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Electronic databases are in large part based on print indexes and bibliographies that may or may not translate well into electronic format. Historical changes in the structure of the Modern Language Association (MLA) International Bibliography and present and past editorial practices make its electronic form a difficult one from which to retrieve the specialized topics frequently assigned to high school seniors and college students participating in lower level English composition and literature courses.
This article establishes the history of the Bibliography, itemizes the difficulties inherent in typical keyword Boolean searches, and suggests alternative routes open to students and librarians directed to use the Bibliography.Editor
Many academic librarians and librarians in large public libraries are learning that public use of electronic databases is a mixed blessing. Public expectations are high. All databases are full-text. All information is available on the Internet. The library owns every issue of every publication indexed for immediate public use. If the library doesn't have it, then with the help of overnight mail and faxes, it should be available for use the next day. Keyword and Subject are synonymous terms. The same search strategy is effective in all databases. The use of natural language, as in the phrase "violence in the public schools," will return all relevant, and only relevant, listings.
Perhaps the worst problem lies not in the ignorance of the general public, however, but in the concept held by those who engineer and produce the databases that simply computerizing a database-whether it is a bibliography, index, or full-text-is always going to create a better method of retrieving relevant material. What can be ignored is the fact that much record enhancement may be required to allow for better retrieval in a computerized environment. An example of the searching problems that can happen as a result of inadequate enhancement is the MLA International Bibliography. The following is a point-by-point illustration of why the structure of the MLA International Bibliography does not convert well to computerization, and why this conversion causes problems for lower level students.
History of the Print Version
The print bibliography began in 1921 as a listing of research in the field of literature by American scholars. The MLA confined itself to...