Author Archives: Nafyal

There are many things I learned about searching in this class, but the three things that I will try to apply on a daily basis would be how to:

1. Using AND/OR properly

• This is important because it helps me specify what I am searching for. Using and/or in the right places helps me narrow down my search results which pertain to the topic I am trying to gather information on.

1. Developing research topics

• Trying to narrow down a research question is quite the daunting task. Using the information I gathered from this class, I know what words to use, how to structure my research question, and not to be ambiguous.

1. Checking the background info on sources we use

• The legitimacy of a source is important. Learning how to search about the authors who publish the articles that I will cite is instrumental to the factuality of the topic I am discussing.

What I wish we spent more time on is identifying what type of source we are using. BEAM helps a lot, and so did the graphs, but it’s a slippery slope trying to differentiate between sources.

Newspaper Article: “Google Rolls Out Search Product for Scholars.” Reuters News (2004). Factiva. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.

Magazine article: Chillingworth, Mark. “Google Unveils Beta Scholar.” Information World Review 208 Dec. 2004: 1-1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.

Journal article: “Google Launches Google Scholar.” Advanced Technology Libraries 33.12 (2004): 1, 11. Library Lit & Inf Full Text. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.

Book: Miller, William, and Rita M. Pellen. Libraries and Google. Binghamton, NY, USA: Haworth Information Press, 2005. WorldCat. Print. 9 Nov. 2011.

What subject specialties does this database seem to have (use broad subject words that are as general as the names of academic departments here on campus: anthropology, accounting, English, etc.)

NYT 1851-2007: This database seems to specialize with historical texts, articles, and pictures. It could be useful for someone doing a research paper about the Great Depression for instance how it effected people at the time.

ITFP: In the First Person is a database that specializes in narratives, diaries, letters, and personal works. This could also be useful for someone doing history paper about some event in the past.

What formats of information do you mostly find when you run searches (articles, reports, books, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, numerical data, something else?)

NYT 1851-2007: This database is completely articles since it’s just a collection of previous New York Times articles.

ITFP: This is mostly in article format too – but there are specific things like journal entries, opinionated pieces, and even interviews.

Is there controlled vocabulary that you can find in this database?

NYT: The controlled vocabulary used in this database are things like tags and authors of the article.

ITFP: This database has a wide range of controlled vocabulary and has many terms from specific search areas to pick from. One example would be Historical Events Discussed and they have an alphabetical list of terms from A-Z.

What is one surprising or unique feature in this database that you haven’t seen before?

NYT: I have never seen another database have an actual copy of the article (scanned or whatever). That was pretty unique. Most databases have a transcribed version.

ITFP: The most unique part about this database would be that it allows you to search interviews and journals and gives you a vast advanced searching option about historical events (what year they took place, where they took place, etc) which is pretty cool.

Materials that can be found in the catalog are textbooks (Give Me Liberty!), reading books (Holes), and plays (Summer and Smoke). But what I could not find are magazines (ESPN the Magazine). When I tried searching for ESPN the Mag, it gave me results that were pieces on ESPN, but not the actual magazine.

Key information about a book

• Title of the book: Lolita
• Author of the book: Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich
• Call number for the book: PS3527 .A15 L618 2009
• Location for the book: Hostos CC
• Status of the book: Searching