Dear All,
 
in my book A is a 'facilitated search' and B is a 'mediated search'.
 
Option 'A' should be, if circumstances permit, the preferred option, if only, as Rowena points out, because the client may hopefully (both senses of the word) do it herself in future (or be on the way of doing some searches herself with growing confidence). 
 
Mediated searches are static and have little added value, they are a leftover from the time when only librarians had access to databases, were charged by the minute and had to execute complex search commands quickly.
 
I don't think there can be the 'tradional' type of evidence supporting the definition of either concept; after all, words mean what the majority of well-meaning people assume them to mean: so a vote on lis-medical, supported by a vote on medlib-l perhaps, would fix the meaning of either concept...
 
Best wishes,
 
Reinhard
 

Reinhard Wentz Dipl Bibl
Campus Library Manager
Imperial College London Library
Chelsea &  Westminster Campus
369, Fulham Road
London SW10 9TH
Tel. 44(0)20 8746 8109
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-----Original Message-----
From: Rowena Perry [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 29 October 2003 09:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Definition required

What do people understand by the term 'mediated literature search', is it:

A - where you sit down next to the person and do the search together (so they end up having done the search but hopefully next time able to do it for themselves)

B - where you take the details of the search they require then do it yourself and send them the results (possibly contacting them again if clarification is required)

If it is A then what name do you give to B?

What evidence supports the definition?

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Rowena Perry
Library Manager
Health Informatics Shared Services

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