Searching Techniques, Databases, Catalog & Newspapers Frederic Murray, M.L.I.S. Instructional Services Librarian Al Harris Library SWOSU
Jan 21, 2016
Searching Techniques, Databases, Catalog & Newspapers
Frederic Murray, M.L.I.S. Instructional Services LibrarianAl Harris Library SWOSU
Define: Catalog, Database, Indexes
• A comprehensive list of the books, periodicals, maps, and other materials in a given collection.
• A large, regularly updated file of digitized information related to a specific subject or field.
• An alphabetically arranged list of headings consisting of the personal names, places, and subjects treated in a specific work.
Search Techniques
• Keyword • Basic Boolean
Keywords
• Flexible terms• Easy searches• Less accurate
searches
Identifying Keywords
• Identify the significant terms and concepts that describe your topic from your thesis statement or research question.
• These terms will become the key for searching catalogs, indexes, and databases for information about your subject.
Other Keywords
• Identify the synonyms and antonyms to your keywords
• Use a thesaurus • Use database tools like limiters
and subjects
Keyword Phrases: Examples
• Death Penalty
– Lethal injection – Gov. George Ryan – Cruel and unusual
punishment – Amnesty
International – Stanley (Tookie)
Williams
• Government Bailout
– Bear Stearns– Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac– Housing bill– Savings and loan
crisis– Henry Paulson – Subprime
mortgages
Class Exercise
• Keyword Building ExerciseTopic: Vietnam War
• Thesaurus.com
Vietnam War
Indochina
Vietnam
Southeast Asia
America LBJ
France
China Ho Chi Minh
Kennedy
Boolean
• AND = Narrow
• OR = Expand
• NOT = Exclude
Databases
• A large, regularly updated file of digitized information related to a specific subject or field.
• This is where we find Journal Articles
• This is where most of your research will take place
Searching in Databases
• Keywords with Boolean • Subject terms from thesaurus• Limiters: date, peer reviewed,
geography, and full text
Article Sources
General Article and subject databases
Article Databases
Exercise
• ASC Database Worksheet
Why Use Newspaper Databases ?
• Search
• Cost
Newspaper Databases (before 1975 use a paper index)
• New York Times (1851–2004)• LexisNexis Academic• America’s Newspapers
(Newsbank)• Newspaper Source (EbscoHost)
NEW TERM: RELEVANCY
Ranking System
Beginning with 100% decreasing to 0%
Newspaper databases
Exercise
• Newspaper Worksheet
SWOSU Catalog
Thanks!