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The online catalog
Outcomes Know the basic structure of a database Know how to search an online library
catalog effectively using keyword and subject searches
Know how to use Boolean logic in constructing a search query
The online library catalog
Is a database Consists of records, fields and terms Is based on the earlier card catalog
Precursor: card catalog
The card catalog consisted of drawers of cards
Each card was a record Each record contained fields, such as:
Author Title Subject
Drawer of records
Katz, Damien. "Error codes or Exceptions? Why is Reliable Software so Hard?" [Weblog] 27 April 2006. Damien Kurtz. 31 October 2007 <http://damienkatz.net/2006/04/error_code_vs_e.htm>.
A single record
Image source: University of Alaska, Fairbanks: www.uaf.edu/.../ls101/images/CatBibRec1.jpg
Now search the SCC catalog
Open the library catalog Search the Author Field for Naske,
Claus M Select the author from the browse list Pull up the record by clicking on the
author name
Some fields are links
These fields lead to other records The records may be related by author
or subject Linking records by fields helps us to
find related information
Access Points
The author, title, and subject fields are sometimes referred to as “access points”
They provide access to the record and/or to other records that relate to this record
Subject field (Voyager search) What is written in the subject field?
Alaska--History. This is one access point. Click on the link How many adult books are listed in
this catalog/database under the same subject? 16
Subject field The subject field contains subject headings Subject headings are a standardized way of
describing the contents a book Catalogers consider the varied contents of a
book when they add subject headings to the subject field; sometimes they will add several different headings to one title
The number of subject headings per record is growing, now that catalogers aren’t limited to a printed card… good or bad?
Subject field
When you click on Subject Browse and enter a search term you are asking the database to search and return information from only the subject field
This is an easy and direct way to find other books on the same topic
Keyword searching A keyword search asks the database
to return terms from numerous fields in the record.
A keyword relevance search gives more weight to some fields (subject field) than others (notes).
Keyword searching
In Voyager the keyword search on the first simple search page is a Keyword Relevance Search
Try a keyword relevant search: Type: alaska history What do you notice about this kind of
search?
Question: Which types of catalog searching (author,
subject, etc.) do you think will be most useful to you as you begin your research?
Why?
Boolean logic basics
Computer databases “speak” Boolean We use Boolean operators to
construct a search query: AND, OR, NOT (AND NOT)
Boolean Operator AND AND – narrows the search In some databases, like Voyager, the
AND is implied. You don’t have to type it into the basic search box. In fact, don’t!
In other databases, like the UW Libraries catalog, the AND is required for a successful search.
Boolean Operator: OR
OR – broadens the search Use “or” when entering related terms Use “or” when you aren’t sure which
terms describing the same idea are in a database Ex. punk or emo
Boolean operator: NOT
NOT – removes terms from a search You won’t need this operator often Ex. cloning not dolly
Sometimes AND NOT
Search symbols
Truncation/wildcard Usually an *; sometimes a $ or a ? Broadens the search ethic* = ethical, ethics wom$n = women or woman or womyn
Search symbols
Nesting Parentheses: ( ) Use to isolate an OR phrase (or a phrase) Ex. acupuncture and (west* or scien*)
Quotation marks
Used to ask the database to search words as a phrase
Ex. “civil liberties”; “japanese internment”; “punk rock”
Sometimes this is accomplished by parentheses: (alzheimers disease)
Using symbols & Booleans
“white slave trade” and thailand “real id” and (privacy or rights) alzheimers and research scien* and acupuncture
A word to the wise
If the symbols you are using don’t work, check the database help files
If you can’t figure out how to structure your search, check the database help files
Guided keyword searching
Different catalogs will call this feature different things – advanced search, more searches, and so on.
This feature allows you to perform Boolean searching more easily (note that the operators AND, OR, NOT are already in place).
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