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

Questions?

• Contact me:– Frederic Murray

• 744-7113• frederic.murray@swosu.edu

Thanks!