Library and Composition SkillsGrammar Chapters 18 and 20

LIBRARY SKILLSGrammar Chapter 18

What Can I Find in the Library?

• Place for quiet research and study• Exciting center of activity• Books, magazines, newspapers, tapes, cds,

dvds, puppets, e-books, etc.• Place to attend classes, listen to lectures,

discuss books• Free computer and internet access• Et cetera!

Sections of the Library- Books

• Main feature of most library• The word library comes from the Latin word

liber, which means book.• Librarians arrange books on shelves called

stacks.• Libraries throughout history-

Sections of the Library- Periodicals

• Periodicals are resources that are published at regular intervals.

• Magazines and newspapers• Excellent source of current information• Most can be viewed online at the library or with

a library card.

Sections of the Library- The Reference Section

• Contains materials that do NOT circulate (you may not check these works out)

• Marked with an R or REF• Encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, etc.

Sections of the Library- Audio-Visual

• Includes tapes, dvds, cds, works of art (paintings, sculptures, pictures, etc.), puppets, games, teaching materials

• These materials are marked AV.

Sections of the Library- Children/ Young Adult

• Children’s books are marked with a J for juvenile.

• Young adult books are marked YA.

How Are the Books Arranged?

• Divided into two categories: Fiction and Nonfiction

• Fiction- books from the author’s imagination– Arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name– A, An, and The do not count towards

alphabetization.

Example- Number these books in the order that they should appear on a fiction shelf.

Title Author

Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

The Mystery of Edwin Drood Charles Dickens

The Deerslayer James Fenimore Cooper

Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

Oliver Twist Charles Dickens

Different Categories of Fiction

• Mystery fiction is marked with MYS.• Science fiction is marked with SCI.

Nonfiction

• Factual books on almost every subject– Airplanes, livestock, science, history, mythology,

poetry, government, etc.

• Most libraries use the Dewey Decimal System to arrange nonfiction books.– Created by Melvil Dewey– 10 subject categories

Numbers and Categories for the Dewey Decimal System

Numbers Category

000-099 Generalities (including encyclopedias and general reference works)

100-199 Philosophy and psychology

200-299 Religion (including mythology)

300-399 Social sciences (including government, education, and etiquette)

400-499 Language

500-599 Natural sciences and mathematics (including chemistry and biology)

600-699 Technology (including occupations and professions)

700-799 The arts (including sports)

800-899 Literature and rhetoric (including short stories and plays)

900-999 Geography and history (including travel and biography)

Nonfiction Books

• A biography is a book written by one person about another person’s life.

• An autobiography is a book about the author’s own life.

• Biographies and autobiographies may be shelved in a different section.– Marked with the numbers 920 or 921– Marked with B

Arrangement of Biographies and Autobiographies

• Arranged alphabetically by the last name of the subject

• A book on Adoniram Judson would be shelved after a book on Amy Carmichael and before a book on Booker T. Washington.– Because J comes after C in the alphabet but before

W in the alphabet

The Library of Congress System

• Alternate system of organization• Used in large libraries• Uses letters and numbers instead of numbers

only• 21 subject categories

Dewey Decimal System Library of Congress System

598.233 QL 675.W32

Practice!

• Exercise 18-1• Exercise 18-2

How Are Books Labeled?

• Labeled on the spine of the book• Nonfiction books are labeled with a call number.• A call number is the Dewey Decimal number

with the first letter of the author’s last name under it.

• Sometimes a nonfiction label will contain a section letter if the book belongs in a separate section of the library.– R for reference section

How Are Books Labeled?

• Fiction books usually do not have call numbers.• Fiction books are labeled with the first few

letters of the author’s last name and the capital letter F for fiction.

• Some fiction book labels included a section letter, such as MYS for mystery, J for juvenile, or YA for young adult.

Catalogs

• The call number or the letters on the book’s spine also appear in a catalog entry.

• Traditionally, libraries used card catalogs that included ordered cards of every book.

Catalogs

• Today, libraries use online computer catalogs.• However, the catalog entry includes the same

information in approximately the same format.• Computer entries offer more ways to search for

information.

Using a Card Catalog

• Three types of cards– Author card- titled with the book’s author– Title card- titled with the book’s title– Subject card- titled with the book’s subject

• These cards are alphabetized together.• The cards also include the place of publication,

the date of publication, the publisher, the number of pages, and the call number (for a nonfiction book) or the letters from the book’s spine (for a fiction book).

Using a Card Catalog

• Look up what you know about the book.• Remember that author cards are arranged by

the last names of authors.• Title cards exclude the words A, An, and The

and possibly And from alphabetization.• Find the card for the book you want and write

down the call number (for a nonfiction book) or author and title (for a fiction book).

• Use the information to find the book.

Using a Computer Catalog

• Contains electronic records for each book• Each record includes the same information as a

card catalog card but includes additional information such as a summary of the book.

• Computer catalogs also tell if a book is checked in or out, and some say when the book is due.

• You may search for a book with the aid of author, title, and/or subject information, and the screen will display the closest matches.

Note the Example on p. 350!

Grace A. Dow’s Library Website

• Library website– Search Grace A. Dow Library Midland, MI or – Type www.midland-mi.org/GraceDowLibrary/ in the

address bar.

Your Assignment

• Use your library’s website/e-library/catalog for at least 10 minutes.

• If your library does not have a website, use the Grace A. Dow library website for at least 10 minutes.

Practice!

• Exercise 18-3• Exercise 18-4

Dictionaries

• Unabridged dictionary- gives the most complete list of words and definitions

• Abridged dictionary (a desk dictionary)- contains the most common words and definitions– Abridged works are shorter than their originals.

Dictionaries

• Foreign language dictionary- lists the words of another language and gives their meanings in English

• Dictionary of synonyms (thesaurus)- gives synonyms (words with similar meanings) of words– Some thesauruses also give antonyms, words with

opposite meanings

Dictionaries

• Biographical dictionary- gives information important people from the past and the present

• Geographic dictionary (a gazetteer)- lists places and their locations, correct pronunciations, population, and descriptions of geographic features

Encyclopedias

• Encyclopedias contain articles on almost every imaginable subject.– Articles arranged alphabetically.– Volumes labeled with letters and numerals.– Have guide words like dictionaries– Check the index for a list of article topics and the

locations of the articles. • Some indices are in each volume; others are in

the last volume of the set.– Investigate cross-references.– www.wikipedia.org vs. www.britannica.com

Almanacs

• Supplement encyclopedias• Give more current information• Includes tables of weights and measures, lists

of sport statistics, names of award winners, information about government agencies and programs, summaries of recent events, and other facts

• Published every year• Index appears in the front, NOT the back

Atlases

• Collection of maps• Different kinds (political, topographical, biblical,

roads, etc.)– Political- countries, states, and cities– Topographical- physical, geographic features such

as mountains, lakes, and seas

Books of Quotations

• Lists quotations by author, first line, and subject• Lists the quotation’s original source and date

Concordances

• Gives key words from the Bible with a list of verses where the key words appear

• Most popular- Strong’s Concordance– All the words in the KJV Bible

Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature

• Most commonly used periodical index• Helps you find specific articles• Look at sample entry on p. 355• Most magazines and newspapers are

organized online now.– Grace A. Dow Library website

Practice!

• Exercise 18-5• Exercise 18-6

The Paragraph

• Paragraph- group of closely related sentences about one main idea

• Topic sentence- usually the first sentence of a paragraph, states the paragraph’s main idea

• Supporting sentences- sentences that use details, examples, illustrations, or other methods to support or prove the topic sentence

• Concluding sentence- concludes the paragraph, summarizes the paragraph, restates the paragraph’s main idea, or ties the paragraph together; usually the last sentence of the paragraph

Sample Paragraph

• Caring for Your Cat• Every cat owner is responsible to provide for

three basic survival needs of his/her pet. The first need is food; any cat will die without food, of course. Another need is fresh water. A cat’s water dish should be rinsed and refilled at least once a day. Finally, every cat (whether it lives indoors or out) needs a warm, dry place to sleep. Providing for these simple needs for his/her pet is the duty of a dependable cat owner.

Planning

• 1st step- Choose a topic.– Choose a topic that interests you.– Choose a topic that the teacher approves.

Planning Techniques

• 1. Make a list of events, experiences, or memories you may want to write about.

• 2. Ask yourself questions (see list on p. 376).

• 3. Brainstorm as a group.– Write down everything you can think of a topic.– Perhaps use a cluster diagram.

• 4. Talk to a partner.

Planning

• 2nd step- Narrow your topic.• 3rd step- Gather information.

– List everything you know about the topic.– Ask questions about your topic.– Research the questions you don’t know the answers

to.

Planning

• 4th step- Consider your audience.– Audience- person or group you are writing the

paragraph for– Teaching Help

• 5th step- Determine your purpose.– Purpose- reason for your writing– Not “because I have to”– To describe, to inform, to persuade, to entertain

Practice!

• Exercise 20-1• 1. to persuade• 2. decision makers• 3. students and parents

Drafting

• 1st step- Write a topic sentence.• Great Faith• Many Old Testament characters had great

faith. Noah had enough faith in God to build an ark on dry ground. Abraham’s strong faith enabled him to present his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Only because he believed in God’s care could Moses give up his riches in Pharaoh’s house to suffer with God’s people. These people are given as examples to us so that we might become more faithful.

Practice!

• Exercise 20-2• Many Old Testament women possessed

courage.

Practice!

• Write three topic sentences for paragraphs 2-4 of your five-paragraph virtues essay.