Specific Facet First

A specific facet first search begins with the term which will yield the smallest number of hits and moves out successively with an increased number of retrievals. I used Project Muse for this search and began with interlibrary loan policy.

Specific Facet Search

Again, this database may have been better used with a different type of search. As we have discussed in class though, a typical searcher would try different searches on a database when result expectations were not met. Since my topic is so firmly based in the library field, a database focusing on library science is the best choice for the search. However, it would be possible to branch out the topic to look at Web 2.0 technology and its use in communication and education by schools and companies to see what ideas may be translated to libraries. Without a background in either of these fields though, I did not feel comfortable branching out beyond my area of knowledge. This would be true of the typical searcher too though. They may be lead into different fields by doing a different search and following them to related hits.

Building block search

A building block search takes an initial search and builds on it by refining. I selected JSTOR database.
Building Block Search

An inital search of interlibrary loan and policies retrieved no results. I did a new search on resource sharing and libraries. While this search did not retrieve the results I expected, I was able to find a few results pertaining to access to digital resources, a topic relevant to interlibrary loan. Perhaps a different type of search would have yielded better results.

Web page competency

Searching for an informative web page on interlibrary loan policies brings up a plethora of results for the thousands of public libraries that offer this service. While there are some informative examples from these results, there were too many pages to sort through to find the one page that would convey this topic the best. There are two authorities for interlibrary loan; one is WorldCat or OCLC and the ALA. WorldCat is used by librarians and patrons to locate materials in other libraries while the ALA actually develops policies for participating interlibrary loan libraries. Since my focus has been in educating patrons on the uses and procedures of interlibrary loan, the resources of WorldCat is the most informative resource for helping users find what they need.

WorldCat connects users to libraries by displaying libraries nearby where the item can be located. Information can also be accessed from partner commercial sites like LibraryThing and AbeBooks. Library websites also offer links to WorldCat as a research tool and as a platform for patron-initiated interlibrary loan. Selected from Google.com 8/1/09
http://www.worldcat.org

Citation Pearl Growing

A citation pearl search begins with the retrieval of a specific title from a database. Using the subject or keyword terms provided for that title, users can find other items related to their topic. For this search, I began with a search in WorldCat.org for the title I found in the LibraryThing competency.

Citation pearl

This search did not yield a great variety of hits either because I was only looking at books or because the topic has not been widely covered. I have not fully used WorldCat to search for articles because this feature has only been added to the database in the past few years, but it would be interesting to see what would be retrieved.

While the titles retrieved were focused on national and library policies and best practices, it would be useful for a public access staff person to be able to explain policies to patrons.

Successive Fraction Search

A successive fraction search begins with a search for a broad topic, then narrows down successively to the smallest possible result. I did my search in the ASP database.

I began with interlibrary loan:
Successive Fraction

This was an interesting search to do because I had never really done one to this extent before. I was able to narrow down the search to one hit, but I am not sure that this would be very useful for doing research. Typically, a searcher wants a variety of articles to choose from so that they would stop after the first two refinements. However, if the articles selected either did not meet the research need or further refinement was needed to focus the topic, it would be useful to narrow it down to that extent. And it may not always be possible to narrow a search down to one hit with other topics.

Multimedia

There is no one image that encapsulates interlibrary loan and any graphic logo is copyrighted by the library using it. This image of the woman in the red wig wearing a placard is dressed as an ILL book with a yellow slip. I chose this image because it is a clever way to create awareness of ILL and to have fun as well.

UCI Staff. (October 31, 2007). The Fearsome Interlibrary Loan Book. Posted on Flikr.com. Retrieved from Google.com. http://flickr.com/photos/51799074@N00/1812001852

LibraryThing Tags

Genealogy(1) Interlibrary Loan(1) Library science

http://www.librarything.com/work/3517399
I selected Interlibrary Loan Sources: A Guide for Librarians and Genealogists
by Mid-Continent Public Library.

I had expected to only find guides and best practices for ILL librarians, so it was a nice surprise to find that this book also includes tips for genealogists. Genealogy is a popular hobby these days and there are many challenges in trying to fill requests for these titles. It would be very helpful both for librarians and patrons to have access to such a guide to help us help them. While it may not be necessary to have a guide for all types of requests, I think that this publication is a great idea.