Competency 6: Building Block Search Strategy

For the search, I searched: (evidence or topic) and based and (librarians or library). When I used the () around (evidence or topic) I didn't have any hits in Academic Search Complete. When I removed the () around the terms, I received hits. I decided to narrow it a little more so I added medicine to the search terms. I think the building block (BB) strategy helped me to find information. However, I think it also returns many items that are not really related to the information you are looking for. I do think the BB strategy helps you to narrow down your topic to what you are truly looking for though.

Competency 6: Browsing Search Strategy

Reflection: I searched LibLit. I clicked on Thesaurus and then entered medical librarians. Then I clicked on medical librarians (22 records). I found an article on Ethics and the Role of the Medical Librarian by browsing the contents and then selecting what I wanted. By using browsing, I find information on my topic that I might have found after many searches. I also found information that I might now had considered before that I found relevant to my topic at hand. I also found information that I thought might be informative to me at a later date (when writing a paper, etc.). However, I think this strategy requires more time than other strategies, since you're browsing and basically performing an "if and hope" search as I call it (if I find something, I hope I find something).

Competency 6: Successive Fractions Search Strategy

I searched the ERIC database using:
keyword searching (medical library) AND (hospital)
full-text available search
publication year: 2000-2007

Evaluation: I searched ERIC using the successive fractions search strategy. I find the ERIC database much easier to use than Dialog and to be more user friendly. The successive fractions search strategy proved to be successful in it's ability to find relevant information for my topic. By starting off with keywords, which proved to be too general, and using successive searches to narrow the keywords used, I was able to find information that greatly related to my topic. However, a few times my terms proved too narrow and I did not receive any hits or I received too few hits.

Competency 6: Specific Facet Search Strategy

Reflection: Before I started searching, I thought about what I wanted to search and decided on medical library and evidence-based medicine as my most specific facet. That was too narrow and returned no results. I tried several searches and combinations of hospital/evidence based medicine/medical library/medical librarians. I was trying to find information concerning evidence based medicine and medical librarians but this particular database did not have any information that I could find. I combined the searches. Filters did not help; too few, if any, searches were returned.

I find Dialog hard to use and not very user intuitive. I think more familiarity to use this service effectively is necessary. I think most of the information found in Dialog can be found easier in databases other in Dialog.