Design, Query & Evaluate Information Retrieval Systems
Design, query, and evaluate information retrieval systems.
“A trained Librarian is a powerful search engine with a heart.”
– Sarah McIntyre (British-American illustrator and author of children’s books)
Evidence
In this exercise, I developed basic vocabulary creation and design skills. I started by listing 6-8 concept terms for each record I was assigned. I then grouped similar terms under a single concept term and picked the best term that represented each concept term. Afterward, I created a final controlled vocabulary list in alphabetical order. The final step consisted of assigning descriptor terms from the final controlled vocabulary list to index each record. After completing this assignment, I now understand the importance of vocabulary design and its crucial role in information retrieval.
Vocabulary creation is a vital skill when working on an existing collection or a new, unprocessed collection without pre-existing institutional metadata standards. Subject metadata allows a user to aggregate records that contain relevant information about a specific topic. Some institutions rely more on “social tagging” which is a blend of controlled vocabulary and natural language approaches (Weedman, 2018). This decision between controlled vocabulary and “natural language” depends on the type of institution, user audience, and the materials within the collection.
During this group assignment, we evaluated and redesigned a website of our choosing. We chose author Suzanne Collins, the young adult and children’s author best known for the Hunger Games series. We proposed transforming her outdated website into an interactive landscape where current and new fans can explore her works through summaries, games, and quizzes. There would be pages dedicated to fan discussion and provide materials for educators and book clubs. The implementation of a more interactive website would allow these works to reach a wider audience, better serve the current audience, and increase public relations opportunities.
Working in a small group allowed for efficient collaboration. We utilized Google Docs and split our work into sections, each of us writing and editing for each other simultaneously. I was also in charge of creating the three website design flow graphics in addition to the visual website mock-ups. Taking the time to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the site taught us how important information presentation and organization are. When a website layout is simple and user-friendly, visitors will be more inclined to explore and interact with the content.
During this activity, I placed myself in the user’s position and conducted searches for various types of resources containing scholarly articles, dissertations, surveys, and biographical information. I implemented different search strategies including the boolean operator, search fields, limiters, and subject terms. Not all searches were successful the first time and required an alternative strategy. In addition to this, sometimes database servers encounter problems and advanced searching is not possible at that moment. During the assignment, the Proquest advanced search wasn’t functioning so I resorted to using the basic search to find the information I was looking for.
Keeping users informed and involved while aiding with their searches is crucial. In an academic setting, reference can be challenging since the user may not know exactly what they are searching for. Utilizing the boolean operator, search fields, various limiters, and broadening or narrowing subject terms during a reference interview can help the user discover relevant information. Sometimes other resources such as Google Scholar will need to be utilized, or used in tandem with databases to find accurate and authoritative information.
Conclusion
In closing, vocabulary design and creation, conducting effective search querying methods, and information system evaluation are vital skills for retrieving information and enhancing the user’s overall experience. No matter what information organization, information retrieval is at its center. By utilizing these skills, I will be able to confidently locate resources that are authoritative, accurate, and relevant. Through professional experience and development, I will strive to improve my search methods and strategies to better serve both users and information institutions.
Introduction
An electronic library database can also referred to as an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), which was designed to allow patrons to search for materials without the assistance of a librarian. Two well-known worldwide OPACs are Library World and WorldCat, both of which contain materials from collections worldwide. Vocabulary design and effective search querying are vital skills for retrieving information within a database. In addition, information system evaluation aids in enhancing user experience overall. Successful information retrieval requires knowing how to define the problem to be solved while also understanding those who will be using the system and representing documents in ways that make those documents findable and usable (Weedman, 2018). There are a few different search methods that are utilized by users and information professionals including internet searches (Google Scholar), subject headings (terms), classification (categories), and social tagging (natural language).
Design
When discussing databases and information retrieval, it is important to understand the connection to vocabulary design. Vocabulary design refers to the process of creating, maintaining, and using a controlled vocabulary, where a limited set of terms are used to index documents, and to search for documents within an information system (Haider, 2020). Searchable controlled vocabulary terms, also called subject headings, make retrieving information much easier for the user and information professionals. Most information organizations create their metadata standards as a guide for utilizing controlled vocabulary or sets of searchable terms or natural language index terms. The National Information Standards Institute (NISO) defines metadata as structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes retrieving, using, or managing an information resource easier (Weedman, 2018).
Haider (2020) describes an authority record as an authoritative form of a personal name, corporate name, family name place name, uniform or preferred title, series title, subject, etc. in the library catalog or the file of bibliographic records. These records also include cross-references from other names, titles, or terms not used for the heading. Another related resource is the thesaurus. A thesaurus differs from a conventional authority list, in that the terms are not necessarily alone but may be coordinated with other terms (Haider, 2020). The relationships between the terms are defined by the use of the following standard abbreviations: Scope Note (SN), Used For (UF), Border Term (BT), Related Term (RT), and See Also (SA). These terms can aid in enhancing a database search by displaying similar terms or concepts, and the links to those related records.
Query
The query is the heart of the information need. There are two fundamental things you need to know to search effectively for information the first is that you have to make your search fit the system the second fundamental is that there are strategies for searching and professional. Searchers usually have to try more than one strategy to get good results except for very straightforward queries (Weedman, 2018). There are different strategies for enhancing a database search query, these include Boolean Operators, limiters, and search fields.
Boolean Operators
“AND” – Used to narrow a search, tells the database that you want both of the terms present in the results.
“OR” – Used to broaden a search, tells the database you want one of the terms present in the results but not both. Helpful when searching for synonyms.
“NOT” – Used to narrow a search, tells the database that you want to eliminate the terms present in the results. Helpful when searching for a very specific topic or aspect of a topic.
Limiters
Database limiters let you narrow the focus of your search so that the information retrieved from the databases you search is limited according to the values you select (EBSCO Connect, 2018). Some common limiters include full text, abstract, scholarly articles, peer-reviewed articles, date range, and online availability. Peer-reviewed articles refer to those published in journals that have been reviewed by a panel of known experts in the field.
Search Fields
These fields aid in narrowing a search and are used in conjunction with search terms to yield more relevant search results. For example, if you are searching for Sylvia Plath, you can indicate that she was an author and specify what information you want about her. Just putting her name in the search bar will yield thousands of results, from book reviews to articles to works written by her. Quotation marks can also help pinpoint a topic and make sure that the results include that specific word or phrase.
Evaluation
The key to evaluating an information system is relevance. Does it retrieve information the user wants and avoid information the user doesn’t want? Interactive information retrieval (IIR) scholars conduct experiments with potential system users to learn more about their cognitive and affective search experiences (Hirsch, 2022). Throughout the database design process, conducting beta tests with the intended target audience is needed to catch any problems and analyze overall usability. Search engine optimization (SEO) is another key element of evaluation. Search engine optimization is the process of evaluating a website to determine how likely it is to be crawled and ranked appropriately and suggesting improvements (Weedman, 2018). Some information organizations conduct scheduled SEO crawls to improve the discoverability of library content in a broader online environment.
References
EBSCO Connect (2018, October 24). Using Limiters to Refine Your Search. Discovery and Search. https://connect.ebsco.com/s/article/Using-Limiters-to-Refine-Your-Search?language=en_US
Haider, S. (2020, February 27). Authority Heading. Librarianship Studies & Information Technology, https://www.librarianshipstudies.com/2016/02/authority-record.html
Haider, S. (2020, March 16). Vocabulary Control. Librarianship Studies & Information Technology, https://www.librarianshipstudies.com/2017/03/vocabulary-control.html?m=1
Hirsh, S. (Ed.). (2022). Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sjsu/detail.action?docID=6891082
Weedman, J. (2018). Information retrieval: designing, querying, and evaluating Information Systems. In K. Haycock & M.J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Libraries Unlimited.