ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES 
As students become more accomplished at doing research, they should recognize
the need for additional information other than more traditional printed sources, e.g.
electronic and hands-on resources. They may also use resources in and outside of the
school, including the school media center, public library, government and community
resources, museums, etc. Valuable information can also be accessed by interviewing people
such as teachers, media specialists, parents, grandparents, peers and subject experts.
Moreover, it is important to learn that different resources contain different types of
information. Different types of reference books may contain either a general overview, or
specific detailed information, whereas information in magazines will be more up to date.
IDENTIFYING RESOURCES
Predicting where they may find information is an crucial step for
students when doing research. They should think about potential sources of information,
e.g. through a brainstorming session. This will improve
students' information literacy skills and reinforce the need for multiple resources when
doing research. This list could include
 | printed resources, e.g. books, encyclopedias, journals,
magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, phone books, charts, maps, etc.,
|
| non-printed resources, e.g. discussions, interviews, surveys,
field trips, observations, etc.,
|
| electronic resources, e.g. audio- and video tapes, catalogs,
computer programs, CD ROM's, electronic databases, e-mail, online discussion groups,
Internet, etc., and
|
| hands-on materials and experiences, e.g. artifacts, experiments,
globes, models, etc.
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