Ebook: Librarian's guide to online searching: cultivating database skills for research and instruction

Bell shows you how to produce efficient, effective searches using the commercial databases that are most readily available through libraries. You'll learn the ins and outs of working with online databases; the best tactics for effective research online; and the methods for conveying these search skills to others. Bell also discusses databases by discipline, including social science, science, medicine, and humanities, covering both bibliographic and numerical databases.;1. Introduction to library databases -- What is a database? -- Is Google a database? -- Historical background -- Indexing and abstracting services -- From printed volumes to databases -- The library database industry today -- Discovery services -- 2. Database structure for everyone : records, fields, and indexes -- Database building blocks -- Fields, records, and tables -- Beyond fields and records -- Field indexes -- Examples of indexes in common databases -- 3. The searcher's toolkit : part 1 -- The first basic tools -- Boolean logic -- Controlled vocabulary -- Field searching -- Terms in the searching lexicon -- Applying the tools -- MasterFILE premier : notes and search examples -- 4. The searcher's toolkit : part 2 -- Proximity searching -- Truncation -- Limits to constrain your search -- "Learning from your results" : a useful search strategy -- Your mental toolkit -- 5. Social science databases -- Introduction to subject databases -- Introduction to subject databases -- Library literature & information science -- ERIC on the web -- PsycINFO from Ovid -- 6. Databases for science and medicine -- PubMed and MEDLINE -- The Web of Science and the citation indexes -- Citations and the academic researcher -- 7. Bibliographic databases -- WorldCat : the "OPAC of OPACs" -- WorldCat.org -- Revisiting your local OPAC -- 8. Humanities databases -- America : history and life -- MLA International Bibliography -- Directory of periodicals -- 9. Numerical databases -- Finding numbers -- Concepts about numbers -- Statistical Insight from ProQuest -- American FactFinder -- Bureau of Labor Statistics -- Pay & benefits at the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- Occupation information at the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- 10. Focus on people -- Part 1. : information seeking behavior -- Part 2 : the reference interview -- Essential components of the reference interview -- Interpersonal communication skills in the reference interview -- Beyond the face-to-face reference interview -- 11. Choosing the right resource for the question -- Questions for databases -- Questions for the web -- 12. Evaluating databases -- Basic facts and figures -- Initial factual information to gather -- Testing and benchmarking -- Making a request for purchase -- 13. Teaching other people about databases -- Teaching principles -- Teach to your audience -- Avoid lecturing -- Wait for answers -- Less is ore -- Transparency in teaching -- You have the right to be wrong -- Teaching with technology -- Practice -- Reframing presentation anxiety -- 14. Database teaching opportunities -- Synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching -- Teaching one-on-one -- Teaching an information literacy session -- Video tutorials for asynchronous instruction -- A staff presentation -- The full semester class.