This overview provides a framework and specific instructions to help you effectively navigate library databases, online catalogs and more to find reliable information for your children and families.
Understanding the Search Process
- Analyze the Need: Define the core topic, the type of information (e.g., academic article, book, video, website), and the ideal audience.
- For example: Turn a broad topic (e.g., "healthy eating") into a focused question such as "What are age-appropriate nutrition guidelines for 5-year-olds?
- Identify Keywords: Extract the most important concepts from your question. Consider synonyms, related terms, and variations in spelling.
- If searching for "childhood obesity prevention," also try "pediatric weight management," "kids health," or "juvenile fitness."
- Select the Right Tool: Databases are for specific articles and academic journals. Catalogs are for physical and digital books, and media held by the library.
- If you need a journal article on child psychology, use a specialized database. If you need a chapter book on coping with grief, use the library catalog.
Strategic Search Instructions
- Use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT): These are the most powerful tools for combining or excluding concepts to narrow or broaden your search.
- AND: Narrows your search. Finds results containing all specified terms.
- Example: "Autism Spectrum Disorder" AND therapy
- OR: Broadens your search. Finds results containing either term. Use for synonyms or related concepts.
- Example: homeschooling OR "home education"
- NOT: Narrows your search. Excludes a specific term.
- Example: parenting NOT teens (to find results on younger children)
- Use Phrase Searching: Use quotation marks (" ") to treat two or more words as an exact phrase. This is essential for specific titles, proper names, or precise terminology.
- Example: Searching for "early literacy skills" will only return documents where those three words appear together in that exact order.
- Apply Filters and Limits: Most systems allow you to narrow your results after the initial search. Always look for the options on the side or top of the results page.
- Data Range: Limit to the last 5 or 10 years for current information.
- Material Type: Select Book, eBook, Journal Article, Video, or Curriculum.
- Audience/Reading Level: Filter by Juvenile or Young Adult if searching the catalog for resources for a child.
- Language: Restrict results to English or other needed languages.
- Try Subject Heading/Controlled Vocabulary Search: After a successful initial search, look at the "Subject" field of a relevant item (book or article). Libraries and databases assign standardized subject headings (e.g., "Parenting - United States," "Attention Deficit Disorder in Children").
- Evaluate the Results: Determine if a source is trustworthy.
- Is the information recent enough?
- Does it answer the question?
- Who wrote it? Are they an expert?
- Can the facts be verified? Is it peer-reviewed?
- Is the source trying to inform, sell, or persuade?