Database Searching

This competency assignment had me choose 4 different databases and choose 4 searching approaches to use, one in each database. The question that I will be searching for is, How can a public school increase their library budget or funding?

Database #1-The first database searching approach will be successive fraction. The successive fraction approach starts with a broad topic, and then the search is narrowed by using limiting techniques. The limiting techniques I will be using are the Boolean terms.

S1- public schools or library or budget=174,203 hits

S2- public school and library and budget=66 hits

S3- public school not library and budget=10 hits

One hit from the search

Peterson, JW. "Stretch Your Budget! How to Select Web-Based Subscription Resources." ALA Washington News 23.2 (February 2003): 20-24. LibLit. Web. 25 July 2010.

Reflection-Successive fraction is a good approach when searching because it places limiters on the search and narrows the search down.

Database #2-The next database approach is the building block approach. The building block approach starts with a single concept and builds upon that one concept. The database I will be using for this approach will be the database titled ERIC.

S1- school library= 8,059 hits

S2- school library and funding= 413 hits

S3- school library and funding and increase= 20 hits

One hit from the search

Krause, Robin. "PAWs for Reading." Illinois Libraries 82.1 (2000): 57-69. Eric. Web 25 July 2010.

Reflection- The building block approach allows the searcher to narrow down their search by building upon what they are looking for.

Database #3- The next database approach is the browsing approach. Browsing is seeking and selecting information by skimming and scanning. For the specific approach I will use the database titled Project Muse.

S1- school and funding=6,495 hits

S2-school library and funding= 3,329 hits

S3-school library and increase funding=1,656 hits

One hit from the search

Welsch, David. "Government Expenditures on Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Education."The Journal of Developing Areas. 42.2 (Spring 2009): 129-156. Project Muse. Web 25 July 2010.

Reflection- By using the browsing technique search results can be random and not point to exactly the results the searcher is looking for.

Database #4-The last database approach is the citation pearl-growing approach also known as the snowballing approach. The approach starts with a simple search and then grows as the search progresses. The database I am using for this approach is titled World Cat.

S1-increase school library funding=22 hits

The hit I chose to look at the advanced options was a book.

Jordan, Mary Jayne. Bottom Line, Libraries Lead to Learning. Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wyoming Library Association, 1996.

The advanced options suggested I choose to add school libraries to assistant my search. By adding the word school libraries the hits total was 14,231.

One hit from the final search

Bacon, Pamela. "100 Library Lifesavers a Survival Guide for School Library Media Specialist." Libraries Unlimited. 969 (2000): 317. WorldCat. Web. 25 July 2010.

Reflection- If a searcher is having a hard time coming up with enough hits from a search then the snowball approach is a good approach for increasing the hit results.

Overall Reflection- I have always used the browsing approach when conducting a search. After completing this assignment I have learned and feel that browsing is not always the best way. After conducting the 4 different approaches I feel either the building block approach or the successive fraction approach is the best when conducting a search.