17:610:530 Principles of Searching

Tefko Saracevic

Exercises 1 and 2

Exercises 1 and 2 are connected in that both deal with DIALOG. Each consists of taking a tutorial as offered by DIALOG and then performing some task on DIALOG. The results of each exercise are to handed in separately, according to schedule.

For each tutorial summarize main topics covered. Emphasize aspects that were new to you. Ask questions on what is not clear or could be clarified. Hand that in.

Discuss the tutorials with members of your group.

Also note the following important reference tools that you will use repeatedly (you do not have to describe them, but certainly bookmark them):

Dialog Corporation. Successful searching on Dialog. (http://support.dialog.com/searchaids/success/)
A comprehensive manual. Includes detailed definitions of commands and a variety of features. For Table of Contents to access different features directly go to http://support.dialog.com/searchaids/success/toc.shtml

Dialog Corporation. Dialog Pocket Guide (http://support.dialog.com/searchaids/dialog/pocketguide/)
An essential toll for searching and summary of search commands You can get it in print and an online version in PDF and html.

Dialog Corporation. Dialog Library. (http://library.dialog.com/index.html)
”Here you will find current documentation for all of The Dialog Corporation's products and services, including Search Essentials, Product Aids, and Newsletters.” Especially important is the complete guide to Bluesheets. You will use them all the time!

Dialog Corporation. Dialog New User Guide. http://support.dialog.com/guides/dialog_new_user/
"Welcome to Dialog. This guide offers an introduction to help you get started using Dialog, the most powerful information resource in the world." Useful as an overview.

The DIALOG Corporation. Tutorials and Quick Tours (http://training.dialog.com/tours/)
Familiarize yourself with the content choices on that page. You will find it useful for getting educational information and training throughout your professional career.

Exercise 1:

To get to tutorials Dialog made it a bit complicated. First go to Technical Documents & Tutorials (a Table of Content) http://support.dialog.com/techdocs/

There click on DialogWeb Introduction. That will get you to the page
Introducing DialogWeb 2.0. http://support.dialog.com/techdocs/intro_dialogweb.pdf

It is not intended as a tutorial, but it has a description of Dialog Web. Go through it as if a tutorial.

Then go back go to Technical Documents & Tutorials http://support.dialog.com/techdocs/

There click on DialogWeb Command Search Tutorial. That will get you to the page: http://support.dialog.com/techdocs/dialogweb_command_tutorial.pdf

“The DialogWeb [Command Search] tutorial demonstrates the use of Command Search. To show the flow of the search process, we will work through the same search topic, skin cancer, to demonstrate searching and output management.”

Take this tutorial. Describe briefly as explained above.

After that get brave and take the following exercise, whose objective is to get you going with some basic searching and output commands:

  1. Go on the net with Netscape or Explorer or whatever browser you have. Then go to http://www.dialogweb.com
  2. Logon with your User ID and password: scils.
  3. In the line on the bottom that says Command ? enter: begin 1 or b1 and click on submit or just enter (that will bring up database number one which happen to be ERIC).
  4. Click on Bluesheeet and examine what it contains - it has a lot of stuff, some for the moment is close to goobledygook. But Bluesheets will be a very important and constantly used source of information for you throughout your searching life of DIALOG.
  5.   In the Bluesheet look at the section PREDEFINED FORMAT OPTIONS - that will tell you what can be printed from a record - for instance number 5 means that you can get Full Record (and if you are paying also that means that you will pay the most for each record printed or downloaded in that format). Copy the meaning for the numbers - you will use this later. Close or minimize the Bluesheet.
  6. In the command line enter: select (or s) library AND students. Click Submit.
  7.   You will get a number of items - over 7,000. That means that there are over 7,000 records that have someplace the terms "library" and "students." You will also get under Set a number like S1 - meaning that this your set 1 that you retrieved. Later sets will have S2, S3 etc.
  8.   In the command line enter: type (or t) 1/5/1-3. This means: type set 1 (or if you had in Set another S number enter that number), in format 5 - which is the full record, and the first three documents. In other words the type command is of the form: t (or type) set number/format option/range of items to be typed. Examine what you got.
  9.   Experiment with some other format options - in other words in the middle part of the type command enter a number that you selected from PREDEFINE FORMAT OPTIONS. For instance t 1/6/1-3. This is the so called Free format - if you were a paying customer you do not have to pay anything for this format.
  10. In the boxes next to the first two documents put a checkmark.
  11. Click on the bar Print/Save Selected. You will get another screen. On File, click on Save as and then save it on your disk with a filename that it gives you or change the name to whatever, but keep the extension .html. This you can use later for printing or some other stuff.
  12. If you have a printer on: click again on File and then on Print. That will print you those two records. Hand in these as a part of completion of you exercise.
  13. In the command line enter: logout.
  14.   You have performed your first search!
  15. Try another one on your own. Hand in the printout.

Exercise 2:

Go to:

The DIALOG Corporation. HOT COPY! Searching Dialog Tutorial (http://training.dialog.com/tours/hotcopy/)

“Learn the skills needed to effectively use Dialog. This tutorial includes a brief introduction to searching, and describes the process of connecting to the service.[Includes] 5 interactive content modules (Using Commands, Building a Search, Choosing a Database, Improving Your Search, and Getting Help).Plus summaries, practice exercises,and a context-sensitive glossary. Plan to spend about 3-4 hours to complete the tutorial.”
Requires downloading. Follow instructions on the screen.

Take the tutorial. Briefly describe, as explained above.

Unfortunately, on 2/5/2003 Dialog took off Hot Copy!, but there are two substitute tutorials you can take. Take either one. If you have not taken Hot Copy yet, here are two optional tutorials. If you have already taken Hot Copy before it disappeared, you are done.

Option one:

  1. Still click on http://training.dialog.com/tours/hotcopy/ as stated in point 1 of Exercise 2.
  2. There you will see, among others, "Introduction to DialogWeb* for the:" [a list follows]
    Click there on "Business Professional" . That will get you to a tutorial at http://training.dialog.com/onlinecourses/dweb_bus/
  3. There, in Section "Before you start the course:" click on "Search Scenario," and "class structure and course requirements" and you are on your way. Take that tutorial instead of Hot Copy.
  4. If you have taken Hot Copy! already that's OK - you do NOT have to take this one. If you have not, this is it!
    You will see that under "Business Professional" there are some tutorials for other professionals, in Engineering, Life Sciences etc. If you wish you can take any of these instead of for Business Professional.

Option two:

On 2//5/2003 (the same day they removed Hot Copy) Dialog officially launched their Graduate Education Program, for library school students and faculty worldwide. It is a free distance learning program and and self paced online course, presented as a movie. (This is of special interest to those that do not have Dialog passwords as you do). Here is what you do to take that movie as tutorial:

  1. Go to Dialog's Distance Learning Program. http://training.dialog.com/gep/distance/movies.html
  2. There you will see various modules. Go through the first few modules, and the last two on indexing.
  3. In searching they will refer to Ontap databases. These are databases specially constructed for training. Do not worry about them - we will use the real databases.
  4. They also talk about command search. And the present what you see in a command search. Again, do not worry. You use the same commands in the Web search (i.e. in the command window at the bottom of the Web page).

After you finished one of these tutorials, briefly describe them, as instructed above. If you took the movie tutorial and have comments, please send them to me by email - I will forward them to Dialog. Their representative said that they are interested in your experiences.

NEXT:

Become brave again and do the following exercise whose objective is to get you familiar with comparison of features in different databases:

  1. Login on Dialog.
  2. Click on bar databases. You will get broad categories.
  3. Click on Social Sciences and Humanities.
  4. You will get another set of categories. Click on Library and Information Science.
  5. You will get a number of databases that DIALOG classified as having documents in library and information science. Note that all have a checkmark next to them. This means that if you start a search (this time in the bar on top) all of them will be searched with that search statement. You can clear selection and select the ones you choose.
  6. But this time we will not do a search. Click on ERIC.
  7. This will bring the ERIC Bluesheet. Print it for comparing with others.
  8. Then click on file 202: Information Science Abstracts. Print it for comparing with others.
  9. Then click on file 438: Library Literature. Print it for comparing with others.
  10. Now you have Bluesheets for three files that cover library and information science.
  11. Make some comparisons. What are the differences and similarities in: their coverage; organization of their records, format options for typing, costs?
  12. Hand in those comparisons, NOT the Bluesheets.

As mentioned, you are encouraged very much to work with your group and discuss the results. But each of you is handing in his/her own results.