The website I have chosen for this competency is Overbooked: a Resource for Omniverous Readers. You can find it at www.overbooked.com. I located this website using the search engine www.google.com.
Overbooked is a site that offers many resources for anyone interested in adult fiction. The site offers such things as a list of starred reviews and a notable books list. You can look up recommended books by genre, or even download and excel file of hot titles.
If you sign up for an account with Overbooked you will get access to their database of authors. Although the database is still growing, such a resource could come in handy for such things as programs involving author visits.
Overbooked also offers numerous links to Reader's Advisory sites. This service comes in very handy when trying to find a patron a book that is similar to one they like.
Overall, Overbooked is a great resource that can help answer patrons' inquiries regarding what to read, as well as offering information that can help with programming and collection development.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Competency #8
This graph shows the program attendance statistics for the Fresno County Library from 1998 to 2008. I chose this image because one area of public library service that I am interested in is adult programming. This graph gives the program attendance over time for both children and adults. It is very interesting to be able to compare the two. It lets you see that adult program attendance is lower, and therefore it possibly needs more promotion, or newer and more interesting programs to encourage adult participation. It is also very ineresting to see that attendance has increased over time.
I would be very interested in getting adult program attendance information for the library system where I work. Such information could help plan future programs and future marketing techniques.
Copyright Information: (2008). Fresno County Publi Library. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from the Fresno County Library website: http://fresnolibrary.org/help/measure/progstats2.html
Competency #7
My focus is on public libraries, and my area of interest is adult services. This includes such things as adult reading preferences, adult programming, and readers' advisories. To better understand this area of library service it helps to understand reading trends in the adult population.
The National Endowment for the Arts has conducted a study of literacy reading rates in adults from ages 18 to 75+, and covering the period of time from 2002 to 2008. The study has found that there has been a significant rise in literacy reading rates in adults. Information such as this can come in handy when working in the public library. It can effect such things as collection development and program planning. The more information you have about reading habits and trends, the better you can serve your patrons.
Copyright Information: (2009). Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from the National Endowment for the Arts website: http://wwwnea.gov/research/ReadingonRise/pdf
Friday, March 13, 2009
Competency #6
Competency #6: Building Block Search
For the first part of competency six I decided to search the Academic Search Complete Database using the Building Block method. I was looking for information on adult programming in public libraries. My starting single concepts were: adult, programs, and libraries. I limited my search to full text only, and only searched articles for the last two years.
My initial search returned 153 results.
Next, I identified terms for each of my original facets and combined them with Boolean operators. For example, I broke the facet 'programs' into (program or event or activity). This search produced 95 results, one of which was an article about what programs adults say they are interested in and how to ge adult patrons into the library. Very interesting!
I found the ASC database easy to use, but I did not like the Building Block search method. Depending on the original facets that you are searching for, there are only a limited number of terms that you can assign to each. It appeared to me that using these terms and combining them with Boolean operators did not change the search results very much. Maybe it would have more effect if I was searching for different information. While I was able to find an article with the information I had been lookig for, I would have preferred to use another search method.
Competency #6: Successive Fraction Search
For my second search I tried searching the Library Literature database using the Successive Fractions search method. I wanted to see if I could find any information on reader's advisories. For my first search I put in the broad term 'Reader's Advisory' and limited the search to full tect only.
I got 6 results, and 4 of them were exactly what I was looking for. I went ahead and narrowed the search using various limiting techniques. In this case I added 'not children' and 'not audio'.
This removed the two unwanted hits and left just the four that I was interested in.
The Library Literature database was straightforward and easy to search. The Successive Fraction method of searching was not very useful in this case because my first wide search terms found the results that I wanted and only produced a small number of hits. However, I could certainly see how it would come in very handy if you were searching a topic that returned a large number of hits that needed to be whittled down to just the information you were looking for. I believe this search method will come in very handy.
Competency #6: Citation Pearl Search
For search three I wanted to find information on funding for public libraries during these tough economic times. I did this by searching the Lexis database using the Citation Pearl search method. For my first search I used the terms public, library, and funding.
This search got 1000 hits, so I refined my search based on some of my results and added the terms 'cuts' and 'closings' to the search. This brought the number of hits to a more managable 152.
I then added 'not community' and 'not children'. I now had 80 results I could look through. One of the articles was from USA Today and was called Borrowed Time? Libraries stung as funding shrinks. It was exactly what I was looking for.
I did not find the design of the Lexis database to be very easy to use. The design was not very intuitive. Possibly because the layout is different than I am used to. I may find it easier with time and practice. The Citation Pearl method, however, I did find very easy to use. It was a great tool to help limit the number of hits to a manageable size so I could look through and find the one I was interested in.
Competency #6: Browsing Search
For my final search I performed a Browsing Search using the WorldCat database. I decided to browse for a good fiction book to read since I have a strong interest in adult literature. I started by simply searching for 'fiction' under keyword and limiting my search to books only, and the audience to 'not juvenile'.
This produce 1,435,379 results - more than I could read in one evening! I then added the tern 'historical' to the keyword search, which reduced the number of hits to 71,639. I had a look through some of the results and then added the term 'Egypt', which took me to 964 results.
For the final search I changed 'Egypt' to 'Ancient Thebes' and got 14 hits. All of them looked good and I was able to choose one I wanted to read.
I have used WorldCat many times and was quite familiar with how it works. The browsing search method has both advantages and drawbacks. It is a wonderful way to look around at what is available and make new discoveries of books and information you didn't even know you were looking for. However, if you are in need of specific data in a short amount of time, this is not the search method to use. It can be time consuming and unspecific.
Competency #6: Conclusion
There are many different databases and many different search methods that you can use to find the information you need. The trick is deciding which search method will best fit the database you are using, the search that you are performing, and the information you are looking for. With a little practice, you can learn the best way to find the desired information in a timely manner.
For the first part of competency six I decided to search the Academic Search Complete Database using the Building Block method. I was looking for information on adult programming in public libraries. My starting single concepts were: adult, programs, and libraries. I limited my search to full text only, and only searched articles for the last two years.
My initial search returned 153 results.
Next, I identified terms for each of my original facets and combined them with Boolean operators. For example, I broke the facet 'programs' into (program or event or activity). This search produced 95 results, one of which was an article about what programs adults say they are interested in and how to ge adult patrons into the library. Very interesting!
I found the ASC database easy to use, but I did not like the Building Block search method. Depending on the original facets that you are searching for, there are only a limited number of terms that you can assign to each. It appeared to me that using these terms and combining them with Boolean operators did not change the search results very much. Maybe it would have more effect if I was searching for different information. While I was able to find an article with the information I had been lookig for, I would have preferred to use another search method.
Competency #6: Successive Fraction Search
For my second search I tried searching the Library Literature database using the Successive Fractions search method. I wanted to see if I could find any information on reader's advisories. For my first search I put in the broad term 'Reader's Advisory' and limited the search to full tect only.
I got 6 results, and 4 of them were exactly what I was looking for. I went ahead and narrowed the search using various limiting techniques. In this case I added 'not children' and 'not audio'.
This removed the two unwanted hits and left just the four that I was interested in.
The Library Literature database was straightforward and easy to search. The Successive Fraction method of searching was not very useful in this case because my first wide search terms found the results that I wanted and only produced a small number of hits. However, I could certainly see how it would come in very handy if you were searching a topic that returned a large number of hits that needed to be whittled down to just the information you were looking for. I believe this search method will come in very handy.
Competency #6: Citation Pearl Search
For search three I wanted to find information on funding for public libraries during these tough economic times. I did this by searching the Lexis database using the Citation Pearl search method. For my first search I used the terms public, library, and funding.
This search got 1000 hits, so I refined my search based on some of my results and added the terms 'cuts' and 'closings' to the search. This brought the number of hits to a more managable 152.
I then added 'not community' and 'not children'. I now had 80 results I could look through. One of the articles was from USA Today and was called Borrowed Time? Libraries stung as funding shrinks. It was exactly what I was looking for.
I did not find the design of the Lexis database to be very easy to use. The design was not very intuitive. Possibly because the layout is different than I am used to. I may find it easier with time and practice. The Citation Pearl method, however, I did find very easy to use. It was a great tool to help limit the number of hits to a manageable size so I could look through and find the one I was interested in.
Competency #6: Browsing Search
For my final search I performed a Browsing Search using the WorldCat database. I decided to browse for a good fiction book to read since I have a strong interest in adult literature. I started by simply searching for 'fiction' under keyword and limiting my search to books only, and the audience to 'not juvenile'.
This produce 1,435,379 results - more than I could read in one evening! I then added the tern 'historical' to the keyword search, which reduced the number of hits to 71,639. I had a look through some of the results and then added the term 'Egypt', which took me to 964 results.
For the final search I changed 'Egypt' to 'Ancient Thebes' and got 14 hits. All of them looked good and I was able to choose one I wanted to read.
I have used WorldCat many times and was quite familiar with how it works. The browsing search method has both advantages and drawbacks. It is a wonderful way to look around at what is available and make new discoveries of books and information you didn't even know you were looking for. However, if you are in need of specific data in a short amount of time, this is not the search method to use. It can be time consuming and unspecific.
Competency #6: Conclusion
There are many different databases and many different search methods that you can use to find the information you need. The trick is deciding which search method will best fit the database you are using, the search that you are performing, and the information you are looking for. With a little practice, you can learn the best way to find the desired information in a timely manner.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Competency #5
This week's competency is about tagging. 'Tags' are words used to describe a book. They can be added by people who have read the book. People can then use these tags to search for information in the area they are interested in. Here is an example of a 'tag cloud'. or group of tags:
2007(1) adventure(1) At J's(1) Bibliography(1) book lists(2) book lovers(1) books(2) books about books(2) Books and Reading(1) crime(1) discard(1) eBay(1) fantasy(1) fr0(1) genre(1) genre fiction(2) Genres(1) historical(1) historical fiction reference(1) home(1) horror(1) librarianship(2) Library Reference(1) library school(1) library science(4) literature(1) non-fiction(4) office(1) own(2) paperbackswapped(1) professional(1) professional development(1) reader's advisory(8) reference(5) romance(1) science fiction(1) signed(1) textbook(1) western(1) writing shelf
These tags can be found at LibraryThing. www.librarything.com
This is the tag cloud for a book called Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction by Diana Tixier Harold. I chose this book because it is very help in my interest area of adult literature and read-alikes. The book defines genres such as genres as crime, adventure, romance, western, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, gives sub-genres, and lists authors and titles for each genre. This information is very useful for finding books for patrons who only like certain genres, or for recommending a book to a patron who wants a title similar to another book they have read.
2007(1) adventure(1) At J's(1) Bibliography(1) book lists(2) book lovers(1) books(2) books about books(2) Books and Reading(1) crime(1) discard(1) eBay(1) fantasy(1) fr0(1) genre(1) genre fiction(2) Genres(1) historical(1) historical fiction reference(1) home(1) horror(1) librarianship(2) Library Reference(1) library school(1) library science(4) literature(1) non-fiction(4) office(1) own(2) paperbackswapped(1) professional(1) professional development(1) reader's advisory(8) reference(5) romance(1) science fiction(1) signed(1) textbook(1) western(1) writing shelf
These tags can be found at LibraryThing. www.librarything.com
This is the tag cloud for a book called Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction by Diana Tixier Harold. I chose this book because it is very help in my interest area of adult literature and read-alikes. The book defines genres such as genres as crime, adventure, romance, western, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, gives sub-genres, and lists authors and titles for each genre. This information is very useful for finding books for patrons who only like certain genres, or for recommending a book to a patron who wants a title similar to another book they have read.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Competency #4
For competency #4 we will be learning about RSS feeds and adding one to our blog. I have chosen to add the RSS feed from the Booklist Online Blog: Likely Stories (http://blog.booklistonline.com/feed/). The Booklist blog is a wonderful source of information on publishing, book titles, and anything dealing with the literary world. It is a very useful resource for anyone working in a public library.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Competency #3
For our third competency we will be dealing with podcasts. Podcasting has become a popular way for libraries to get information to their patrons. Patrons can listen to podcasts on a variety of topics such as book reviews, author’s readings, or programming events.
Podcasts are also a way for librarians to get useful information. I love helping patrons find a good book to read, but sadly I don’t have enough time to do that much reading these days. I find that podcasts of book reviews are very helpful in keeping up with books that have been published recently so that I can then recommend them to patrons. Podcasts are also very helpful for keeping up with what is going on at other libraries and for coming up with programming ideas.
Using Google http://www.google.com/ I looked at a number of sites that had podcasts available. The best site I found was the website http://www. LibrarySpot.com. Its podcast section offered a wide variety of interesting links to podcasts on everything from book reviews on the “All About Books” program on NPR (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=10050999 ), to ‘Podictionary’ which gives a history of words you thought you knew (http://podictionary.com/ ), to podcasts about events happening at the British Library (http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/downloads/index.html).
Resources like this are very helpful to me in my work. I can use them to develop new programs, to get online training, and to expand my knowledge of available fiction and recently published books. All of which lets me provide better service to my patrons.
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