BLOG # 7 MY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Lillian Boatwright
English 101
May 28, 2010
BLOG # 7

MY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Frustrating experience:
In the beginning of my first research paper, it was somewhat frustrating and time consuming, but at the end of my research journey, it was rewarding. When I first set out to find books about bottled water at LaGuardia’s library, it was frustrating because the library didn’t have any books that pertained to my topic. So the next step for me to do was to go online and search for books about bottled water at another library. I came across The New York Public library which supplied the books I needed for my research paper. I traveled all the way to the city (42nd street on 5th Ave because that was the location that had the books) but to my surprise that branch didn’t carry the books I was looking for, the 34th street branch had the books. After traveling from LaGuardia to the city and walking from 42nd to 34th street, I finally was able to obtain the books about bottled water.

Positive experience:
In doing my first research paper, I found many interesting articles and books that have given me knowledge about the topic I was writing about. I learned so much about bottle water, tap water and the politics behind the whole water industry that felt I confident in writing my first research paper. The library’s media resource center was a very helpful tool in starting my paper. I found the staff to be very helpful and knowledgeable about research papers. I learned how to quote in my paper and how to cite my sources. In addition, I learned about plagiarism and paraphrasing other peoples written work. This experience has taught me how to try different avenues when I can’t find the information that I need. The most useful skill in doing my paper was having access to the school’s library resources such as the computers, staff, and the library’s media center website. The most important thing I need to work on is learning how to manage my time in writing my paper and become a better writer.