The biggest discovery for me was realizing the amount of information available to anyone with just a bit of initiative and some time to get on a computer and look around in the databases. All are there to help us improve who we are and where we want to go in our life. Education shapes who we become, makes us responsible and enterprising citizens, and helps us to achieve our goals. The databases we learned about this past 10 weeks can help do just that.
A variety of age levels can use them for fun as well as learning.
If any opportunity arises with a patron needing any of the information available I certainly will try to lead them to the appropriate application. Maybe one could be showcased on your libraries facebook page every month or so with a link to the State Library. I think we need to push getting a State Library card so the patron has easier access to the system. Making the hand-outs available might also be a way to introduce what is being offered. We need to tune-in to our patrons needs and get them on the track to discovery as we have.
Thank you Jane and Julie for all your work on this project.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Week 9--History and Genealogy Resources
1. Ancestry Library - I found two different records about myself; (1) my name, birth date, phone number and an incorrect address in the U.S. Public Records Index, Volume I. Volume II was also there with the same information. I did find where I had signed for my (2) marriage license in Phoenix, AZ.
2. I searched for my paternal grandfather and found him listed in the 1930 United States Federal Census as living in Lawrence County, S.D. (you could view the map) This page also listed where you could find it on microfilm. The original data had come from The National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. He was age 55 at the time, his birthplace was Finland, he was married to Annie Koskela, whom also was born in Finland (something I either did not know or had forgotten), he was head of household and immigrated to the U.S. in 1892. On another page, which was the actual record page, his wife and 8 children were listed showing their estimated birth year and birthplace. I found a death certificate for one son who died at an early age while I was searching for my grandfather's death certificate. I know more had died early on but was not sure of the names. I also found some type of military registration. Last year I printed off his immigration papers but did not run across it this time. The magnifier came in handy so there is no reason to struggle to see.
3. I also did not see the "Photos and Maps" tab as shown in the paperwork but did get to a place under that heading and typed in South Dakota. Under 11 headings it all stated there are no data collections that are specific to South Dakota.
4. HeritageQuest - PERSI - State : South Dakota, County : Lawrence, Keywords : Finnish. I first chose cemeteries but got 0 results so I went back and selected all and got one hit which was an article in the Bits and Pieces (Newcastle Wyo. 1966 Vol.2 Issue 8) about the Finnish Church at Lead, 1889. This was a Church Record. The publisher of the article was Mabel E. Brown in Newcastle, Wy. I could get a copy by completing the request form and contacting the Allen County Public Library Foundation in Fort Wayne, IN. You can request up to 6 articles at a time. It costs $7.50 for each letter, pre-paid plus $.20 per page copied billed to me and allow 6 to 8 weeks to receive it. They will not accept requests by phone, fax or e-mail.
I chose the letter S to look through the Publications and got 2426 results. You can change the page image, have a white or black background, download or print and zoom up to 400%. I looked into one titled : S.D. Butcher's pioneer history of Custer County and short sketches of early days in Nebraska. The publisher was unknown but was it published in Broken Bow, NE in 1901, had 406 pages and a very lengthy table of contents. A real history buff could escape for many days in this one site.
5. Sanborn Maps. I chose Lead, S.D. for May 1923-1948. I checked the Street Index but could not find the street I lived on so I chose to see if Lead High School (built in 1940) was in the same place and yes it is. I found it on sheet 6. If you zoom in 300% you can see some of the materials used in the building like steel trusses, lath and plaster ceilings Some of the larger rooms were labeled such as the boys and girls gyms and the machine shop. When looking through the town you can see the width of the water pipes running under the streets. I also noticed a couple of churches are still where they were back then. I wasn't as smooth using the moving magnifer, about made myself dizzy, but if you used the site a lot I'm sure it would become a great tool. Do you think the insurance company who laid out the maps ever considered they would become so valuable to the history of so many towns?
We have patrons who use the ancestry resource for hours at a time. Some are retired folks volunteering in the parks over the summer so we see much more activity at that time. We have a separate computer just for use of the databases through the State and do not restrict the time and so far the people who use it share it quite well.
These sites are more relaxing to me as the history is just fascinating and each discovery could be a wonderful surprise.
2. I searched for my paternal grandfather and found him listed in the 1930 United States Federal Census as living in Lawrence County, S.D. (you could view the map) This page also listed where you could find it on microfilm. The original data had come from The National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. He was age 55 at the time, his birthplace was Finland, he was married to Annie Koskela, whom also was born in Finland (something I either did not know or had forgotten), he was head of household and immigrated to the U.S. in 1892. On another page, which was the actual record page, his wife and 8 children were listed showing their estimated birth year and birthplace. I found a death certificate for one son who died at an early age while I was searching for my grandfather's death certificate. I know more had died early on but was not sure of the names. I also found some type of military registration. Last year I printed off his immigration papers but did not run across it this time. The magnifier came in handy so there is no reason to struggle to see.
3. I also did not see the "Photos and Maps" tab as shown in the paperwork but did get to a place under that heading and typed in South Dakota. Under 11 headings it all stated there are no data collections that are specific to South Dakota.
4. HeritageQuest - PERSI - State : South Dakota, County : Lawrence, Keywords : Finnish. I first chose cemeteries but got 0 results so I went back and selected all and got one hit which was an article in the Bits and Pieces (Newcastle Wyo. 1966 Vol.2 Issue 8) about the Finnish Church at Lead, 1889. This was a Church Record. The publisher of the article was Mabel E. Brown in Newcastle, Wy. I could get a copy by completing the request form and contacting the Allen County Public Library Foundation in Fort Wayne, IN. You can request up to 6 articles at a time. It costs $7.50 for each letter, pre-paid plus $.20 per page copied billed to me and allow 6 to 8 weeks to receive it. They will not accept requests by phone, fax or e-mail.
I chose the letter S to look through the Publications and got 2426 results. You can change the page image, have a white or black background, download or print and zoom up to 400%. I looked into one titled : S.D. Butcher's pioneer history of Custer County and short sketches of early days in Nebraska. The publisher was unknown but was it published in Broken Bow, NE in 1901, had 406 pages and a very lengthy table of contents. A real history buff could escape for many days in this one site.
5. Sanborn Maps. I chose Lead, S.D. for May 1923-1948. I checked the Street Index but could not find the street I lived on so I chose to see if Lead High School (built in 1940) was in the same place and yes it is. I found it on sheet 6. If you zoom in 300% you can see some of the materials used in the building like steel trusses, lath and plaster ceilings Some of the larger rooms were labeled such as the boys and girls gyms and the machine shop. When looking through the town you can see the width of the water pipes running under the streets. I also noticed a couple of churches are still where they were back then. I wasn't as smooth using the moving magnifer, about made myself dizzy, but if you used the site a lot I'm sure it would become a great tool. Do you think the insurance company who laid out the maps ever considered they would become so valuable to the history of so many towns?
We have patrons who use the ancestry resource for hours at a time. Some are retired folks volunteering in the parks over the summer so we see much more activity at that time. We have a separate computer just for use of the databases through the State and do not restrict the time and so far the people who use it share it quite well.
These sites are more relaxing to me as the history is just fascinating and each discovery could be a wonderful surprise.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Week 8 -- ArchiveGrid and CAMIO
Part I ArchiveGrid
1.This is part of the Native American Collection at Cornell University Library. Looks like we are uncertain when Sitting Bull was born but he died in1890. He was a Shaman and leader of the Hunpapa Sioux with 3 different Native names. He led Sioux and Cheyenne warriors against U.S. soldiers of the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn after which he and his tribe moved to Canada where they lived until surrendering to U.S. forces. He toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. He was killed while resisting arrest because he didn't want to abandon the traditions of the Ghost Dance ritual, which had been outlawed. I was disappointed you could not see the actual autograph card.
2. I chose AIM but when typing those letters in the search area (3 different ways) I got 0 returns. Once I spelled it out there were 73 results, however these results came after putting quotation marks around the word "American Indian Movement." Going back in later I neglected to use the quotation marks and got 1182 results. I clicked into the "Register of the American Indian Movement Recordings, 1973" from the University of Wisconsin digital collection but didn't see much that interested me so I went into "My Wounded Knee scrapbook" housed at the Minnesota Historical Society. There are quite a variety of places to look from photos, pamphlets, audio cassettes to papers and letters, oral history reviews, but one that looked interesting was labeled "from Legal Defense/Offense." There are 143 boxes of records documenting the history, internal operation, and legal practice of a committee established by lawyers, legal workers, and others dedicated to the defense of activists involved in the American Indian protest movement of the 1970s. Most of the records relate to the occupation of Wounded Knee by American Indian activists (Feb-May 1973) and to the massive legal proceedings that followed (1973-1976). Events leading up to and following the occupation including a riot in Custer, S.D., the events on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation afterwards, a shoot-out in Oglala, S.D. which of course was where the two FBI agents were killed, and legal actions taken in order to prohibit the publication of author Peter Matthiessen's account of the Oglala incident. You can scroll for a period of time, in fact, I never did reach the end. I believe there were 5000 records in 88 pages. I like how the info was laid out in an outline format giving you an idea if you wanted to search farther into the record. I clicked in the "Manuscripts Collection" and there is a message in red lettering that states Access to or use of this collection is currently restricted, I was still able to read it but what I should have done was paid closer attention to the details of the Restriction Statement which I don't think I clicked into. Anyway, all of what I was viewing was in a part of the electronic version of the inventory. You really have no idea the amount of info you can find just by clicking into another area of the original record. This site is for serious researchers.
CAMIO
1. Paul Revere had talent in many areas but his metal silver work and his silver work were quite beautiful. Some pieces shown were; a teaspoon (in a shell design), a sugar bowl, a tea urn (the earliest and largest made in 1770), a cream pot, sauce boat, tankard and a lovely Federal style tea service. His hand colored engravings were quite intricate. There were 18 items you could inspect. I liked the option of seeing any of the works in high-resolution if you were interested in detail. You could also download and print it or check the boxes next to the item and save it to your favorites. On the left you can refine your search to see just works by Paul Revere as well as the format and how many of each and the unmeasured pieces and dates they were made.
2."Sioux" gave me 63 works by various tribes. The most pertinent info was shown for each item; the image title, creator, date, type and what museum you could find it. There was clothing, art work, furniture, pottery, dolls, photographs and jewelry.
3. I can't say I have a favorite artist so I tried a few South Dakota names but came up empty. I typed in "Andy Warhol and got 129 works which included prints, drawings, sculpture, photographs, paintings (many famous people and self-portraits, some costumes (paper dress that looked like Campbell soup labels) and jewelry. In 1971 he had 20 different prints of an electric chair.
4. I think those who deal in art or collectibles would find this site valuable. Maybe you could avoid be scammed. If you need specific details and upclose views this is place.
5. I chose Norman Rockwell for this exercise but only found 6 works. They are large when viewed in a slide-show and larger again in high-resolution. Being able to compare the paintings might be useful if you were interested in specific aspects of the artists work; colors he uses, his subjects, the era, the background. You could pinpoint the consistencies. When comparing you can also change the color that frames the work. Not sure why you would need this option unless you wanted to see how the art changes with the different colors. Being able to arrange them or delete one as you see fit for a report of saving to a web page saves time.
If you can't go to the mountain then visit ArchiveGrid and CAMIO. These are wonderful sites to visit and enjoy.
1.This is part of the Native American Collection at Cornell University Library. Looks like we are uncertain when Sitting Bull was born but he died in1890. He was a Shaman and leader of the Hunpapa Sioux with 3 different Native names. He led Sioux and Cheyenne warriors against U.S. soldiers of the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn after which he and his tribe moved to Canada where they lived until surrendering to U.S. forces. He toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. He was killed while resisting arrest because he didn't want to abandon the traditions of the Ghost Dance ritual, which had been outlawed. I was disappointed you could not see the actual autograph card.
2. I chose AIM but when typing those letters in the search area (3 different ways) I got 0 returns. Once I spelled it out there were 73 results, however these results came after putting quotation marks around the word "American Indian Movement." Going back in later I neglected to use the quotation marks and got 1182 results. I clicked into the "Register of the American Indian Movement Recordings, 1973" from the University of Wisconsin digital collection but didn't see much that interested me so I went into "My Wounded Knee scrapbook" housed at the Minnesota Historical Society. There are quite a variety of places to look from photos, pamphlets, audio cassettes to papers and letters, oral history reviews, but one that looked interesting was labeled "from Legal Defense/Offense." There are 143 boxes of records documenting the history, internal operation, and legal practice of a committee established by lawyers, legal workers, and others dedicated to the defense of activists involved in the American Indian protest movement of the 1970s. Most of the records relate to the occupation of Wounded Knee by American Indian activists (Feb-May 1973) and to the massive legal proceedings that followed (1973-1976). Events leading up to and following the occupation including a riot in Custer, S.D., the events on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation afterwards, a shoot-out in Oglala, S.D. which of course was where the two FBI agents were killed, and legal actions taken in order to prohibit the publication of author Peter Matthiessen's account of the Oglala incident. You can scroll for a period of time, in fact, I never did reach the end. I believe there were 5000 records in 88 pages. I like how the info was laid out in an outline format giving you an idea if you wanted to search farther into the record. I clicked in the "Manuscripts Collection" and there is a message in red lettering that states Access to or use of this collection is currently restricted, I was still able to read it but what I should have done was paid closer attention to the details of the Restriction Statement which I don't think I clicked into. Anyway, all of what I was viewing was in a part of the electronic version of the inventory. You really have no idea the amount of info you can find just by clicking into another area of the original record. This site is for serious researchers.
CAMIO
1. Paul Revere had talent in many areas but his metal silver work and his silver work were quite beautiful. Some pieces shown were; a teaspoon (in a shell design), a sugar bowl, a tea urn (the earliest and largest made in 1770), a cream pot, sauce boat, tankard and a lovely Federal style tea service. His hand colored engravings were quite intricate. There were 18 items you could inspect. I liked the option of seeing any of the works in high-resolution if you were interested in detail. You could also download and print it or check the boxes next to the item and save it to your favorites. On the left you can refine your search to see just works by Paul Revere as well as the format and how many of each and the unmeasured pieces and dates they were made.
2."Sioux" gave me 63 works by various tribes. The most pertinent info was shown for each item; the image title, creator, date, type and what museum you could find it. There was clothing, art work, furniture, pottery, dolls, photographs and jewelry.
3. I can't say I have a favorite artist so I tried a few South Dakota names but came up empty. I typed in "Andy Warhol and got 129 works which included prints, drawings, sculpture, photographs, paintings (many famous people and self-portraits, some costumes (paper dress that looked like Campbell soup labels) and jewelry. In 1971 he had 20 different prints of an electric chair.
4. I think those who deal in art or collectibles would find this site valuable. Maybe you could avoid be scammed. If you need specific details and upclose views this is place.
5. I chose Norman Rockwell for this exercise but only found 6 works. They are large when viewed in a slide-show and larger again in high-resolution. Being able to compare the paintings might be useful if you were interested in specific aspects of the artists work; colors he uses, his subjects, the era, the background. You could pinpoint the consistencies. When comparing you can also change the color that frames the work. Not sure why you would need this option unless you wanted to see how the art changes with the different colors. Being able to arrange them or delete one as you see fit for a report of saving to a web page saves time.
If you can't go to the mountain then visit ArchiveGrid and CAMIO. These are wonderful sites to visit and enjoy.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
WorldCat etc. Week 7
I happened to have some donated books on my desk so I chose this title : Japanese Temari : a colorful spin on an Ancient Craft by Barbara B. Suess. I did as the instructions directed and got only 2 results but 302 libraries worldwide. Bettendorf Public Library was the top name but when I clicked in I got that wonderful message we all adore ; This page cannot be displayed. I could not click in to the next 2 libraries but #4 was a winner. It was Council Bluffs Public Library and a record was displayed with the call number being 746.9 Su24. The author had written one other book found at that library. You see "nearby authors" which are those whose names come before and after Suess plus the copyright year if only one book is available. A bold lined box also suggests an author may use a pseudonym and it gives suggestions for other searches under other possible names.
I clicked on the subject "Fancy work - Japan with 3 results, 2 of which were listed in my prior search. The call # was shown, the status and a colored picture of the book's cover. You can also request the item from this page. You can limit your search to available items, save marked records, save all on page or save to my lists.
I did look into some of the other databases and happened to choose ClasePeriodica with "radiation" as the search term and got almost 1400 hits. Once again the amount of information is overwhelming.
Part 2 OAIster An error occurred while I was searching so had to log off and log back in. I got 764 results for the "South Dakota" search term. If a book was available through the State Library it was highlighted in light blue with kelly green letters. I clicked into "Custer City on French Creek. 1 library (Denver Public) worldwide had it. I got an error message 404 when clicking on the link next to "Access" so I tried the 2nd link and a photographic print on a stereo card came up. I used to go to my local library and look through a viewer at these. It was a view of the Gordon Stockade near what is now Custer. There are many other things you can click on to complete your search from this page and then download or print. I did click on "Browse this collection" and many more old pictures came up all from Colorado. I found it odd the Gordon Stockade photo was there since it is in South Dakota. All these photos came from "Photographs - American History."
I do use WorldCat but not the one through the State Library to find subject headings for books not available through the libraries in South Dakota. I have to agree with some of the others this site is definitely geared toward those working in the library world but there is valuable information for others as well. It really does go from basic to indepth info.
I clicked on the subject "Fancy work - Japan with 3 results, 2 of which were listed in my prior search. The call # was shown, the status and a colored picture of the book's cover. You can also request the item from this page. You can limit your search to available items, save marked records, save all on page or save to my lists.
I did look into some of the other databases and happened to choose ClasePeriodica with "radiation" as the search term and got almost 1400 hits. Once again the amount of information is overwhelming.
Part 2 OAIster An error occurred while I was searching so had to log off and log back in. I got 764 results for the "South Dakota" search term. If a book was available through the State Library it was highlighted in light blue with kelly green letters. I clicked into "Custer City on French Creek. 1 library (Denver Public) worldwide had it. I got an error message 404 when clicking on the link next to "Access" so I tried the 2nd link and a photographic print on a stereo card came up. I used to go to my local library and look through a viewer at these. It was a view of the Gordon Stockade near what is now Custer. There are many other things you can click on to complete your search from this page and then download or print. I did click on "Browse this collection" and many more old pictures came up all from Colorado. I found it odd the Gordon Stockade photo was there since it is in South Dakota. All these photos came from "Photographs - American History."
I do use WorldCat but not the one through the State Library to find subject headings for books not available through the libraries in South Dakota. I have to agree with some of the others this site is definitely geared toward those working in the library world but there is valuable information for others as well. It really does go from basic to indepth info.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Ebooks on Ebscohost Wk 6
Sinus infection was the topic I chose for my basic search this week and got 19 results.There was a broad range of subject matter from alternative and herbal remedy books to healthy eating, headache help, dental and colds, flu and asthma. I tried the advanced search, added to look for the subject (SU) but got no results so I used a pop up from the site and took advantage of the SmartText search and got 17 hits. You have many page options to choose from; format, image quick view, results per page, and page layout. I picked "The Sinus Sourcebook" then checked into the table of contents. While reading the page an error occurred (darn) requiring me to log again. What I liked most when choosing a book was the option "most relevant pages from this e-book" as it is a huge time-saver. "Search history" is also a plus. You can rerun your previous searches which is great if you can't get right back to it and don't remember what book/s you had already looked through. If you edit it, there are new searches. I clicked into the "New features" and found real time news is updated every 15 minutes, there is an Android App and 3 new languages have been added to the interface translation. I listened choosing each accent just to make sure there was a difference. Images are available but if you are not allowed to use it, an email contact is listed to possibly get permission.
2. Constitution Day is September 17th (my brother's birthday) and we recognize the adoption of the United States Constitution. I got 21 results using the basic search and 18 using advanced search and SmartText. The choices, I felt, were not that good if you were searching for Constitution Day in general so I changed my search to "Constitutional history" with 68 results. I did one more change to "Constitution and the United States" with again 68 results. I guess it depends on what you are looking for but "The Constitution of the United States of America,1787" (bk #62) seemed to be the best book for info on Constitution Day.
I clicked into EBSCO support and found trainings and tutorials. In "Success Center" there are useful links for librarians, ideas for marketing, fundraising and survey tools. There are also downloadable product logos, buttons, icons and more to promote the EBSCO databases.
3. If you choose PB Publisher with the search "Nebraska" you get 88 results all having The University of Nebraska Press as the publisher of each book. For Oklahoma you get 82 hits for books all having The University of Oklahoma as the publisher. There are many books listed having to do with the American West so I am guessing those particular publishers are noted for publishing this subject matter.
Seems each database has gotten increasingly difficult to navigate. I think for me, I would have been better off watching the tutorial. There never is a lack of information or a multitude of ways to do a search. It is nice there is a consistency with some of the tabs. If you are familiar with the information each tab has then you don't waste time exploring it again. Well, onward to the next week and behind again.
2. Constitution Day is September 17th (my brother's birthday) and we recognize the adoption of the United States Constitution. I got 21 results using the basic search and 18 using advanced search and SmartText. The choices, I felt, were not that good if you were searching for Constitution Day in general so I changed my search to "Constitutional history" with 68 results. I did one more change to "Constitution and the United States" with again 68 results. I guess it depends on what you are looking for but "The Constitution of the United States of America,1787" (bk #62) seemed to be the best book for info on Constitution Day.
I clicked into EBSCO support and found trainings and tutorials. In "Success Center" there are useful links for librarians, ideas for marketing, fundraising and survey tools. There are also downloadable product logos, buttons, icons and more to promote the EBSCO databases.
3. If you choose PB Publisher with the search "Nebraska" you get 88 results all having The University of Nebraska Press as the publisher of each book. For Oklahoma you get 82 hits for books all having The University of Oklahoma as the publisher. There are many books listed having to do with the American West so I am guessing those particular publishers are noted for publishing this subject matter.
Seems each database has gotten increasingly difficult to navigate. I think for me, I would have been better off watching the tutorial. There never is a lack of information or a multitude of ways to do a search. It is nice there is a consistency with some of the tabs. If you are familiar with the information each tab has then you don't waste time exploring it again. Well, onward to the next week and behind again.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Week 5 GVRL
What an extensive title list! Whew! After checking the complete list I chose "Company Profiles for Students." The table of contents was twice as long as the title list so another search was on for a company to research. American Greetings was a name I was familiar with so I clicked in. The top of the page gave the editors, the volume, publisher, copyright, and page numbers. All pertinent information followed, around 16 subjects and 3 great sidebars one of which listed some fast facts. The year is 1999 but did you know :
Americans spend more than $6 billion a year on greeting cards and related social expression products, sending more than seven billion greeting cards to loved ones?
Christmas, Valentine's Day (Happy Heart day on Tuesday), and Easter are the top three card-sending holidays?
They employ over 21,000 people in 100,000 retail stores in 75 countries.
What would you use this info for? Maybe you are interested in buying stock or thinking about a job with one of the companies. Everything you need to know is listed. Again, maybe you are just curious like me. There is a phone number to get the annual report so I am guessing the money end of the company could be very current. Agreed, you don't get much exercise looking high and low for what is available because it is all at your fingertips.
This site is a research mecca. Seems almost every subject in High School or College is covered. If you need the most current info you would just choose another one of our databases.
For the general search I wanted to see if there was anything about how mercury in dental fillings affects your health. That term gave me 0 hits so I shortened it to "Mercury in dental fillings" and got 14. "Mercury alone gave me 471 which obviously was too broad. The words in your search are shown in red throughout the articles. I found this helpful for quickly looking over the info. I think the "Previous Searches" tab also helps you cut down on time. If you trust it, then you don't have to write it all down , just "Bookmark" it. Isn't the "Dictionary" tab great too? Why not have complete availability to all reference materials on one site!! I can barely fathom how long it took to scan all these books. "Listening" reminds me a bit of how we used to have to read those SRA books with sentences from a book flashing rather quickly on the chalk board. (yes, I am sort of old) It is interesting how words between punctuation marks are highlighted in one solid color then as it is read, each word is highlighted with another color. Besides having it read to you there is the option of downloading, printing or emailing it so you can put together exactly what you need and then organize it at a later time.
When checking other posts I find it interesting most like to pick topics of interest to them instead of something random. We are beginning to feel comfortable with the search and try out many of the tabs on the pages we aren't asked to. Exploration seems to be the name of the game.
They employ over 21,000 people in 100,000 retail stores in 75 countries.
What would you use this info for? Maybe you are interested in buying stock or thinking about a job with one of the companies. Everything you need to know is listed. Again, maybe you are just curious like me. There is a phone number to get the annual report so I am guessing the money end of the company could be very current. Agreed, you don't get much exercise looking high and low for what is available because it is all at your fingertips.
This site is a research mecca. Seems almost every subject in High School or College is covered. If you need the most current info you would just choose another one of our databases.
For the general search I wanted to see if there was anything about how mercury in dental fillings affects your health. That term gave me 0 hits so I shortened it to "Mercury in dental fillings" and got 14. "Mercury alone gave me 471 which obviously was too broad. The words in your search are shown in red throughout the articles. I found this helpful for quickly looking over the info. I think the "Previous Searches" tab also helps you cut down on time. If you trust it, then you don't have to write it all down , just "Bookmark" it. Isn't the "Dictionary" tab great too? Why not have complete availability to all reference materials on one site!! I can barely fathom how long it took to scan all these books. "Listening" reminds me a bit of how we used to have to read those SRA books with sentences from a book flashing rather quickly on the chalk board. (yes, I am sort of old) It is interesting how words between punctuation marks are highlighted in one solid color then as it is read, each word is highlighted with another color. Besides having it read to you there is the option of downloading, printing or emailing it so you can put together exactly what you need and then organize it at a later time.
When checking other posts I find it interesting most like to pick topics of interest to them instead of something random. We are beginning to feel comfortable with the search and try out many of the tabs on the pages we aren't asked to. Exploration seems to be the name of the game.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Proquest- wk 4
1. This week I chose Meniere's Disease as my topic of interest because my sister has been diagnosed with it and my brother suffers with tinnitus which can be an accompanying symptom.
I clicked on "Health and Medicine" as seemed the logical place to start. There were only 2 databases with 48 results but I soon realized all of them contained the word disease and not Menieres. I deleted the word, disease, and was presented with 0 results. I went back to the general search box and typed in "Menieres" and got 45 articles referring to my topic. I like the fact you can narrow down your search by choosing scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, trade journals, wire feeds or reports and also by relevance so you don't drown in information. I chose to sort by the most recent publication date. I quickly found out the scholarly journals are a bit too "scholarly" for me to understand as the articles are full of very scientific terminology. I did look into one of "those" articles describing the inheritance of Meniere's disease in the Finnish population. This was of interest to me since my grandfather, as you may remember, emigrated here from Finland. I will email these findings to my sister and my brother. I tried emailing it to myself first and yes, it did work. I also like the highlighting feature. It saved me time when looking through a lengthy article if the whole thing was not just about Menieres. I created an alert, checked my e-mail and confirmed I actually wanted any current information for the next month. If you expand the "date" under source types a chart comes up showing you the amount of articles available for specific years if you run your cursor over it. You can click on the chart bars and the articles for that particular year pops up. You can also create an account to save all your searches and articles for mulling over later. This site is well equipped for an older audience.
There are so many ways of searching in Proquest as there are in all the databases we have explored to this point.
2. I did look into several of the other blogs. My boys would call this "creeping" but since we were asked to do it I don't feel as much like a "creeper." Some have only completed 2 weeks of lessons or maybe none at all. Makes me feel not so bad about getting my work done on Sundays. I think we are all agreeing on the vast amount of information available and can see the searches are a bit more difficult according to what age group they are intended for. It is wonderful to discover something new from the posts as obviously we can't go into every aspect of the site. I like the posts where the blogger's personality seeps through. Makes me think they are enjoying the exercises.
3. Thought I would check "Public Servant" from Publications tab but there were no results. I tried the word "library" and 73 were available. I also checked "Postal" but got nothing again and the same for just the words "post office." Diabetes had 6 so I did look into a couple of them. It is nice to see the table of contents of these magazines to insure you picked the correct one and what all it has to offer.
Apparently there are a lot of magazines/publications to pick from so I clicked into a couple of letters in the alphabetical listing to see exactly what was there. Out of curiosity I checked out the "Obituaries" but wasn't very successful finding a relative. It was easier to get results using famous people. Thought it might be another avenue for those genealogy researchers.
Happy Super Bowl.
I clicked on "Health and Medicine" as seemed the logical place to start. There were only 2 databases with 48 results but I soon realized all of them contained the word disease and not Menieres. I deleted the word, disease, and was presented with 0 results. I went back to the general search box and typed in "Menieres" and got 45 articles referring to my topic. I like the fact you can narrow down your search by choosing scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, trade journals, wire feeds or reports and also by relevance so you don't drown in information. I chose to sort by the most recent publication date. I quickly found out the scholarly journals are a bit too "scholarly" for me to understand as the articles are full of very scientific terminology. I did look into one of "those" articles describing the inheritance of Meniere's disease in the Finnish population. This was of interest to me since my grandfather, as you may remember, emigrated here from Finland. I will email these findings to my sister and my brother. I tried emailing it to myself first and yes, it did work. I also like the highlighting feature. It saved me time when looking through a lengthy article if the whole thing was not just about Menieres. I created an alert, checked my e-mail and confirmed I actually wanted any current information for the next month. If you expand the "date" under source types a chart comes up showing you the amount of articles available for specific years if you run your cursor over it. You can click on the chart bars and the articles for that particular year pops up. You can also create an account to save all your searches and articles for mulling over later. This site is well equipped for an older audience.
There are so many ways of searching in Proquest as there are in all the databases we have explored to this point.
2. I did look into several of the other blogs. My boys would call this "creeping" but since we were asked to do it I don't feel as much like a "creeper." Some have only completed 2 weeks of lessons or maybe none at all. Makes me feel not so bad about getting my work done on Sundays. I think we are all agreeing on the vast amount of information available and can see the searches are a bit more difficult according to what age group they are intended for. It is wonderful to discover something new from the posts as obviously we can't go into every aspect of the site. I like the posts where the blogger's personality seeps through. Makes me think they are enjoying the exercises.
3. Thought I would check "Public Servant" from Publications tab but there were no results. I tried the word "library" and 73 were available. I also checked "Postal" but got nothing again and the same for just the words "post office." Diabetes had 6 so I did look into a couple of them. It is nice to see the table of contents of these magazines to insure you picked the correct one and what all it has to offer.
Apparently there are a lot of magazines/publications to pick from so I clicked into a couple of letters in the alphabetical listing to see exactly what was there. Out of curiosity I checked out the "Obituaries" but wasn't very successful finding a relative. It was easier to get results using famous people. Thought it might be another avenue for those genealogy researchers.
Happy Super Bowl.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lesson 3 -- Social Issues Resources Series
I clicked on the animal icon so I could pick something other than an armadillo even though I did live in Arizona for a time. There were 383 articles for animals so I chose "Pets" from the Topic/subtopics list on the right. There were fewer articles, 108, but I was still searching for something more specific. I chose "Dogs," again from the list. The number of articles went back up to 290 so I started scrolling down. The article which caught my eye was about a dog who saved a woman's life by licking her head. You can sort these articles 4 different ways. There was such a wide variety of them beginning with the most current according to the date. My particular article did not have any pictures, but did have 3 "Descriptors" and when clicked on, new searches were provided. So many new avenues to discover.
Part 2(a) -- The country I selected was one I had never heard of, Suriname. In very short order you can read all the important facts of the country which appear to be very up-to-date. The history timeline is very complete. At the end of the article there is contact and website information and of course, the sources with exact citation info. This is a quick but in depth search. There also is available from the Graphic Organizer, downloadable, one-page PDF forms with fill-in-the-blank info for your report or speech in easy, moderate, or challenging. You can print out a colored map to accompany your article.
(b) Maps of the world. There are 3 different ways to search. I chose Somalia as we had a patron come in last week interested in this country. 6 graphics came up, 5 were maps and 1 was a picture. Once you click on these listings there is usually an article connected to it. Most were just factual info of the country and one was a personal story of a family who left Mogadishu. Any Geography class would certainly benefit from this site, if you are just a curiosity seeker, or teachers looking for handouts of map outlines for testing purposes, as well as researchers or for those writing reports.
(c) I chose "Skills Discoverer"- "Computers" - "Safety Land"- Interactive games. Teaches younger folks about using computers safely thru questions with multiple choice answers. I also tried "Language Arts"- Seussville and found it to be a bit confusing and a very "busy" place as I suppose it would be in Seussville but, it kind of turned me off. I also clicked into "Ask a scientist" which definitely is for teens or adults. It was based out of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I just couldn't decide what groups would want to use some of these sites and exactly what you would see or shouldn't see even though these are listed for grades 6-9.
I clicked on "Fiction" where you can download stories in PDF. There is a short summary, the date and the Lexile score. There are several topics/subtopics on the right to choose from and a most interesting one - "Stories written by kids. It is so hard to fathom all the information given on these sites, most are very concise. Again, just a wealth of information can be found. Maybe I was just tired when trying some of the topics in the Skills Discover because they didn't seem to be laid out as plainly.
We have already shown a couple of patrons some of the databases. Now we just need to get them to practice using a computer as the info presented in the SIRS database is more current than what we can offer in a book. Until next time.
Part 2(a) -- The country I selected was one I had never heard of, Suriname. In very short order you can read all the important facts of the country which appear to be very up-to-date. The history timeline is very complete. At the end of the article there is contact and website information and of course, the sources with exact citation info. This is a quick but in depth search. There also is available from the Graphic Organizer, downloadable, one-page PDF forms with fill-in-the-blank info for your report or speech in easy, moderate, or challenging. You can print out a colored map to accompany your article.
(b) Maps of the world. There are 3 different ways to search. I chose Somalia as we had a patron come in last week interested in this country. 6 graphics came up, 5 were maps and 1 was a picture. Once you click on these listings there is usually an article connected to it. Most were just factual info of the country and one was a personal story of a family who left Mogadishu. Any Geography class would certainly benefit from this site, if you are just a curiosity seeker, or teachers looking for handouts of map outlines for testing purposes, as well as researchers or for those writing reports.
(c) I chose "Skills Discoverer"- "Computers" - "Safety Land"- Interactive games. Teaches younger folks about using computers safely thru questions with multiple choice answers. I also tried "Language Arts"- Seussville and found it to be a bit confusing and a very "busy" place as I suppose it would be in Seussville but, it kind of turned me off. I also clicked into "Ask a scientist" which definitely is for teens or adults. It was based out of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I just couldn't decide what groups would want to use some of these sites and exactly what you would see or shouldn't see even though these are listed for grades 6-9.
I clicked on "Fiction" where you can download stories in PDF. There is a short summary, the date and the Lexile score. There are several topics/subtopics on the right to choose from and a most interesting one - "Stories written by kids. It is so hard to fathom all the information given on these sites, most are very concise. Again, just a wealth of information can be found. Maybe I was just tired when trying some of the topics in the Skills Discover because they didn't seem to be laid out as plainly.
We have already shown a couple of patrons some of the databases. Now we just need to get them to practice using a computer as the info presented in the SIRS database is more current than what we can offer in a book. Until next time.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Learning Xpress Lib (wk 2)
The first thing I experienced was "test anxiety" even as old as I am. I surely don't understand why people want to become professional students.
The way the GED testing is set up one can almost truly do it alone. All the questions have explanations as to why one answer is correct and the others are not. Once finished, you have a score analysis chart available to help you understand what areas you need to improve upon and based on how well you do there are suggestions for more courses and or tests. It also informs you how GED tests are scored, the lowest score you can have and the average score you need to pass. All the important issues you need to know before taking the actual test are available.
Honestly, anyone, especially those hoping to continue their education, really have no excuse not to do well if they are willing to put in the time and use the practice tests. You can do them at your own speed, stop to seek help if needed then continue on, or even retake the tests. If you wish to look at changing or enhancing your career choice, the information is there. You don't even need to leave the computer.
I chose "Vocabulary and Spelling" as my exercise in "Workplace Skills." I not only explored but completed the first part. You are taught the 3 types of vocabulary and 3 ways to learn it. You are tested in all three. By the third time you should be able to identify, pronounce and give the definition of the words listed. If not you can write them down on a card and review them when you have some downtime. It also suggests using a "study buddy" as speaking with and hearing someone else say the words makes them more recognizable to you. This exercise was very thorough and I learned the words precis and ennui.
The e-book I chose was "Becoming a Paralegal" from the "Job & Careers" tab. It took only a few seconds to download. This was a very current (2010) edition. It was easy to read because the print was quite large.There are many options available from the toolbar. I noticed you can have the text read out loud, offering you an opportunity to read with your eyes closed.
In conclusion I would say you can be as informed as you want to be in the area of education, train for a job you are wanting to have, or sharpen the skills you already possess if you have access to this valuable database. We will need to give our patrons a little nudge to apply for the e card if they would like to explore all these wonders in the comfort of their homes.
Who needs to purchase brain games and software when you have "The Learning Express Library" at your fingertips!
The way the GED testing is set up one can almost truly do it alone. All the questions have explanations as to why one answer is correct and the others are not. Once finished, you have a score analysis chart available to help you understand what areas you need to improve upon and based on how well you do there are suggestions for more courses and or tests. It also informs you how GED tests are scored, the lowest score you can have and the average score you need to pass. All the important issues you need to know before taking the actual test are available.
Honestly, anyone, especially those hoping to continue their education, really have no excuse not to do well if they are willing to put in the time and use the practice tests. You can do them at your own speed, stop to seek help if needed then continue on, or even retake the tests. If you wish to look at changing or enhancing your career choice, the information is there. You don't even need to leave the computer.
I chose "Vocabulary and Spelling" as my exercise in "Workplace Skills." I not only explored but completed the first part. You are taught the 3 types of vocabulary and 3 ways to learn it. You are tested in all three. By the third time you should be able to identify, pronounce and give the definition of the words listed. If not you can write them down on a card and review them when you have some downtime. It also suggests using a "study buddy" as speaking with and hearing someone else say the words makes them more recognizable to you. This exercise was very thorough and I learned the words precis and ennui.
The e-book I chose was "Becoming a Paralegal" from the "Job & Careers" tab. It took only a few seconds to download. This was a very current (2010) edition. It was easy to read because the print was quite large.There are many options available from the toolbar. I noticed you can have the text read out loud, offering you an opportunity to read with your eyes closed.
In conclusion I would say you can be as informed as you want to be in the area of education, train for a job you are wanting to have, or sharpen the skills you already possess if you have access to this valuable database. We will need to give our patrons a little nudge to apply for the e card if they would like to explore all these wonders in the comfort of their homes.
Who needs to purchase brain games and software when you have "The Learning Express Library" at your fingertips!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Lesson 1-b The Public Library Edition
Part 1
Living somewhat near to Wind Cave National Park I had a curiosity about the black-footed ferret. They were brought into the park with the hope of reducing the prairie dog population. I thought it would be interesting to know more about them.
Ferrets are animals with long, thin bodies and short legs. The black-footed ferret is native to Western North America and is somewhat smaller than the domestic ferret. Their hair is slightly yellow with black feet, black tipped ears and tail with black fur around the eyes.
When I first typed the name in the search area there were no results as I neglected to hyphenate the first two words. There were no suggestions available if you had forgotten this but there was if the word, ferret, was misspelled which I thought very helpful for younger students. Up popped one picture and one sentence describing the animal. There are a couple of options you can choose to find out more, either click on the photo or the article listed on the left. At least 4 paragraphs were then listed as well as the option to print, save, hear the text read aloud (which I did and would be great if you struggle to read) and email. You can also translate the text into 31 different languages, again pretty neat.
Part 2
Changing to Info Finder you can instantly tell it is for older students as the font is smaller, the wording is more concise but more of them. The number of tools has also increased. Did you know you can double click on any word and it defines it for you? Try it. Wow!
In the upper right you can choose "Related Information" such as ; World Book's Educators' Center which provides a range of resources, including correlations from World Book content to state and provincial curriculum correlations, links to lesson plans and activities, and professional education links and magazine articles (25 were listed.) You can also bring both screens up to compare by clicking Info Finder + KIDS.
There are so many ways to search. If you don't know where to begin there is even a link on how to do research designed not just for students but for educators too.
What a wonderful source for homeschoolers.
Part 3 : To infinity and beyond
Having some Finnish blood running through my veins I chose Finland as my country.
I kept "keyword" as I clicked on my search word. To the left are the "Search Results" showing you how many and what kind of articles there are, to maps, pictures, web sites, etc. The right bar lists the primary sources. Once you click on your country's link the left side bar changes to the main sections of the articles contents and the right side bar now lists "Related Information" which was on the left side as "Search Results." At any time you can switch which "World Book" you want by going to the very bottom of any page and clicking on your choice.
What I find great is any patron from travellers, to students, to adults with a curiosity about any country or those wanting to know more about where their relatives came from can pick and choose the type of information they are seeking. If you want it all or just something specific, the World Book Online Reference Center is your one stop shopping. Isn't it wonderful you can not only read but listen to the text in the language or music from that particular area. This could be a useful tool to get some older folks interested in using a computer especially if they are the least bit uncomfortable around one.
What is being offered through our libraries with World Book is more than amazing, don't you think! You always want to leave them wanting more. I even found out why my grandfather who emigrated from Finland hated the color red.
Living somewhat near to Wind Cave National Park I had a curiosity about the black-footed ferret. They were brought into the park with the hope of reducing the prairie dog population. I thought it would be interesting to know more about them.
Ferrets are animals with long, thin bodies and short legs. The black-footed ferret is native to Western North America and is somewhat smaller than the domestic ferret. Their hair is slightly yellow with black feet, black tipped ears and tail with black fur around the eyes.
When I first typed the name in the search area there were no results as I neglected to hyphenate the first two words. There were no suggestions available if you had forgotten this but there was if the word, ferret, was misspelled which I thought very helpful for younger students. Up popped one picture and one sentence describing the animal. There are a couple of options you can choose to find out more, either click on the photo or the article listed on the left. At least 4 paragraphs were then listed as well as the option to print, save, hear the text read aloud (which I did and would be great if you struggle to read) and email. You can also translate the text into 31 different languages, again pretty neat.
Part 2
Changing to Info Finder you can instantly tell it is for older students as the font is smaller, the wording is more concise but more of them. The number of tools has also increased. Did you know you can double click on any word and it defines it for you? Try it. Wow!
In the upper right you can choose "Related Information" such as ; World Book's Educators' Center which provides a range of resources, including correlations from World Book content to state and provincial curriculum correlations, links to lesson plans and activities, and professional education links and magazine articles (25 were listed.) You can also bring both screens up to compare by clicking Info Finder + KIDS.
There are so many ways to search. If you don't know where to begin there is even a link on how to do research designed not just for students but for educators too.
What a wonderful source for homeschoolers.
Part 3 : To infinity and beyondHaving some Finnish blood running through my veins I chose Finland as my country.
I kept "keyword" as I clicked on my search word. To the left are the "Search Results" showing you how many and what kind of articles there are, to maps, pictures, web sites, etc. The right bar lists the primary sources. Once you click on your country's link the left side bar changes to the main sections of the articles contents and the right side bar now lists "Related Information" which was on the left side as "Search Results." At any time you can switch which "World Book" you want by going to the very bottom of any page and clicking on your choice.
What I find great is any patron from travellers, to students, to adults with a curiosity about any country or those wanting to know more about where their relatives came from can pick and choose the type of information they are seeking. If you want it all or just something specific, the World Book Online Reference Center is your one stop shopping. Isn't it wonderful you can not only read but listen to the text in the language or music from that particular area. This could be a useful tool to get some older folks interested in using a computer especially if they are the least bit uncomfortable around one.
What is being offered through our libraries with World Book is more than amazing, don't you think! You always want to leave them wanting more. I even found out why my grandfather who emigrated from Finland hated the color red.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)