How to Search Using "AND," "OR," and "NOT"

When I talk to classes about searching I always tell them that searching library databases is different than doing non-library searches like the ones they do on Google.

While not all databases are exactly alike, there are some general guidelines that can help you be a much better online researcher. One important searching skill is the use of the words "AND," "OR," and "NOT," also known as "Boolean operators" in library jargon.

The Colorado State University Libraries created a helpful tutorial on this topic. Watch it and become a better reseracher!

The Niemeyer Search Tutorial

Library databases don’t work the same as Google and other non-library search engines. Chris Niemeyer, a librarian at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, has created an excellent online tutorial to help you become skilled at searching library databases.

The tutorial consists of five modules. The whole thing takes about 20 worthwhile minutes.

One good alternative to using the library database search tutorial is to ask a librarian for help!

Attention Bibliophiles!

Are you a book lover looking for something to do as our weather keeps us indoors? You're in luck! There happen to be two book festivals taking place soon in our "neck of the woods".


Wisconsin Book Festival (Oct. 7-11, 2009 Madison, WI)
http://www.wisconsinbookfestival.org/

Wisconsin Book Festival History The first-ever Wisconsin Book Festival, a program of the Wisconsin Humanities Council, was held in the capital city in October, 2002. Since its debut, the Festival has established itself as a beloved fixture in Wisconsin's rich cultural landscape. Through a unique partnership between the public, private, and academic sectors, the Wisconsin Book Festival celebrates our state's rich literary heritage, brings some of America's finest writers to the people of Wisconsin, and encourages Wisconsinites of all ages to read widely and to read well.The Festival has attracted an eclectic mix of accomplished writers, including: Billy Collins, Grace Paley, Tim O'Brien, Edwidge Danticat, Edmund White, Richard Bausch, Charles Baxter, Audrey Niffenegger, Jeffrey Eugenides, Harvey Pekar, Nell Freudenberger, Colson Whitehead, Heidi Julavits, Stuart Dybek, Peter Straub, Jim Shepard, Anthony Doerr, Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Elizabeth Berg, Judith Claire Mitchell, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Tenaya Darlington.The Wisconsin Book Festival is the state's largest literary festival, with approximately 15,000 annual attendees, and one of the largest in the nation. This unique event inspires book lovers from across the region to spend a weekend in downtown Madison and transforms State Street into a vast, public literary salon. In short, the Wisconsin Book Festival is a high-energy, high-profile, public literary arts and humanities program that makes an impressive cultural and economic impact each year.

Milwaukee Book Festival (Oct. 9-18, 2009 Milwaukee, WI)

http://sites.google.com/site/milwaukeebookfestival/

The latest edition of the Milwaukee Book Festival premieres this October, starting October 9 and concluding October 18, and includes events at a variety of venues around the greater Milwaukee area. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry -- readings, talks, discussions -- there's truly something for everyone. Get out your calendar now and start planning!

Web Site of the Day

The Internet Archive is a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts, such as music performances, videos, images, and texts. The site's Wayback Machine allows users to visit a specific Web site at various points in time and development.

http://www.archive.org/index.php