Dilemmas in Teaching Information Search Tools: Discovery Systems, Subject Specific Databases or Google Scholar
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 211
Proposal
Discovery systems, the Google like library search engines, have become popular search tools in many academic libraries. At meantime, Google Scholar still plays a major role as a gateway to research for many professors and students. The single search tools give the user a broader range of resources and a wider choice in results efficiently. But this also shows that some results are not as good as when searching in subject specific databases which retrieve relevant results more effectively. Teaching information literacy explaining the differences between various search engines and engaging students in information evaluation skills with different search results can be challenging for instructors, in particular, within one shot library instruction.
This presentation addresses the strengths and weaknesses of single search products and some databases including PRIMO Central, Google Scholar, IEEE Explore, Project Muse and Business Source Premier, and demonstrates the problems that students faced with various search tools. Students usually rely too much on simple keyword searches or sentence searches, but lack evaluation skills. When facing overwhelming number of retrievals, some students have problems identifying appropriate resources and refining searches for a better result. This presentation also discusses how to provide project-based practices and discovery learning exercises to help students understand common information navigation techniques that can be applied to all search tools and improve their critical thinking skillstomake information search not just efficient but effective.
Short Description
This presentation addresses the strengths and weaknesses of library search products and demonstrates the problems that students faced with various tools. This presentation also discusses how to provide project-based practices and discovery learning exercises to help students understand common information navigation techniques that can be applied to all search tools and improve their critical thinking skills to make information search not just efficient but effective.
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Shen, Lan, "Dilemmas in Teaching Information Search Tools: Discovery Systems, Subject Specific Databases or Google Scholar" (2015). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 7.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2015/2015/7
Dilemmas in Teaching Information Search Tools: Discovery Systems, Subject Specific Databases or Google Scholar
Room 211
Discovery systems, the Google like library search engines, have become popular search tools in many academic libraries. At meantime, Google Scholar still plays a major role as a gateway to research for many professors and students. The single search tools give the user a broader range of resources and a wider choice in results efficiently. But this also shows that some results are not as good as when searching in subject specific databases which retrieve relevant results more effectively. Teaching information literacy explaining the differences between various search engines and engaging students in information evaluation skills with different search results can be challenging for instructors, in particular, within one shot library instruction.
This presentation addresses the strengths and weaknesses of single search products and some databases including PRIMO Central, Google Scholar, IEEE Explore, Project Muse and Business Source Premier, and demonstrates the problems that students faced with various search tools. Students usually rely too much on simple keyword searches or sentence searches, but lack evaluation skills. When facing overwhelming number of retrievals, some students have problems identifying appropriate resources and refining searches for a better result. This presentation also discusses how to provide project-based practices and discovery learning exercises to help students understand common information navigation techniques that can be applied to all search tools and improve their critical thinking skillstomake information search not just efficient but effective.
