Final Reflection

               My topic of public libraries and communities was generally well covered by the databases I searched. I was little concerned when I first started that some of the databases, like PubMed, wouldn’t have much about public libraries. But even on these highly specific databases, I was always able to find something that fit with my topic. I had anticipated having to tweak my topic to get good results, but the need only arose once, when I was searching PsychInfo. I used ‘mental health’ in my search, knowing that I would have a more successful search if I tailored it in a way that fit with the content of the database. For me, a public library’s affect on its patron’s mental health is another way a public library can affect its community.

               I liked how searching different databases with different content gave me such unique results. When you think about the role that a public library plays in its community, things like literacy and maybe library programs come to mind. LexisNexis was a struggle for me to use, but the hit I found about a library collecting handmade poppies from its patrons to create a memorial for veterans was a library-community interaction that I had never considered before. It was nice to look at something I am so familiar with in a new light.

               I learned a lot about searching in the course of this project. Searching new databases like PsychInfo, JStor, and LexisNexis pushed me from my comfort zone. Since I wasn’t operating from ‘muscle memory’, I was more inclined to do things with my searches that I wouldn’t have done in a database I was familiar with.  In prior searches, I was hesitant to make use of limiters. I could always anticipate what kind of results I would get, so I wouldn’t bother much with limiters. When I was in unfamiliar territory, I knew what I wanted my search to turn up, but I couldn’t be sure of what would happen. I turned to my limiters to tailor my search to better fir my needs.

               By searching each database for the same topic, I felt that I got more out of the assignment than I would if I had done my search with the database’s content in mind. In previous assignments in other classes, I have explored databases by constructing a search based on what the database covered. For example, if I had been searching PsychInfo, my search would have been on a mental health issue. But when I used the same topic each time, I was challenged to use all the databases offers to get the best search results possible.

               Working in a public library, I came into this assignment with some idea of the affect public libraries have in their communities. They help with literacy, they are a place anyone can go to further their education and they offer wonderful programming. But in the course of doing this assignment, I was able to find specific ways public libraries affect their communities. My JSTOR hit was really neat. There are a lot of migrant workers in the United States that would greatly benefit from the services a public library offers. Unfortunately, most are unable to come to a library. By sending the library and its services to the migrant workers and their families, more people are able to benefit from the public library. From my ProQuest Dialog search, I learned how readers advisory can help newly arrived immigrants adjust to their new world. It’s easy to look at how a public library affects my life, but it is just important that it affects everyone, not just one or two here and there.

               Searching sites like the Pew Research Center, Google Images, and Topsy gave insight in to how the community values its libraries. 94% of Americans think that their quality of life is improved by the presence of a public library in their community. They put up a fight when it comes to funding their public libraries and they talk about their library social media. It’s a neat way to look at the topic and it’s nice to know that they patrons like and appreciate their libraries so much.

               I enjoyed this assignment. I’ve always enjoyed using database, but his pushed me from my comfort zone. In doing so, I become comfortable with databases I might not have used on my own. I feel that I have come away from this assignment better prepared to help patrons with reference questions. Additionally, it has made me mindful of the many different ways a library can impact the lives of those they serve. It is important not to get caught up in the big picture; libraries can benefit their communities far beyond the confines of books and reading.