As the information environment grows increasingly complex, knowing when, where and how to find the information you need is not always easy. This section introduces you to the nature of published literature, describes some of the search tools that are available to help you find different types of information, and offers some strategies for improving searching effectively.

After completing this section you will understand:

• How the time of an event can determine what has been published and where.
• The difference between searching a web search engine and searching a library database.
• Strategies for constructing an effective search in a library database.