Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Doing A Good Search: Basic Rules And Search Tips, Roy E. Brown

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This updated handout, previous version published in 2023, serves as a reference for individuals learning effective database search practices. It covers fundamental search principles, including Boolean operators, question types, and potential databases for various questions for assignments or in the clinical environment. Notably, this version incorporates a diagram illustrating the search process.

Remember, the search process is iterative, involving repeated cycles of refinement. Your approach will vary depending on the specific question you're trying to answer.

Update of Doing a Good Search: Basic Rules and Search Tips (2023)

The original version appeared in the following article:

McGrath, J. M., Brown, …

Vision, Advocacy, Narrative, Outreach: Strategic Communication For New Library Buildings, John E. Ulmschneider

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The scholarly and practice literature on communication strategies reveals the importance of both strategically crafted message content and a multilevel messaging process that reaches all stakeholders and potential supporters. This chapter describes how Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries developed and implemented a visioning, advocacy, and communications strategy in support of a major library construction initiative. The successful effort led VCU Libraries’ disparate communities to embrace and support a distinctive, award-winning library design that departed both from architectural practice at the university and from initial expectations for library buildings among stakeholder communities.

Copyright For Creators: Bridging Law And Practice, Carla-Mae Crookendale, Hillary Miller, Sue Robinson

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Everyone is a publisher, a maker, or a creator in the digital age, and understanding copyright is a foundational skill. Artists, designers, and arts scholars need acute awareness of the legal landscape and fair use. To help meet this need, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries, in concert with the VCU School of the Arts, created a series of programs on the nuances of copyright for artists, designers, and art scholars.

Fake Fur, Fruit Leather, And Ferrofluids: Challenges To Managing A Materials Library In The Middle East, Amy J. Andres, Richard J. Lombard

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The Materials Library at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is the only one of its kind in the Arab Gulf region. The library's mission is to provide students and faculty with access to various industries’ most innovative materials and products. But collection efforts are frequently challenged by the school's geographical location. How can a diverse and eclectic materials collection develop and expand in the face of strict customs regulations, exorbitant shipping costs, and, most recently, a political crisis that has severely restricted the country's airspace and shipping routes? A supportive administration and a creative approach to materials procurement have helped …

Congratulations! You've Landed An Interview: What Do Hiring Committees Really Want?, Megan Hodge, Nicole Spoor

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose – Although the job market remains extremely competitive for entry-level librarian positions, only individual, anecdotal stories of what hiring committees are looking for in the candidates they invite to interview currently exist; no formal studies have been conducted since the recession began in early 2008. This survey was created with the aim of allowing those with recent experience on hiring committees to provide advice to those on the market for entry-level public and academic librarian positions and to answer what are, for many job-seekers, burning questions.

Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory study designed to give librarians with hiring …