LIS 601 Information Structure of

Databases

Fall 2010Lori Bell

University of HawaiiLibrary and Information Science Program

Online Catalog & Database Overview

• DATABASES

• RECORD STRUCTURE– Searchable Fields

• COMMAND LANGUAGES

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Online Catalog & Database Search Languages

• CONTROLLED VOCABULARY (CV)– Indexed using a select list of terms– Assigned by a cataloger or an indexer

• NATURAL LANGUAGE (NL)– Words & phrases in a document– Written by authors, reviewers, & abstractors

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Exercise: Online Catalog Record Structure1. What is the publication date of this book?

2. What LCSH terms (CV) are assigned?

3. What words in the title might be useful search terms? (NL)

4. Why is Humanitarian Assistance in red or bold in the record?

5. Who is the author?

6. Where is the item located?

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Voyager Public Record Field Structure

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Database Search Modes & Search Operators

• SEARCH MODES– KEYWORD (non-linear, any word order, searches multiple fields

simultaneously)– BROWSE (linear, exact syntax and word order, alpha-numeric

order, searches one field at a time)

• LOGICAL OPERATORS used to combine terms– Boolean Thinking (Set Arithmetic)– AND, ALL, +– OR, ANY

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Voyager Basic Search Fields

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Voyager Keyword Search Results

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Voyager Record Web 2.0 Features

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Voyager LCSH Controlled Vocabulary

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Voyager Advanced Search Fields

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Voyager Advanced Search Fields

Advanced Search = KEYWORD SEARCH MODE

1. Subject Keyword (SKEY)

2. Publisher: Date or Name

3. Contents/Summary (KCON)

4. Author Name (NKEY)

5. Language (KLNG)

6. More…

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Voyager Advanced Search Results

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Voyager Lib 2.0 Record Features

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Database Search Operators

• TRUNCATION / STEMMING / WILDCARD for Variant Spellings– *– ?– $

• PROXIMITY CONTROL– Phrase– “ “

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Periodical Index & Abstracting Databases

• Levels & amount of information, & access techniques (Handouts p. 6)

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ERIC Database: InformationStructure & Search Language

• ERIC Handouts p. 8

• ERIC Database Search Language– CV: (Indexed) Descriptors (DE=)– NL: (Indexed) Identifiers (ID=)– NL: (Not Indexed) Keywords (KW=); Anywhere

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Finding the CV in a Database

1. HL Gateway2. Click E-Resources & Databases3. Type in search box: eric4. Unclick: Journals Online books 5. Click ERIC (via CSA) (twice)6. Click Search Tools:

1. Thesaurus Search2. Pull down field types menu Descriptors

(DE=)

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Sample Search in ERIC Comparing CV with NL Results

1. academic achievement AND educational attainment– DE field search = 901 (CV)– KW field search = 1333 (NL/KW/Anywhere)

2. academic achievement OR educational attainment– DE field search = 53,356 (CV)– KW field search = 56,997 (NL/KW/Anywhere)

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ERIC Database Record StructureTI: Turnaround in Texas: How One District Closed Its Minority Achievement Gap.AU: Cook, GlennSO: American School Board Journal; v190 n2 p22-25 Feb 2003IS: 0003-0953NU: Clearinghouse: EA540434AB: Describes how one district closed its minority achievement gap by employing the

Brazosport model, a combination of effective-schools research and Total Quality Management principles. The model includes an eight-step "plan-do-check" instructional cycle for teachers and emphasizes teacher training and tracking data. Student-achievement data, not the system, drive decisions. (WFA)

LA: EnglishPY: 2003PT: 080 Journal Articles; 141 Reports: DescriptiveDE: *Academic Achievement; *Achievement Gains; Educational Attainment;

*Educational Improvement; *Educationally Disadvantaged; Elementary Secondary Education; High Risk Students; Instructional Effectiveness; *Instructional Improvement; Standards; Student Improvement; Teacher Student Relationship; Underachievement

ID: *TexasSF: ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE)AN: EJ660840

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Exercise :ERIC Database Record Structure

1. If you wanted more articles like the one in the example, which Descriptors (CV) in that record would you select to add to the search? Explain.

2. How many Descriptors (CV) are assigned to this article?

3. What is the title of the journal where this article is published?

4. What is the date of publication?

5. Why is Achievement bolded in the record?Nahl LIS 601 2010

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Search Exercises• 2.5 points per exercise (10 exercises=25 points)

– Incomplete exercises do not obtain full points

– Follow all instructions to obtain full points

– Process is most important, answers alone are incomplete, e.g.,

• How did you find the item and the information?

• What specific steps did you take to locate it?

• What specific terms did you look-up?

• Which volumes of a large set did you consult?

• Etc., making the details of discovery explicit

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Grading Criteria for Search Exercises

20% Following all instructions 20% Completing all assigned queries 40% Thoroughness of reporting search

strategy process and search term selection 20% Evidence of concept analysis100% = 25 points for 10 exercises (2.5 points

per exercise of 4-8 queries)

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Google Docs

1

2

3

Google Docs

4

5

Share your Search Exercise documents with your Instructor

Due Next Week

• Bring Turabian to class for an exercise

• TEXT CHAPTER 4

• Handouts pp. 14-15

• Search Exercises pp. 7-11 (read Ex. 1b)

• Search Ex. 1a turn-in online in a Google Doc

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