://www.expandyourhappy.com/HDSP121
 

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Anna Uribe: [00:00:00] I've had so many students telling me, Oh gosh, it's been hours. It's been days. It's been weeks that I've been trying to find this thing or, or get started on my research. It just breaks my heart because that's time you could have been spending with your family or with a pet or with good book.

Heather Frederick: [00:00:24] You're listening to the Happy Doc, Student Podcast, a Podcast dedicated to providing clarity to the often mysterious doctoral process. Do you feel like you're losing your mind? Let me and my guests show you how to put more joy in your journey and graduate with your sanity, health, and relationships intact.

I'm your host, Dr. Heather Frederick. And this is episode 29. If there's a tip that I consistently give doctoral students, it is to utilize the librarian and their library. And that is why I'm so excited about today's episode, where we're going to get some tips and tricks about how to leverage the librarian for your doctoral research.

I'm here today with Anna Uribe who has a masters of library and information services. And by the way, a fun little tip. This is a terminal degree. If you're studying library, library sciences, this is as far as you can go. So whenever I think about someone who's got a master's degree in library sciences, I think of them as someone who

literally has a doctorate in information. These are people who are experts and it is a tragedy when people don't utilize the service. She's currently the lead instruction librarian and the liaison for doctoral programs at the university of Arizona global campus, AUGC. So welcome to the show tonight, Anna.

Anna Uribe: [00:01:50] Thank you so much for having me. 

Heather Frederick: [00:01:52] So I have to maybe date myself a little bit and tell you that back in the day, when I was working on my doctoral research, the librarian was the person who would take the little card out of that pocket in the front of my book and stamp it and tell me when it had to be returned.

Or the person who helped me find the micro fische for the articles, or that helped me, you know, take out the paper jam from the Xerox machine, but things have really changed in terms of how you do research now for a doctoral program. Haven't 

they? 

Anna Uribe: [00:02:23] Yeah, they definitely have. You may still have folks, you know, going through physical archives and stuff, but where I work, pretty much everything we're working with is digital at my library.

So this is definitely not for all libraries, but we're 100% digital. I haven't in my professional career, like almost ever touched a card catalog. Yeah. Things have changed. It's it's pretty digital these days. 

Heather Frederick: [00:02:48] So there's pros and cons with that you can hop online, right? And find research at your fingertips that may or may not be credible, but there's some pitfalls that we were talking about before we started the show in terms of some things that students may want to be aware of when it comes to saving their research and organizing their research.

Anna Uribe: [00:03:09] Right. Yeah. So depending on your university's library and how it authenticates or sort of allows you in there, how you save your resources is going to vary. So I know for example, at the library, I work at one of the things I wish I could like you know, tattoo it on my forehead is don't use links to save your research, because at the library I'm at due to our current authentication process, if you were to just save the link or even the permanent link that's listed in the database and try and get back to it later, you're not going to be able to get back to that source.

And it's a little bit like if you were, let's say I'm streaming Netflix or Hulu, and as I'm streaming it, I go, Oh, this episode is really funny. I'm going to send it over to, um, my friend here, I'll just copy and paste the link. Of course, if I did that, it's not going to work because that's a subscription based service and that's how the library works.

At least mine does. Other libraries you may be able to use permalinks, but at the end of the day, the safest bet is to just go ahead and download that resource that you're wanting to get back to later. Or there's a lot of free citation management softeware software options out there. Like, Zotera and Mandalay, a lot of times your university, like part of your tuition is going to be access to maybe sort of a more deluxe citation management software.

Like we have a Refworks where I'm at, so our students all have access to that. So it's best off to like, Save the research as your researching don't rely on, on copying and pasting URLs. Cause that's just heartbreaking when someone says I found five great resources last night and I can't find them anymore.

So just your library, a digital library, a lot of times it's not going to work, like just sort of your typical commercial website. 

Heather Frederick: [00:04:56] Well and keeping track and deciding how you're going to organize your citations is something that I encourage students to do from day one. Because they may be researching papers in their content courses where they think three or four years later,

I know I read this great article, right? And if you start from day one, and then also by the time you get to your doctoral work, you know how it works, you know, how the, whatever you're using Zotero or ref works, you, you know it, and you're not learning another new thing here at the end of the your program when you're supposed to be working on your research.

Anna Uribe: [00:05:33] Absolutely. 

Heather Frederick: [00:05:35] So a lot of doctoral students, one of the things that they're usually doing is pretty specialized research. So of course they might come up against feeling like they can't find articles in the area. And one of the things I will often say is, well, but have you asked the librarian for help?

Because I swear it's like they can find a needle in a haystack because you guys know all the tricks. Yeah? So how do doctoral students go about really leveraging a librarian? 

Anna Uribe: [00:06:05] So where I work and I think this is the case probably with a lot of academic libraries, you can get doctoral research, consultation appointments.

So like one-on-one appointments, whether that's onsite or over zoom might depend on where you're at. But a lot of times I feel like doctoral students that are maybe offered a, a higher level of sort of reference services from the library. Where I work, we  would have a doctoral student would just email us and they could set up an appointment with  with us.

that way. If that's a scenario, if you're going to like let's sit down and really work this out together, you'd probably have a nice email discussion ahead of time and go over you know, what's your general topic? Maybe, what have you found so far? Where are you encountering obstacles? That way your librarian can do some sort of pre-research ahead of your consultation and be ready to sort of hit the ground running when you guys actually go ahead and

meet up. So that's one option. Of course though there's so many different ways to get ahold of your librarian. For one-offs just like, Hey, this PDF is not loading or, you know what I've been searching for a little while and I just can't find anything for this assignment I'm working on. I know UAGC library has

24/7  library tutoring, which is basically a professional librarian who uses a tutoring platform, which has screen-sharing and voice over internet protocol and all this great stuff so that you can really share everything you got and they can really help you a lot through that. A lot of libraries will have phone hours.

You've got your email. A lot of libraries, also, if they don't have something, maybe quite like what we offer with library tutoring, they'll have something like ask a librarian like a text-based service that you can use to sort of instant message with a librarian as well. So there's almost always a way to get a hold of a librarian. Also, too, if you have maybe a more advanced question, maybe plan time to interact with the librarian as well, if that's necessary.

So if you don't have sort of like an instantaneous one-on-one option, which luckily we do, but maybe that's not the option where you're at.  You know, I have this question. I know this assignment's due in a few days. I'm going to ask it now so the librarian has time to get back to me. Yeah. Just make sure you plan out time for your interactions with librarians.

Cause they can go for a while. We ended up really chewing the fat. So.

Heather Frederick: [00:08:30] When we're talking about doctoral level research, this goes beyond just a Google search. I think nowadays we're also used to just, we want an answer to a question and we just pop it in our little bar at the top and out come an answer like magic and doing doctoral level research in an academic library

maybe isn't that simple, is it? 

Anna Uribe: [00:08:53] No, it definitely isn't. You definitely are going to need your, your academic databases. You rely on the resources that your library, your library's collections. You're going to need those for your doctoral research. And when I think of Google and how I would sort of make

a comparison, to types of reference that librarians do, I think of Google as sort of what we would call is ready reference. So if someone comes to my reference desk, if it's virtual or, a physical one and says, Hey, how late is the library open? Where are the copier machines? How do I get to this database through your library or website?

To me, that's ready reference. Or maybe even where can I find books about early childhood education? That's ready reference, and those are our Google questions, right? Like where's the closest post office? How late is my local coffee shop open? It's ready reference. It's a Google question. So search specific would be like the next level.

And then in-depth research would be the next level of reference. So search specific is I need this specific research article about this thing or this topic I'm looking at. And then in depth as sort of like, Hey, we're going to have an ongoing conversation about my doctoral research and it's going, 

we're going to be friends for awhile. And so it's definitely not search engine searching. It's database searching, which requires a different technique. Requires keyword searching, breaking up a topic into discernible keywords that the database is going to more easily recognize versus the natural language searching you use in Google, where you literally ask it a question..

There's 

Heather Frederick: [00:10:31] kind of a shift that has to happen. There's ways to search in terms of, let's not pull up articles that have this word and let's restrict it to things that are peer reviewed and let's restrict the, the year or let's pull up everything that at least starts with this core phrase. There's kind of little hacks for lack of a better word, to really help you narrow in on what it is that you're looking for.

Anna Uribe: [00:10:58] Absolutely so different search engines can have some advanced tools as well, but that's sort of a, that's the baseline for your scholarly databases like ProQuest and EBSCOhost and Jstor or Sage journals is they have all these lovely little bells and whistles that you can limit by year by subject. And even the more specialized databases have special limiters.

So if you're someone researching health, you can limit your search results just to articles written by nurses. Like that's a limiter CINHAL. In some psychological databases you can limit by the sample group's age. So is it, are we looking at children? Are we looking at adults? And that's like, it's a box you can check or something that you can select from a menu so they can get really, really specific.

So you have all these search limiters, you can also affect the way the database searches. So by saying, you know, I want something and it's got to have, let's say the phrase complex post-traumatic stress disorder has to be in the title. So I can select that from the menu search, see PTSD in title, or maybe as long as it's in the abstract or it's one of the main subject headings, but you can do that to limit your search.

And so the database is looking in those fields for your search criteria. I hope that makes sense.

Heather Frederick: [00:12:24] I have seen. Yes. And let me share with the listeners. I've actually seen you in action at a residency where a student will say, this is my topic area. And it is almost like watching an artist paint in front of you.

I'm like, wait, slow down. What just happened and not unlike suggesting, Hey, figure out how you're going to keep track of your references early on. I would say dump Google, even Google scholar early in the program, get into your library because it's a skill. I mean, would you agree? This is, a skill that takes practice 

Anna Uribe: [00:12:57] It's a very specific skill and, you know, That's very, very nice of you to say that that's what it's like to see a librarian searching, but, you know, I understand the reason why I can do it kind of quickly is because I do it every single day, because I'm a librarian.

And so if you're a doctoral student, you might be doing other types of work or research or, searching in databases isn't your day job. I understand why it could be confusing. It's like, if you told me, Hey Anna go, go write some Python code. Like, I'd be like, Oh, okay. I don't even know if I'm saying that.

Right. You know, so if you just plopped me into that sort of thing, I'd need help too. One thing I want doctoral students to know is that working with a librarian and getting a librarian's help is part of the process. I can't imagine any librarian expecting a doctoral student to do this without our assistance.

Heather Frederick: [00:13:51] And the mentors and the committee members and your chair, don't expect you to know how to do this either. You need to collect good credible, relevant information for your doctoral project. And here is an expert that can help you do that. And don't let that resource go unutilized. Now, even if you are practicing this and you're in the library during your content courses, it takes a while.

We were talking before we started recording about what's a good rule of thumb  to set aside when you know, you're going to be in the library. My goal tonight is to find three articles that would be relevant for a paper or for my doctoral project. 

Anna Uribe: [00:14:27] Right. I think about 90 minutes a source is a good time to block.

So if you know, you need to find three resources, that's 270 minutes, so block an hour and a half for each resource that you need. So, and you might think like, gosh, you know, that's, that's kind of a lot. What I'm basing that off of is at least at the school I work at, when we look at credit hour analysis, anytime we're asking a student to go research something, we count that as about 90 minutes, we expect that one article 

Heather Frederick: [00:14:59] One article for them?

Anna Uribe: [00:15:00] To find one resource.

So that means. Taking the time to go into the library, to do your keyword searching in the database, to look at your search results, to evaluate your search results and find the most relevant one. Maybe not the most relevant one, but a relevant search result. Then go into that article and then skim it and then maybe read it a little more deeply, and then to maybe take some notes along with it that you can incorporate into an outline you're working on.

So you're searching, evaluating search results, reviewing an article, and note taking. So if you think of all those steps, that that could be 90 minutes and maybe 90 minutes is a starting point, maybe you find, you know what, for me, it takes more like 120 minutes. Maybe you're like, you know, what, I'm consistently doing it about an hour, but I think 90 minutes can be a good starting point.

Heather Frederick: [00:15:51] A good place to start.

And then again, knowing that, Hey, maybe some days you find the article or it's not as complicated, a little more quickly, but then other articles can be quite lengthy and have some complicated, maybe analytical strategies going on. You may have to read it two or three times. We talk a lot about needing to 

set aside time when you're working on your doctoral project. And so to think in your head, my goal this weekend is to find 10 articles that I'm going to have for my reference section to just ballpark it for about 90 minutes an article. 

Anna Uribe: [00:16:24] Right. And then if you think about that, it kind of adds up and you realize, Oh, I really do need to have my caboose parked for, you know, Maybe two or three hours a day.

When I was working on my master's in library and information science, I definitely, towards the end of that degree, I was blocking time for sure. And, you know, I made sure to block time to see friends and family too, but I had a hard stop time. I said, okay, guys, got to go.  Now I'm going to start my research.  

Heather Frederick: [00:16:53] This probably isn't  something you're doing while you've got Facebook open or not on in the ground, this is dedicated focus time guys. Take your research seriously, block out time. Now you have some strategies in terms of it may be that some students think, Oh, I'll open up this word document and I'll start kind of typing. And then I'll pop into the library and grab an article.

But you've got a suggestion. You've got a better strategy than that. 

Anna Uribe: [00:17:21] Right. Don't sit down to write your literature review and try and research all the sources you're going to need for that at the same time. Writing and research has an iterative process, but I really do think it starts with the research. So you're going to be in the library and doing a lot of reading and a lot of note taking and outlining before you ever start to really put together anything crafted that would go into your draft, that you've got set up within a word doc or anything like that.

So you've got to research first then  write. And of course, as you're writing, you may find things that you need to research further or refer back to. That's perfectly normal. And this might have to do more with you having an assignment due this week or something like that. People will sit down to do maybe some homework and think, okay, well, when I'm writing this, I'll just have the library open up in another tab and sort of add things as I'm writing.

And I would not recommend that strategy. 

Heather Frederick: [00:18:18] And, you know, Anna I think what happens is you are used to maybe doing that as your undergrad, maybe even doing that in your core courses for your master's and your doctoral level work. So it's almost a pattern or a habit you have. You open up your word doc, you sit down in your chair and you get going and maybe have the library open in the other tab.

But when we're talking about the dissertation or the doctoral project, you're really needing to carve out time to just be in the library, research, research, research. So your library really is your best friend, and that's why I'm recommending to everyone. Who's listening, make the librarian your best friend too.

It will make your life so much easier. 

Anna Uribe: [00:18:57] The librarians I work with, we love helping with doctoral research. We love that it's meaty. We love that it's niche. We like the hunt. You know what I mean? Like we want to find that super obscure source for you. And if we can't find it, we'll find something just as good.

We like the hunt. We love developing a research relationship with students. This is fun for us. The stuff that makes you want to maybe 

Heather Frederick: [00:19:23] Pull out your hair?

Anna Uribe: [00:19:23] Yeah, pulling your hair. We enjoy it. You're never bothering us. We really enjoy it. Anytime someone says to me, Oh my gosh, you know, this is very helpful. I'm like, you know, it's my job.

They pay me to do this. I'm here for you. So that's what we're here to do. 

Heather Frederick: [00:19:40] So you are likely going to have some struggles doing research during the doctoral process, let the librarians alleviate some of this confusion, frustration. They think it's fun. They're there for you. So Anna, any final tips, words of wisdom that you want to leave the listeners with today?

Anna Uribe: [00:20:00] One thing that I tell students a lot is that if you're in the databases and you're researching. And it's been, let's say like maybe 20, maybe 30 minutes. And you're just like, I am not getting this. It's just not going anywhere. Stop right there. Call a librarian, email a librarian, chat, or texts a librarian. Don't spend any more than 20 minutes, 30 minutes tops in a database,

getting frustrated. You don't have to do that. I've had so many students telling me, Oh gosh, it's been hours. It's been days. It's been weeks. That I've been trying to find this thing or, or get started on my research. It just breaks my heart because that's time you could have been spending with your family or with a pet or with good books.

So I always say if you're in there more than 20, 30 minutes and you're going, I, do you not get this? Because, let me tell you if I was trying to write code for 20 or 30 minutes, or maybe you can build some Ikea furniture for 20 and 30 minutes. That's about how long it would take me before I would reach out for some help.

Right? So please don't spend too much time in there. If you're at the point where you're feeling frustrated, listen to your feelings and get in touch with us. 

Heather Frederick: [00:21:14] So the librarians are there to help you save time and put some more joy in your journey. So, Anna, thank you so much for spending time with us and sharing all your insights.

Anna Uribe: [00:21:25] My pleasure. Thanks so much for having me. 

Heather Frederick: [00:21:29] The Happy Doc Student Podcast is brought to you by expand your Happy dot com. You can learn more there and also check out a ton of free resources I've compiled that I just know will put more joy in your journey. Thanks so much for listening and I look forward to connecting with you on the next episode.

Oh, and Hey, I do want to remind you that the information, opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only.