Library

Finding Information
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 Presentation Overview

 Learning objective
 Learning outcomes
 Access tools defined
 Discovery service
 Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)
 Access tools for electronic resources
 Difference between search engines and online databases
 Activity
 Conclusion
 References
 Objectives and Outcomes

Learning Objective
 To equip students with skills that enable them to navigate the
information landscape
Learning outcomes
By end of this unit, students should be able to:
 Identify various access tools
 Use appropriate access tools to obtain relevant information
 Access tools defined

Access tools are information finding aids or utilities used to find or

locate different kinds of information.
Main purpose is to lead users to particular types of information
(Information retrieval)
Examples include:
 Discovery service (accessible via UZ library website)
 Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC),
 Online databases
 Search engines
 Discovery Service
Academic library websites function as vehicles which assist users
to find information. Through the UZ library website students can
make use of the Discovery service as an access tool

A discovery service is an online tool that enables library users to

search seamlessly across a wide range of content.
 Discover
service
accessible v
UZ Librar
homepag
Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)
An online library catalogue is a database of all the information
resources in the library.
OPAC is an online bibliographic database of all the information
resources in the library.
University of Zimbabwe Library uses Koha web based OPAC
accessible via the link: uzlibsys.uz.ac.zw
 UZ Koha OPAC Interface

Search
options

Login to view
status of you
account
Username –Reg
Password- barc
Title search
Author search
Book status
Access tools for e-resources
Electronic resources are information materials in digital format
accessible electronically by use of: online databases, search engines
etc.
Examples are
e-journals,
e-books, in varied digital formats like PDF, web pages, html e.t.c
 Online databases

A database is a collection of data or information that is stored in

records in electronic format.
Databases are organized in ways that support the finding of
information from books, journal articles, people and conferences.
Online databases have inbuilt search engines which facilitate
searching of individual articles using basic keywords; author; title
and advanced search techniques
Examples of searchable online databases include:
Taylor and Francis (https://www.tandfonline.com/)
JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/)
Online database keyword search
 Search Engines
A web search engine is designed to search for information on
the World Wide Web using keywords or phrases
The search results are generally presented in a list of results often
referred to as search engine results pages (SERPs) or hits
Search Engines examples.
 Google Scholar
Google scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) is a type of search engine
that specifically searches scholarly literature and academic resources.

There is overlap between the content in Google Scholar and the

Library's online databases; but Google Scholar will not contain
everything that is in the Library's databases.
Difference between search engines
and online databases
Search engines vs
 No review standards with regard to content
quality of some  information becomes
questionable
 Information not stable–locations and content
continually change
 Difficult to narrow down results ( Few filters
available in search engines like Google scholar
 Difficult to assess legitimacy of information
( Authority is difficult to verify
 May have irrelevant results and junk to wade
through, duplicates are not filtered out
 You may need to pay to access some articles
Online databases
 Quality of information guaranteed as
articles have gone through editorial process
 Information is stable
 Availability of various filters to narrow your
search results
 Content is peer  reviewed and authority
and trustworthiness guaranteed
 More relevant  results ,no junk
 and duplicates are filtered
 Cost of access is paid by the library.. free
access to the students
 Activity

1.Go to uzlibsys.uz.ac.zw, retrieve 3 print books written by Innocent Maja,

and provide their call numbers and location at the end of each reference?
(10 marks)
2.Using the Wiley Online Database and Google Scholar, conduct a search
for the keyword “digital skills” identify and list five (5) relevant resources
from each database. (10 marks)
3.From the search results, which of the two has provided the most
relevant results , support your answer? (5 marks)
 Conclusion
Focus has been on 4 access tools which can aid locating/finding
information sources to satisfy different research needs. These access
tools are discovery service, OPAC, online databases and search
engines .
 References and Recommended Reading
List
Carmen, J., (2016). Find it fast: Extracting expert information from
social networks, big data, tweets, and more, by Robert I. Berkman:
Medford, NJ.
Markey, K., (2019). Online Searching: A guide to finding quality
information efficiently and effectively. Rowman & Littlefield.
McCallum, I., (2017). Finding reliable information online:
adventures of an information sleuth.
Rumsey, S., (2008). How To Find Information: A Guide For
Researchers: A Guide for Researchers. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).