FOR 356: Recreation Resource Planning

Plan ahead!

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:27:24 -0700

In general, the first week of classes is a good time to be sure you are familiar with the range of library services and resources related to your class and to assure yourself that you can:

Use the OSU Libraries catalog to see what books and reports are available on your topic.
Use the "Summit" catalog to see what books and reports are available on your topic in Oregon/Washington and request them electronically if needed.
Use the research oriented databases to locate scholarly writings on your topic and,
- if available, access these articles directly as pdf files or,
- if available in paper at OSU, request a copy of the article be sent to you, or
- if unavailable at OSU, request an "interlibrary loan" so that you will receive the article from another library.

As you read your articles from the extensive list provided by your instructor:

try to locate one or more of the items listed in the bibliography of references at the end of that article.
- This is taking you back in time from the original article.
- Recall that it is the journal title (not the title of the article) that is needed to identify the location of an item in the library.
Next you might want to try the reverse strategy and see who has cited one of these articles since it was written.
- To do this, use the cited reference feature of the Web of Science database.
- This brings you forward in time;
- In general, the more an article is cited, the greater its "impact" is considered to be;
- If an article continues to be cited over a long period of time (decades) it may be considered part of the "core" literature for that field.
- Of course it will be difficult to assess the long term impact of an article that has only been in print for a few years.

The process of looking for one or two good references on a topic can provide you with a lot of background information about databases that might be useful. It is also a time to make use of the new terminology you are using in class.
Throughout the quarter, compile a bibliography of readings that is as useful and relevant to your group project as possible. Use multiple resources:

Your extensive class reading list is a place to begin.
GoogleScholar is useful but it is only one tool.
Library databases may take more effort, but they will also result in a better final product. Among other things, they usually have abstracts that can help you decide if an article will be useful before reading it.

Try to have your final "literature review" done at least 2 weeks before you plan to put your draft presentation together. In this way, if you need to request items via Summit or via interlibrary loan you must allowed time for the request to be processed and the item retrieved and sent to you via the mail if it cannot be sent electronically.

Useful Websites for Recreation Research

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:14:02 -0700

Follow the link to "read more" for some web resources that may be helpful for further study. Among them are many federal, state and local agencies as well as professional groups with a stake in planning activities.

Finding articles in the Recreation Resource Planning Literature

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:41:58 -0700

The Valley Library has several databases which index peer-reviewed journals relevant to topics in natural resource management and the social sciences including Recreation Research. The process of "peer-review" (sometimes called "refereeing") is discipline and journal specific. It assures that the articles which are published in these journals represent good scientific methodology and can be regarded as a contribution to the literature of that field of study. If in doubt about whether a journal contains peer reviewed articles, ask.

Most databases noted here index a high percentage of "refereed" journals and therefore a high percentage of peer reviewed articles. They may also include first hand reporting of research findings or state-of-the-art reviews from other sources such as federal agency reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, professional journals, etc. All of these may prove useful resources for your topic, though because this is a research methods course, you will want to place a high value on finding "peer reviewed" references.

Course Instructor

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:52:55 -0700

Jo Tynon

Accessing Library Databases

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:14:25 -0700

You want to make your case with the best evidence. The library purchases access to indexing databases which help you to identify articles on specific topics. Most databases are not freely available to the public and are only licensed to OSU Libraries for the OSU community of users. They are independent of the holdings of any one library.

To begin using these databases and locating articles in "peer reviewed" journals and other reliable resources, start on the OSU Libraries home page: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu,

Click on "Databases," and then on the first letter for the name of the database you want.
If you are not on campus, you will encounter the "ez-proxy server" asking you to "authenticate" yourself as a qualified OSU user by entering your ONID username and ONID password.
Apart from this, you should never be asked for a username nor a password while attempting to use a database. If you are asked for one, this is usually an indication that the ports are busy. Just try again later.

Instructor's Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:49:01 -0700

Theory and function of recreation resource planning. Techniques for collection, storage, analysis and display of planning data. Practice in use of recreation planning models.

Articulate a comprehensive definition of planning.
Assess different models for decision making that are referred to as planning.
Articulate the basic structure of integrated natural resource planning, ecosystem management planning, and the place of recreation in these forms of planning.
Integrate supply and demand in formulating recreation management plans.
Develop a management plan for a tract of land, with consideration of the relationship between people and resources in planning and design processes.
Apply informed and critical analysis to contemporary planning issues.
Critically evaluate planning problems and find workable solutions.

Four things to know about databases before you do your first search

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:23:58 -0700

If you are new to database searching or haven't searched for a year or so, follow the "more" link below for some tips.

Make the library work to your advantage

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:23:35 -0700

Even though you do not have a specific assignment requiring use of the OSU Libraries' resources, your assignments and future work as a professional will be enhanced by your ability to identify and effectively use information related to recreational resource planning that you find on your own.

Obtaining journal articles from OSU Libraries

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:46:08 -0700

The indexing databases are independent of the holdings of any one library so you should expect that OSU Libraries will not subscribe to or own every journals you need. If you find reference to an article but are asked to pay for it (maybe you tried Google Scholar), be sure to try the library first.
Citation Linker: If you have a reference and want to see if OSU Libraries subscribes to the electronic version of that journal (or some service that provides the full-text from that journal), click the E-Journals link on the Library's home page and look for the Citation Linker.
360 Link to Full Text: When you do a search in a database you should look for the "360 Link to Full Text" by each reference. Use this link to check if the library has a full-text version of the article. If not it will provide you with a link to check the library catalog so you can see if we have the journal in print. AND if we don't have either of these, you will find a link to the Interlibrary loan form needed to request it from another library.
Online Catalog: Not all references are in journals so if in doubt, try the library catalog. You can borrow most books and bound items or you can photocopy/scan what you need from them.
You may need to use Interlibrary loan (ILL) to obtain the articles but as explained above, we are trying to make that an easier process.

Selecting Databases to Search

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:12:55 -0700

When considering a database, it is important to be aware of its content including:

Subject coverage
Types of publications indexed in the database e.g., research journals, popular magazines, conference proceedings, government documents, etc.
Dates of coverage

All databases have accessible help pages that provide tips and advice for effective searching. Once you have done a search in one or more databases you should have a list of articles which are potentially relevant to your project topic.

Follow the "Read more" link below for useful databases for locating research findings in the field of Recreation.