So, I dutifully went in search of a RSS feed to add to my blog. I decided to switch gears again and look for something related to Collection Development (particularly for youth materials). What I found was more than I had hoped for! The Exquisite Corpse Adventure from the Read.gov website.
About the Exquisite Corpse Adventure
Ever heard of an Exquisite Corpse? It's not what you might think. An Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal part of it and pass it on to the next player to do the same. The game ends when someone finishes the story, which is then read aloud.
Our "Exquisite Corpse Adventure" works this way: Jon Scieszka, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, has written the first episode, which is "pieced together out of so many parts that it is not possible to describe them all here, so go ahead and just start reading!" He has passed it on to a cast of celebrated writers and illustrators, who must eventually bring the story to an end.
Every two weeks, there will be a new episode and a new illustration. The story will conclude a year from now.
I love the idea, and I am very excited about the cast of authors. Katherine Paterson, Daniel Handler (a.k.a Lemony Snicket), and Gregory Maguire are my particular favorites. Keeping up with the story will give me a chance to get a taste for the other authors that I am unfamiliar with.
I am searching ERIC and World Cat for information for a group paper that I will be doing in my LS5813 Information Professions class. The topic is Trends in Information Seeking Behaviors. I don’t know much about the topic, yet, so I’m just browsing what’s available.
My Search Strategy:
ERIC
Search #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Index (Field searched)
Abstracts
Abstracts
Descriptor Phrase
Descriptor Phrase
Descriptor Phrase
Descriptor Phrase
Descriptor Phrase
Descriptor Phrase
Search Terms
information-seeking AND trends
information-retrieval
(users (information) OR user needs (information)) AND (information seeking OR information retrieval)
(users (information) OR user needs (information)) AND (information seeking OR information retrieval)
(users (information) OR user needs (information)) AND (information seeking OR information retrieval)
(users (information) OR users (information)) AND (information seeking OR information retrieval) AND (problem solving OR search strategies)
(users (information) OR users (information)) AND (information seeking OR information retrieval) AND (problem solving OR search strategies)
(users (information) OR users (information)) AND (information seeking OR information retrieval) AND (problem solving OR search strategies)
Limits/ Rankings
limited search by language phrase (English), full text, subscriptions held by my library, rank by relevance
rank by relevance
rank by relevance
rank by relevance, limit by full text
# Hits
6
44
524
8
524
159
159
32
# Potentially useful hits
3
8
16 (of 1st 30)
1
11 (of 1st 30)
12 (of 1st 30)
16 (of 1st 30)
8
Notes:
looked in subject descriptors for terminology clues
Looked at Descriptors of useful results. Determined descriptor search strategy from frequency of descriptor phrases.
Too broad
Too restrictive!
Better results w/o relevance!
Final search, looking for immediately available (Full Text) sources.
behavior patterns, information systems**, user needs (information)**, Users (information)*****, problem solving**, search strategies***, information seeking****, information retrieval***, information needs
For the ERIC database the entry I chose, which I found on both Search #6 & Search #8, is:
Rudner, L. (2000). Who is going to mine digital library resources? and how? Retrieved
September 28, 2009, from ERIC database.
WorldCat
Search #
1
2
3
4
5
6
Index (Field searched)
Subject Phrase
Descriptor
Descriptor
Descriptor/Keyword
Descriptor/Keyword
Title Phrase
Search Terms
(information seeking) AND (behavior)
(information seeking) AND (behavior)
(information seeking) AND (behavior)
(Information retrieval) OR (information-seeking behavior) (Descriptor) AND library (KW)
(Information retrieval) OR (information-seeking behavior) (Descriptor) AND library (KW)
Information seeking behavior
Limits/ Rankings
ranked by relevance
ranked by relevance
Limited by: English, items in my library. Ranked by relevance
ranked by relevance
Limited by: TWU & English, ranked by relevance
English & relevance
# Hits
1
55 (English 54)
0
8034 (English7536)
199
4
# Potentially useful hits
<1
1
3 (2 unique titles)
4
Notes:
Possible Descriptors: Information Science, User Needs, Behavior
Too many hits about "Driver behavior"
Go back to Search #2 & find better descriptors!
Limit by TWU & English!
No abstracts, might as well try searching by title.
For all 4 titles: Only 1 copy available (not at TWU or in Texas).
Survey of Information Seeking Behavior, searching behavior, Information retrieval, information-seeking behavior
For the World Cat database the entry I chose, which I found on Search #5, is:
Case, D. O. (2007). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs,
and behavior (2nd ed.). Amsterdam; Boston: Elsevier/Academic Press.
I found my search on ERIC to be much more fruitful. I found many more items that were related to my topic, and being able to read the abstracts was very helpful. However, I do plan to get the book that I found on World Cat (through ILL) because I am hoping that it will have a more cohesive treatment of the subject, rather than having to piece together the findings of multiple studies.
The assignment: Find a podcast related to my topic and library type.
This assignment is harder than I thought it would be... In part because my "topic" isn't very well defined yet. My professional interests are Collection Development and Cataloging. My literary interests are Children's & YA Fiction, and also Science Fiction & Fantasy.
I also found a blog, again using http://blogsearch.google.com/, that I hope will be useful for focusing on Children's literature in the area of Collection Development.
The Children's Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is powered by Bianca Schulze, mother to one daughter. Bianca has almost a decade’s worth of experience working with children and is passionate about continuing to work with children. Combined with her love of books and experience as a childrens specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion through this blog.
Luisa LaFleur reviews bilingual books for The Children's Book Review to help parents choose the best books for their budding linguists. She was born in Argentina, attended school in NYC and speaks three foreign languages--Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Formerly an editor in NYC, Luisa is currently a stay-at-home mom to two little ones.
If you have ever had the pleasure of watching the amazement and enthusiasm of a child who has just learned something new, then you will understand why Bianca chose to start this blog. In the words of Dr. Seuss - "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
Please join Bianca and Luisa on this journey to remember old favorites and search for new ones.
Let's get our kids reading!
Using http://blogsearch.google.com/, I found a blog that I hope will be useful in finding information for a paper that I will be writing in my other LS class (LS 5813 Information Professions). My topic is Trends in Information Seeking Behaviors. I also see a lot of overlap with what I am learning in ISAR.
Library School. First class of my first semester, LS 5013. I think I will be glad to have this blog to record my thoughts during this journey. Hopefully, I will continue to use it beyond this one class. I have had a journal at livejournal.com for a few years where I record my personal woes and keep up with friends from online communities. This Blog shouldn't be any more difficult to maintain.
I have a few areas of interest in Library School and in my future employment. I am interested in both collection development and cataloging. I also want my studies to have an emphasis on children's and young adult literature. I may find that I'll need to choose between collection development or cataloging, or that I don't actually care for one or the other.
I presently work in a public library in a clerical position. I will probably want to continue working there. Even though I want to work in a public library, I am not eager to work with the public. I much prefer to work in the bowels of the library.
I am a Library and Information Sciences student, a library employee, book lover, and mother. I am also campaigning for the addition of a Library Cat at the library where I work. A nice fat purring cat to curl up around our feet.
