I have been a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) since
2004, I think. When I was studying for my undergraduate degree, I took a
pretty even mix of on-campus and online classes. My graduate work has been
completed primarily online or through Eagle Vision (which is like a video
teleconference class). One thing that every class that I have taken through
ERAU is that the syllabus always recommends using the Jack Hunt Library
which is located at the main school campus in Daytona, FL. In fact, I have
even taken classes that mandate the use of the library in completing
research papers for the class. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately,
depending on your point of view), most of my instructors in the past have
been very lenient with that requirement because I honestly had no idea how
to actually use that particular library. I would always just do my research
in traditional ways - looking up articles online and finding books at the
local library - and claiming that the book was contained at the Hunt
Library. I was still pretty clever with it and would verify via the online
catalog that the library did indeed contain that book in case my instructor
checked.
Today, I finally completed the online training for the Hunt Library. You
know how us men can be. We often refuse to ask for directions or read the
instructions. (I know that I am not speaking for all men when I say that but
I do fit the humorous stereotype of being stubborn.) Just as when I finally
read the directions on how to use Windows 8, my mind was blown at how easy
it is to actually use our library. I remember reading/hearing in the past
that it was possible to have the library send you books via mail and I knew
that they published a few magazines and articles online but I thought that
was the extent of what could be done. After completing the online training,
I started to explore the resources available. I did a little test and
researched the topic of my last research paper on the topic of EMAS
(Enhanced Materials Arresting Systems - a form of soft collapsible concrete
places at the end of runways that will stop an aircraft from running off a
runway). I wish that I would have known how to use the Hunt Library before
because it returned 72 results. I really only looked at the first four of
them but two of those were excellent .PDF documents that were already in the
system. The databases also contained the statistics that I would have needed
to write my last research paper.
One area where I am still just a little unclear is with scholarly articles.
When I say that I am unclear, I don't mean that I don't understand what they
are. A "scholarly article" is one that has been written by vetted experts in
a field and study and usually has been peer reviewed. These can be articles
that appear in periodical journals or technical reports. The lack of clarity
that I have really is just more of an unfamiliarity. However, now that I
have finally selected the degree plan for me (Leadership), I am anxious to
incorporate scholarly articles into my research. I have tried to use search
engines such as Google and Yahoo in the past to find scholarly articles but
have often found myself linked to a website that requires that I give my
credit card information to download the article. I was able to open a few of
them through the Hunt Library without having to pay. This actually excites
me a little. Focusing on a discipline in graduate school is not the same as
undergraduate studies. Earning a masters degree means that one has actually
mastered a field of study. Within each field, new ideas are always being
introduced. The discipline of leadership is ever evolving. Books can take
months or even years to have published resulting in "fresh" ideas being
outdated. Having access to these articles means that I can see them as soon
as they are presented. Scholarly articles that are available through the
Hunt Library have all been filtered in some way. When I think about the
difference between using the library to search for them vs. a search engine,
I think of what my mother used to ask when I would pick up something off the
ground and put it in my mouth. "Spit that out! You don't know where it's
been!" Using a search engine kind of feels the same way. How do we truly
know the source? How do we know that it can be trusted?
Ultimately, I am a little upset with myself that it took me this long to
learn how to use the Jack Hunt Library. What an amazing resource that has
been right at my fingertips through my college education!
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