Expert Searching in the Google Age

How do expert searchers fit into the Google age? Is there still a role for them? How can you be the best searcher you can be? What tools can you use to develop your skills and build better searches? These questions and more are covered by Jankowski. After making a case for the value librarians can bring to the searching process, whether using Google or other databases, Jankowski takes you through the entire search cycle and offers a glimpse into the future of searching. How do you negotiate a search so that all parties are satisfied? How do you decide which resources to use and use them to their best advantage? What are the steps to building a good search strategy and how do you adapt and modify it? When the results are in how do you manage the results and document the process? Filled with tips and tricks gathered from over 40 years of experience Jankowski provides the answers in this conversational, yet practical guide. In addition to providing checklists and examples throughout the book, an entire chapter describes search tools and resources to grow your own expertise. Opportunities to apply the knowledge gained are offered in most chapters. This compact useful book can be used as a reference text, for self-study or as a course text.
About the Author: Terry Ann Jankowski, MLS, AHIP, FMLA is Librarian Emeritus at the Health Sciences Library, University of Washington and has over 40 years of experience as an expert searcher. She participated in the development of database searching from the slow dialup era to today's high speed wifi access on the Web. Throughout her career, Ms. Jankowski has focused on database searching, reference services, user education and user services. She has authored several publications and presentations on these topics. She started her career at the University of Southern California Norris Medical Library as a reference librarian. At the University of Washington Health Sciences Library she began as a reference librarian and progressed through coordinating the online search service to managing the education program and finished as assistant director for user experience. An active volunteer in the Medical Library Association, she has served on a number of committees, editorial boards, and task forces usually in the searching or professional development arenas. Ms. Jankowski continues to revise and teach her course on expert searching.