TIP SHEET: Enhancing the Library Search Process: Home

It's very common for undergraduate library searchers to select items based on titles only and then scan the text for material that can be used in a particular research project.

However, there are three easy steps that searchers can use to enhance library searching and find more relevant materials to use for research and writing assignments.

1. Create a list of specific keywords for initial searching
2. Examine the abstract or description in the item record to discover relevance of the item to the research project
3. Examine the assigned subject terms in the item record to discover similar items held by the library

Step 1: Create a List of Specific Keywords for Initial Searching

Make a list of specific keywords that you will use in your search.  These can be drawn from lecture notes, class assignments, or reference works in the virtual library.  This is a professional searcher technique that should be done before opening the library search screen.  The benefits are:

• The more specific the search terms, the higher the chance that you will find items related to the subject you are researching
• Having a list of of keywords will give you additional terms to search if some terms are not productive

Step 2: Examine Description to Determine Relevance of the Item

Once an initial search has been run in the Virtual Library using specific keywords and an item selected for examination, it is important to examine the description in the item's record for additional clues to the item's relevance before moving into the full text.  This document analysis is a more detailed version of reading a novel's back cover at the bookstore before purchasing it.  Benefit's are:

• The abstract or description will contain details about the item's content, allowing the searcher to make an informed decision about the item's relevance to their research
• If the item is not relevant, reading the abstract or description allows the searcher to determine that and discard the item without having to access the full text

Description Example

Step 3:  Examine Assigned Subject Terms to Discover Similar Items

If an item proves to be useful based on examination of the abstract/description,  it is possible to discover similar items held in the library's collection by examining the assigned subject terms.  These are assigned by subject specialist, usually at the Library of Congress, who, based on their subject knowledge, will assign controlled vocabulary terms to describe an item's content.  Benefits are:

• Clicking on a subject term will open a list of all items in the library's collection which have been cataloged with that term
• Using the expertise of  subject specialists in this way, it is possible to build a list of items with significant subject focus to support a research project

Subjects Example

Subject Returns Example