CPSC 203
How to Design & Execute
Successful Search
Strategies
Gilbert Bede
Public Services Systems
Librarian & Computer Science
Liaison Librarian
MacKimmie Library Tower Room 401D
Telephone 403-220-5650
E-Mail gbede@ucalgary.ca
Information, Information
Everywhere
“I’d like some information please.” Your librarian
has the content, technology and service to meet
this very need. Suddenly, you’re dropped in the
middle of a vast ocean of library catalogues,
books, journals, online databases, e-books, ejournals, internet web sites, wikis, and blogs. You
find yourself thrashing about in order to keep your
head above the waves in this ocean of
information. While the whole time you have an
overpowering sinking feeling that you will never
find the information that you need and that you
very well might drown in this ocean of information.
How Much Information Is Out
There?
• In 2002, it has been estimated that print, film
magnetic and optical storage accounted for 2 – 5
exabytes of new information
– An exabyte is 10 to the power of 18
• 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes
• It takes 10 terabytes to store the content of
the Library of Congress
• To store 5 exabytes in a physical format
would require 500,000 libraries the size of
the Library of Congress
Information Fatigue Syndrome
The information overload problem has led to the coining of the term
"information fatigue syndrome" (IFS).
IFS said to cause paralysis of the analytical capacity, constant searches
for more information, increased anxiety and sleeplessness and selfdoubt in decision making.
It is concluded that those suffering from information overload or IFS are
at risk of suffering the same fate as the information poor. The
information poor are unable to take action because they do not have
necessary information that would enable them to take control.
The information rich are similarly paralyzed because of their inability to
create order from all the information washing over them. It may be
necessary to think in terms of the information rich, the information poor
and information burdened.
Anne Goulding Department of Information Science at Loughborough
University
What is a Search Strategy
When You Design a Search Strategy You Are Planning
How You Will search for Information on a Specific Topic in
specific information resources such as:
LIBRARY CATALOGUE
BOOKS
JOURNALS
E-JOURNALS
ONLINE DATABASES
WORLD WIDE WEB
The More Effort That You in Put Into
Designing Your Search Strategy, the
More Useful Your Search Results
Will Be
You should plan of spending at least 1
hour of thinking designing and testing
your search strategy
A Well Designed Search
Strategy Will
• Save You Time
• Allow You to Search for
Information in Different Places
• Help You Quickly Locate &
Effectively Evaluate the
Information That You Discover
Searching for Resources on
Designing Search Strategies
• Subject Search in the Library Catalogue
under the following subject headings:
– Online bibliographic searching
– Information retrieval
– Database searching
– Web search engines
• E-Journal Dedicated to the subject
– Z699.A1 INTERNET Online
Recommended Resources
Call Number Z710 .B33 2004 2004
Title: Research strategies : finding your
way through the information
fog 2nd ed.
Author: Badke, William B., 19491 copy available at University of Calgary
in 1LT-RES
Title: Doing a literature search : a
comprehensive guide for the
social sciences
Author: Hart, Chris
Call Number: Z667 .H37 2001
H61.95 INTERNET 2003
Internet research methods [electronic resource] : a
practical guide for the social and behavioural
sciences
Hewson, Claire.
028.7 RIL 2002
Learning to learn : a guide to becoming information
literate
Riedling, Ann Marlow,
HF54.56 .B38 2001
Super searchers cover the world : the online secrets
of international business researchers
Bates, Mary Ellen.
Title:
Literature Searching in Science, Technology and
Agriculture
Author: Pritchard, Eileen and Paula R.
Scott
Call Number: Z699.5.S3 P74 1996 C.1
E-Book
Title:
Successful keyword searching: initiating research on
popular Topics using electronic databases.
Author: MacDonald Randall M.,
Date: 2001
Internet Access: ebrary Academic Complete
So Where Do You Begin?
1. Set a Date(s) and Time(s) Plan Out Your
Search Strategy
2. Select Your Research Topic
3. Determine How Much Time You Want to
Invest in Conducting Your Research
4. Set a Limit on How Much Information You
Are Going to Look at -- How Many Books,
Articles or Web Sites That You Want to
Read & Analyze
5. Determine How You Will Manage the
Information That You Locate
Now You Are Ready To Start
Formulating Your Search Strategy
1. Identify What You Already Know About This Subject
• Consult your course textbook
• Talk to your Professor, TA and fellow students
• Talk to a Librarian
2. Identify the Type(s) of Information You Need
• General Observation & Commentary (Popular
Press)
• Industry / Professional (Trade & Industry)
• Official (Government or Legal)
• Scholarly (Peer Reviewed or Referred)
Establish The Information
Evaluation Criteria
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Is it clear who has authored the information & what are their
Credentials
This the purpose of the information clear & does it clearly
define how the hypothesis of the information has either been
supported or not supported
Is the information relevant to meeting your information
requirements
Have other scholars or professionals in the field acknowledge
the value of this information i.e., has the information been
cited in other sources
Can the information be independently corroborated
When was the information produced and is the publisher
recognized within the field as a reliable publishing source
Is the any apparent bias with regard to the information
Recommended Books
•
HF54.56 .B47 2004
The skeptical business searcher : the information advisor's guide to
evaluating Web data, sites, and sources
Berkman, Robert I.
Keywords
• Today the primary method of searching
for information involves the use of
Keywords or Keyword Phrases
• Keywords can occur in
– Title
– Citation
– Abstract
– Descriptors
– Subject Headings
– Fulltext
English Is a Very Tricky Language
• It is important to find out what words
mean
• Remember that the meaning of words
can change based on their context in
which they are used – each discipline
has its own lexicon
• When you are unsure of the meaning of
words, try a dictionary, thesaurus or an
encyclopedia – use specialized, subject
specific resources whenever possible
Find Alternative Terms
• To increase your odds of finding the
information you need understand:
– Synonyms (Information Communications
Technologies or Computer Systems)
– Plural/Singular forms (Canada or Canadian)
– Spelling variations (color or colour)
– Variations of a root wood (compute, computer,
computerization)
– Acronyms (Information Communications
Technologies or ICT)
– Abbreviations
Reference Sources
• Library Web Site under Reference Sources
• Dictionaries
• Encyclopedia
– Wikipedia vs. Encyclopedia Britannica online
• Both of these encyclopedias are good source to consult
• To see the difference between the two run a search on
the keyword wiki in Wikipedia and Britannica
• Abbreviations
– Journal Abbreviations Source
– Periodical Title Abbreviation
Example
E-Government in Canada
Identifying Your Keywords &
Phrases
So what are some of the keywords &
Phrases?
–Geographical Location - Canada
–Type of Information Needed Policy
–Subject Area – E-Government
Concept
Alternative
Canada
Canadian
Provincial
Territorial
Policy
Report
Plan
Paper
Statement
Public Administration
Political Planning
E-Government
Internet Society
Electronic Government
Internet in Public Administration
Online Government
E-Democracy
Where Should I Start
Looking?
Type of Information
Sources
Where to Look
Current
- Research Database
- Journals
- World Web Web
- Library Web Page under
Research Databases & EJournals
- Web Search Engines
Comprehensive
Books
Government Documents
- Library Catalogue,
remember to browse the
shelves
Background
Books, dictionaries and
encyclopedias
- Library Web Page
Reference Sources
- Library Catalogue
- Wikipedia
The Library Catalogue
http://library.ucalgary.ca
How Do I Locate This
Item in the Library
How Do I Access Online
Materials Through the
Catalogue?
Refining Your Search:
Tips on Identifying New
Keywords or Keyword
Phrases
E-Journals
Browsing an Issue
Basic Search
Advanced Search
Searching In Online Databases
Research Databases
Recommended Research
Databases
• Technical Information
– ACM Digital Library (Association for Computing
Machinery)
– IEEE Xplore (IEL) - IEEE/IEE Electronic Library
Online
– Collection of Computer Science Bibliographies
– Books 24x7 IT Pro (E-Book Collection)
– Safari Tech Books Online (E-Book Collection)
– Academic Complete (E-Book Collection)
Recommended General Purpose
Research Databases
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ABI Inform Global
Academic Search Premier
Expanded Academic ASAP
CBCA Complete (Canadian Business & Current
Affairs Databases) (Canadian Content)
SourceOECD
AccessUN
PAIS International - Public Affairs Information Service
Legal Databases LegalTRAC & Dominion Law
Reports (Canadian)
Copyright
• Keywords
– Copyright
– Piracy
– Industrial and Intellectual property
– Fair dealing
– SOCAN Society of Composers, Authors and Music
Publishers of Canada
– Recording Industry Association of America RIAA
– Motion Picture Association of America MPAA
– American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
(ASCAP)
– Napster
– Grokster
– Internet Service Providers (ISP)
Books on Canadian Copyright
Law
• KF2994 .H37 2001 Canadian copyright law : the indispensable
guide for publishers, web professionals, writers, artists,
filmmakers, teachers, librarians, archivists, curators, lawyers
and business people 3rd ed.
Harris, Lesley Ellen.
• K1401 .H37 1998 Digital property : currency of the 21st century
Harris, Lesley Ellen.
• KF2994 .H37 1995 Canadian copyright law 2nd ed.
Harris, Lesley Ellen.
• KF2995 .Z9 G85 2000 A guide to copyrights
Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
Copyright Books & E-Books
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ML3790 INTERNET 2005 From Edison to MP3 [electronic resource] : a
struggle for the future of the music recording industry
Shayo, Conrad.
KF3022 .Z9 INTERNET 2004 The public domain [electronic resource] : how to
find copyright-free writings, music, art & more 2nd ed.
Fishman, Stephen.
KF2979 INTERNET 2000
The digital dilemma [electronic resource] intellectual property in the information
age ebrary, Inc.
K1441 INTERNET 2002 Copyright and multimedia products [electronic
resource] : a comparative analysis
Stamatoudi, Irini A.
Z642 INTERNET 2001 Copyrights and copywrongs [electronic
resource] : the rise of intellectual property and how it threatens
creativity
Z692 .C65 G85 2005 2005
Guide to licensing and acquiring electronic information
Bosch, Stephen.
Canadian Copyright Web Sites
• Canada
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Copyright Act and Copyright Regulations
Bill C-60 AN ACT TO AMEND THE COPYRIGHT ACT
Copyright Reform Process
Copyright Board
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Intellectual Property Policy Directorate (IPPD)
SOCAN Society of Composers, Authors and Music
Publishers of Canada
– CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association
– The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency
International Copyright Web Site
• World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO)
• WIPO Intellectual Property Digital Library
• U.S. Copyright Office
• European Union Copyright
• Copyright Law of Japan
• Links to other countries copyright law
• RIAA (Recording Industry of America
Association)
MPAA (Motion Picture Association of
America)
Copyright E-Journals
• Copyright
– The Patent, trade-mark, and copyright journal
of research and education (Online)
– Copyright law symposium (Online)
– The copyright & new media law newsletter
(Online)
– Fox Canadian law of copyright and industrial
designs
– The copyright & new media law newsletter
(Online)
– The computer & Internet lawyer (Online)
Digital Rights Management
• Keywords
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Digital Rights Management
DRM
CONSUMERS
COPYRIGHT -- Unauthorized reproductions of sound
recordings
COPYRIGHT -- Unauthorized reproductions of video
recordings
COPYRIGHT infringement
PREVENTION
HIGH technology industries
MUSIC & technology
VIDEO recordings industry
COPYRIGHT -- Digital media
Digital Rights Management
• ACM Workshop on Digital Rights Management [electronic
resource] : DRM
ACM Workshop on Digital Rights Management
• QA76 .A1 L42 NO.2770 2003
Digital rights management : technological, economic, and legal
and political aspects
Becker, Eberhard.
• K1401 .A15 W57 NO.756 1998 WIPO International Forum on
the Exercise and Management of Copyright and Neighboring
Rights in the Face of the Challenges of Digital Technology
• JN30 .P835 2004 2004 Public sector information in the digital
age : between markets, public management and citizens' rights
Aichholzer, Georg.
• KF4772 .G63 1998 Cyber rights : defending free speech
in the digital age 1st ed.
Godwin, Mike
• JC599 .G7 H855 2005 Human rights in the digital age
Klang, Mathias.
Privacy, Security & Freedom
• Keywords
– PIPEDA The Personal Information Protection and Electronic
Documents Act (Canada)
– FOIP Freedom of Information and Protections of Privacy Act
(Alberta)
– Access to Information
– FOI (Freedom of Information)
– CONFIDENTIAL communications
– ELECTRONIC surveillance
– PRIVACY, Right of
– WORK environment
– U.S. Patriot Act
Privacy, Security and Freedom
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
KF1262 .D73 2004 Protection of privacy in the Canadian private sector
Drapeau, Michel W.
KF1262 .P7655 2004 Privacy, security, spam : Edmonton, Alberta,
February 24, 2004 ; Calgary, Alberta, February 25, 2004
Wood, Paul F.
KF1262 .W53 2003 What's a PIPEDA?
Senft, Darcia.
KF1262 .P47 2003
Personal Information Protection Act : Calgary, Alberta, June 11, 2003 ;
Edmonton, Alberta, June 18, 2003
Dickson, R. Gary (Robert Gary)
KF1262 .A6 P53 V.1 2002 (Journal) Privacy law in the private sector :
an annotation of the legislation in Canada
Platt, Priscilla
KF1262 .E39 2002 V.1 Privacy handbook for Canadians : your rights
and remedies
Edy, Brian.
KF5753 .C3733 2002 Report to Parliament concerning substantially
similar provincial legislation
Canada. Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Privacy, Security and Freedom
•
•
•
•
•
KF390.5 .C6 G44 2002 2002 Internet law in Canada 3rd ed.
Geist, Michael A.
KF1262 .C47 2001 The Personal Information Protection and Electronic
Documents Act : a comprehensive guide
Charnetski, William A.
KF1262 .M42 2001Privacy law in Canada
McNairn, Colin H. H.
KF5753 .F7436 2000 Freedom of information & privacy : Bill C-6 :
Edmonton, Alberta, October 17, 2000; Calgary, Alberta, October 18,
2000
Jones, David P.
KF5753 .Z9 F74 2002 Freedom of information and protection of privacy
: guidelines and practices
Alberta. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy.
Privacy, Security & Freedom Wed
Sites
• Canada
– Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
– Privacy Legislation
Alberta
– Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
(FOIP)
– FOIP Act
• Michael Geist
– Canada Research Chair in Internet & E-commerce
Law, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law
Digital Divide
• Keywords
–
–
–
–
–
–
Digital Divide
Digital Division
Information Haves and Have Nots
Third World & Information Technology (IT or ICT)
Bridging
Information Highway or Information Super
Highway
– Global Village
– Globalization
Books on the Digital Divide
•
•
•
•
•
•
HB1 .W59 NO.10686 2004 The determinants of the global digital
divide : a cross-country analysis of computer and internet
penetration
Chinn, Menzie David.
HN90 .I56 K88 2003 From digital divide to digital opportunity
Kuttan, Appu.
HC79 .I55 C56 2003 Closing the digital divide : transforming
regional economies and communities with information technology
Marshall, Stewart.
HD30.2 .A35 2003 Digital bridges : developing countries in the
knowledge economy
Afele, John Senyo C.
HN49 .I56 W37 2003 Technology and social inclusion : rethinking
the digital divide
Warschauer, Mark.
HN90 .I56 D54 2001 The digital divide : facing a crisis or creating a
myth?
Compaine, Benjamin M.
Digital Divide Web Sites
• Canada
– Industry Canada
– CRTC
– Canada’s Information Highway
• International
– National Telecommunications & Information
Administration (NTIA) Report Falling Through the
Net: Defining the Digital Divide
– PEW Internet & American Life Project
– European Union
Accessibility
• Keywords
–
–
–
–
–
Americans with Disability Act (ADA)
Section 503 & 508
Person with Disabilities
Assistive Technology
Adaptive Technology
Accessibility Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
V1569.5 INTERNET Publication began: 2004 Accessibility and computing
(Online)
Association for Computing Machinery. Special Interest Group on Accessible
Computing.
HV1569.5 INTERNET Publication began: 1973 SIGCAPH newsletter (Online)
HV1569.5 INTERNET Publication began: 1994 Information technology and
disabilities (Online)
EASI (Organization)
QA76.9 .C66 S54 Publication began: 2004 Accessibility and computing
Association for Computing Machinery. Special Interest Group on Accessible
Computing.
A76.9 .C66 INTERNET Publication began: 1994 Information technology and
disabilities [electronic resource]
QA76.9 .C66 S54 Publication began: 1973 SIGCAPH newsletter : a quarterly
publication of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and the
Physically Handicapped
Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA)
• KF3469 INTERNET 2000 Employment, disability,
and the Americans with Disabilities Act
[electronic resource] : issues in law, public policy
and research
Blanck, Peter David
• RA1055.5 .A28 1998 1998
Accommodations in higher education under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) : a nononsense guide for clinicians, educators,
administrators, and lawyers
Gordon, Michael, Ph. D.
Canadian’s With Disabilities
Information
• A profile of disability in Canada, 2001
• Defining Disability
• Canadian Attitudes Towards Disability
Issues
• Disability Research Bulletin 2003-2004
• Use of assistive aids and devices
• Price Survey of Assistive Devices For
Persons With Disabilities
• Assistive Technology Canada (ATCanada)
• Accessible Procurement Toolkit (APT)
American’s With Disabilities
(ADA) Web Sites
•
•
•
•
•
•
ADA Home page
ADA HOT LINKS AND DOCUMENT CENTER
Section 508
A Guide to Disability Rights Laws
Assistive Technology Industry Association
Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive
Technology Society of North America
(RESNA)
Biometrics
• Keywords
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
biometrics
biometric security
technology adoption
information security
information assurance
Authentication
Authorization
Identity Theft
E-Commerce
Facial recognition system
Library Materials on Biometrics
• TK7882 .P3 INTERNET 1999 Biometrics [electronic resource] :
personal identification in networked society
Bolle, Ruud.
• TK7882 .P3 K86 2005 2005
Biometric authentication : a machine learning approach
Kung, S. Y. (Sun Yuan)
• TK7882 .B56 R45 2004 2004
Biometrics for Network security
Reid, Paul.
• TK7882 .B56 G85 2004 2004 Guide to biometrics
Bolle, Ruud.
• TK7882.B56 INTERNET Publication began: Biometric
technology today (Online)
ScienceDirect (Online service)
Wikis & Blogs
• Keywords
– Weblogs
– Wikiwiki
– Collaborative Computing / Software
– Social Computing
– Best Practices
– Listservs
– News Groups
Library Resources
• PN4784 .O62 B78 2005
Gatewatching : collaborative online news production
Bruns, Axel.
• TK5105.8884 .H48 2005
Blog : understanding the information reformation
that's changing your world
Hewitt, Hugh.
• HM851 .L677 2003
My first recession : critical Internet culture in
transition
Lovink, Geert.
How Can I Improve My Search
Results
• Your initial search strategy may either find not enough
information, or too much information.
• To narrow your Search
• To broaden your search you can
– Reduce the number of concepts that you are using
– Employ Boolean Logic (And, OR, NOT)
– Look for Alterative terms
– Use more general terms
– Use subject heading as search terms
– Use truncation to get variations of the root key words
– Use alternative spellings
http://library.ucalgary.ca
Gilbert Bede
Public Services Systems
Librarian & Computer Science
Liaison Librarian
MacKimmie Library Tower Room 401D
Telephone 403-220-5650
E-Mail gbede@ucalgary.ca