research guide

Research Guide Library 3
A. Ecstasy (MDMA) - A drug is a psychoactive drug that affects the receptors in the brain producing feelings of intimacy and empathy. I focused on the effects of the drug and how it works in the body. Also I focused on the social debate of whether it is a good or bad drug.
B. Library of Congress Subject Headings- MDA, MDMA, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, Hallucinogenic drugs, Methamphetamines.
C. Keywords- 1. Drug Use 2. Drug Abuse 3. Ecstasy Effects 4. Ecstasy chemical composition 5. MDMA
Boolean searches should always use AND because this topic is so specific.

Compact Oxford English Dictionary, by Sara Hawker, Oxford University Press, 2009.
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/ecstasy?view=uk. This source is a very commonly used dictionary which has the definition on ecstasy. Merriam Webster Dictionary, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2009.
http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm?book=Medical&va=ecstasy. This resource gives a more medically focused definition of ecstasy. Ecstasy." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 16 Jul. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/378657/Ecstasy>. I liked this site because the encyclopedia gives a good history on ecstasy.
Ecstasy: the complete guide: a comprehensive look at the risks and benefits of MDMA by Julie Holland. This book is a great resource as you can tell by the title it is all about ecstasy and it has many articles by doctors. Club Drugs by Katherine Swarts is great for learning how and why ecstasy is used by many. Ecstasy & other Designer Drugs by Kristine Brennan is a book aimed for elementary and junior high readers and focus is on drug awareness.
Anonymous. “Psychopharmacology; Studies from University of Bristol update current data on psychopharmacology.” Jul 4, 2009. Psychology & Psychiatry Journal. July 16,2009
http://voyager2.lbcc.edu:2061/pqdweb?index=0&did=1760296901&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1247802513&clientId=27896
This periodical has great current information on what ecstasy does to your to you pschologically.
Thelma Schilt, Anneke E Goudriaan, Maarten W Koeter, Wim van den Brink, Ben Schmand. “Decision making as a predictor of first ecstasy use: a prospective study.” April 2009. Psychopharmacology. July 16, 2009.
http://voyager2.lbcc.edu:2061/pqdweb?did=1663118861&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=27896&RQT=309&VName=PQD
I found this periodical interesting as researchers write about trying to predict when someone may and how they decide to take ecstasy.
Emily Joy Jaehne, Abdallah Salem, Rodney James Irvine. “The effect of long-term repeated exposure to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on cardiovascular and thermoregulatory changes.” Psychopharmacology (2008): Vol. 201, Issue 2, pg. 161.
http://voyager2.lbcc.edu:2061/pqdweb?index=9&did=1596491331&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1247803168&clientId=27896
This periodical was interesting in the fact that it had information on long term affects of ecstasy and gave specific science methods conducted.

All 3 of these periodicals can be found by using Pro Quest and conducting a basic search and selecting PSYCHOLOGY-PRO QUEST PSYCHOLOGY JOURNALS and selecting a date range of the last 12 months. Also unselect PSYCHOLOGY-PRO QUEST PSYCHOLOGY JOURNALS to get more general periodicals on ecstasy. I couldn’t be any happier with my results.
NIDA. “ NIDA InfoFacts: MDMA Ecstasy.” 2009. National Institute of Health. July 16, 2009.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/ecstasy.html
This resource is government credited and gives information from how ecstasy is abused to its effect on your health and treatment options. I like that there is also a useful survey on who is using this drug.
Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Use. “Ecstasy.” GDCADA. 2006. GDCADA. July 16, 2009
http://www.gdcada.org/statistics/ecstasy.htm
This site is a great reference that gives you the information for answering basic questions people may have and gives answers to what you see revolving around ecstasy in this day and age.

Reflection 5

This was not my first online class. I feel I had better student interaction then in a regular class setting due to the fact that in class the only time you get to spend during class talking to classmates is during group projects if there are even any. I feel this class covered everything other online classes did. The discussion forum is the thing I think all online classes need. I think online classes are easy in the way that you can do things at your own pace and at times that work for you. It is a bit harder then traditional classes in the sence that verbal lectures and visuals and quick question response is what we are used to even though I do think this professor gives as much visuals as possible and is very quick with responding to emails. I think this online learning is appropriate for library research but there should also be a traditional class available which I think there is. I would show up to a workshop if it was offered and I think it would make it a lot easier but I don't think it should be required as it is hard to have workshops at a time when all online students are available.

Reflection 4

Information competency is the way of recovering information in a media manner. It is the ability to use the web to store, research and recover information that can also be found at libraries. I feel I am information competent after learning everything I have in this class. Skills that can be improved are feeling out databases and learning which ones work best for which research. Being information competent will make everything that needs to be learned in life easier. I enjoyed this class and I am excited to put it to good use in other classes.

Reflection 3

I am overwhelmed with all this new information gained but I am also more knowledgable for it. I never thought of false internet sites and my eyes have now been opened to it. Citation we have learned is still something I am not clear on and struggle with but other then that this class is great. It is a lot more exciting then I thought because I do learn so much every week and on completion of assignments I feel more accomplished. Learning the databases was hardest for me but I am just now getting comfortable with them and realizing they are worth more then I gave them credit for. In the future I would definitely check the credibility of websites and try to stick to ones published in databases containing refutable sources.

Blog reflection 2

My opinion has changed a bit negatively because we have been using reference sources. The reference selection at the libraries nearby are very outdated. There are also only few reference selections. LBCC's library on the other hand had much more. Periodicals was also a struggle for me. I couldn't access them for some reason on the internet. I do prefer the internet over libraries but computer and internet are also part of libraries. I prefer borrowed library books rather then E-books because it just seems to have better qualities to bring me in a different world.

Reflection 1

In this class I have learned a lot about library uses. I didn't know how much material was in a library such as magazines, audio tapes and even newspapers. It wasn't that I've never been to a library its the fact I've never had any reason to find what I didn't need at the time. I've already learned how to save time by researching online library catologs instead of driving from one library to another to find material. I've learned better researching skills to help me out in college by getting used to picking topics that are less broad and not too narrow for research. Learning the subjects headings has been very useful as well as it is interesting to know how one word is used for so many other subjects.

Project 1: Library Visit

I went to Clifton M. Brakensiek Community Library at 9945 E. Flower St.Bellflower, CA 90706-5486, Phone: (562) 925-5543, with web address: http://www.bellflower.org/home/index.asp?page=399. The library was much bigger then my local library and the people there were very helpful. There had to have been atleast 3 more people working there then at my local library. There were all types of books, magazines, journals audio recordings and videos available to check out. The libraries reference section was pretty extensive but did not contain the Library of Congress Subject Reference headings books. It had many reference books for law. There were also plenty of different encyclopedias for different cultures such as American, Latin and Native American.
The library has a great service in which they read to children. They also have comfortable tables and chairs to read or research at. The information desk was very helpful in locating the reference section for me. The library uses a a computer based library of congress classification system. It is a regional library. The electronic resources for the reference section included computers located near the reference section of the library. Also a search just as the LBCC's Voyager is set up.
What I liked most about this library is how big it was. It was well spread out and organized. Those working in the library made sure to be on top of the noise control. It was very neat and clean and seemed comfortable to be in. There were huge signs to make it easier to find and locate books by catagories. When searching for a book it was easy to find by the call numbers located on the bottom spine of the books. What I liked least about the library was that it did not have the Library of Congress Reference Books and they sent me to Norwalk library which also didn't have the Library of Congress Reference Books.