Yale University Library Orientation

Although libraries traditionally separate resources according to their formats - print materials from microtext, electronic resources from print, visual materials from audio, and, in some cases, books from periodicals - they attempt to counteract these artificial separations with a variety of tools, including Abstracts, Almanacs, Bibliographies, Catalogs, Databases, Encyclopedias, Finding aids, Guides, and Indexes, all of which are designed to identify and point to information.

Like many university libraries, Yale has branch and departmental libraries, area collections, and special collections that collect primary and secondary materials related to designated subject areas, regardless of format. Subject specialists at these libraries and collections can direct you to a variety of relevant sources.

Many scholars do not take advantage of the tools that have been created to provide access to information. They tend to rely on looking at footnotes in sources they already know, browsing the stacks, or searching catalogs in inefficient ways. Most librarians are not experts in the content of disciplines, but they are trained to understand the available systems and methods of locating the content. Consulting the Research Guides created by Yale librarians will help you understand what tools are available to facilitate your research.
Researching a topic in four easy steps

Sterling Memorial Library and the Cross Campus Library, 120 High Street on Rose Walk, 2-1775 (Location).
Meet at the Reference Desk in Sterling Library. All tours begin at 3:00 p.m.

Arts Library, 180 York St., 2-2645 (Location). Tours meet at the circulation desk (432-2645) and last approximately one hour. No advance registration is required. The Arts Library is in the Art + Architecture Building, 180 York Street, 1st floor.

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (121 Wall St., 432-2972)
Tours for new students and faculty begin at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays in September and last approximately 30 minutes. Please meet at the reception desk on the ground floor. After September, contact beinecke.library@yale.edu to schedule an orientation tour.

British Art Center Reference Library and Rare Books/Prints and Drawings Study Room, 1080 Chapel Street (corner of Chapel and High Streets), 2-2818 (Location). All tours begin at 4:00 p.m. and last approximately 30 minutes.

Chemistry Library , Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, 225 Prospect St., Room 183, 2-6144 (Location).

Cross Campus Library see Sterling Memorial Library and the Cross Campus Library

Divinity School Library, Sterling Divinity Quadrangle (SDQ), 409 Prospect St., 2-6374 (Location).

Engineering & Applied Science Library, Becton Center, 15 Prospect St., First Floor, 2-2928 (Location).

Geology Library, Kline Geology Laboratory, 210 Whitney Ave., Room 328, 2-3157 Location.

Kline Science Library, 210 Prospect, Kline Biology Tower basement, 2-3439. (Location).

Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library, Cowles Reference Center, SML 150, 2-1744 (Location). Tours last approximately one hour.

All workshops are held on Thursday afternoon and start at 1pm. The sessions and are generally designed to last 1.5 - 2 hours, with time for addressing specific needs after the tutorial sessions. The exception is the Introductory session, which is designed to last 2.5-3 hours.

All workshops will be held in the Library Electronic Classroom, which is located at Sterling Memorial Library, Room 609 until the Cross Campus Library renovation has been completed (sometime in October) when the workshops will be moved to the CCL Electronic Classroom 1a.

Map Collection Fall 2007 GIS Workshop Schedule is shown below.

REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOPS HERE!

Introduction to GIS Mapping and ESRIs ArcGIS Software.
9-6-2007, 9-13-2007, 10-25-2007, 11-1-2007

An introduction to the basic concepts of creating, managing and analyzing explicitly spatial data within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework. Included is a step-by-step, "hands on" introduction to using spatial data within ESRIs ArcGIS software. Topics will include: Spatial Data Models, Spatial Relationships, The ArcMap User Interface, Thematic Mapping Using Symbology, and Simple Analysis Using Complex Selection Methods.

Finding GIS Data & Preparing It For Use.
9-20-2007, 11-8-2007

Geographic data can come from a variety of sources, including your own database files and spreadsheets, federal, state and local governmental agencies and commercial vendors. This workshop will focus upon dependable sources of commonly used GIS data, common data file formats, projections & coordinate systems, scale, aggregation, metadata, and issues of sources and citation. Special Attention will be given to downloading and preparing Census data for use in GIS software.

From Non-Spatial Data to Spatial Data. Geocoding & Georeferencing in ArcGIS.
9-27-2007

This workshop provides the skills necessary for turning non-spatial data, such as street addresses and scanned maps, into explicitly spatial data for use in GIS analysis. Topics include: The TIGER Data Model, Collecting Useable Address Data, The Geocoding Process, Troubleshooting Problem Addresses, Using Offsets, Scanning and Georeferencing of Paper Maps, and Display of XY Data.

GPS & GIS: Collecting Spatial Coordinates and Using them in ArcGIS.
10-18-2007

A workshop designed to introduce the participant to the use of consumer-grade GPS equipment for the collection of explicitly spatial data for analysis within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework. Topics include: The Global Positioning Satellite System, Coordinate Systems, Minimizing Measurement Error, and Converting Tabular Data to ESRI Shapefiles.

Raster: The Other GIS Data.
10-4-2007

The Raster Data Model provided an effective means of characterizing spatially continuous phenomena, such as elevation, temperature, precipitation and other environmental and climatic characteristics. This workshop provides a targeted introduction to the tools available in ArcGIS for creating, managing and analyzing data in raster form. Topics include: Introduction to Spatial Analyst, Map Algebra and the Raster Calculator, Surface Analysis, and Combining Vector & Raster Data in Analysis.

Editing in ArcGIS: Creating and Altering Spatial Data.
11-15-2007

The objective of this workshop is to provide participants with hands on experience with editing in ArcGIS (or doing "heads-up" digitizing), to provide an appreciation of the issues involved in editing to maintain topological consistency and to demonstrate the steps which may be involved in creating a new, spatially accurate coverage.

Creating Map Layouts in ArcGIS.
11-29-2007

This workshop will introduce the ArcGIS tools available for creating effective map layouts that are capable of clearly conveying the results of GIS analysis to an audience. Topics include: Symbolization, Advanced Labeling, Annotation, Using Graphics in Layouts, Cartographic Elements, and Grids & Graticules.

Classic Cartographic Techniques in ArcGIS.
12-6-2007

One of the drawbacks of the computer revolution in mapping is the decline in attention to cartography as a graphic art. Working in the Yale Map Collection exposes one to the most beautiful cartography ever produced. This workshop is intended to provide the participant with an appreciation of the graphic and cartographic techniques used in classic cartography and the tools to reproduce some of these elements in their own cartographic work. Topics will include: Coastal & Lacustrine Vignettes, Depiction of Topography, Use of Color in Thematic Mapping, Decorative Typography and Creating Custom Cartographic Elements.

This announcement is also available at http://www.library.yale.edu/MapColl/beta/gis_workshop_announce.html

Mathematics Library, (Leet Oliver Memorial Hall, 3rd Floor. 12 Hillhouse Avenue. (Location).

Medical Library, (Cushing/Whitney Medical Library), 333 Cedar Street 785-4356 or 737-4065 (Location).

Music Library (Gilmore Music Library), First floor, Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High Street, 2-0492 (Location). All tours begin at the Music Library circulation desk.

Social Science Libraries and Information Services, (140 Prospect Street, 432-3301 (Location).The Social Science Libraries and Information Services includes the Government Documents and Information Center, the Economic Growth Center collection, the Social Science Data Archive, and the Mudd Library. All tours begin at the Social Science Library Reference Desk (140 Prospect Street).