Foundations of Park & RecreationDatabase, Periodicals & Searching Techniques

Frederic MurrayAssistant ProfessorMLIS, University of British ColumbiaBA, University of Iowa

Instructional Services LibrarianAl Harris Libraryfrederic.murray@swosu.edu

DID YOU KNOW…

Library Instruction in the Information Age

A single current newspaper contains more written and visual information than the average person in the 17th Century was likely to come across in their entire lifetime. There are many areas of literacy that all add up to Information Literacy: Cultural, Visual, Media, Network, Computer, Traditional Alphabetic Literacy, and Library Instruction.

Library Instruction in the Information Age

New Search Strategies are required. Critical evaluation is more important

than ever.

Define: Catalog, Database, Search Engines A comprehensive list of the books, periodicals,

maps, and other materials in a given collection.

A large, regularly updated file of digitized information related to a specific subject or field.

Computer software designed to help the user locate information available at sites on the World Wide Web by selecting categories from a hierarchical directory of subjects (example: Yahoo!) or by entering appropriate keywords or phrases (Google).

Library Web Page

Information Silos

Catalog Databases

Catalog

Databases

Search Techniques Keyword Basic Boolean

Keywords Flexible terms Easy searches Less accurate

searches

Identifying Keywords Identify the significant terms and

concepts that describe your topic from your thesis statement or research question.

These terms will become the key for searching catalogs, indexes, and databases for information about your subject.

Keyword Example: Execution

1: the act or process of executing: performance

2: a putting to death especially as a legal penalty

3: the process of enforcing a legal judgment (as against a debtor) ; also : a judicial writ directing such enforcement

4: the act or mode or result of performance

Keywords: Synonyms

Keyword: executionPart of Speech: nounSynonyms: accomplishment, completion,

consummation, decapitation, doing, effectuation, electrocution, fulfillment, garrote, guillotine, killing, lapidation, noyade, performance, perpetration, realization, strangulation,

transaction…

“Execution” in an Online Search Catalog:

Database:

Internet :

Direct marketing : strategy, planning, execution / Edward L. Nash

Forward chaining in HALO: An implementation strategy for history-based logic pointcuts

FOXNews.com - Anger After Cheerleaders Stage Mock Execution at Pep Rally

Keyword Phrases

Single concept, multiple words Some electronic resources require keyword

phrases be enclosed with punctuation– Quotation marks– Parenthesis

Useful Keywords/Phrases outdoor recreation adventure programs wildlife, endangered species conservation, preservation natural disasters, wildfires wilderness survival, first aid, search &

rescue natural resources, natural resource

management game and fishing law, permits & licensing park services, park ranger

Paper Topic

Parks under Pressure: Conservation or Recreation

Parks under Pressure: Conservation or Recreation

First, narrow down the topic– Which Parks are you talking about? Urban,

State or Federal– What kind of Pressures?

Competing Interests Focusing on:

– Economy– Funding– Land Use

– How parks are perceived by locals? Tourists? Environmentalists? Hunters?

How “AND” is used AND (narrows)

– parks and issues– parks and issues and hunters

Select three keywords…

IssuesParks Hunters

How “OR” is used OR (expands)

– parks or “wildlife refugee” – issues or trends

AND & OR together– parks or ‘wildlife refugee” and issues– issues or trends and parks

Select related terms…

IssuesParks Hunters

“Urban Parks”

“State Parks”

Trends

Attitudes

Tourists

Rangers

Search Strategy Endless possibilities…

– Parks OR State Parks AND Issues AND Trends– Urban Parks AND National Parks AND Rangers OR

Tourists– State Parks AND Trends AND Tourists

Boolean AND = Narrow

OR = Expand

NOT = Exclude

Class Exercise Keyword Building Exercise

Topic: Wildfire Suppression Thesaurus.com

Wildfire Suppression

State

Forests

National

Wildfires Methods

“Fuel loads”

Drought Politics

Science

Databases A large, regularly updated file of

digitized information related to a specific subject or field.

This is where we find Journal Articles

Useful Databases Academic Search Complete

CQ Researcher

SPORTDiscus

Searching in Databases Keywords with Boolean and

truncation Subject terms from thesaurus Limiters: date, peer reviewed, and

full text

Article Sources

General Article and Allied Health

Article Databases

Finding Journals/Magazines/Periodicals

In the Library Online

Select an Online Journal & TopicFind an Article

Journals Parks and

Recreation National Parks Journal of Wildlife

Management FBI Law

Enforcement Bulletin

Police Practice & Research

Topics Hunting

Firearms

Endangered Species Act

Oklahoma

Training

CitationsShriver Jr., Donald W. “Bosnia in Fear and Hope.”

World Policy Journal;

Summer2001, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p43, 11p

PDF / HTML

Author/Article Title

Periodical Title

Date/Length

Format

Citations

Shriver Jr., Donald W. “Bosnia in Fear and Hope .” World Policy Journal; Summer2001, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p43, 11p

Formats: PDF - Portable Document Format HTML - Hypertext Mark up

language

Periodicals List Exercise Does the library have access to this

article? Yes or No?

Resources Library Catalog WorldCat Databases Periodicals List Services

– Research Assistance– Interlibrary Loan– Off Campus Access

Thank You