Using Online Catalogs, Indexes, and Web Searc

When you first use an online catalog, index, or web search engine, take time to survey the territory and construct a mental map of what it is and how you can use it effectively. Look for these features:

Content

• What subjects are included?

• What types of documents are covered?

• Is there a list of documents included?

• What time periods are covered?

• Are there geographic limitations?

• What languages are included?

• Does it include the full text of documents?

• Where are these documents?

Help

• Is online help available?

• Is it accessible from any screen?

• Is it context-sensitive?

• Is there a tutorial?

• Are there instructions on every screen to help you decide what to do next?

Searching for known items: Authors and Titles

• Can you search by author or title?

• What format should you use for authors' names, e.g. last name first?

• Do you have to enter a complete title?

• Do you exclude initial articles in titles?

• How does the use of capital letters affect your search?

Searching for unknown items: Subjects

There are generally two methods for searching for documents on a topic: keywords or descriptors. For keyword searching, the computer automatically indexes every word from a document's record. For descriptor searching, an indexer or cataloger reads the document and selects a limited number of descriptors from a thesaurus to describe the document's content. Descriptors may also be called subject headings. Which methods are available?

Keyword searching:

• From which parts of the record do the keywords come?

• Are there words you cannot use as keywords, i.e. stop words?

Descriptor searching:

• Is there a printed or online list of all descriptors?

• Is there a hierarchical arrangement of the descriptors to show relationships among them?

• Does it show broader, narrower, or related relationships?

• Can descriptors be used as sub-topics under broader topics?

Connectors

• Can topics be combined to narrow or broaden your subject search?

• What connectors (also called operators) can be used, e.g. AND, OR, NOT?

• How do you search for phrases or adjacent words, e.g. ADJ connector?

Root word searching

• Can you search for root words to avoid typing each variation, e.g. singular and plural forms?

• What is the truncation or wild card symbol, e.g. '*', '?', '!'?

Displaying records

• When you display the records you find, how much of each record is shown?

• Can the amount displayed be changed? How are the records arranged?

• Can they be sorted into other arrangements?

• What fields are there?

• How are the fields labeled?

• As you view records can you mark individual records for output?

Output options

• What options are available for output: printing, saving (downloading), or email?

• When you print/save/email a list of documents, if there is full text, is it automatically included, or is this a separate step?

Exiting

• How do you log out when you are finished?

Ask a Librarian

Need additional help? For further assistance with any topic you can always Ask a Librarian.