Module 2: SEARCH BASICS

Objectives - On completion of this module, students will be able to:

• recognize an item record and its standard fields as the basic component of both library catalogs and article databases
• recognize the basic search methods - field (author, title, source, etc.), keyword (free text), and subject (controlled vocabulary);
• choose the most effective search method based on his/her information needs

A) Purdue Libraries' online catalog is a database of item records. Every item record represents a specific book, journal, or piece of media owned by the Libraries. Each item record contains identifying information arranged in standard fields, (e.g., author field, title field, etc.), so the record can be searched by computer.

Example: Here is the catalog item record for Dunn's Textbook of small animal medicine. Some standard field names are on the left in bold.

B) Article databases, like CAB Abstracts for example, are composed of citations

(or references) to articles in journals.

Information in citations, similar to item records in a catalog, is also arranged in standard fields (e.g., title, author, source, publication year and subject headings or descriptors). This standardization allows citations to be searched by computer.

Example: Here is a brief citation to an article from CAB Abstracts database. Note the two-letter abbreviations for the standard fields on the left side of the record.

TI: How a good practice manager can really make a difference.

AU: Shilcock-M

SO: In-Practice. 2003, 25: 6, 362-364; 1 ref.

PY: 2003

LA: English

DE: change-; finance-; management-; motivation-; performance-; training-;

veterinarians-; veterinary-practice

C) Whether you search the Libraries' catalog or an article database, you commonly search in one of three ways:

1)  Field searching - if you have some specific information about a book or article, enter the information you have, (e. g., author, title, subject heading), in the appropriate field to locate the complete item record.

For example, if you know an author's last name is Bojrab, enter it in the Search for: box, select 'Author/Name' in this field box, and click on Quick Search.

2) Keyword (or free text) searching. To search a topic without knowing a specific author or title, search using keywords that describe that topic.

If your topic is 'veterinary surgery', you could enter 'veterinary and surgery' as keywords joined by the Boolean operator 'and'.

3) Controlled vocabulary searching: Many article databases, (e. g., CAB or MEDLINE) provide the searcher with preferred terms or phrases to produce focused searches that maximize results. The searcher finds the preferred terms or descriptors by using the database's thesaurus, (i. e., list of approved subject headings.)

In this example, to search the topic of 'cattle management' in CAB Abstracts, you will be directed to the phrase 'cattle husbandry' as the preferred term.

Summary of Module 2

Purdue Libraries' catalog is a database of item records for each book, journal and piece of media owned. Item records contain information arranged in standard fields.

Standard fields in both item records in library catalogs and citations in article databases have the same purpose - to organize the information that describes a book or journal title. Item records in catalogs and article databases may differ in format, but share the purpose of making the records computer searchable.

Common standard fields are author (or editor), title (of a book, journal, or journal article), source (journal title in which an article is published), publisher, date of publication, and subject headings or descriptors.

An article database like CAB Abstracts comprises citations (or references) to articles in journals. Similar to catalog item records, the information in citations is also arranged in standard fields.

Catalogs and article databases are commonly searched using one of three methods:

• Field searching - author, title
• Keyword searching
• Subject (controlled vocabulary) searching, also a type of field searching

The purpose of a controlled vocabulary is to group together all articles on a given topic, whether or not the preferred subject term is in the text. These searches produce very specific search results.

Mini-Test for Module 2

1. Each book in the Purdue Libraries catalog is represented by an item record.
   True
   False
   
   
2. Item records contain information about books, journals and serials arranged in random fields.
   True
   False
   
   
3. Each article in an article database like CAB Abstracts is identified by an item record.
   True
   False
   
   
4. In controlled vocabulary searching, it is critical to know the keywords and phrases selected by the database’s creators.
   True
   False
   
   
5. When using keyword searching, it is not necessary to know either an author’s name or any exact words in the title.
   True
   False
   
   

Module 3 addresses keyword searching.