As with other database competency searches, the query for this search: How do academic libraries implement Library 2.0 in their practices?
1) First search set is the broad (Library 2.0 OR user services) within the Library Literature database (LibLit), with the SmartSearch option, which returned 3,733 returns.
2) The next step to narrow or limit the returns appended a second attribute with the Boolean AND operator: (Library 2.0 OR user services) AND (academic OR university) in the SmartSearch mode. This returned a nicely fewer number of returns, 811, but it's still way too many.
3) My successive limiting descriptor was that of date. The other 3 competency searches had found documents that speak to the history of the Library 2.0 phenomenon; this time I imposed the "Within last 12 months" Date attribute, and this time the search returned only 48 documents. Finally, to tweak the results closer to what I wanted to read, I additionally added a fourth limiter: "Feature Article" in Article Type, and this brought me to a reasonable 28 returns. The image displayed to the right (clicking on the image itself links to a larger, clearer display) shows these search terms and the final results. One interesting bit of information that I gleaned from the "Last 12 Months" delimiter is evidence that Library 2.0 is spreading to smaller countries around the world. Because my focus is on U.S. academic libraries, I found that Hits #9 and 10 would be most relevant to what I intended with my search.
This search model allows the user to deliberate and consider what s/he is requesting of the database as each successive term or limiter is applied. Indeed it made me aware of the bigger picture of Library 2.0 and academic libraries "out there." I would find this model particularly helpful in cases where I need to feel my way through the various perspectives for the core search concept.
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