Competency 6: Search 1

For Competency 6, I will be performing four searches using four databases in my subject area of Elementary Library and the reading program, Accelerated Reader. Below are the results for Search 1:

Search Technique: Building Block
Database: Library Literature
Limiter: 2003-2007

S1 Elementary Library or School Library or Primary School = 4,924 hits
S2 Trends or Use or Issues = 6,213 hits
S3 Reading Renaissance or Accelerated Reader or Reading Renaissance = 199 hits
S4= S1 AND S2 AND S3 = 17 hits

This First Screen Shot show the database and how I performed the search:

This screen shot shows the final 17 results:

Here is the first Hit from the final 17 results:

Franklin, P., et. al., Manage Your Computerized Reading Program--Before It Manages You!. School Library Media Activities Monthly v. 23 no. 4 (December 2006) p. 47-9

Abstract:
Advice for school library media specialists on managing the Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts computerized reading programs is provided.

Results:

When working with the building block method it is helpful to write down a graphic organizer of search words that you will be working with to help you on your search quest. When I initially started working on this type of search I used the database thesaurus to help me find words that could expand my search. It is amazing the amount of descriptors that we fail to think of but that are indeed part of the process of searching that relates to the topic at hand. While my last query, s4, provided only 17 results, it is a manageable number of hits and offered relevant information. If more information is desired the descriptors used could be manipulated differently to produce more hits.