Database - LS 5013-20 - Competency #6

Our task this week was to conduct four different searches, each from a different database, and to provide a hit for each search performed.

My first search was a Building Block search through the database Academic Search Complete from the vendor EBSCO Host. I was successful in this search in that I was quick to correctly connect my Boolean search operators and correctly choose the operative terms from my search query, "I'd like to find ways to get teens more involved in public libraries, hence their communities." I chose to search in English only, in the entire text for these terms, and applied related words (or searched for synonyms) as well. The fifty-first hit in my search out of three hundred twenty-seven results was an appropriate match for my query.

Feinberg, S. & Keller, J. R. (2010, April). Designing space for children and teens in libraries and public places. American Libraries, 2010, 41(4), 34-37. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host. Retrieved from http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_22_1

My second search was a Successive Fractions search through the database Library Lit from the vendor Wilson Web. In this search I used truncation on my three terms to include plurals and other word endings. I also asked these terms to be found anywhere in the text of the items searched. I received three thousand nine hundred and eighteen results and found a relevant article in the seventh hit.

Peowski, L. (2010, Winter). Where are all the teens?: Engaging and empowering them online. Young Adult Library Services, 2010, 8(2), 26-8. Retrieved from Library Lit, Wilson Web. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2089/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42

Citation Pearl Growing was my third search through the database Project Muse. I did not find a vendor for Project Muse. In this search I chose two of my terms connected with the Boolean operator AND in singular form. I chose for the search to be in all fields with text. One thousand forty-nine results emerged from my search. The second hit had listed under its subject headings, "Libraries and teenagers -- United States -- History -- 20th Century". This subject I chose to snowball with and received a list of fifty related subjects. The first subject, matching my original subject heading choice, had only one article listed, which did satisfy my original query.

Agosto, D.E., Paone, K.L., Ipock, G.S. (2007, Fall). The female-friendly public library: Gender differences in adolescents' uses and perceptions of U.S. public libraries. Library Trends, 56(2), 387-401. Retrieved from Project Muse. Retrieved from http://online.twu.edu/webapps
/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_22_1

I had saved the final search, Specific Facet First, for the end, being concerned I would not be able to find an appropriately matched item for my query since my most specific term, teen, has very broad connotations. I used the database WorldCat through the vendor First Search. The first terms I used, "teen AND teenager AND teens", I searched for in keywords in the English language and ranked them by relevance. This was successful in finding three hundred and thirty results. The term I deemed as the next most Specific Facet First was "involvement", which retrieved twelve hundred results. I then tried the term "library", which retrieved two hundred fifty six thousand eight hundred and ninety results. There were no hits matching my query. I will list the first hit from "teen AND teenager AND teens".

Burns, J. (2010). Teenology: The art of raising great teenagers. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.

Focusing on my resulting hits, I would choose either the Successive Fractions or the Building Block models to perform searches in the future. I do not feel comfortable conducting a Specific Facet First search nor do I feel it is precise enough to locate desired information unless the term is awfully explicit.

(Apologies for the formatting of the above book and articles - I cannot find a tab or ruler choice.)

Search Strategies - LS 5013-20 Part of Competency #5

My task was to research my blog topic, libraries and teens, through ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) with the following search strategies. I found my results interesting and thought I would share them on this blog.

I began with the Building Block search strategy and had a horrible time placing my parentheses correctly and the or's and and's in the proper spaces. I came up with no search results from this task.

I next used the search strategy Specific Facet First and found within ERIC many results for my three keywords of teens, avoid and library. Teens had 2,085 results, avoid had 6,334 results and library had 53,754 results. I chose to carry on to the next search strategy.

Successive Fractions began with my highest result keyword, library, onto which I added avoid, then teen*(to, I hope, ask for truncations of teen), resulting in one, yes only one, result. I took this result and reviewed its descriptor list.

Using the descriptor list, I followed the search strategy Citation Pearl Growing, or Snowballing, and chose two of the descriptors: Library role and Student Attitudes. These two descriptors combined resulted in 105 results, of which I found a helpful book at the eighth choice. There may be more in this listing, but I chose to stop at number eight and complete this task.

If I used these search strategies more often I know I would be faster at finding my desired result, but, since this is the first time I have attempted to search these ways, I feel thirty minutes falls into the "well done" category. I will improve!

Tagging/Indexing - LS 5013-20 Competency #5

I have chosen two books which deal with pulling teens into the library to tag in LibraryThing.com . I located them through Amazon.com by searching for books with the keywords Teens AND Libraries, using the Boolean operative AND.

The first book, Teen Programs with Punch: A Month-by-Month Guide (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series) by Valerie A. Ott (Paperback - June 30, 2006), provides many interesting topic and get-together ideas to draw teens into the library. The second book, Library Programs for Teens: Mystery Theater (Voya Guides) by Karen J. Siwak (Paperback - Apr. 16, 2010), is an interesting approach to draw teens back into the library to interact and learn. This book could also be useful when used in a classroom learning environment.

The tags I've added to these books are teens, teen interests, teen advocacy and teens in libraries.

Other tags associated with Teen Programs with Punch: carnegie library of pittsburgh (1) library programming (1) new04/09 (1) non-fiction (1) professional development (1) teen (1) young adult

http://www.librarything.com/work/2654330/book/62435202
http://www.librarything.com/work/9913381/book/62435173

RSS Feed - LS 5013-20 Competency #4

Well, I've located an RSS feed that I was able to post to my blog, but my disappointment lies in the fact that I did not discover a working feed from a public library in my home state of Nevada! (If a reader knows of one, please post it here - I'd love to read it!) I will, once employed in the library field, begin an RSS feed from that library, preferably one devoted to information for teens. Sure, I understand Nevada is a rural state, but there are a lot of technically savvy individuals in residence here whom I believe would love to open the minds of our future employees and assist them in gaining knowledge so they can create amazing things and enrich our state!