Using Databases @

Seneca Libraries

Rosalie.Waller@senecac.on.ca

Information Services Librarian

Newnham Campus

March 2007

Search Tools

• Library Catalogues• Research Databases• World Wide Web

Which Tools? Type of Source?

• Library Catalogues

• Databases

• World Wide Web

• Books• Videos, Dvds

• Magazine articles• Journal articles• Newspaper articles• Encyclopedia articles• Company info

• Web pages

Thank You

Library & Learning Commons

http://learningcommons.senecacollege.ca

Searching the Library Catalogue

• Books

• Vides/Dvds

• E-Books

Using the Databases…or Google?

Databases• Fee-based• Magazines & journals & newspapers• Full-text articles covering many years• Editorial policy• Advanced searching• Purpose is to advance knowledge

Web Pages• Mostly free• Anyone can publish• Millions of hits• No editor • No organization• Purpose is not always clear

Article Databasesby Subject

• General– Research Library– Academic

• News & Current Events– Canadian NewStand– Canadian Reference Centre

• Business– Business Source– CBCA

• Nursing– Health Source– Proquest Nursing

Who’s Who?Service

ProvidersDatabase Names Magazines

Journals

Newspapers

Proquest ABI/Inform

CBCA Business

Canadian NewsStand

Proquest Science Journals

Research Library

Canadian Plastics

Maclean’s

Nature

Psychology Today

Globe and Mail

Ebsco Academic Search

Business Source

ERIC

Health Source

Canadian Literary Centre

Advertising Age

Canadian Literature

Harvard Business Review

Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Time

NEW!!!

• GALE

Research ExpressSTEP 1Write your research question/statement.STEP 2Choose your keywords.STEP 3Construct your search statement.STEP 4Choose your sources/tools.

STEP 1Research

Questions/Statements

• Is laughter good for stress?• Discuss safety issues when using cell phones.• Is beer popular among teenagers?• Find articles on how to write a resume.

STEP 2Choose Keywords

Keywords are….

• important words• main ideas • main concepts• search terms• usually nouns

• Is laughter good for stress?

• Discuss safety issues when using cell phones.

• Is beer popular among teenagers?

• Find articles on how to write a resume.

STEP 3Construct Your Search

Statement• Search features

– Truncation– Boolean Operators

• Write your search statement

Truncation

• Transport*– transport– transports– transportation– transporting

BOOLEAN OPERATORS

beer AND teenagers

retrieves items that contain BOTH the words beer and teenagers

beer AND teenagers

beer OR alcohol retrieves items that have either the words beer OR teenagers beer OR alcohol

dolphins NOT football

dolphins NOT football

retrieves items that have the words dolphins but not footlball

tattoos and health• Type your keywords• Type the word…. and

– operator, connector – narrow your search– signal to the computer

STEP 3Construct Your Search

StatementResearch

• Is laughter good for stress?

• Discuss safety issues when using cell phones.

• Is beer popular among teenagers?

• Find articles on how to write a resume.

Search Statement

laughter and stress

safety and cell phones

beer and teenagers

resume*

STEP 4Choose Your Sources/Tools

Test Yourself Yes? or No?

• Would Google be the best place for finding a magazine article for a research paper?

• Would the Toronto Star website be the best place for finding newspaper articles?

Research Help

• Research Success Tutorial

• Starting My Research

Library Contacts

Cynthia.McKeich @ King

Patricia.Presti @ Markham

Rosalie.Waller @ Newnham

James.Buczynski @ Seneca@York

Hands-On Exercises

Thank You !