Searching CD‐ROM and Online Information Sources

Citation

Anh Tran, L. (2003), "Searching CD‐ROM and Online Information Sources", Online Information Review, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 367-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520310502351

Over the past ten years considerable amounts of information have become available in electronic form: on networked databases, the Internet, CD‐ROMs, or on hard disks and floppy disks. Students and other users have been confronting a new challenge: how to search and retrieve information electronically by the most efficient and effective means possible. This book aims at supporting students and users in developing the necessary searching skills. It covers the various topics of searching and retrieval of information from electronic resources, ranging from CD‐ROM databases to online sources that are accessible via online service providers and/or via the Web.

The authors discuss the following topics in some detail:

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  basic information skills;

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  information services and subject study;

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  basic search techniques and tools;

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  common reference sources;

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  searching online public access catalogues, CD‐ROM and online databases;

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  subject‐specific searching; and

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  trends in electronic information sources and searching environment.

The first section starts with an introduction to information literacy, basic information skills and the information problem‐solving process. It then provides types of information services and basic search techniques and tools. Concepts related to information systems, information services, reference and referral services, the search process, and subject study are clarified in straightforward, lucid language. Basic search techniques are presented in relation to keyword, phrase and Boolean searching, truncation, proximity, field‐specific searching, limiting searches, and search tools.

Searching skills are classified by three resources: online public access catalogues, CD‐ROM databases, and online databases. Each section discusses the nature and search features of various types of reference sources, including practical examples of a range of reference sources available online and on CD‐ROM, and the implementation of searches with each resource.

In addition the book also introduces the nature and features of selected CD‐ROM and online information sources in specific subject fields: science and technology, social sciences and humanities, business, law, health, standards and patents, government, etc. In each field a number of selected examples are provided to illustrate the features of each information source. The final section ends with a presentation on trends in electronic information sources and the searching environment, followed by appendices, including selected CD‐ROM databases and online information sources, a list of references and an index.

This book provides a comprehensive view of searching and information retrieval for students, practitioners and teachers of reference and information services.