The Oxford Guide to Library Research

I have a little librarian crush on Thomas Mann.

He is excellent at communicating the logic of his ideas. He presents a wonderful overview of research methods. To some extent he may be considered a traditionalist. But he makes a well-reasoned case for understanding and using a variety of search methods.

This guide does get a little list-y, as most reference how-to books do. However, even when these resources become outdated, the methods and principles will remain applicable.

This was a textbook for school, so I’m finished for now, but I plan to keep it as a research reference. I haven’t read every chapter, but I’ve read enough to want to own it, because the content is really good, and it’s not a snooze to read.
For class, we were downloading individual chapters, but I really wanted the whole book and discovered it in ebook form for $9.99 on Amazon. I was surprised at such a low price for a school textbook and snapped it up.
There are a lot of good tips for searching effectively online, in OPACs, databases and web search. I can never remember the tricker Boolean stuff, and this book covers it in detail.
This is a great resource I’m planning to put to use in future classes.

Mann’s Oxford Guide to Library Research is a comprehensive and practical guide for all levels of research and researchers. The guide is based on Mann’s experience working with patrons and materials during his years as a librarian and as a private investigator. His goal is to give readers the tools to experience all levels in the hierarchy of learning (data, information, opinion, knowledge, and understanding), and ultimately to help them achieve a greater wisdom through research. He does this by exploring material types (encyclopedias, for example), explaining how to use subject headings properly, how to browse, how to use indexes, how to properly search by keyword, and so on until it seems that all of the tricks available to show more researchers have been exhausted.
Mann emphasizes the importance of in-depth searching. He often argues that basic internet searches are inefficient. The common misconception that “everything” is on the internet is debunked by many of the real life examples he sites in the book, including the example on lighthouse libraries, which the author was only able to find successfully after he physically leafed through a few books. Although these examples are very helpful for the reader, one cannot help but sense the author’s frustration (and judgment) when dealing with uninformed researchers. Despite the intimidating tone, this work goes a long way in turning the uninformed into the informed. In each chapter Mann lists dozens of potential resources from the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors to Wilson’s Library Literature to the Columbia Journalism Review Inflation Calendar .
Unfortunately, due to the nature of a printed book, some of the sources are possibly outdated, as well as the database format examples. But the spirit of the author’s intention, to teach people how to use these databases and where to find certain resources, should enable readers to follow along and still be able to find the suggested resources. Finally, the appendix on “Wisdom” seems out of place. Although it is interesting to read the author’s thoughts on the final level of the hierarchy of learning, the appendix seems tangential to an otherwise great resource for researchers of all levels. show less

An authoritative and practical guide on how to navigate library systems, catalogs, and databases effectively. Essential for students and researchers.

An excellent book on searching in libraries (online and offline). It is extremely thorough with very many great tips and references. Also, it well written and easy to read. I had it for my Online Searching class in library school and everyone loved reading it!

I cannot say enough about how well-written and informative Mann's text is. I don't know how I got through high school, much less college and a required senior thesis, without this book (except that it hadn't been published yet).

Written more as a guide for students needing to learn how to use a library rather than for librarians. However, it needs to be updated to be of use.