Gale Virtual Reference Library

I selected the WWII Reference Library, 2000.  It directed me to a table of contents.  I then clicked on a chapter-it was basically an encyclopedia but online.  Very nice pictures and informative text-and I didn't have to carry a huge book around.  Our reference sections is quite limited, so this is a good resource to know about.  Back on the home page of the Gale Reference Library, the reference books are divided by subject-business, education, environment, history, law, etc...

In the search bar I typed in "What foods have zinc in them" and received 26 nutrition, vitamin and science articles.  After browsing through them I didn't find an article that helped me so I changed my search to "foods with zinc".  I then selected and article in the Gale Encycopedia of Nursing and Allied Health and found this:

Natural sources

Oysters are tremendously high in zinc. Some sources, such as whole grains, beans, and nuts, have good zinc content but the fiber in these foods prevents it from being absorbed well. Foods with zinc that is better utilized include beef, chicken, turkey, milk, cheese, and yogurt. Pure maple syrup also is a good dose of zinc.

The listen function was neat.  It highlighted the text as the voice read the words.  Very handy for someone who cannot read very well.

Blogger: Clueless learned about the College Blue Book in the Gale Reference Library.  She also searched for Mission Statements to help her library.  She didn't think too much of the "listen" feature-as she..or he? is more if a visual learner.
Blogger: Kermit's Crazy Kat Cousin liked Gale Reference Library because you can email the articles to yourself or send them as an mp3 among other things.  I must agree-technology is great!  Kermit noticed that some of the articles were outdated and brought that to our attention, wanting to know how often they are updated.  Good question!

ProQuest

I searched for Egypt, full text.  I noticed the articles were really old-from 1997.  So I looked for an option to sort by date-to the right of the screen.  February 2012-much better.  There were suggested subjects to the top of my results and I noticed one of them- "Egypt (place) AND politics.  This is what I was looking for.  Very helpful.  I clicked on it and it narrowed my 125,000 search results down to 600 some.  It gave me the option to create an email alert if new documents matching my search come up.  I can save my search or create an RSS feed.

I commented on Haana's Blog SIRS Lesson 3 Blog post.

For the publications search I typed in "public libraries" and got 1 result.  I will try to not let this discourage me.  I clicked on the magazine link entitled "Public Libraries."  The I clicked on "view most recent issue"....now this is pretty cool.  I was not aware that we had access to full magazine articles!  About libraries!  I am so nerdily excited about this I can't even stand it.  I mean, look at this one:

Defusing the Angry Patron (Second Edition)

Garrett, Floyd. Public Libraries50. 6 (Nov/Dec 2011): 49-50.

 

Have you ever unlocked the door to your library, settled behind the circulation desk with computer screen aglow and to-do list firmly in hand, and then glanced up to see Mr. Chronically Problematic Patron charging your way? If so, you know firsthand the challenges of dealing with an angry person.

 

I will probably spend hours looking through this for useful articles.  Also, if we don't have a magazine, chances are patrons can find it on here.

 

SIRS Discoverer & SIRS Researcher

SIRS Discoverer:

I searched for Cats in SIRS Discoverer.  I could change the results from newspapers, to magazines, to graphics and websites, or all the results at once.  The articles were color coded to show me the reading level, and had icons that let me know if there were pictures in the articles, if it was fiction, what file format it was, etc..  When I opened a newspaper article up an scrolled to the bottom, it had the citiation at the bottom.

I selected Germany in the "Country Facts" section.  This page displayed a map of the country and the national flag.  There were Teacher Resource links, General facts about the country, such as the pronunciation of it's name, when it declared independence, and it's capital.  The country's economy, weather, geography, and a timeline of its general history is listed as well.

I viewed a map of Hawaii.  I tried to view the historical maps but for some reason they wouldn't open.  I could definitely see any of these maps being used to teach students geography, or to help someone who is giong on a trip and needs a general idea of where places are located.  Also, we have had patrons who just want to know where someplace is just out of curiousity.  This would work great instead of sending them into the stacks to search for a book.

I looked at the Pictures section of the Database Features.  This is a nice database.  Students can use these pictures in their school reports, and teachers can use them as well.  You can search for images or click on the alphabetical index.

SIRS Researcher:

I selected Adoption in the Leading Issues section.  The page gave a topic overview that informed me about adoption.  Below that were research tools: a timeline, global impact, statistics, my analysis, and a note organizer.  The center of the page had a pro/con organizer that listed several questions that could be made into topics for a paper.  There was an interactive global map on the right hand side of the page.  When I clicked on a country, I was taken to a page that had news articles related to adoption in that country.  Very cool.  Back on the main page I scrolled down further and there were already some newspaper articles up.  On the left hand of the screen was a toolbar that allowed me to sort or narrow my search by date, or format: magazine, newspaper, reference, etc...

For Curriculum Pathfinders I selected Language Arts, English Literature.  There were so many subjects it was hard to choose.  These are all excellent articles that students can use, and anyone can read to learn just for fun. I think we should be promoting these resources as much as we can!

Learning Express

I picked the Culinary Arts Practice Exam.  Everything was very easy to follow, the layout of the page is nice.  The questions were multiple choice.  It was not a timed test and I would have the option of saving the exam and continuing at a later date if I wanted to.  There are so many tests for every age group.  What a wonderful resource!

I took the Creating a Great Resume Course.  It was great! It asked specific questions that tailored the resume to me.  Again, it took me through the process step by step and it was very easy to follow.  I have had patrons ask for help with resumes and now I can refer them to this database.

I searched the Ebooks and found the ASVAB 4th edition book.  This was a big find for me.  Our library gets at least a few young men per month looking for this book, and half the time it is checked out or missing.  Now we can direct them to this website.

World Book Online

World Book Online for Kids

Muskrats are animals that live near streams, ponds, and rivers. They get their name from the musklike smell they give off during the mating season. Muskrats are found in many parts of North America and in some parts of Europe.

Muskrats are suited to life in the water. They use their flat tails to help them swim and steer. Their hind (back) feet are fringed with stiff, weblike hairs. Muskrats grow up to 26 inches (66 centimeters) long, including the tail.

Muskrats live in burrows that they dig in the banks of streams. They also make winter houses. They use mud to stick cattails, reeds, and other plants together. Muskrats eat mostly plants, but they eat clams, crayfish, and snails too. Minks, raccoons, coyotes, owls, hawks, and alligators hunt muskrats.

World Book Online Info Finder

The information found on this database was a little more in depth than on the World Book Online for Kids.  There were a lot more search results.  It told you how to cite the article.  I can definitely tell this website is geared towards middle schoolers.

World Book Online Reference Center

I searched for Botswana.  The left hand side of the page has links to encylopedia articles, maps, websites, research guides and more.  The right hand column gives a list of primary sources-very nice to use in research papers.  Once I clicked on an article for my country, Botswana, the page was divided into three columns.  The left hand side gave links with facts about the country, its land and climate, economy, etc.  The right hand column gave links with related information-web sites, magazine articles and so forth.

I actually had a patron come in the other day who was doing a college research paper.  However, he couldn't use any online resources.  I can see the professor's point....getting the students to dig further and get away from the questionable internet resources.  But I also think they are missing out on a lot of good reference tools, like World Book Online.  All of the resources World Book provides are handy to have.  I can see middle schoolers, high schoolers, even college kids using this database in our library.