How do students identify an appropriate expert or association? One method of identifying experts is to use a reference directory such as the Encyclo- pedia of Associations. This encyclopedia is indexed by the title and keyword for each organi- zation. Entries show contact information and the scope of the organizations’ activities. It is helpful to note that not all associations make information freely available to the public. Many limit informa- tion to members only.
Goal: In exercise 33 students will learn to identify experts and organizations that can provide information about a specific topic.
Description: For this exercise, have students use a directory of associations in paper format or on-line. Students will identify individuals and orga- nizations appropriate to their paper trail topic or to the instructor’s assigned topic. The exercise may simply familiarize students with this type of direc- tory or may instruct students to contact their
Other Tools for Research
C H A P T E R E I G H T X X X X X X X X X
chosen organizations and ask for information to be sent to them.
Tips for conducting the exercise: We have used the Encyclopedia of Associationsand its on-
line counterpart, Associations Unlimited. Any similar directory will work.
This exercise addresses ACRL Standard 2, Parts 1, 2, and 3.
E X E R C I S E 3 3
Finding Experts and Organizations
For this assignment you may use either the print copy of the Encyclopedia of Associations or the web version, which can be found on the Library Web Resources list under the title Associations Unlimited.
Look through the listings and select three for experts or associations most closely related to your topic. Report the information in the format requested below, giving specific infor- mation for each expert or organization.
Name of Organization: __________________________________________________________
Contact Information: ____________________________________________________________
Description of What the Organization Does (scope) ________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Web Address: __________________________________________________________________
Now go to the web site for each expert or association. Is there any relevant information there? Print it out and attach it to this worksheet or describe it on the back of this page.
Contact one expert or association, using phone, mail, e-mail, or fax and ask them to send you information on your topic. Or create a list of short questions you’d like your expert or association to address. Attach the contact information and the list of questions (if relevant) to the response you receive and submit.
Statistics
Another type of information that can be useful in research is statistics. Statistics are facts and data.
Statistics is also the science that deals with collec- tion, classification, analysis, and interpretation of facts and or data. Our world is filled with statistics.
Every individual in the United States is counted in the census, has a Social Security number, lives in a ZIP code area, has an account of one sort or another, goes to school, has a flu shot, registers a car, or becomes a statistic in some other way. The U.S. government is the largest compiler of statisti- cal information in the world. Many other groups and individuals collect statistics as well.
Types of Statistics
Descriptive statistics use numbers to summarize the information collected concerning a particular situation. For example: A random sample of stu- dents was taken at a university campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Of those questioned, 15 percent used Five Star notebooks for their course note-taking. This descriptive statistic is a kind of shorthand for what actually happened. One hundred forty students at the university campus in Providence, Rhode Island, were asked what kind of notebook they used for notetaking. Twenty-one of those students used Five Star notebooks. Doing the math required to change these numbers into a percentage resulted in the descriptive statistic above.
Statistical inference is the use of numbers to make generalizations or predictions about what a large group of people will do based on what a smaller group of people did. For example: Using the raw data above (of 140 Rhode Island students, 21 use Five Star notebooks = 15 percent use Five Star notebooks), statistical inference might claim that on the basis of the information collected that 15 percent of all university students in New England capital cities use Five Star notebooks.
This statistic implies that students in New England capital cities use Five Star notebooks, even though students in only one New England capital city were questioned. Statistical inference might use the Providence statistic to infer some-
thing about a larger population. Claims made through statistical inference must be examined very carefully for accuracy and probability. There may be forces at work in Providence causing uni- versity students there to buy Five Star notebooks that do not extend to all New England cities. To infer that what happens in Providence happens elsewhere in New England may be inaccurate or even incorrect. The sample size for the study of notebook use was fairly small—only 140 students were questioned. It might be that those students all live in the vicinity of the same mall that carries Five Star notebooks. Or perhaps the students sur- veyed were all contacted at the same time of day.
Those students taking day classes might have dif- ferent options for purchasing Five Star notebooks than those who attend classes at night. A survey of a larger number of people over a longer period of time might give very different results, which would then change what could be inferred from the statis- tic collected.
WHERE DO STATISTICS COME FROM?
The U.S. government is the largest collector and compiler of statistics in the world. Government agencies collect their own statistics. For example, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics are all government agen- cies specializing in the collection of statistics.
In the international community, there are inter- governmental organizations that collect data as well. For example, the United Nations, the World Bank/International Monetary Fund, and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) are all intergovernmental agencies cooperating to collect data on a global scale.
Professional, trade, and special interest orga- nizations also collect statistics. The American Library Association, the American Medical Asso- ciation, the American Marketing Association, the American Bar Association, the Beer Institute, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and the Toy Industry Association all are organizations that collect statistics.
There are also agencies, researchers, and indi- viduals that collect statistics for various purposes.
These groups or individuals tend to focus on spe- cific topics such as attitudes of high school stu- dents toward drug use, whether the death penalty should be abolished, how popular the president of the United States is, or what the most-watched shows on television are. Much research and data collection is done at universities or research insti- tutes or by opinion research firms. Results are reported in scholarly publications like journals and, in some cases, in the public media.
Strategies for Finding Statistical Information
When looking for statistical information, it is important to look for some key facts. The first question to ask is, Who would collect this informa- tion? For example, if we were looking for statistics on how many people were put to death in the United States last year under the death penalty laws, it would be necessary to consider what orga- nization or department of the government might gather and publish that statistic. The death penalty is administered at the state level, so it might be possible to check every state, but perhaps there is one place where the information is compiled. The federal government is likely to collect and compile the statistics from the states concerning the number of people put to death under the death penalty laws. What part of the federal government might do this? The department in charge of law enforcement might be a good place to start, so the Department of Justice is the logical place. This department has a Bureau of Justice Statistics.
While an individual may not know of the existence of this bureau, by following a logical thought process and looking for the existence of such a department or division, it should not be too diffi-
cult to find the name of an appropriate agency.
Many U.S. government agencies and departments have web sites, and they are all listed in various government manuals.
Another possibility for finding this statistic would be to identify an organization either in support of or in opposition to the death penalty.
These organizations would be sure to have the statistic, although it might be important to watch for possible manipulation in how they report or use that statistic. In fact, it might be a good idea to get the same statistic from more than one source to ensure the reliability of the number.
Organizations in favor of or against a certain cause are likely to be listed in the Encyclopedia of Associations.
Finally, it might be possible to find up-to-date statistics in a newspaper or magazine article about the death penalty. Newspaper indexes are avail- able in most libraries in paper, microform, or on- line formats.