A Quick Start Guide to Searching the LLC Catalogue and Databases

Transcription

1 A Quick Start Guide to Searching the LLC Catalogue and Databases 1. What is the LLC Catalogue? 2. What is a Library Database? 3. How to Access the LLC Catalogue and Database Collection 4. Basic Search of the LLC Catalogue 5. Use your Limiters! 6. Changing your Search Terms for Better Results 7. Advanced Features: Using Search Fields and Boolean Operators 8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) a. How can I save my search results? b. Where do I find the citation for an article? c. Where do I find the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for an article? d. Where can I get more help searching the LLC catalogue and databases? 1) What is the LLC Catalogue? The LLC catalogue is an electronic listing of all the resources available in the LLC print and digital collections. Searching the catalogue allows you to: View what is available to Bow Valley College users Check the location of items in the print or digital collections of the LLC Place holds on items that are checked out by other library users Access the full-text of items such as e-books and articles in journals, newspapers and magazines Save, print or search results 2) What is a Library Database? A database is a searchable electronic collection of information about published items such as journal articles, books, and newspapers, often with access to the full-text of the item. The LLC subscribes to databases for every subject and program taught at Bow Valley College. 3) How to Access the LLC Catalogue and Database Collection The LLC catalogue is on the main page of the LLC website. Go to to find the search box pictured here: Follow the link on the main page under E-Resources for direct access and descriptions of all the library databases available through the LLC: 1

2 If you are not in the library, you will need to login. Use your student ID number with "BVC" in front, i.e. BVC123456, as the username and the last four digits of the phone number on record with the Registrar's Office as the password: 4) Basic Search of the LLC Catalogue Use the catalogue to search everything that is available through the LLC including print books, films, articles, images and e-books. Searching the LLC catalogue retrieves records with bibliographic information about each item, such as: Author(s) Title of article Title of the source in which the article was published Date of publication Abstract that summarizes the content of the article Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Type in a keyword or phrase and click Search. The icon next to the item shows the publication format, such as an academic journal or book. To open the catalogue record of an item, click on the highlighted title: 2

3 The catalogue record has information describing the appearance and content of the item such as: full title author(s) length location in LLC print or digital collections language format subject terms (also referred to as subject headings) For print, DVD and VHS materials, click Retrieve Catalogue Item to view the availability of the item. For articles, the item record will have a link to the full-text as a PDF file or in HTML format below the catalogue record. 5) Use your Limiters! A limiter lets you reduce the number of search results by retrieving items that contain only the element that you choose. You can limit results by: Source Type o Choose where items were published, such as a popular magazine, academic journal or trade publication Subject o Choose what the items are about by selecting one of the terms used to file the item in the catalogue or database Language Geography o Choose the country, province, state or city that the item is about, refers to, or was published Databases o The LLC catalogue searches the whole database collection, so you can narrow your search by choosing one or several databases To remove a limiter, click on the x icon under Limiters at the top of the left-hand column. 3

4 Select Full Text for search results that only include items with access to the entire text. For items that were published in journals and periodicals, choose Journals. For print books, DVDs and VHS films, CD-ROMs, and e-books, choose Catalog Only. Adjust the year of publication by typing or using the scroll bar. Then, click Update. 6) Changing your Search Terms for Better Results Add more keywords or phrases to your search results. Go to Advanced Search for more search boxes. Look at the language that is used in the search results. For example, some of the search results for medical decision-making AND Children AND Ethics include the term informed consent. Click Add Row to include that subject term in all of your search results: 7) Advanced Features: Using Search Fields and Boolean Operators Advanced Search also lets you change how your search terms are matched to the item record. Use the drop-down menu next to the search box to change the field, or category, to which the keyword is matched. Options include: All text and fields in the item record (TX) Author(s) of the item (AU) Title of the item (TI) or publication (SO) Subject term that describes the item s content (SU) Abstract that summarizes the item s content (AB) 4

5 For example, choosing SO Journal Title/Source next to the search box with Ethics will find items with that word in the title: Use the drop-down menu between the rows to change how the catalogue or databases searches for your keyword(s): AND, OR and NOT are called Boolean Operators. AND will search for item records containing ALL keywords OR will search for item records that contain ONE or BOTH keywords NOT will search for ONE keyword and EXCLUDE all item records containing another keyword Boolean operators are very useful for expanding or narrowing your search results by adding or excluding synonyms and related terms. For example, you can search for items that have Human Rights OR Civil Rights in any field: To narrow your results, you can exclude the related term Civil Rights by changing OR to NOT. 5

6 8) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) a. How can I save my search results? The Folder feature can be used to save and search results. You can save your search results temporarily for up to one hour. Click on the Add to Folder icon below the item in the search results list: Or under the Tools list on the right-hand side of the catalogue record: To save your search results permanently, you will need to create an account. After you have an account, you can sign in to retrieve the search results you have saved in your Folder. Click Sign In at the top right-hand corner of the screen then click Create a new Account with a username and password of your choice. b. Where do I find the citation for an article? To generate a citation for an article, open the catalogue record and click on Cite in the right-hand column of the screen: The citation will open on the top of the catalogue record. Please note that you will need to edit the citation as the computer often generates mistakes. For example, according to the rules of APA style the title in this citation should not contain all caps: 6

7 c. Where do I find the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of an article for an APA style citation? If an article has a DOI it will be found in the computergenerated citation or catalogue record: If there is no DOI, you will need to find the Publisher URL. Click the hyperlinked title of the publication to view the Source. The Publisher URL will be found in the publication details for the source. For instructions on creating a citation with the Publisher URL, please ask your instructor or refer to a citation style guide such as Cites and Sources. d. Where can I get more help searching the LLC catalogue and databases? There are many ways to get more help searching the LLC catalogue and database collection. First, you can go to these website pages for illustrated and video instructions: LLC Catalogue Tutorial under Helpful Links on the main page of the LLC website LLC Databases Tutorial under E-Resources on the main page of the LLC website ENGL150: English Composition Library Guide at A library assistant at the main circulation desk in the LLC can help you in-person or through the online instant messaging service, Chat with Us, on the LLC website. You can also contact the librarian, Kelley Wadson, directly: kwadson@bowvalleycollege.ca Telephone In-Person Book an appointment by phone or , drop by Kelley s office in the LLC or ask at the main circulation desk 7