Week 4 Online Databases

Online Databases

This week, we look at types of electronic resources offered by libraries. Our goals are to

become familiar with database terms and types, and to become comfortable in referring

to and working with online databases and catalogues. We learn how to log into our

databases [very easy, and completed through AccessRio], and try some introductory

searching this week in a few of our RHC databases.

This week also ends our “Intro’ to the course! These first four weeks, we have

established a foundation in computer technology, and the basic tools of beginning

research in a library.

Next week, Week 5 we shift gears a bit and begin thinking in terms of concrete research

projects. We look at topic development, and do the first of three in-depth assignments

that will familiarize you with the steps of completing research.

Databases

As the text states, subscription online databases are selected by librarians to fulfill

research needs of students.

We looked at our online catalogue, Sirsi, last week. Our online catalogue is an example

of one type of electronic database. The other types of databases we have access other

types of publications [periodicals, chapters or entries from reference books, other types

of reports]: http://libguides.riohondo.edu/librarydatabases

Week 4 Online Databases

Databases are chosen to support programs and majors at colleges and universities. If a

school or institution has a specific program to support, the library will feature databases

in support of the subject.

Databases focus on:

Specific subjects: nursing, film, art,

Types of publications: periodicals [magazines, newspapers, journals] books

[print, e-book]

Databases distinguish types of information:

Scholarly journals, books or other publications

Popular magazines/periodicals, newspapers

Google does not distinguish information types:

Result listings include websites, and may include links to articles of all types, as well as

.pdf documents. Each item must be evaluated for the information type.

Advantages of Subscription Databases

Provided free to students

Databases are provided free to students. Our databases here at RHC are free to

currently enrolled RHC students:

Google results include pay-for-fee articles, documents

Google results often feature links to articles which require a fee to access the full text.

The Structure of Databases

Fields for a Book Record Author Title Publisher/Year of Publication Physical Description [includes no of pages; size of book, any illustrations] Format [book, e-book] Subject headings ISBN Call Number Status

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Other information Table of contents Notes Brief summary Edition Database Record Article titles Author Periodical title Issue Volume Date Page numbers Subject headings Other Information Descriptive info about illustrations Abstract Lead Paragraph Full text --- online databases often contains full-text of articles.

Searching Databases

Databases can have thousands or millions of records to search. Search techniques

assist in narrowing down searches.

We will look at ProQuest [the first database in the listing of databases from AccessRio]

to introduce search techniques and theory.

LOGGING INTO ACCESS RIO

See below for the screenshots to log into AccessRio. This is where you will access our

online subscription databases. This week we will use ProQuest as our ‘example’

database to illustrate the concepts below. If you wish, log into AccessRio and follow

along the examples below:

Week 4 Online Databases

1. 2.

2.

Screenshots for ProQuest. The initial search screen for ProQuest looks like this:

SEARCH FIELDS [THERE ARE THREE

BY DEFAULT. YOU CAN ‘ADD A ROW’ AT

THE BOTTOM TO ADD MORE SEARCH FIELDS

Week 4 Online Databases

Enter Search terms in the fields:

Boolean Searching and Field Searching

Boolean Searching and Field Searching are two ways to search databases. We will use

examples from ProQuest below to demonstrate both types of searching.

Boolean searching

Summarizing Boolean Search types:

AND: the most common operator. ALL terms used in the search must be included in search results.

OR: this works backward from what most students expect. It commands the computer to retrieve ALL items with any of the search terms.

NOT: the least used operator. This excludes a term from your search.

Study the text explaining Boolean Search [p.58-64] and the accompanying

illustrations. Below are summarized points from this reading:

AND: Searching women and drug abuse:

Results include records which include both terms [the subset of results in the linked

section]

SEARCH FIELDS

CLICK SEARCH TO SEARCH USING TERMS CLICK CLEAR TO CLEAR TERMS

Drug abuse women

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ProQuest Search Fields:

OR: Drug usage OR alcohol usage

Includes results for either term. Enlarges total results [includes results from both

circles below]:

ProQuest Search Fields:

Using OR means that either term can be included. This expands your search, as each

record is only required to have one of the terms:

Alcohol usage Drug usage

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NOT: is not used as often as the first two. NOT eliminates a term from the search

Results with ‘alcohol usage’ eliminated from results

ProQuest Search Fields:

Truncation:

As the text states, this can be used in somewhat the same way as OR. However, it is

usually used when you want to retrieve results with terms you are not sure of the ending,

or not sure of a letter in the word. Examples:

Wom?n [woman, women]

Educat? [education, educator, educating, etc]

Environment? [environmental, environmentalists, etc]

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Field searching:

See example, p. 66, for field-selection in a database menu. We will use ProQuest below

to illustrate field searching--

ProQuest features several options from drop down menus, chosen at the right:

Drug usage Alcohol usage

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For now, we will leave the options at ‘Citation and Abstract’. This option is the default,

and allows you to search these two specific fields within the database:

See red highlighted terms in fields searched:

FIELDS

TERMS IN SEARCH FIELDS

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Databases such as ProQuest provide access to full text of many articles [usually about

60% of any retrieved results] You can see the links underneath the the highlighted

article title, which tells you if the article is available full text:

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Keyword versus Subject Searching:

While we are using the above examples to demonstrate Boolean Searching, be aware

that we are keyword searching within specific fields.

When ‘Citation and Abstract’ are specified, for example, you are keyword searching

within those fields.

As the text discusses [p 64] keyword searching has drawbacks.

Lack of comprehensiveness

Retrieval of irrelevant information

Retrieving peripheral material

See examples in book: swine flu H1N1 influenza pandemics

Using Synonyms is key to keyword searching

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Subject Searching

Advantage of subject searching: Eliminate need for synonyms [at least somewhat, you

are always going to try to find additional terms to search for a topic]

Controlled vocabulary is a term you will become familiar with in searching databases.

Controlled vocabulary is the set of standard subjects which items are indexed under.

See example, p. 67, using keywords athletes and steroids. Doping in sports is the

subject heading you would find articles about the topic under.

Let’s see how this works in ProQuest!

In ProQuest, you go to the field searching drop down and choose ‘Subject’ [last option].

You will also notice you have an option to the right, to ‘Look up subjects’ [we won’t do

that, as we know that doping in sports is a subject] --

1.

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2.

3.

4.

As we read in the text [p 67], we know that: no universal subject headings have

been established for articles [in comparison, books rely upon headings provided by the

Library of Congress] so this heading might differ in a different database.