Online Searching: A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively

by Karen Markey, Cheryl Knott (Primary Contributor)

Online Searching prepares students in library and information science programs to assist information seekers at all levels, from university faculty to elementary school students. Included in the third edition are interviews with librarians and other information professionals whose words of wisdom broaden graduate students’ perspectives regarding online searching in a variety of work settings serving different kinds of information seekers. The book’s chapters are organized according to the steps in the search
1. Conducting a reference interview to determine what the seeker wants
2. Identifying sources that are likely to produce relevant information for the seeker’s query
3. Determining whether the user seeks a known item or information about a subject
4. Dividing the query into main ideas and combining them logically
5. Representing the query as input to the search system
6. Conducting the search and responding strategically
7. Displaying retrievals, assessing them, and responding tactically A new chapter on web search engines builds on students’ existing experience with keyword searching and relevance ranking by introducing them to more sophisticated techniques to use in the search box and on the results page. A completely revised chapter on assessing research impact discusses the widespread use of author and article iMetrics, a trend that has developed rapidly since the publication of the second edition. More than 100 figures and tables provide readers with visualizations of concepts and examples of real searches and actual results. Textboxes offer additional topical details and professional insights. New videos supplement the text by delving more deeply into topics such as database types, information organization, specialized search techniques, results filtering, and the role of browsing in the information seeking process. An updated glossary makes it easy to find definitions of terms used throughout the book. With new and updated material, this edition of Online Searching gives students knowledge and skills for success when intermediating between information seekers and the sources they need.

294 pages, Hardcover

Published February 14, 2023

Reviews

[Rhiannon]

good riddance to this class i am so tired (this was actually a decent textbook)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the textbook a bit confusing and sometimes so hard to follow. I had to supplement the information given in the text with a lot of googling. Read for MLIS Online Searching class that I took in the summer semester. I had thought the class would be easy and I could continue moving forward with my degree progress during the summer because we all search online right?!? Wrong. This class was much more intensive and nuanced than expected. Some assignments took hours to complete. However, I am a much more savvy online searcher than I was before I started. And I really geeked out on the process. I am glad it’s over but happy it happened!

[Sarah Wahl]

I want to preface this review by saying I had to read this textbook for my summer class aptly named Online Searching. I am not just reading about this shit for funsies lol. I do have to say though, I was pretty impressed with the textbook! I felt like I gained a pretty good understanding of what each chapter was about, even if I only skimmed portions. The language didn't feel overly complicated at all, meaning there wasn't a bunch of unnecessary academic jargon used. no rating because I just don't care enough lol

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this class would be simple for my MLIS. I was wrong. I learned so much from this book. I am impressed.