Information Literacy : Search Tool & Search strategies

Third topic is started with third main point of big-6. Location and access is a main step in big-6 model that tell us where we can find relevant and reliable information by using different sources. When we search on internet then we need a search tool.

Search Tool:

Is a utility on internet to find out the information among thousands of documents. Search tools are classified into three types.

Library catalogue

Internet directory or search engine

Database

1. Library catalog:

It is a lesson that provides information library online system and how to use it. For example, AIU library catalog. It tells us to find books, periodicals audiovisuals. It can be book catalog, card catalog or online catalog. Online catalog in AiU is called OPAC. It is stand for online public access catalog. This OPAC system is known as ITALIC. This provides information about books and many more information sources and facilitates students. Different universities have different OPAC system.

The OPAC is provided by VTLS (virginia tech library system). This is a company that provides library automation software and services mostly to universities and governments. The new name of VTLS is “Chamo”. This system allows students to interact with library management to tell them what they have found new on social media. This system also allows students to share information on Facebook or twitter. Students can tag others and can get more interaction. this system also can be accessed by mobile devices.

ITALIC provides two types of search. One is general search and other is advanced search. In general search, we can write books name, author name. But in advance search, we can purify our search. We can find by years, author, title, ISB , ISSN, LCCN, UPC and control number. This system also allows us to change country and language to find books and other materials. There are many books in AiU library with different languages.

Internet:

Internet is a network of interconnected networks that allows billions of people to communicate each other. It is also called “Global information system”. There are two ways to find information on web by

Search engine

Subject directories

Search engine is a largest database that provides quick and reliable information. We type by keyboard about related topic and search engine will find the related website. Turbo 10, Google, Yahoo, Surfwas are the examples of search engines.

Subject directories in general are smaller and selective than search engines. They use categories to focus your search, and their sites are arranged by categories, not just by keywords. These may be called Internet catalogues. They are always compiled by people (rather than indexed automatically) who organize information according to a classification system. Examples,

Library search.com

Google scholar

Online database:

Collection of computerized information such as articles, books and graphic multimedia that can be searched by online. Online database also provide facility to publish magazine or journals, newspapers and other information sources. For examples,

PROQUEST

Science direct

24/7

Search Tools& categories

Search strategy is a approach and structured organization of terms to find information by online. Its function is to provide accurate and factual information to user.

There are two ways of search strategy.

Searching with keywords

Boolean searching

Truncations& Wildcards

Phrase Searching

1. Searching with keywords:

Keywords are natural language or free text words and phrases.

Boolean search allow user to combine words and phrases using symbolic logics called Boolean search to refine, define, limit and broad the search. There are three operators of Boolean search

AND

NOT

By using AND, it will limit the search.

By using OR, it will expand the search

By using NOT, it will exclude the unwanted information.

3.Truncation& Wildcards:

Truncation and wildcards broaden our search abilities by allowing us to retrieve multiple spellings of a root word or word stem, such as singular and plural forms.

A wildcard AND Truncation is a special character, such as an asterisk (*), question mark (?), or pound sign (#), that replaces one or more letters in a word.