Re: [LM_NET] Why databases instead of the Web?

[Shonda Brisco <sbrisco@FWCDS.ORG>]

While database searching can be difficult for many students, it is important that 
we, as librarians, teach students the techniques to construct good searches.  For 
example, when my students are doing a search on the databases and don't know what 
terms to use, I encourage them to use "keywords" to bring up the articles that 
might be useful.  Then when they discover an article that meets their needs or is 
near to the research topic, I tell them to look at the "subject search terms" that 
the database used to bring up that article (those subject terms are usually listed 
in the brief abstract of the article and are usually hyperlinked to additional 
articles within the database.)

From that subject search term discovered, the students can then re-construct their 
search using the additional NEW term and locate additional articles.  At that 
point, I also tell the students to continue to look at the subject terms that the 
database uses to index the article for additional searching.  From that point, I 
also suggest that they move to ADVANCED searching and add those NEW terms together 
to gather new or different articles.

I have found that most students can successfully do online searching if they learn 
where the KEYS are located to create better search strategies.  If we remind them 
where those keys can be found (including those recommended terms that many 
databases offer students to create effective search results).

~Shonda





Shonda Brisco, MLIS
US / Technology Librarian
Fort Worth Country Day School
Fort Worth, TX
sbrisco@fwcds.org

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