Competency 6 - Searching Databases (3rd Search)

Search Strategy 3 - Specific Facet First

Naive Question: What types of duties might elementary school librarians have?

For my 3rd search, I chose to use the specific facet first strategy. This strategy is good to use when you are not sure if there is much information available in regard to the question. I have searched this question using two other strategies in two different databases. In one database, I was not satisfied, while the 2nd search proved successful. With this type of mixed results, the specific facet first approach should work well.
Using this approach, you begin the search with the most unique facet. Each time you search you can add other facets as needed stopping when you feel that you have the most pertinent results.
As I've stated before, I have had difficulty choosing the main facets so using the specific facet first strategy will be good practice in this area.
I chose the Library Literature database which I have used before. I searched a question similar to this question with adequate but not great results. I want to see if my experience, the change in question, and the strategy improve my results.

Searching Library Literature:
I first chose facets and key terms. Next I searched the thesaurus to get for additional subject terms. N

Facet: duty/duties
Key terms: job responsibilities, roles
Thesaurus terms: duties of librarian

Facet: elementary school
Key terms: grade school
Thesaurus terms: Using the db's thesaurus, there were not additional relevant terms.

Facet: librarian*
Key terms: school librarian
Thesaurus terms: teacher-librarians, children's librarians, media specialist

Facet Retrieval Results:

ss1: (job responsibili* OR duties of librarian*) - 735 results

ss2: (elementary school OR grade school) 36 results

ss3: (school librarian* OR teacher librarian* OR children's librarian* OR media specialist) - 1689 results

Narrowing the search:

According to the specific facet first strategy, you should begin the search with the most unique facet that produces the least results. Next you add a second facet to produce more pertinent results. This process continues with you gradually adding facets as needed in order to retrieve the most relevant information. Following this strategy, I performed the following searches.

1st search
using the advanced search- subject headings
(elementary school OR grade school) AND (duties of librarian*)
Results: 0
Notes: This search provided no results. The term "grade school" seemed ambiguous; therefore, losing the focus of the search.

2nd search
using the advanced search - subject headings
(elementary school) AND (duties of librarian*)
Results: 2
Notes: I am still not getting any recall. The search is much too narrow to retrieve information relevant to the question.

3rd Search
using the advanced search - subject headings
(elementary school) AND (duties of librarian*) AND (school librarian* OR teacher librarian* OR children's librarian* OR media specialist)
results: 0
Notes: I am not having any success here. I noted earlier that "duties of librarian" was essentially the information I am seeking. However, I needed to try the other facets so that I don't miss any relevant information. In reflecting on this, I will create a search statement focusing primarily on the information being sought.

4th search
using the advanced search - subject headings
(duties of librarian*) AND (school librarian* OR children's librarian*)
results: 62
Notes: I am pleased with the outcome of this search. In scanning the information, I find many records pertinent to my search.

Conclusion:
I found this strategy and database worked really well for the information I was seeking. When I searched the thesaurus for duties, I found duties of librarian. This seemed almost spot on for what I was searching. The thesaurus was not much help for finding terms similar to elementary school. However; during the course of my search, I realized that this was not needed. When I next searched for librarian, I found school librarian and children's librarian. Those terms eliminated the need for elementary school in my search statement.
The terms "duties of librarian*" with the addition of "school librarian" was exactly the information I was seeking. I still performed the various searches using the strategy to gain a better understanding of that process. Just as I predicted, the search was too narrow to retrieve any relevant information. Once I used the searching statement that contained the best facets, I received a satisfactory retrieval list.
Sixty-two results is a good amount of information to sift through to find the best results. In self-reflection, I realize that I have had a difficult time choosing the main facets which has made many of my searching attempts frustrating. However, using the specifics facet first strategy was easier for me and helped me see how to pick the most unique facet. I also feel that this particular database was an excellent choice for my question which also made the searching process less frustrating. I want to apply what I have learned using this strategy to other strategies when choosing my facet and key terms.

My selections:

Coatney, S. (2008). Library Media Specialist - Not a Job for the Faint of Heart!. Teacher
Librarian, 35(3),57. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from Library Lit. & Inf. Full Text
database.

Harvey, C. (2009). What should an Administrator expect a School Library Media Specialist to
be?. Library Media Connection, 28(2),45. Retrieved March 20, 2010 from Library Lit &
Inf Full Text database.

Shankles, R. (2008). What a School Librarian Does All the Live-long Day...Arkansas
Libraries, 65(1),33-7. Retrieved March 20, 2010 from Library Lit & Inf Full Text
database.