Competency 6: Browsing Search Strategy

I chose to search for young adult library trends by browsing ProjectMuse. First, I narrowed the search by discipline (i.e., Cultural Studes, Language and Linguistics, Library Science and Publishing, Literature). I then entered my search terms of Young adults and public libraries. The search returned 326 results that covered a variety of material related to youth in the public library. I found an article, Developing Children’s Interest in Reading, particularly appropriate, while others, such as "The books were just the props": Public Libraries and Contested Space in the Cape Flats Townships in the 1980s, were not. This method, even though my search only included a limited number of items to browse, is time-consuming and unpredictable. My search was semi-directed and exploratory; if I required more specific information, this search strategy would not be my first choice.