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.
Boys enjoying books!
Reading with smiles
Showing posts with label duties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label duties. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Competency 6 - Searching Databases (1st search)
Search Strategy 1 - Successive Fractions Approach
Naive Question: What types of duties might elementary school librarians have?
Previously I searched for duties of a librarian that pertained to curriculum, but I changed the topic a little to encompass any and all duties a librarian might have.
For my first search strategy I chose to use the successive fractions approach using the ERIC/First Search Database. I previously used this database and wanted to rely on those previous experiences to aid in this search. This particular database was user-friendly.
I have had some difficulty in creating a really good search statement on the first try in previous searches. Using the successive fractions approach will be a good strategy for helping me with this problem. According to this strategy, I am to begin broad and then narrow my search as needed.
This is my second time to complete this assignment. This time I applied information given to me by Dr. Perryman. I made sure that my facet and key terms were the same thing. This really helped narrow my search.
Searching ERIC/First Search:
I listed my facets and terms. Next, I used the database's thesaurus to search for similar terms.
Facets/Key Terms:
duties, librarian, elementary school
1st facet: duties
*initial terms - job descriptions, roles
**thesaurus terms - occupational information
2nd facet: librarian
*initial terms - school librarian, library media specialist
**thesaurus terms - medial specialist, library personnel
3rd facet: elementary school
*initial terms - grade schools
**thesaurus terms - schools
Key term results:
According to the successive fractions approach, my beginning facet would be the term that produced the greatest number of results. Therefore, I performed a subject search on each key term/facet phrase to determine which generated the most hits.
Using the advanced search option, I performed the following searches:
ss1 (using subject headings) - (duties OR job descriptions OR roles OR occupational information) - 9,498 hits
ss2 (using subject headings) - (librarian OR school librarian OR library media specialist OR media specialist OR library personnel) - 4, 320 hits
ss3 (using subject headings) - (elementary schools OR grade schools OR schools) - 130,602 hits
Narrowing the search:
In keeping with the successive fractions approach, I need to begin my search using the facet that produced the largest number of hits. From there I will narrow my search by gradually adding facets. Using this strategy, I performed the following searches in the advanced search mode using subject headings.
ss1: using the advanced search option and searching using subject fields:
(elementary schools OR grade schools OR schools) AND (duties OR job descriptions OR roles OR occupational information)
results: 901 hits
notes: The results had to do with all types of school personnel duties. I know that I need to narrow the search to include only the duties of a librarian.
ss2: (elementary schools OR grade schools OR schools) AND (duties OR job descriptions OR roles OR occupational information) AND (librarian OR school librarian OR library media specialist OR media specialist OR library personnel)
results: 8
notes: The results were far fewer than the previous searches. I felt that I was missing a lot of relevant information. I looked over the search statements and decided to apply truncation to expand my search some in hopes of retrieving pertinent information without adding a lot of junk to the retrieval list.
ss3: (elementary school* OR grade school* OR school*) AND (dut* OR job description* OR role* OR occupational information) AND (librarian* OR school librarian* OR library media specialist* OR media specialist* OR library personnel)
results: 67
notes: This was a much more successful search. In looking through the retrieval list, I was able to find a good selection of pertinent information. Applying truncation was a good next step.
Overall conclusion:
The successive fractions approach is easy to use even for a novice searcher. Using the thesaurus to find key terms and then searching each one to evaluate the results is beneficial to visual learners. From the beginning, one gets an idea of how much information is available on each term which helps guide the search.
This was my second time to go through this assignment. I learned a great deal by applying the changes Dr. Perryman suggested. I went back and made sure that my terms and facets were the same before performing my search. That alone really narrowed my search down considerably.
In hindsight, I should have applied truncation before my third search. However; this is a learning experience, and I wanted to document my search the way I went through the process. I feel this is an important aspect of self reflection.
In my previous search I used a keyword search at the end to acquire a better retrieval list. I did not have to do that this time. I learned that keyword is not a replacement for a good subject search. By following the information given to me and using the successive fractions approach, I was able to find a satisfactory list of pertinent information.
My selections:
Brodie, C. S. (2002). Evaluation of School Library media Specialist. School Library Media
Activities Monthly. 18(7), 34.
Riedling, A. M. (2001) In Search of Who We Are: The School Library Media Specialist in the
21st Century. Book Report. 20(3), 28-30,32.
Stephens, C., & Franklin, P. (2005). Managment Matters. Your Role as a School Library Media
Specialist. School Library Activities Monthly. 22(2), 45-46.
Naive Question: What types of duties might elementary school librarians have?
Previously I searched for duties of a librarian that pertained to curriculum, but I changed the topic a little to encompass any and all duties a librarian might have.
For my first search strategy I chose to use the successive fractions approach using the ERIC/First Search Database. I previously used this database and wanted to rely on those previous experiences to aid in this search. This particular database was user-friendly.
I have had some difficulty in creating a really good search statement on the first try in previous searches. Using the successive fractions approach will be a good strategy for helping me with this problem. According to this strategy, I am to begin broad and then narrow my search as needed.
This is my second time to complete this assignment. This time I applied information given to me by Dr. Perryman. I made sure that my facet and key terms were the same thing. This really helped narrow my search.
Searching ERIC/First Search:
I listed my facets and terms. Next, I used the database's thesaurus to search for similar terms.
Facets/Key Terms:
duties, librarian, elementary school
1st facet: duties
*initial terms - job descriptions, roles
**thesaurus terms - occupational information
2nd facet: librarian
*initial terms - school librarian, library media specialist
**thesaurus terms - medial specialist, library personnel
3rd facet: elementary school
*initial terms - grade schools
**thesaurus terms - schools
Key term results:
According to the successive fractions approach, my beginning facet would be the term that produced the greatest number of results. Therefore, I performed a subject search on each key term/facet phrase to determine which generated the most hits.
Using the advanced search option, I performed the following searches:
ss1 (using subject headings) - (duties OR job descriptions OR roles OR occupational information) - 9,498 hits
ss2 (using subject headings) - (librarian OR school librarian OR library media specialist OR media specialist OR library personnel) - 4, 320 hits
ss3 (using subject headings) - (elementary schools OR grade schools OR schools) - 130,602 hits
Narrowing the search:
In keeping with the successive fractions approach, I need to begin my search using the facet that produced the largest number of hits. From there I will narrow my search by gradually adding facets. Using this strategy, I performed the following searches in the advanced search mode using subject headings.
ss1: using the advanced search option and searching using subject fields:
(elementary schools OR grade schools OR schools) AND (duties OR job descriptions OR roles OR occupational information)
results: 901 hits
notes: The results had to do with all types of school personnel duties. I know that I need to narrow the search to include only the duties of a librarian.
ss2: (elementary schools OR grade schools OR schools) AND (duties OR job descriptions OR roles OR occupational information) AND (librarian OR school librarian OR library media specialist OR media specialist OR library personnel)
results: 8
notes: The results were far fewer than the previous searches. I felt that I was missing a lot of relevant information. I looked over the search statements and decided to apply truncation to expand my search some in hopes of retrieving pertinent information without adding a lot of junk to the retrieval list.
ss3: (elementary school* OR grade school* OR school*) AND (dut* OR job description* OR role* OR occupational information) AND (librarian* OR school librarian* OR library media specialist* OR media specialist* OR library personnel)
results: 67
notes: This was a much more successful search. In looking through the retrieval list, I was able to find a good selection of pertinent information. Applying truncation was a good next step.
Overall conclusion:
The successive fractions approach is easy to use even for a novice searcher. Using the thesaurus to find key terms and then searching each one to evaluate the results is beneficial to visual learners. From the beginning, one gets an idea of how much information is available on each term which helps guide the search.
This was my second time to go through this assignment. I learned a great deal by applying the changes Dr. Perryman suggested. I went back and made sure that my terms and facets were the same before performing my search. That alone really narrowed my search down considerably.
In hindsight, I should have applied truncation before my third search. However; this is a learning experience, and I wanted to document my search the way I went through the process. I feel this is an important aspect of self reflection.
In my previous search I used a keyword search at the end to acquire a better retrieval list. I did not have to do that this time. I learned that keyword is not a replacement for a good subject search. By following the information given to me and using the successive fractions approach, I was able to find a satisfactory list of pertinent information.
My selections:
Brodie, C. S. (2002). Evaluation of School Library media Specialist. School Library Media
Activities Monthly. 18(7), 34.
Riedling, A. M. (2001) In Search of Who We Are: The School Library Media Specialist in the
21st Century. Book Report. 20(3), 28-30,32.
Stephens, C., & Franklin, P. (2005). Managment Matters. Your Role as a School Library Media
Specialist. School Library Activities Monthly. 22(2), 45-46.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Competency 5 cont. -LIBRARY LITERATURE AND BOOKS IN PRINT
Naive Question: In a school library, what are the duties of the librarian in regards to curriculum?
I chose this question because I believe there are many misconceptions of the role of a librarian plays in a school's curriculum. I have heard so many times that all librarian do is check-out and shelve books. In researching this question, my goal is to shine light on the job that librarians are really responsible for especially in regards to technology and curriculum.
Searching Library Literature
I first chose 3 facets to begin the searching process. On the database, I used the thesaurus feature to locate some key terms. Using the information I gathered, I created a Boolean statement. When creating my statement, I chose to keep it focused as a result of previous experiences. I know how important that first statement is in the overall searching experience.
Facets: duties, librarian, curriculum
1st facet - duties
*initial terms - responsibilities
**thesaurus terms - duties of librarians (616 records)
2nd facet - librarian
*initial terms - school librarian, library media specialist
**thesaurus terms - school librarian, children's librarian, media specialist, teacher-librarians
3rd facet - curriculum
*initial terms - lesson, lesson planning, reading curriculum
**thesaurus terms - school libraries/relationships with teachers and curriculum
Boolean Statement:
(duties of librarians) AND (school librarian) AND (curriculum)
Search Results:
I used subject headings when performing all searches.
1. ss1 (duties of librarians) AND (school librarian) AND (curriculum)
2. result - 22 records
3. notes - I expected more results than 22; however, I was satisfied with the actual results. I looked through the records and was able to find many that pertained to my question. However, I felt for learning purposes I need to try different searches.
1. ss2 - (duties) AND (librarians) AND (curriculum)
2. result - 49
3. Notes - This 2nd searched yielded 49 results which is still a good number of results without a lot of junk to weed through. For this search, I feel that the first search did a good job of focusing on my particular question. I did not see anything extra in this search that was needed.
1. ss3 - Although I didn't need to perform a third search, I noticed on the left had column a statement that said "new search by subject". It contained a list of suggestions for new searches. One of the suggestions was school librarians/relationships with teachers and curriculum. I chose this search to examine.
2. result - 1609
3. notes - This 3rd search provided a large number of results. I don't feel that the quantity of this search was better than the quality of my other two. As I scanned through the results, I did not find any new or better information. However, I do like this particular feature. Sometimes when using the thesaurus and searches, one can tend to be either too vague or too broad. This feature would be helpful in those situations.
My Selection:
One article that I found captivating was called The Librarian as 21st Century Leader which really explains the involvement librarians should have in the curriculum. It explained how librarians are experts in the information and technology field. Thus, it is reasonable that they should be involved in developing and integrating these programs in the school. I believe information such as this demonstrates the importance of the duties of librarians. We do so much more than shelve books.
Pulley, M. (2008) The Librarian as 21st Century Leader. Colorado Libraries, 34(1), 28-31.
Retrieved February 20, 2010, from Library Lit. & Inf. Full Text database.
Searching Books in Print
I searched this database using the same facets and key terms as noted above. I was a bit perplexed when I first began. I initially searched just using the keyword search, but the outcome was insufficient. I ultimately spent time learning the different searching capabilities of the database. I found that under the browse button I was able to search using the subject (all) heading. I typed in (school librarian) AND (duties) AND (curriculum). I got zero results. I decided to simplify my statement. I typed in school librarian duties. The first category was school libraries so I chose it. It contained 1476 results all dealing with school libraries in some capacity. I went back to the search feature and tried several different subject searches, but they contained no results. I went to the the school library results. Although there was a lot of information, I was able to find some that pertained to my question. One book I thought was interesting is call Tales out of the School Library: Developing Professional Dispositions by Gail Bush. It provides tips to help librarians meet the needs of students. Curriculum was a prominent topic. Another title that caught my eye is called School Libraries Head for the Edge: Rants, Recommendations and Reflections by Doug Johnson. So much in school curriculum today is focused on technology, and Johnson give readers an idea of what the new trends are and how to implement them.
Bush, Gail. (2009. Tales out of the School Library: Developing Professional Dispositions.
Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited Incorporated.
Johnson, Doug. (2009). School Libraries Head for the Edge: Rants, Recommendations and
Reflections: Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, Incorporated.
Conclusion:
Searching both of these databases proved very helpful in finding information regarding librarians duties with a focus on curriculum. Although I had to take a different pat using Books in Print, I was satisfied with the end result. Both Library Literature and Books in Print were successful resources in my quest for information.
I chose this question because I believe there are many misconceptions of the role of a librarian plays in a school's curriculum. I have heard so many times that all librarian do is check-out and shelve books. In researching this question, my goal is to shine light on the job that librarians are really responsible for especially in regards to technology and curriculum.
Searching Library Literature
I first chose 3 facets to begin the searching process. On the database, I used the thesaurus feature to locate some key terms. Using the information I gathered, I created a Boolean statement. When creating my statement, I chose to keep it focused as a result of previous experiences. I know how important that first statement is in the overall searching experience.
Facets: duties, librarian, curriculum
1st facet - duties
*initial terms - responsibilities
**thesaurus terms - duties of librarians (616 records)
2nd facet - librarian
*initial terms - school librarian, library media specialist
**thesaurus terms - school librarian, children's librarian, media specialist, teacher-librarians
3rd facet - curriculum
*initial terms - lesson, lesson planning, reading curriculum
**thesaurus terms - school libraries/relationships with teachers and curriculum
Boolean Statement:
(duties of librarians) AND (school librarian) AND (curriculum)
Search Results:
I used subject headings when performing all searches.
1. ss1 (duties of librarians) AND (school librarian) AND (curriculum)
2. result - 22 records
3. notes - I expected more results than 22; however, I was satisfied with the actual results. I looked through the records and was able to find many that pertained to my question. However, I felt for learning purposes I need to try different searches.
1. ss2 - (duties) AND (librarians) AND (curriculum)
2. result - 49
3. Notes - This 2nd searched yielded 49 results which is still a good number of results without a lot of junk to weed through. For this search, I feel that the first search did a good job of focusing on my particular question. I did not see anything extra in this search that was needed.
1. ss3 - Although I didn't need to perform a third search, I noticed on the left had column a statement that said "new search by subject". It contained a list of suggestions for new searches. One of the suggestions was school librarians/relationships with teachers and curriculum. I chose this search to examine.
2. result - 1609
3. notes - This 3rd search provided a large number of results. I don't feel that the quantity of this search was better than the quality of my other two. As I scanned through the results, I did not find any new or better information. However, I do like this particular feature. Sometimes when using the thesaurus and searches, one can tend to be either too vague or too broad. This feature would be helpful in those situations.
My Selection:
One article that I found captivating was called The Librarian as 21st Century Leader which really explains the involvement librarians should have in the curriculum. It explained how librarians are experts in the information and technology field. Thus, it is reasonable that they should be involved in developing and integrating these programs in the school. I believe information such as this demonstrates the importance of the duties of librarians. We do so much more than shelve books.
Pulley, M. (2008) The Librarian as 21st Century Leader. Colorado Libraries, 34(1), 28-31.
Retrieved February 20, 2010, from Library Lit. & Inf. Full Text database.
Searching Books in Print
I searched this database using the same facets and key terms as noted above. I was a bit perplexed when I first began. I initially searched just using the keyword search, but the outcome was insufficient. I ultimately spent time learning the different searching capabilities of the database. I found that under the browse button I was able to search using the subject (all) heading. I typed in (school librarian) AND (duties) AND (curriculum). I got zero results. I decided to simplify my statement. I typed in school librarian duties. The first category was school libraries so I chose it. It contained 1476 results all dealing with school libraries in some capacity. I went back to the search feature and tried several different subject searches, but they contained no results. I went to the the school library results. Although there was a lot of information, I was able to find some that pertained to my question. One book I thought was interesting is call Tales out of the School Library: Developing Professional Dispositions by Gail Bush. It provides tips to help librarians meet the needs of students. Curriculum was a prominent topic. Another title that caught my eye is called School Libraries Head for the Edge: Rants, Recommendations and Reflections by Doug Johnson. So much in school curriculum today is focused on technology, and Johnson give readers an idea of what the new trends are and how to implement them.
Bush, Gail. (2009. Tales out of the School Library: Developing Professional Dispositions.
Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited Incorporated.
Johnson, Doug. (2009). School Libraries Head for the Edge: Rants, Recommendations and
Reflections: Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, Incorporated.
Conclusion:
Searching both of these databases proved very helpful in finding information regarding librarians duties with a focus on curriculum. Although I had to take a different pat using Books in Print, I was satisfied with the end result. Both Library Literature and Books in Print were successful resources in my quest for information.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)