Module 3:
SD Library Network
How to Access SDLN
How to Search SDLN
Examples and Practice :
1. SDLN Screen
2. Activity 1
3. Search Techniques
4. Activity 2
5. Activity 3
6. Activity 4
7. Activity 5
8. Activity 6
9. Activity 7
10. Advanced Features

Contents:
Introduction
Module 1: How to Solve an Information Problem
Module 2: Search Techniques
Module 4: Proquest
Module 5: Infotrac
Module 6: Lexis-Nexis
Module 7: OCLC Firstsearch
Module 8: 
Module 9: 
Module 10: 
Module 11: Internet Searching
Module 12: Evaluating Internet sources
Module 13: Scholarly vs. Popular
Module 14: Citing sources
Module 15: How to Get Material Not Available Online

Module 3: SDLN Examples and Practice: Activity 1

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In this activity,
you will learn how to do a simple search, to navigate, and to use some of the features of SDLN.

You will need to switch back and forth between SDLN (to do the activity) and the manual (for instructions). Or you might find it more convenient to print this page -- "SDLN Examples and Practice: Activity 1" -- so that you can remain in SDLN as you read and follow the instructions for the activity.

Use the Library Catalog of Dakota State University (DSU) when you want to find books, videocassettes, magazines, and other materials owned by or subscribed to by DSU. [Note regarding magazines and journals: The catalog will only tell you whether DSU subscribes to a particular magazine title. It will not tell you what articles are in each magazine. To find specific articles, you will use periodical index databases instead of the library catalog.]

To solve Problem 1, perform each of the following steps in the South Dakota Library Network Library Catalog......

1. In SDLN, you should still be looking at the screen "Search the Library Catalog."

2. Examine the "Search the Library Catalog" screen and note that you need to make three choices about your search in the library catalog:
by, for what, and where.

3. For "by," select the keyword search. The keyword search is probably already selected (has a black dot in the radio button beside it). If not, click on the round radio button to select it.

Use a keyword search when you are looking for material about a subject. In a keyword search, the system will look for the words you select in titles, notes and subject headings. In problem 1, you are looking for material about "crime."

Other types of searches are available......
Author (last-name, first-name) is used to search for material by a specific author ;
Title, keyword is used to search for material by using keywords from a title ;
Title, exact (omit initial article) is not recommended because you rarely know the exact title as it has been entered in the system (Use a "title, keyword" search instead) ;
Subject Heading, keyword is used to search all of the different subject headings that have been assigned to items. (Try a "keyword" search if this search does not produce the results you want. Or you can find out possible subject headings if you: switch to "browse the index" by "subject heading" in the Advanced Search mode; or look at a print copy of Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Reference section of the Library; or see a librarian for help);
Subject Heading, exact is not recommended unless you know the LC subject heading and understand how to use it (To find subject headings, switch to "browse the index" by "subject heading" in the Advanced Search mode; or look at a print copy of Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Reference section of the Library; or see a librarian for help.)) ;
Combination (author's last name, first word of title) is used when you are looking for a specific item and know both the author's last name and, also, the first word of the title (ignoring "a," "an," and "the").

4. In the "for what" box, type the topic word:

crime

5. The "where" box should contain "Dakota State University."

6. To do this search, now click on the "Go" button.

7. On the resulting screen, note that over 200 items were found. One way to reduce this number is to "limit" the search by date, by format, etc.

Click on the "Limit Search" button.

Examine the "Limiting Your Search Results" screen and note the various ways that you may limit the search. One way to reduce the number of results is to narrow your topic by adding an additional word to the search. Another way to reduce the number of results is to narrow the search to certain publication years (such as, anything published after a certain date). Limiting is also used to select materials in certain formats. For example, to find videos on a topic, limit to the format "video tape."

8. To limit your search on crime to those items published after 1993,

• in the "after the year" box, type: 1993
• and then, click the "Go" button.

The "Keyword Search: crime" screen shows that the number of items found is now reduced.

9. To look at the titles of items you have found, click on the "Go" button.

The "Results List" screen shows you the first 20 titles, numbered consecutively from 1 to 20, and it shows the date and author (if there is one) for each item.

10. To see a description of an item and to find out its location, click on the number of the item. To look at item 11,

• click on "0011."

Examine the description of item number 11. Note that the LOCATION line tells you where the item is in the library -- by giving the collection and the call number.

11. To find out whether the item is in the library and not checked out, look at the Availability line.

If it says "available," the item is available for checkout or for use in the library (if the item does not check out).

If the line does not say "available," click on "location details" to find out when it is due back.

12. To get back to the results list,

click on the "Results List" button

OR

click on your Web browser's "Back" button

13. On the "Results List: te crime" screen, you only see the first 20 titles. To see more items,

click on the "Screen" button with its arrow pointing to the right

You should now be looking at screen 2 of the results list.

14. The "Limit Search" button on the "Results List" screen allows you to limit your search further. The "Print Options" button provides a method for e-mailing, downloading to file, or printing the results.

Click on the "Print Options" button.

15. On the "Print Options for Citations" screen, leave the selections at the top as they are currently set -- with "display in browser" for how to print and "medium" for the record length. However, at the top of the list of items,

• select the checkbox "Print all records"
• then click on the "Go" button

The "Print Online Results" screen lists all the citations, so you could print this list using the Print button on your Web browser.

16. You may also e-mail the results to yourself or someone else. To return to the "Print Options for Citations" screen,

click on the Back button of your Web browser

17. To e-mail the first two item citations (descriptions) to yourself,

• select "E-mail to this address"
• and type your e-mail address in the box
• then scroll down and unselect "Print all the records" by clicking on the checkmark to remove it
• and select items 1 and 2 by clicking in the boxes to their left
• then, to send the two citations you have selected to your e-mail, click on the "Go" button

The system will respond with the following message on the "E-mail Request Results" screen:

Remote Printing in progress -- Please WAIT
Remote Printing Complete

The next time you read your e-mail, you will find the citations in an e-mail message from PALS E-MAIL.

You have now learned how to do a simple search, how to navigate, and how to use a few of the features of SDLN. If you need more practice, do this activity again. If you are comfortable with these skills, move on to learn more about search techniques.

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