Database competency

The purpose of this competency is to test four different searching strategies using four different databases. For the purposes of this assignment, I searched for information on filtering/censoring internet use in public libraries.

Building block approach - Academic Search Complete

This approach begins with separate concept searches and then combines the resulting sets using Boolean operators. I used the * symbol for truncation purposes where appropriate.

I divided the query into three concept searches:

S1: public librar* (35,136 hits)

S2: internet use (2,658 hits)

S3: filter* (81, 601 hits)

S4: S1 + S2+ S3 (15 hits)

Relevant hit:

Ayre, Lori Bowen. 2004. Internet Use Policies. Library Technology Reports 40, no. 2: 64-76.

This search method was effective - separately, the searches retrieved an overwhelming amount of hits but the combination of sets retrieved a manageable amount of relevant results.


Snowball approach – WorldCat

This approach relies on the user to modify successive searches based on the results of previous searches until the user is satisfied.

S1: internet use (1910 hits)

S2: S1 + filter* (86 hits)

S3: Database prompted subject search of internet / public libraries (1308 hits)

S4: S3 + polic* (27 hits)

First hit:

Carson, B. M. 2003. Legally Speaking — “To Filter or Not to Filter: That is the Question:” A Brief Discussion of Internet Use Policies. Against the Grain 15, no. 4: 86-90.

The database was helpful in suggesting subject searches. A manageable amount of relevant results was retrieved.


Most specific facet first approach – JStor

This approach, applied to multiple concept searches, begins with the most specific term that should take the least amount of time to be processed.

S1: Internet use (41, 210 hits)

S2: Public librar*(63,186 hits)

S3: filter*(185,322 hits)

Most relevant hit:

Kreimer, Seth F. 2006. Censorship by Proxy: The First Amendment, Internet Intermediaries, and the Problem of the Weakest Link. University of Pennsylvania Law Review 155, no. 1: 11-101.

Predictably, the number of hits returned increased as the search terms became less specific. The sheer number of results returned show that this not an effective search strategy for the query.


Successive Fraction Approach – Project Muse

This approach is the opposite of the snowball approach and starts with a broad concept which is then narrowed by applying various limiting techniques.

S1 – filter* (5697 hits)

S2 – (Web OR Internet) filter* (1500 hits)

S3 – (Web OR Internet) filter* AND public librar* NOT academic (319 hits)

S4 - To get even fewer results, I clicked “modify search” and added the parameters of year (2000-2010) and discipline (Library Science and Publishing). This search netted 10 hits.

Most relevant article:

Preer, Jean L. 2004. Libraries, Museums, and Archives: Legal and Ethical Challenges in the New Information Era (review). Libraries and the Academy 4, no. 1: 155-157.

This approach is effective as it allows the user to increasingly narrow the search and stop once the results are satisfactory. It was helpful to be able to narrow the search by non-subject attributes as well as with Boolean operators.

Conclusion

There seems to be some amount of overlap with all of the searches and it is somewhat hard to completely distinguish one from another. I had the most success with building block approach and the successive fraction approach and the least success with the most specific facet first approach. The building block approach felt the most comfortable. The WorldCat database provided the most assistance during the search with subject heading suggestions and many limiting fields. LexisNexis also provided "Results Groups" for easier browsing of results. JStor and Project Muse appeared to be more basic databases without the same level of sophisticated searching.