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To succeed as searchers, all librarians require both a basic idea of how databases are put together, and a repository of concepts and techniques to draw upon. With such essentials well in hand, the searcher can plunge into almost any database that comes along and master its intricacies (and idiosyncrasies) in relatively short order. Bell's conversational style, coupled with her Searcher's Toolbox, promises increased flexibility and adaptability. This book will prove a handy guide for librarians in every conceivable information environment and across all levels of experience.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Acknowledgments(p. xiii)
• Preface(p. xv)
• 1 Database Structure for Everyone: Records, Fields, and Indexes(p. 1)
• Historical Background(p. 1)
• Indexing and Abstracting Services(p. 1)
• From Printed Volumes to Databases(p. 3)
• Database Building Blocks(p. 5)
• Fields and Records(p. 5)
• Quick Recap(p. 6)
• Beyond Fields and Records: Field Indexes(p. 6)
• Quick Recap(p. 11)
• Examples of Indexes(p. 11)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 16)
• 2 Working With Databases the Searcher's Toolkit: Part 1(p. 19)
• Searcher's Toolkit: Part 1(p. 19)
• Basic Tool no. 1 Boolean Logic(p. 19)
• Quick Recap(p. 23)
• Order of Boolean Operations(p. 23)
• Quick Recap(p. 25)
• Basic Tool no. 2 Controlled Vocabulary(p. 25)
• Basic Tool no. 3 Field Searching(p. 26)
• Terms in the Searching Lexicon(p. 27)
• Quick Recap(p. 29)
• Applying the Tools(p. 29)
• MasterFILE Select: Notes and Search Examples(p. 29)
• Boolean Logic: Advanced Search versus Basic Search(p. 34)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 34)
• Self Test(p. 36)
• 3 The Searcher's Toolkit: Part 2(p. 39)
• Searcher's Toolkit: Part 2(p. 39)
• Basic Tool no. 4 Proximity Searching(p. 39)
• Basic Tool no. 5 Truncation(p. 43)
• Common Truncation Symbols(p. 44)
• Quick Recap(p. 45)
• Basic Tool no. 6 Limits to Constrain Your Search(p. 46)
• One Last Search Tool: Case Sensitivity(p. 46)
• Basic Tool no. 7 "Pearl Growing"-A Useful Search Strategy(p. 47)
• Quick Recap(p. 48)
• Your Mental Toolkit(p. 48)
• Summary and Advice(p. 49)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 50)
• Suggested Reading(p. 50)
• 4 Social Science Databases(p. 53)
• Introduction to Subject Databases(p. 53)
• Library Literature & Information Science(p. 54)
• Background and Coverage(p. 54)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 54)
• Working with Results: Mark and Output(p. 61)
• Quick Recap(p. 62)
• ERIC via Firstsearch(p. 62)
• Background and Coverage(p. 62)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 63)
• Expert Search Interface(p. 71)
• Working with Results: Mark, Functions, and Output(p. 72)
• Quick Recap(p. 73)
• PsycINFO from Ovid(p. 74)
• Background and Coverage(p. 74)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 76)
• Working with Results: the "Results Manager"(p. 84)
• Additional Feature: The PsycINFO Thesaurus(p. 84)
• Quick Recap(p. 85)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 86)
• 5 Databases for Science and Medicine(p. 89)
• MEDLINE and PubMed(p. 90)
• MEDLINE(p. 90)
• PubMed(p. 95)
• PubMed-More than MEDLINE(p. 95)
• Introduction to the PubMed Interface(p. 96)
• Output in MEDLINE and PubMed(p. 102)
• Getting to the Full Text(p. 103)
• The Web of Science and the Citation Indexes(p. 103)
• History of the Citation Indexes(p. 104)
• Web of Science Content(p. 104)
• An Index Focused on Citations(p. 105)
• Additional Differences in Available Fields(p. 106)
• Searching the Web of Science(p. 107)
• Initial Settings(p. 107)
• Pause and Think(p. 116)
• E-mail, Print, Save, or Export Results(p. 116)
• Advanced Features: Advanced Search and Analyze(p. 118)
• Quick Recap(p. 119)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 119)
• 6 Bibliographic Databases(p. 123)
• WorldCat: The "OPAC of OPACs"(p. 124)
• Background and Coverage(p. 124)
• A Tool for Many Parts of the Library(p. 125)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 126)
• Quick Recap(p. 134)
• Your Local OPAC(p. 136)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 138)
• 7 Humanities Databases(p. 139)
• America: History and Life(p. 140)
• Background and Coverage(p. 140)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 140)
• Tagging and Output Options(p. 146)
• Special Features: CLIO Notes(p. 149)
• Quick Recap(p. 149)
• MLA International Bibliography(p. 149)
• Background and Coverage(p. 149)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 150)
• The Marked List and Output(p. 159)
• Additional Feature: Directory of Periodicals(p. 160)
• Quick Recap(p. 161)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 163)
• 8 Numerical Databases(p. 165)
• Finding Numbers(p. 165)
• Concepts About Numbers(p. 166)
• Quick Recap(p. 168)
• A Comment About Searching for Numbers(p. 169)
• LexisNexis Statistical(p. 169)
• Background and Coverage(p. 169)
• Notes and Search Examples(p. 171)
• Working with Results: "Tag" and Output(p. 180)
• Going from LexisNexis Statistical to Web Sites(p. 181)
• American FactFinder(p. 183)
• Background and Coverage(p. 183)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics(p. 187)
• Wages, Earnings, & Benefits at the BLS(p. 188)
• Occupations at the BLS(p. 190)
• Quick Recap(p. 192)
• Numbers and the Reference Interview(p. 192)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 193)
• Suggested Readings(p. 194)
• 9 Focus on People(p. 195)
• Part 1 Information Seeking Behavior(p. 196)
• Some Theoretical Background on "Information Seeking"(p. 196)
• Applied Research on Information Seeking Behavior(p. 198)
• Quick Recap(p. 201)
• Part 2 The Reference Interview(p. 201)
• What's the Real Question?(p. 202)
• Question Negotiation in the Reference Interview(p. 204)
• Beyond the Face-to-Face Reference Interview(p. 208)
• Why is the Reference Interview So Important?(p. 209)
• Quick Recap(p. 210)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 210)
• 10 Choosing the Right Resource for the Question(p. 213)
• Start With the Reference Interview(p. 214)
• Questions for Databases(p. 214)
• Overview(p. 214)
• Requests that Involve Articles(p. 215)
• Book Questions(p. 216)
• Business Questions(p. 216)
• Law Questions(p. 216)
• Medical Questions(p. 217)
• Quick Recap(p. 217)
• Choosing a Database(p. 217)
• Questions for the Web(p. 219)
• Personal Uses of the Web(p. 219)
• Professional Uses of the Web(p. 220)
• Quick Recap(p. 221)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 221)
• Suggested Reading(p. 222)
• 11 Evaluating Databases(p. 223)
• Basic Facts and Figures(p. 224)
• Initial Factual Information to Gather(p. 224)
• Testing and Benchmarking(p. 228)
• Testing(p. 228)
• Benchmarking(p. 233)
• Making a Request for Purchase(p. 234)
• What Does This Database Bring to the Institution?(p. 235)
• How Does This Database Complement the Existing Collection?(p. 235)
• Who Will Use the Database?(p. 235)
• Marketing the Database(p. 235)
• How Will the Purchase Be Funded?(p. 236)
• Addenda(p. 236)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 236)
• Suggested Reading(p. 237)
• 12 Teaching Other People About Databases(p. 239)
• Teaching Principles(p. 240)
• Principle 1 Teach to Your Audience(p. 240)
• Principle 2 Avoid Lecturing(p. 241)
• Principle 3 Wait for Answers(p. 242)
• Principle 4 Less is More(p. 242)
• Principle 5 "Transparency" in Teaching(p. 243)
• Principle 6 You Have the Right to be Wrong(p. 243)
• Principle 7 Teaching with Technology(p. 243)
• Principle 8 Practice(p. 244)
• Database Teaching Opportunities(p. 245)
• Teaching at the Reference Desk(p. 246)
• Teaching an Information Literacy Session(p. 247)
• A Staff Presentation(p. 250)
• The Full Semester Class(p. 251)
• Exercises and Points to Consider(p. 252)
• Suggested Readings(p. 253)
• References(p. 255)
• Index(p. 263)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Booklist Review

In this Internet age, database users soon learn how invaluable search strategies and effective search skills can be in the quest for information. This book suggests ways to obtain these skills while providing a general introduction to searching online environments. Starting with historical background, the author discusses database structure--records, fields, and indexes--and continues exploring basic search concepts, including Boolean logic, controlled vocabulary, proximity searching, and truncation. Subsequent chapters focus on commercial databases in specific subject areas. Other chapters examine information-seeking behaviors, reference interviews, database evaluation, and teaching others about databases. The content is practical, user-friendly, and enhanced by screen shots, exercises, and supplementary materials. Full of helpful advice and insightful commentary, this text is an outstanding reference tool. --Sean Kinder Copyright 2007 Booklist

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Suzanne S. Bell is Economics/Data Librarian in the Rush Rhees Library Reference Department at the University of Rochester