Using Tattooing to Teach Boolean Searching Michael Lorenzen Knowledge of Boolean searching techniques is important for undergraduates to be successful

in constructing searches in the catalog, databases and the Web. As such, it is important to introduce it to college students early in a library literacy course or during a one session BI session. This lesson uses active learning strategies to interest and teach students basic Boolean strategies. This is done by having students write and talk about tattooing. Ideally, the class will have between 15-25 students to allow for both small group work and a larger class discussion. The lesson detailed here takes about 50 minutes to conduct. The lesson works best with undergraduates who are in their first or second year of post-secondary education. It also works well with high school students. Objectives of Instruction: The student will learn how the importance of narrowly defining the search early in the search process. The student will learn how to use the AND in a Boolean search to narrow a search. The student will learn how to use the NOT in a Boolean search to exclude a term from a search. The student will learn how to use the OR in a search to expand a search. The student will learn that although databases are constructed differently, the basics of Boolean searching can be applied in all of them. Components of the Instruction: It has been my experience that students do not arrive at library instruction sessions very excited or motivated to learn. The student may be enrolled in a library skills course as a graduation requirement and may have low expectations towards the course or the student is at the session because an instructor arranged for a class to receive library instruction. Either way, grabbing the attention of the students can be extremely difficult. As such, I have been using the concept of tattooing at the beginning of all basic class sessions dealing with online searching. I begin the class by asking each student to write down on a piece of paper the types of people they believe get tattoos. It is important to have some extra sheets of paper and some pencils available for the students as many of them will come unprepared to write or take notes. I give the students a minute or two to write down their responses. Some of the students are going to be surprised that the library lecture they are at is asking about tattoos and requiring them to actually participate by writing. Look around for these students and strongly encourage them to write down a few responses. This is a basic use of the idea of

the minute paper and it is a good way to let students know that they will be expected to participate in class. At this point, break the class down into five or six groups. Try not to have more than three students in any one group. If possible, make the default groups work in such a way that no counting off or moving is required by the students as this takes time and will distract the students. For example, if the room has three rows of seats divided by an aisle, use the six resulting areas as groups. Ask the groups to discuss with each other their the responses to the question. Let them know that each group will be asked to pick one example to share with the entire class. Be sure to let them know that each group must share an original answer so that back-up answers are a good idea. Let the groups work for several minutes. Try not to cut off the discussions until they start to drift off of topic. Bring the class back to attention and begin asking each group for an example. As you get the answers, write them down for all of the students to see. A flip chart, blackboard, or whiteboard at the front of the class works well for this. Continue until all of the groups have provided a response. When finished, ask if any of the students would like to share additional answers. Usually, you will be able to write down a few more suggestions. Most of the responses will be standard and you will hear them each time you teach this way. Bikers, sailors, prisoners, and athletes will be popular. Monks, students, and even librarians will be thrown in occasionally as well! This is the opportunity to emphasis how important it is to narrow down a search. The students will have demonstrated by their examples that even a simple topic like tattooing can be about a bunch of different things and people. A broader topic like abortion, war, poverty, Shakespeare, etc. is going to have even more words that may be relevant. Getting good results in a library is not always dependent on how hard one works. It is possible to work hard and get bad results. You can also work for an hour and have all that you need. Thinking about what you want, what words may be used to describe it, and how you may narrow down your search will save the student time and results in better research. This point is easy to make at this point in the lesson. And the students, still deeply interested from the tattooing discussion, will listen. An explanation of Boolean searching can be added at this point. Refer back to where you have written down the suggestions from the students. Explain what AND, NOT, and OR are and how they are used to construct searches. Use the words the students gave you as examples. For instance, when explaining the use of AND, write on the board bikers AND tattoos to demonstrate. This can be done with all the Boolean terms using the tattoo related words the student shared. You will find this much more effective than the use of Ven Diagrams or straight lecture. After explaining the Boolean concepts, go ahead and demonstrate the database or databases the students need to learn about. If possible, use the tattooing examples that the students gave you when demonstrating a search. Whatever searches you use to demonstrate the database, be sure to point out when you are using Boolean operators in a search. A few examples where you do a few bad searches compared with some good Boolean searches is

a nice way to reinforce the importance of using AND, NOT, and OR. Showing more than one database is a good idea. Try to get two databases that look different to show that regardless of the database, Boolean searching still works although variations in the databases may require the user to make some modifications. It is important to have the students conduct their own searches as soon as possible. Ideally, you will have a classroom where each student has their own computer and can follow along with you as you demonstrate searches. This is a highly effective method of active learning that will reinforce what you teach and immediately let you know when a student is having difficulty. If a room with computers for the students is not available, try to leave time to take the students out to an area with computers to help them do a few searches. The small assignment provided with this lesson can also be used. Evaluation: I am fortunate that I am able to teach in a classroom that has computers for each student. As such, I am able to monitor the students throughout the lesson and I can immediately work with a student who is falling behind. As such, I know this lesson works well in teaching Boolean concepts. I have also taught this lesson without any reference to tattoos with just a database demonstration with a brief lecture on Boolean concepts. The students pay attention and interact with me better when I use the tattooing approach. Supplementary Material: Boolean Searching Assignment 1. Type in the word tattoos into an online catalog as a keyword. How many items are there in the catalog with this word? 2. Type in the word bikers into the online catalog as a keyword. How many items are there in the catalog with this word? 3. How would you look for both #1 and #2 in the same search? 4. How many items are in the catalog that have both bikers and tattoos in the record? 5. Type in the word bigfoot into the catalog. How could you exclude the records that include the word truck if you searched again? 6. How could you construct a search that brought up the most records if you were looking for books on both parrots and turtles? 7. Type the word tattoos into EBSCOhost How many results are there? Narrow the search down to articles that are about both tattoos and art.

8. Can you find any records in EBSCOhost that are about tattoos but not about art? How many records are there? 9. How many articles can you find in EBSCOhost that are about either tattoos or bikers?