Effective database searching - Tips on searching databases, the library catalogue, and Discover!

1. Search strategies for Essays- using the Catalogue & Online Resources
Create Mind
Maps
The Essay Title
Identify Key
concepts and
search
keywords
Using Subject
Headings & the
Library
Catalogue
Collect & Assess
information to be
used
Write &
Bibliography

2. Your Essay Topic
- Assignment / Essay Title - What is being asked / Critical Thinking
- What texts and readings are you already familiar with?
- What are you interested in & how does it align with your studio work?
- Who are the main theorist or writers in this area?
- Resources: Catalogue, Databases, Journals, Pamphlets, NIVAL, Academic Video Library,
- https://archive.org/
- Directory of Open Access Journals DOAJ
- ERIC Institute of Education Services ERIC
Catalogues do not like sentences - only keywords for searching

3. Tips for Mind Maps
A mindmap can clarify your main ideas, as well as drawing out new and interesting connections.
To make a mindmap:
● write down the keywords that define your research
● arrange the keywords by theme, so the connections between the words are clear
● use colour coding to define the various themes
Note: It’s a good idea to use single words rather than whole sentences for your keywords. And try to avoid editing too much
as you work (which can slow you down from making connections)!
https://coggle.it/diagram/Vwoc0SX3QBpgz5-7/t/how-to-see-yourself

4. Keywords
Key question; What is the assignment question you are being asked?
Key Concepts sum up the main ideas or topics of the assignment. They provide direction
and structure for your searching of library resources.
Example:
● Key Question: What am I being asked?
Example: Judith Butler claims that gender is performative - Discuss
● Key search words: Judith Butler , Gender , Performance
Use AND / OR between keywords for searching
Note: Use a Thesaurus to help you find the best
keywords for the assignment you’re working on!

5. Using : And / Or / *
Using Boelan
Use AND in a search to:
● narrow your results
● tell the database that ALL search terms must be present in the resulting
records
● example: cloning AND humans AND ethics
The purple triangle in the middle of the Venn diagram below represents the
result set for this search. It is a small set using AND, the combination of all
three search words.
Be aware: In many, but not all, databases, the AND is implied.
● For example, Google automatically puts an AND in between your
search terms.

6. Using OR
Use OR in a search to:
● connect two or more similar
concepts (synonyms)
● broaden your results, telling the
database that ANY of your search
terms can be present in the
resulting records
● example: cloning OR genetics OR
reproduction
All three circles represent the result set
for this search. It is a big set because any
of those words are valid using the OR
operator.

7. Using the Catalogue
● Subject Headings & Keywords
● Lists and Saved Searches
● Citation
● Assess Sources - Peer Review.

8. Subject Headings for searching catalogues/databases
(Library of Congress Subject Headings - LCSH - Controlled Vocab)
The main focus and subject matter of an article or book
Bauhaus -----
Art and motion pictures------Germany-----History------20th Century
Sex role
Women Social conditions
Dress, body, culture
Art and society | History 20th century
Social change in art
Artists Political activity
Art Political aspects

9. Subject Headings from a Book
Subject Headings from within a Book
It is found on the back of the title page.
Within that area is the author, title,
publication data (ISBN, place, publisher and
date), as well as a list of Library of
Congress Subject Headings.

10. Assessing your Sources
It’s important that your research meets the proper academic standards. So make sure to use
books from well-established publishers, such as those included in the library collection -
Bloomsbury, Phaidon, Routledge, MIT Press, University of California Press
Best to use “peer-reviewed” articles on the library’s academic databases. These databases include:
● ART & ARCHITECTURE SOURCE
● BERG FASHION LIBRARY
● FRANCIS & TAYLOR ONLINE
● JSTOR

11. Bibliography
● Collect as you are reading
● Harvard Style
Use online Bibliography tools: mybib.com

12. What Are Databases and Why You
Need Them
Yavapai College Library