Expert searching in public health.

OBJECTIVE: The article explores the characteristics of public health information needs and the resources available to address those needs that distinguish it as an area of searching requiring particular expertise. METHODS: Public health searching activities from reference questions and literature search requests at a large, urban health department library were reviewed to identify the challenges in finding relevant public health information. RESULTS: The terminology of the information request frequently differed from the vocabularies available in the databases. Searches required the use of multiple databases and/or Web resources with diverse interfaces. Issues of the scope and features of the databases relevant to the search questions were considered. CONCLUSION: Expert searching in public health differs from other types of expert searching in the subject breadth and technical demands of the databases to be searched, the fluidity and lack of standardization of the vocabulary, and the relative scarcity of high-quality investigations at the appropriate level of geographic specificity. Health sciences librarians require a broad exposure to databases, gray literature, and public health terminology to perform as expert searchers in public health.     

Expert searching in health librarianship: a literature review to identify international issues and Australian concerns

Background: The traditional role of health librarians as expert searchers is under challenge. Objectives: The purpose of this review is to establish health librarians’ views, practices and educational processes on expert searching. Methods: The search strategy was developed in LISTA and then customised for ten other databases: ALISA, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. The search terms were (expert search* OR expert retriev* OR mediated search* OR information retriev*) AND librar*. The searches, completed in December 2010 and repeated in May 2011, were limited to English language publications from 2000 to 2011 (unless seminal works). Results: Expert searching remains a key role for health librarians, especially for those supporting systematic reviews or employed as clinical librarians answering clinical questions. Conclusions: Although clients tend to be satisfied with searches carried out for them, improvements are required to effectively position the profession. Evidence‐based guidelines, adherence to transparent standards, review of entry‐level education requirements and a commitment to accredited, rigorous, ongoing professional development will ensure best practice.     

Online searching by microcomputer

Adding a telecommunications package to a microcomputer provides a new way to perform online bibliographic searching, called microsearching. Using the IBM PC microcomputer/Hayes Smartmodem 1200B combination for microsearching, an information service can produce custom-tailored bibliographies for individuals and topical bibliographies for group distribution.     

End-user searching in medicine

Investigation of end-user searching at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center (NYH-CUMC) revealed that 8% of the physicians surveyed were end users, 63% were interested in learning to search, and 29% were not interested. When training sessions were offered at the Burke Rehabilitation Center, an affiliated institution, 50% of the medical staff attended at least one class, but only 7% of the total staff became frequent searchers. Analysis of the precision and recall ratios of searches conducted by five end users at HYH-CUMC indicated that the best results were obtained by end users who had been taught to search by experienced librarian-searchers. The quality of end user searches did not appear to be affected by the "friendliness" of the systems used, the frequency of searching habits, or the length of time that an end user had been searching.     

Comparison of out-of-print searching methods

This paper reports the results of a study comparing three different methods of acquiring out-of-print material: advertising, dealer searching, and online match services. The results indicate that advertisement is the most cost-effective method of acquisition because of the number of titles offered and because of the opportunity to choose the least expensive quote from multiple quotes through increasing purchasing power.     

End-user searching in medicine.

Investigation of end-user searching at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center (NYH-CUMC) revealed that 8% of the physicians surveyed were end users, 63% were interested in learning to search, and 29% were not interested. When training sessions were offered at the Burke Rehabilitation Center, an affiliated institution, 50% of the medical staff attended at least one class, but only 7% of the total staff became frequent searchers. Analysis of the precision and recall ratios of searches conducted by five end users at HYH-CUMC indicated that the best results were obtained by end users who had been taught to search by experienced librarian-searchers. The quality of end user searches did not appear to be affected by the "friendliness" of the systems used, the frequency of searching habits, or the length of time that an end user had been searching.     

Expert Googling

Abstract

Google is the search engine of choice for most Internet users. For a variety of reasons, librarians and other expert searchers do not always use Google to its full potential, even though it provides capabilities not possible in traditional bibliographic databases and other search engines. Applying expert searching principles and practices, such as the use of advanced search operators, information retrieval strategies, and search hedges to Google will allow health sciences librarians to find quality information on the Internet more efficiently and effectively.     

垂直搜索引擎研究

网络信息资源的“爆炸”式增长使得人们获得有用信息日益困难，垂直搜索引擎应运而生。章简要分析了综合搜索引擎的局限、垂直搜索引擎的优势及其发展方向。     

User attitudes toward end-user literature searching

A survey to determine attitudes toward end-user searching was made at Loyola University's Medical Center Library using MEDIS, an online full-text and bibliographic medical retrieval system. One hundred forty-one completed questionnaires were analyzed for this report. Information was collected on user familiarity with computers, end-user training, system use, mechanics of searching, and attitudes toward future use. Computer familiarity was highest among the faculty users. Ninety percent of the respondents saw librarians as a crucial agent in training and in providing end-user assistance. Respondents identified five major reasons for using the system: helpfulness, convenience, time savings, rapid feedback, and presentation of needed information. Searching the MEDLINE database rather than the full-text database was the search method of choice. Continued use of both mediated and end-user searching was intended by most of the respondents. Survey results support a perceived need for end-user searching and confirmed recommendations of the Association of American Medical Colleges on medical information science skills.     

一体化检索语言研究初探

在简要回顾国内分类主题一体化检索语言理论和实践的基础之上,文章展望了今后分类主题一体化检索语言的研究态势.     

个性化Web搜索服务

描述一个个性化搜索引擎的通用框架，分析其中的关键技术——用户兴趣提取方法，指出个性化Web搜索是未来搜索引擎发展的主要方向。     

专家个体多维特征刻画与专家组均衡推荐研究

[目的/意义]提出一种基于专家个体多维特征刻画的电子政务项目评审专家组推荐方法,提升专家组间项目评审的一致性水平。[方法/过程]以专家个体的长期评审意见为数据源,利用意见挖掘技术实现知识元识别与情感极性获取;构造专家的领域知识结构并动态迭代更新;利用统计分析刻画专家知识水平、评审深刻性、情感风格、领域专长特征,实现基于科学计量的专家特征刻画并以此为基础进行专家组合的推荐。[结果/结论]本文的方法注重专家组的多维特征均衡,对电子政务项目评审具有很好的问题针对性,并在实践中取得了良好的应用效果。     

几种常用国外数据库检索方法比较

近年来,随着读者对外文电子文献需求量的增加和图书馆购书经费的增长,许多大中型图书情报部门或多或少地购进了一些国外数据库.国外数据库在数据库功能、检索方法和检索结果处理上与国内数据库有些明显的差异.例如,英文数据库大都标引深度较深,向用户提供的检索点较多,有的超过30个,大都进行主题标引;除提供布尔逻辑算符、截词符等运算符外,还提供位置逻辑算符;不少数据库提供全文或条目直接链接到网上全文,可将检索结果通过E-MAIL传递,有些全文需借助Acro-bat等软件才能阅读,等等.     

Efficient MEDLINE searching of the radiologic literature

The Radiology Information Service at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University performs a wide range of functions from physician continuing education to a photocopy service, including approximately 450 demand literature searches annually. The complexity of the field of radiology, the rapid advances in hardware and techniques, and the variety of interests on the part of radiologists and basic scientists requesting searches make online literature retrieval a challenge for even the expert radiology librarian. This paper presents up-to-date searching terminology, suggested search formulations, and bibliographic sources which have proved valuable in the functioning of the Radiology Information Service.