How to Study

1. What collections are restricted in your library? 
2. Where would you find a biography of Herbert Hoover in your
local library? Where is the reference section in your local
library? 
3. Given the Dewey number for a book, could you find it in less
than five minutes? The Library of Congress number? 
4. How often have you been to the library in the past six
months? The past month? 
5. Do you know how to find books, periodicals, and so forth
using the library’s computerized card catalog? 
Score: If the answers to these questions are all obvious to you, indi-
cating a steady pattern of library use, then you can claim to have the
library habit—give yourself an A. If you’re unable to answer at least
four of the questions or will freely own up to a spotty record of library
use, give yourself a B. If you don’t have the faintest clue of where the
closest library is, give yourself a C.
Chapter 1
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How to Start Out Right
9

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Computer Skills
It’s virtually impossible now to succeed at almost any level of educa-
tion without complete mastery of the computer. But knowing how
to use a computer is just the beginning. You have to know how to use
it to study more efficiently and more effectively. That includes learn-
ing how to write better papers, keep your schedules, and taking
advantage of the almost limitless research possibilities available online.
Score: If you are capable of doing just about anything online short of
hacking the Pentagon, and have made your computer equipment a
key tool in your quest for more efficient studying and better grades,
give yourself an A. If you are adept at word processing and playing
games and at least can get online, but have never used 75 percent of
the other tools on your computer and “wipe out” more often than
surf, give yourself a B. If you don’t even know what “being online”
means and need four minutes to figure out how to turn your com-
puter on, give yourself a C.
Note Taking
Different arenas—at home with your textbooks, in the classroom, at
the library, and online—require different methods of note taking.