This document summarizes a lecture on searching encyclopedias for an LIS course. It discusses the history of encyclopedias, from early printed versions to modern online encyclopedias. It also provides guidance on evaluating different types of encyclopedias and conducting search exercises using selected encyclopedia sources.

1. LIS 601 Search Strategy Principles & Tactics Encyclopedias Fall 2010 Lori Bell University of Hawaii Library and Information Science Program

2. Ex. 1B Check: Review Your Search Results Search strategy page is included for each search ( Search History ). Circle or highlight database name . Circle or highlight your search terms in the record. Mark other CV and NL in the record you could use to improve the search. Evaluate the relevance of the item to the query: On Target, Peripheral, or Off Topic Explain your rating Bell LIS 601 2010

3. Successive Fractions Strategy 1. Book review of The Cult of Information by Theodore Roszak. Ebsco Academic Search Premier 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 Search Terms Items CULT ( Default Fields Title, Author, Subjects [Descriptors/Identifiers], Institution Name, Abstract) 7167 CULT and INFORMATION 470 CULT and INFORMATION and ROSZAK 7 CULT and INFORMATION and ROSZAK (Select a Field/AU Author) 0

4. When to Reduce the Set? 2. Criticism of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening . CSA MLA Bibliography 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 Search Statement Terms Items AWAKENING (Anywhere: NL + CV) 781 AWAKENING and CHOPIN (Anywhere: NL + CV) 382 AWAKENING and KATE and CHOPIN (Anywhere: NL + CV) 381 AWAKENING and KATE and CHOPIN’S (Anywhere: NL + CV) 151

5. How to Define the Set? 2. Criticism of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening . CSA MLA Bibliography 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 Search Statement Terms Items CHOPIN, KATE (Descriptor: DE=) 697 CHOPIN, KATE (AU) 0

6. How to Focus the Set 3. Article on “parents participating in the classroom.” Ebsco ERIC 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 Search Statement Terms Items PARENT PARTICIPATION (Select a Field) (treats terms as a phrase & singly with stemming) 18,755 PARENT PARTICIPATION (SU Descriptors/ CV ) 15,890 PARENT PARTICIPATION (SU/ CV ) and CLASSROOM (Default NL ; SU/ CV ) 2,373 (NL) 637 (CV) PARENTS and PARTICIPATING and CLASSROOM (Select a Field NL ) 389

7. How to Focus the Set 4. “Scientific study of people who feel bad when the weather changes”. APA PsycNet 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 Search Statement Terms Items (EMOTIONAL STATES) Index Terms 22,418 (EMOTIONAL STATES) Index Terms and (WEATHER) Any Field 36 (SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER) Index Terms [ 792 ] and (TREATMENT) Index Terms [ 44,418 ] 28

8. Which is the Best Set? 5. Performance consulting & human performance technology ABI/Inform Global 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 "human performance technology" [ 121 ] and "performance consulting" [ 57 ] (citn & ab) 7 (SU) HUMAN PERFORMANCE and [ 278 ] "performance consulting" [ 57 (citn/abstract)] 5 HPT (citn/abstract) "performance consulting" and HPT 202 5

9. How to Focus the Set with CV 6. Chronic fatigue Ebsco CINAHL 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME [Select a Field CV & KW/NL] 903 CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME and (THERAPY or TREATMENT) [Select a Field CV & KW/NL] 415 MM FATIGUE SYNDROME, CHRONIC [ 1069 ] MW TREATMENT [ 81,700 ] 76 MH FATIGUE SYNDROME, CHRONIC [ 1317 ] and MW TREATMENT 86

10. Exercise: Which is the CV Strategy? 4. Scientific study of people who "feel bad when the weather changes." atmospheric conditions (kw) atmospheric conditions (su) Bell LIS 601 2010

11. Exercise: Which is the CV Strategy? 6. Recommendations for people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic fatigue treatment Fatigue syndrome, chronic--therapy Bell LIS 601 2010

12. Exercise: Which is the CV Strategy? Find a recent article on astronomical observatories in Hawaii. astronomy (su) AND Hawaii astronomy AND Hawaii Bell LIS 601 2010

13. Exercise: Which is the CV Strategy? Find articles on "the role of mediators in divorce" DE= divorce and DE= mediation Divorce mediators role Bell LIS 601 2010

14. Which is the Best Set? Divorce Mediators PsycNet 2010 Bell LIS 601 2010 DE= DIVORCE DE= MEDIATION 5960 3275 DE= DIVORCE and DE= MEDIATION 391 KW= DIVORCE and KW= MEDIATORS 216 KW= DIVORCE and KW= MEDIATORS and KW= ROLE 38

15. Encyclopedias Enkyklios paideia 1451 printing press invented 1368-1644 Ming Dynasty Yung Lo Encyclopedia (Yongle) Conceptual organization 1701 alphabetical order 1751-80 Denis Diderot’s L’ Encyclopédie 1771 Encyclopaedia Britannica 1829 Encyclopedia Americana Mid-1980s-1990s electronic encyclopedias Bell LIS 601 2010

16. Online Encyclopedias Encyclopedia Americana Online Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Encyclopaedia Britannica Online World Book Online World Book Discover 2008 [K-12 easy-read articles] Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan Grove Music Online Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science [in press 3 rd Edition, 2009] Bell LIS 601 2010

17. Online Community Encyclopedias Wikipedia (2001-) Founder Jimmy Wales Open source model, online community 500k 3 million entries; 14k hits per second Anonymous entries; no experts allowed Many languages Wikipedia Alexandria Conference 2008 650 wikipedians attended WikiAnswers service Bell LIS 601 2010

18. Wikipedia Evaluation Criteria Does the content reflect an accurate summary of the cited material? How reputable are the cited sources? What information in the cited sources, if any, is not reflected in the entry? What are the cited authors’ credentials ? What biases , if any, does the article reflect? What other sources , if any, does the entry ignore that are important to the arguments in the entry? Bell LIS 601 2010

19. Online Community Encyclopedias Citizendium (2006-) Founder Larry Sanger Open source model, online community Signed, authoritative entries Knol (2008-) Google Defined as “a unit of knowledge” Signed, user-generated entries Bell LIS 601 2010

20. Evaluating Encyclopedias Scope Quality of content Authority Accuracy Currency Ease of Use Arrangement Audience Format Cost Objectivity Illustrations Index Bibliographies Bell LIS 601 2010

21. Problems with Encyclopedias Leaving out important entries Shortening or leaving out important information Objectivity without interpretation Over-emphasizing certain topics Obscure or missing index entries Factual errors Bell LIS 601 2010

22. Search Exercise 2: Encyclopedias Search Exercises pp. 12-13 Do concept analysis to select search terms. Match search topic to sources. Use the 601 Bibliography Encyclopedias pages to select sources. Browse reference shelves to select sources. Bell LIS 601 2010

23. Due Next Week Pathfinder (one copy with both names on it) Taylor article: PDF online link on syllabus Kleugel & Ross article, pp. 37-39 only: online link on syllabus TEXT CHAPTERS 2 & 14 Handouts pp. 16-19 Reference Interview Assignments pp. 7-10 Reference Interactions Bell LIS 601 2010