Issues in Information Resources: Online Searching (IRLS 588 - 791)
School of Information Resources & Library Science
The University of Arizona
Fall 2005
Instructor: Peter L. Kraus, MLS
Contact Information: kraus@xmission.com
801-832-0476 (Home number, Mountain Time).
If you need to talk feel free to call 6:00-10:00 pm Monday – Friday, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Saturday, Noon to 6:00 pm Sunday. If I'm not home, feel free to leave a voice-mail message, I will return your call.
Course Description: This course will examine the history, philosophy, and applied fundamentals of online searching. It is the instructor's goal that students will learn the fundamentals of database design and boolean searching so that they may use current databases swiftly, efficiently, and effectively to meet users’ needs. The core principles learned in this class will enable the student to use current databases and future databases.
Text books: You do not need to purchase any texts for this class. All readings will be supplied by the instructor. The core text for this class is the Dialog Lab Workbook (DLW) available at http://gep.dialog.com/instruction/workbook/.
Book(s) on Reserve at The University of Arizona Library:
Online Searching: A Scientist’s Perspective A Guide for the Chemical and Life Sciences, (John Wiley & Sons, 1996)
Straight from the Stacks: A Firsthand Guide to Careers in Library & Information Science (ALA, 2003)
Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (Volume 35: 2001)
Assignments: There will be a paper assigned each week in conjunction with the readings. Each paper should be three to five pages unless otherwise noted. American Psychological Association (APA) format citation should be used for any works cited.
Some very good web sites for APA are: (http://www.library.arizona.edu/library/type1/tips/data/citation.html OR http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html )
You have until December 11, 2005 to get all papers to me. I know that a number of you are working full time and going to school. I expect you to keep up with the readings and get your papers to me in a timely manner.
DO NOT use my generosity with due dates to put work off until the last minute. Last-minute work is generally very poor in quality and will be graded so by the instructor.
Grades will be calculated by the following formula: Class participation in online discussions: 20%; Weekly assignments: 60 %; Final exam 20%
Schedule:
Week 1 (August 22–August 26): Class introduction
Readings:
Learning to Search, Journal of Chemical Education, March 2005 (82:3)
Talk About My Generation, Online, Volume 29(4)
Working for a Vendor, Library Journal, July 15, 2005
Assignment:
Write a 1-2 page article based on your readings from Talk About My Generation, and the Learning to Search article. Discuss your thoughts as to why online searching is a relevant skill for today's information professionals in the academic, public and private sector.
Week 2 (August 28–September 2: No Class September 5 - Labor Day Holiday):
What makes a database click?
Readings:
Chapters 1& 2 - DLW
Online Searching, Chapters 1-3
Improving Access to E-Journals and Database at the MIT Libraries : Building a Database -Backed Web Site Called 'Vera', Serials Librarian, Volume 4(3/4), 2002.
Assignment:
Based on your readings from DLW and the article on the MIT libraries; I’d like to write your thoughts on the following: What do you believe motivated the librarians at MIT to create “Vera”. If these librarians were educated between 10 and 15 years ago, what underlying principles did they use in the design of the database? If you were assigned to be on group that was discussing and creating such a system what would you have contributed? Would you have done anything differently?
There will also be hands on exercises
Week 3 (September 6–September 9): The Search–How do we find things?
Readings:
Chapter 3, DLW
Online Searching, Chapter 4
Reading the following web guides:
Electronic Searching (Duke University)
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/adv_searching.htm
An Introduction to Boolean Searching (St. Paul's School)
http://library.sps.edu/reference/Hypertext_tutorial/boolean.shtml
Articles:
Darwin on the Web: The Evolution of Search Tools, Computers in Libraries May 1999, (Volume 19(5))
Booleansearches--a life skill, School Library Journal, November 1992 (Volume 38 (11))
Assignment:
Based on the web sites from Duke University and St. Paul's school and assigned readings, what aspect of teaching Boolean searching do you think would be most daunting to an information professional. Whether they are teaching students or professionals? Like wise, what aspects of Boolean logic would see most daunting for the student?
There will also be hands on exercises
Week 4 (September 12 –September 16): Introduction to Dialog
We will also be having an online discussion with Ms. Allison Evatt, MSEd, MLS. She is an MLIS Consultant for Dialog.
Readings:
Librarians Release New Info Pro Web Log, Information Today, January 2004
Why I Still Teach Dialog, Library Journal, May 1 st, 2001
Online Searching, 6 & 8
Assignment:
Where do you see yourself in five years? How will online searching skills help you attain your professional goals?
There will also be hands on exercises.
Week 5 (September 19–23): Finding out what your patron or client needs
Readings:
Chapter 4, DLW
MediatedOnlineSearchingand DigitalReference, Reference Librarian (Volume 79/80)
The referenceinterview revisited: Librarian-patron interaction in the virtual environment, Simile, February 2005 (Volume 5(1)
Assignment:
Compare and contrast the view points in these articles. How do you see yourself asserting yourself and your skills in your library or organization in the future?
Also, a sample search will be emailed to you so that you can become familiar with the Dialog system.
There will also be hands on exercises.
Weeks 6 & 7 (September 26–September 30 & October 3–October 7): Hands-on exercises
Readings:
DLW 5, 6, 7 & 8
Assignments: You will be emailed online search assignments.
Your topic will be to find an individual with an information need. This person cannot be another library school student. Some potential patrons or clients might be other graduate students or a local non-profit organization. Offer this individual your services as an information professional and see what their information needs are. Construct a search around their needs. Perform an online search for them. Your paper this week should answer the following questions: Did the search meet their needs? Why or why not? Did they discover anything new about their field? How would you present the search to them to make it look professional?
There will also be hands on exercises.
Week 8 (October 10–October 14): Online Searching in Sciences
Readings:
Selected readings from OnlineSearching: TBA
Assignments: TBA
Week 9 (October 17–21): Online Searching in Business Libraries and Corporate Environments
Readings: OnlineSearching, Chapter 9 ; Straight from the Stacks, Chapter 4 ; Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (volume 35: 2001), Chapter 8
Assignments: TBA
Week 10 (October 24–October 28): Online Searching in the Social Sciences
Readings & Assignments: TBA
Week 11 (October 31–November 4): Online Searching in the Health Sciences (Medicine, Pharmacy & Nursing)
Readings:
Onlineaccess to MEDLINE in clinical settings A study of use and usefulness, Annals of Internal Medicine, (Volume 112(1)) 1990.
Organizational Factors that Influence Information Technology Diffusion in Academic Health Sciences Centers, JAMIA, March-April 1997
The rise and fall of the medical mediated searcher, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, Volume 88(1), 2000
Information-seeking behavior of nursing students and clinical nurses: implications for health sciences librarian, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, Volume 93(2), 2005
Assignment: TBA
Weeks 12 & 13 (November 7–10 & November 14–November 18) (No class November 11 th, Veteran's Day): Online Searching and the Engineering Disciplines (Various Engineering Disciplines, Pharmacology, Mining). Applications of online searching in industry and manufacturing
Readings and Assignments: TBA
Week 14: This is a 3-day week because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Use this week to catch up on any assignments that you owe me.
Weeks 15 & 16 (November 28–December 7): Online Searching - Some Future Trends. What was said in the past? What worked? What didn't? What might the future hold?
Reading and Assignments: TBA
I will not accept papers after December 11, 2005.
Final Exam Week: A take-home final exam will be assigned Monday Morning, December 12. It will be due to me by Friday, December 16., 2005