Page 217 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

184 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

Search the Library Catalog
Most libraries today use computerized online catalogs accessible from off cam-
pus as well as in the library building. An online catalog is a computerized
online catalog
listing of library holdings. Library catalogs are searchable by key words for sub-
A computerized data-
ject, author, and title. When beginning a search on a topic, it is unlikely that we
base of library holdings.
will know specifi c authors or titles. Thus, the key words search is the most likely
Boolean operators basis for a search.
When using an online catalog or similar database for a key word search, we
Terms, such as and, or,
and not, used to narrow use Boolean operators. These are terms, such as and, or, and not, used to nar-
or broaden a computer- row or broaden a computerized search of two or more related terms. Some data-
ized search of two or bases and library catalogs will assume the Boolean operator and unless we supply
more related terms. another, while others will require us to type in and or +. For example, if we enter
search words human cloning and the database assumes the and, it will locate all
sources that use both the word human and the word cloning even if they are not
used together. On the other hand, if the and is not assumed, the database may
only locate sources where the phrase human cloning appears. Depending on our
search needs, we need to determine which method is used in the library catalog.
Check with a librarian at your school to learn whether you need to use Boolean
operators, or experiment with different search combinations until you discover
which way your library catalog operates. How Boolean operators can be used to
broaden or narrow a search is shown in Exhibit 7.1.
Tips and Tactics
Expanding Your Search

• When we locate a book or other source that is interesting, we check to see
what subject headings are used by the library to index the book in addition to
the one used to fi nd it. These subject headings can then provide new search
terms to expand our search and locate additional sources on our topic.
• When we visit the stacks, we do a little browsing as we fi nd the specifi c books
we have noted. Because books are shelved by subject, it is not unusual to fi nd
a book closely related to our topic that we overlooked. This serendipitous
search for information often turns up better sources than those we originally
found.
• Follow the leads suggested by general books. The authors of books have done
much of our work for us. A book’s bibliography or footnotes lead to other
sources. We read the more recent books fi rst. In many ways, a researcher is
like a detective looking for clues. A good general book on a topic is like a
room full of clues. The author will have left fi ngerprints all over the place.

Exhibit 7.1
Boolean Operators Help
Narrow or Broaden a Cloning Human Cloning Human Cloning Human
Search

Cloning AND Human Cloning OR Human Cloning NOT Human