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Listen and Read: listen to the recording, answer the questions, and then read along with the audio recording.

Recently, I needed to find a book for one of my classes at the university, but I didn’t know if the university library had it in their collection, so I went to the library website and searched for the book online. You can search the library database either by subject, title, and author, and the website will tell you if the book is checked in or check out by another patron. In my case, the book was still available, so I went to the library the next day and found it on the shelves using the library catalog number. I then went to the circulation desk and checked the book out using my university ID card. In most cases, students and faculty can check out books for up to one month, and you can renew them if you still want to hang on to them. If you return them after that, then they are overdue, and you have to pay a late fee. If you lose a book, then you have to pay the cost to replace it. I often use the library and check out books instead of buying them if I can. Borrowing books can save you money in the long run.

Discussion

How much do you use a library to do research and write papers as compared with using the internet? Is using books a better resource than using online information to write papers? Why or why not?

Online Investigation

More and more websites contain complete texts of famous literary works, and thus, make it easier for students to read well-known books. Choose one of these works of literature, and see if you can use the internet to find the complete work:

• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Online Listening Practice (from www.esl-lab.com):

• Taped Library Tour: Listening Conversation