Online Retrieval of Grant Information 1

Running head: ONLINE RETRIEVAL OF GRANT INFORMATION

Online Retrieval of Grant Information

Dian Hauser

Emporia State University

 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 2

Online Retrieval of Grant Information

This paper demonstrates the steps involved in answering a client's information needs

using online sources. The search began with a questioner and his query. The client for this search

was a middle-age man who wished to organically farm his newly bought property. He planned on

being available for consults as the search progressed, but he was not going to be present during

the actual search. He requested that the final search results be sent to his computer and that video

clips as well as web sites were an acceptable information source. His knowledge of the search

subject was minimal, though he did direct me to a key online site.

The Pre-Search Reference Interview

In interviewing the client, I found that he was interested in getting a grant from the

Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education Program (SARE) to do repairs on his land. He

expressed confusion about the actual grant process: how to find out about it, how to write a

proposal, and what project he would propose to get the grant. He mentioned a few potential ideas

for a proposal but was unsure about what he would actually do. Therefore, he said he needed

ideas on projects that the grant would fund. He mentioned that he could possibly use the grant for

experimenting on how to stop erosion on a certain area of his property. I anticipated that we

would consult throughout the process and information would be given to him verbally as the

search progressed and online when the search was finalized. (Inside the Searcher's Mind p14)
 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 3

Selection of Information Sources

The client had a complex question; he wanted information on where to find the Grant

proposal page of the SARE site. He also wanted information on how to make the grant proposal,

and on what would constitute a good proposal project. I took a moment to “aim”, as mentioned

by Barbara Quint in her memorable tale of Wyatt Earp and his infallible shooting ability. (Quint

(1991, May) p15) She was applying the metaphor to information searches and advising the

searcher to have a search strategy before beginning the search. From the interview I devised a

search statement: research SARE grants, proposal writing, grant project. All were then searched

within the SARE site. Since I already knew that I wanted the SARE site, I used the Google

search engine for the initial search. I typed in "SARE," without the quotation marks. This

seemed a straight forward search. I was able to use the database within the site to get the all the

information that the client requested.

However, I also pursued another search for this client. While the SARE site was

sufficient for answering the initial queries, circumstances created the need for an additional

search. When I discovered that the deadline for application for a SARE grant had just passed, I

immediately informed my client. He was disappointed that he couldn't apply for the grant this

year, but decided that he still needed the information for next year. He asked if I would search for

other grants that he could consider.

For this second search, grants available to Kansas farmers, I did use various databases

including Gale General Reference Center Gold, Lexis Nexis Academic, and Agricola. None of

them had the information that I required. I finally used the meta search engine Dogpile, where I

found only government loans to farmers. I contacted my client, who said that he wouldn't mind

having this information. I was still hoping to find at least one grant with an open deadline for my
 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 4

client, so I went to the meta search engine Metacrawler and entered the search terms

"agricultural databases." Within this site I found a link to the Organic Farming Research

Foundation which had a grant with an open deadline.

Search Strategies

On the SARE database of projects (http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp), I

limited the location field to North Central Region (which included Kansas). I then limited the

“type” field to Farmer/Rancher projects and used keyword “erosion.”

This search received 135 hits, which I wanted to narrow. I then imposed a limit by adding

Kansas to the state field, keeping other search criteria the same. This returned 48 hits. On

viewing these, I felt that more precise results were needed. I used the topics pull-down selection

to come up with a controlled vocabulary, and found “soil management.” Using this term and

“erosion,” I searched again. Results still weren’t satisfactory, so I used the Google search engine

to look for vocabulary and came across "soil erosion." Using this term, I found some relevant

hits. I noticed that intermixed with these were results that mentioned cattle and erosion caused by

grazing. My client was not interested in this type of erosion, so I used a Boolean search, “soil

erosion AND NOT graz*,” truncating to allow for the elimination of documents with the words

“graze,” “grazes,” or “grazing.”

For my search for information on grants not related to SARE, I used meta search engines

as a starting point. As I had in the previous search, I used Boolean operators. I tended to start

with a very broad search and limit as I proceeded. I followed Reva Basch’s philosophy that

starting with a broad search gave you “a field of possibilities to begin with.” (Basch, 1993, p53)

From this stating point, I refined my searches by the “successive fraction” method, whittling

down to the most precise search results. I also delved into the invisible web by following links
 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 5

within consecutive databases. In fact, I was only able to find my last search result on farm grants

using this method. I was able to get very good information about the search strategy process

from Arleen N. Somerville's article The pre-search reference interview-A step by stop guide.

(Somerville, 1982 p35)

Presentation of Results to Client and Client Evaluation

In preparing the presentation for the client, I was guided by Amelia Kassel, who said that

"presentation is everything." She also stated that, "A high-quality deliverable is much more than

pretty. It's functional, because organizing results into an easy-to-use document saves the client

time." (Kassel, 2002, p43) The patron had wanted his search results presented in an easy to

understand form, and had desired to have the information emailed to him. In keeping with

Kassel's statement, I attempted to make my final report as efficient and constructive as possible. I

arranged the search results in a sequential order, with the basics of what the SARE grant was,

how one could apply, and how to go about the actual writing of the grant. I then gave an example

of grant projects which the SARE foundation had selected to advise interested persons. Finally,

within this section of the client report, I created a link to projects that had been awarded grants,

and that also were also in my client's interest area. Because the deadline for the SARE grant

applications for 2007 had just ended, and with my client’s approval, I also gave him other

options to follow. These options were in the form of government farm loans and a grant for

organic farmers. Links to these sources were in their own section of the

report.

Each section of the report was clearly labeled so that the client could proceed easily

through what had been a confusing miasma before the information had been researched and

organized. The client had wanted information found on the web and all the web sites that I found
 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 6

had been hyperlinked so that the client could immediately use the information that I emailed to

him.

I was able to get my client's feedback as he inspected the information that I had

emailed to him. Somerville mentioned that the "librarian should review the printout with the user

so he understands the procedure used, can read the printout, is able to decipher the

references...and knows how to find his references." (Somerville, 1985, p35)

While I felt that my report was easy to understand, it was useful for the client to have me

explain the layout of the information to him. He was impressed with the organization of the

materials and explained that seeing the information presented in a logical way, made the process

of applying for the grant seem much less overwhelming. He also enjoyed the fact that the web

sites were hyperlinked and he could immediately begin to get the information when he was ready

to take on this project. I expressed regret that there was so little information to be had on grant

funding for farmers. But he replied that he wasn’t surprised by this fact, as there weren’t a lot of

farm grants “out there.” Although he had missed the deadline for one of these grants, he was

philosophical about this and said he would have all this great information that he could use to

prepare for the following year’s grant application. He also liked the fact that there were video

clips on grant writing.

I asked the client if there was anything that he would have had me do differently. He

replied that “the receiver of the deliverables found them very satisfactory.” I had been explaining

some of the terms I'd encountered in my research.

 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 7

Conclusion

Searching does gets easier the more you do of it. I did not have an easy time with this

search, possibly because it was so specific. Also, I hadn’t been informed by the client that the

search for other grant opportunities besides the SARE grant would likely be unfruitful. As

explained in Shaver’s “Jahari Window adapted for online research,” I was searching “blind.”

There was not in that the limited availability of grants for farmers was known to the client, but

not to me, as the searcher. (Shaver, Hewison, & Wykoff, 1985, p.239). A more thorough second

interview with the client would have exposed this fact and saved me much frustration.

In conducting this “real life” client information search, I came to realize that despite (and

possible because of) its stringent demands upon the searcher, DIALOG had many positive

qualities. I began to see the value of “ordered sets.” Although, I didn’t use DIALOG in this

search, and don’t see it in my future. I now view it with some respect.
 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 8

References

Basch, R. (1993, September). Secrets of the super searchers: planning search strategies.

Online, 17(5), 52-58.

Kessel, A. (2002). Value-added deliverables: rungs on the info pro’s ladder to success.

Searcher, 10(11), 42-53.

Quint, B. (1991, May). Inside a searcher’s mind: the seven stages of an online search –

Part I. Online, 15(3), 13-18.

Shaver, D. B., Hewison, N. S., & Wykoff, L. W. (1985). Ethics for online intermediaries.

Special Libraries, 76(Fall), 238-245.

Sommerville, A. N. (1982, February). The pre-search reference interview: a step by step

guide. Database, 5(1), 32-38.

Appendix
 Online Retrieval of Grant Information 9

Search Results Presented to Client

The SARE Grant Proposal

How to Apply for a SARE Grant

http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/apply.htm

How to Write a Proposal for a SARE Grant and How to Write a Winning Proposal
http://www.sare.org/grants/howto.htm

Writing SARE Grant Proposals (Video Clips)

http://sarevideos.notlong.com

Grant Information Specific to Farmers

http://www.sare.org/coreinfo/farmers.htm

SARE Grant Projects

Sample farmer/rancher projects

http://www.sare.org/publications/highlights.htm

Examples of SARE projects dealing with soil erosion

http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp

Other Options Besides the SARE Grant

The Organic Farming Research Foundation Grant

http://ofrf.org/

Government Farm Loan Sites

Farm Loan Program

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=fmlp&topic=landing

Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Loans and Grants for Agriculture and Rural Kansas
http://www.ksda.gov/kansas_agriculture/content/237