| Extended Course Description: | Catalog Course Description
Presents access and applied information retrieval as the foundation for information services. Provides an overview of contemporary information sources and access methods. Focuses on the structure of tools used for satisfying users’ information needs. Emphasizes techniques for building effective search strategies for large-scale retrieval systems. Affords opportunities to evaluate sources.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
No prerequisite
Curriculum Role
This course is required for students in the MS program in Library and Information Science. It should be taken early in the student’s program as it is a prerequisite for many other master’s courses. Complements INFO 521 Information Users & Services.
Course Rationale
This course gives an introduction to user-centered perspectives on information access and sources. It provides extensive practice using information systems (i.e., databases and other resources) to satisfy users’ information needs. The focus is on three essential types of knowledge: (1) Applying the theoretical foundations of online information tools to the routine mechanics, syntax and evaluation involved in applied information retrieval; (2) Developing an awareness of the information professional’s role in mediated searching; (3) Assessing the user’s information need and developing strategies for meeting that need.
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
•Retrieve information from a repertoire of online sources, such as DIALOG, LexisNexis, OCLC FirstSearch, the Web and databases.
•Create search strategies that demonstrate general principles of searching, such as natural language vs. controlled vocabulary, increasing and decreasing yield, ranking/relevancy and search evaluation.
•Apply principles of online searching, such as set formation, Boolean logic, truncation, proximity operators, and fulltext vs. precision searching techniques.
•Evaluate the performance of sources.
•Assess a user’s information need with a reference interview and question analysis.
Course Content
Principal topics and the approximate number of weeks devoted to each are:
•Information behavior & users (user categories & the reference interview) (1)
•Types of questions (question analysis & search strategy) (1)
•Bibliographic control (Hagerty catalog & databases, FirstSearch, WorldCat, Internet) (1)
•Selection & evaluation of sources (types of information sources, format, vendor, accessibility) (1)
•Structure & organization of information (database structure, controlled vocabulary, thesauri) (1)
•Applied information retrieval (Boolean logic, truncation, proximity operators, searchable fields, ranking/relevance, recall vs. precision, search evaluation) (2)
•Basics of precision searching (Dialog system & databases) (2)
•Basics of fulltext searching (LexisNexis & databases) (1)
Presentation
Lecture, class discussion, in-class demonstrations and workshops, hands-on laboratory assignments.
Assessment
Assignments include practical retrieval problem exercises and a project on information searching and evaluation. Grade is based on exercises, project, and class participation.
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