LIS 630 Online Information Retrieval

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE                Spring 2006

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY CHAN

                                          COURSE OBJECTIVES

1.       To provide an overview of commercially available online databases as well as those available on the World Wide Web, the functioning of online systems, and the selection of electronic resources and management of online reference services in libraries and information centers.

2.       To relate online retrieval to key concepts and theories in information storage and retrieval (e.g., search strategies, database structures and file organization, retrieval languages and vocabularies, information‑seeking behavior, evaluation of information systems, etc.).

3.       To develop skills in online searching procedures, question negotiation, and search strategy formulation.

4.       To provide training in the protocols of online searching in DIALOG and other retrieval systems.

                                         METHODS AND TOOLS

1.       DIALOG, LEXIS/NEXIS, and WILSONLINE training manuals, demonstrations and online exercises

2.       Text book: Heting Chu, Information Representation and Retrieval in the Digital Age, Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2003

3.       Books and journal articles

4.       Lectures and discussions

5.       Offline exercises: A.  Boolean logic; B.  Search strategies

                                            CLASS MATERIALS

The laboratory and other homework exercises will be distributed in class.  Each online exercise should be read and studied in advance of the corresponding online training session.  Selected online exercises will be graded (announced in advance).

Online searching manuals and other reading materials are in the Information Lab, on 2‑hour reserve.  The computer terminals are also in the Information Lab.

                                                  EVALUATION

1.       Quiz - DIALOG                                           10%

2.       Exercise – DIALOG                                    20%

3.       Examination                                                 30%

4.       Paper/exercise - LEXIS/NEXIS                    20%

5.       Paper/exercise - WILSONLINE                    20%

The quiz and examination will cover material from the required readings, class lectures and discussions, demonstrations and online training sessions.