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.
