Slow day today at the library.... Snow and blizzard warnings are keeping our patrons home, so I've been able to spend the morning investigating CAMIO. I've had fun with this database: it's sort of like a virtual tour of the top museums in the country!
Paul Revere was a silversmith, and a variety of museums own his works. Looking at the tea pots, sugar bowls, etc. reminds me of times past when my mother would get out her fancy silver for special guests. (Me - well I just plop a tea bag in a mug, pour in the hot water and go from there....) I did notice that some records have more detailed descriptions than others. I also thought it was interesting and sort of ironic that the museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts has a sugar basket that it lists as a forgery! I guess it's true what they say - "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!"
The "Sioux" search also turned up a variety of items (clothing, drawings, paintings, photographs, etc.) from many different museums. Most of the items are from the 1800's, but I did notice the star quilt from 1991. One odd item was the French writing table, included because one of the creators was a man named Jean-Charles Sioux....
For my artist search I looked up Norman Rockwell. I thought there would be many records, but there were only six! I also looked up Matthew Brady, the Civil War photographer. Only one photograph was listed, from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
One of my favorite art forms is a quilt, so that's what I did for a subject search. I especially like antique and vintage quilts, and have quite a lot of reproduction fabrics in my stash. There were 50 records to look at. I saved several of the quilts in "Favorites." The goal will be to study them and maybe try to see if I can achieve a similar look in one of my own quilts. (What did I say about imitation?!)
How will patrons use CAMIO? Teachers could use the images in presentations to classes, and students could use them as well. Having to access CAMIO from a library or school may be a negative for some, as it means planning ahead and not waiting until midnight the night before an assignment is due.... I don't think this database will be as popular as some of the others, but it's there for when we are asked just the right question!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
ArchiveGrid
On my first attempt, I could not get into ArchiveGrid, but if at first you don't succeed.... When I tried a second time I was able to successfully search for "sitting bull autograph card" and look at one record from Cornell University Library. The notes are quite detailed, so you can get a pretty good idea of what the document is and what it contains.
I'm not sure our library patrons will use this site, unless they are into some serious research. Having to access it from the library (as opposed to home or where ever) may be a negative for some, but if a person is really serious about their research, this site can be very beneficial in locating sources of historical documents.
For my own search, I looked for "laura ingalls wilder" and got 20 records. (I thought there would be more....) Several were for authors who won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which was not what I was looking for. One of the records is for letters written by some of Caroline Ingalls's family. It is an electronic resource from the Wisconsin Historical Society. When I clicked on the link to the Society, I found that some of the letters have been digitized! I could actually look at them. Lesson plans are also included for teachers.
I confess that I sort of digressed from there and spent more time looking at the Historical Society site, and less time at ArchiveGrid. I was even able to listen to some oral histories of Holocaust survivors that immigrated to Wisconsin after the War. One never knows where a search may lead!
I'm not sure our library patrons will use this site, unless they are into some serious research. Having to access it from the library (as opposed to home or where ever) may be a negative for some, but if a person is really serious about their research, this site can be very beneficial in locating sources of historical documents.
For my own search, I looked for "laura ingalls wilder" and got 20 records. (I thought there would be more....) Several were for authors who won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which was not what I was looking for. One of the records is for letters written by some of Caroline Ingalls's family. It is an electronic resource from the Wisconsin Historical Society. When I clicked on the link to the Society, I found that some of the letters have been digitized! I could actually look at them. Lesson plans are also included for teachers.
I confess that I sort of digressed from there and spent more time looking at the Historical Society site, and less time at ArchiveGrid. I was even able to listen to some oral histories of Holocaust survivors that immigrated to Wisconsin after the War. One never knows where a search may lead!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
WorldCat
WorldCat is not new to me, as I have searched for titles requested by our patrons. However, I was not familiar with the other databases, so I did learn something new today!
For the first part of this exercise, I looked up a title a patron told me about recently: The Winged Watchman, by Hilda Van Stockum. It's a children's story about a Dutch wind mill operator and his family during World War II. Of the 440 libraries that own a copy of the first record listed, Dakota State University is the only one in South Dakota. The LC "number" for this book is PZ7.V36.
When I did an author search for Hilda Van Stockum, WorldCat listed 145 items (131 books). Our library owns one title that she authored (The Borrowed House), and one that she illustrated (Little Men).
For a subject search, I clicked on "Netherlands - History - German Occupation, 1940-1945 - Juvenile Fiction." There are 83 items, 63 of which are books. Students who enjoy historical fiction set in this time period have many choices! We have access to the libraries of the world (literally!) when we use WorldCat!
OAIster is new to me. I didn't even know it existed before this exercise. It's been interesting to see what documents are available. I'm not sure who will want to read some of the government reports, but it's good to know they are there. I read part of a dissertation on pheasant hunting, and looked at a few old photographs as well. I tried unsuccessfully to view more photos: I kept getting an error message or the dread "webpage cannot be found" screen....
WorldCat has been a fun exercise. I am now starting a list of titles to interlibrary loan when I have more time to read them!
For the first part of this exercise, I looked up a title a patron told me about recently: The Winged Watchman, by Hilda Van Stockum. It's a children's story about a Dutch wind mill operator and his family during World War II. Of the 440 libraries that own a copy of the first record listed, Dakota State University is the only one in South Dakota. The LC "number" for this book is PZ7.V36.
When I did an author search for Hilda Van Stockum, WorldCat listed 145 items (131 books). Our library owns one title that she authored (The Borrowed House), and one that she illustrated (Little Men).
For a subject search, I clicked on "Netherlands - History - German Occupation, 1940-1945 - Juvenile Fiction." There are 83 items, 63 of which are books. Students who enjoy historical fiction set in this time period have many choices! We have access to the libraries of the world (literally!) when we use WorldCat!
OAIster is new to me. I didn't even know it existed before this exercise. It's been interesting to see what documents are available. I'm not sure who will want to read some of the government reports, but it's good to know they are there. I read part of a dissertation on pheasant hunting, and looked at a few old photographs as well. I tried unsuccessfully to view more photos: I kept getting an error message or the dread "webpage cannot be found" screen....
WorldCat has been a fun exercise. I am now starting a list of titles to interlibrary loan when I have more time to read them!
Friday, February 17, 2012
eBooks on EBSCOhost
After playing researching eBooks on EBSCOhost, I had to take a deep breath, step away from my computer, and indulge in a cup of hot cocoa.... This was a most frustrating experience! In the first place, I am not a great fan of ebooks. I do not own a Kindle or a Nook. But I was willing to give eBooks a try, because I know our library does not own all the books in the world, and it's a trustworthy source of information. However, I found the experience to be cumbersome and as stated previously, frustrating.
My first search was for a recipe for a corn soup I ate in Guatemala. I searched for Cookery Guatemala, but had no results. So I tried Cookery Central America, and got two titles: Cooking the Central American Way appeared to be the best choice. Although the recipe I am searching for is not included, the book was interesting. Photos of the prepared food made my mouth water! The Table of Contents was listed at the side of the page, so I could scroll down and click on any recipe I wanted to read.
Then I searched for Quilting: of the various titles listed, I looked at Idiot's Guide to Quilting. I couldn't get the Table of Contents to appear as it did for the cookbook, but when I looked at the full text, I went to the Contents, saw what chapter I wanted to read, and typed in the page number at the bottom and clicked Go....
Moving on to the next part of the assignment, I searched for Constitution and United States, and Constitution Amendments. The resulting titles were definitely more scholarly and detailed than your average public library collection (especially in the Children's Department where I work)! The easiest was probably Idiot's Guide to the Presidents, but that really only deals superficially with the Constitution. I also looked at Companion to the United States Constitution and It's Amendments (3rd edition) by John R. Vile, 2001. It contains background information about events leading to the writing of the Constitution, as well as court cases dealing with various amendments. Working on the assumption that "more is better," I perused another title, Our Elusive Constitution, by Daniel N. Hoffman (1997).
This is when I began to get frustrated.... I wanted to specifically look up the 14th Amendment in the book. I found the index, searched to find the 14th amendment listed, and saw there were about a dozen pages listed. I searched several of those pages, before I gave up, opened a new window on my computer, and googled it! But I figured there must be an easier way to find specific information, so I went back to my ebook and studied the screen. Eureka! I found the "search within" button under Tool on the right side!
So then I figured I should investigate some of the other buttons there on the right.... I created an account so I could have a folder. I want back to my previous searches (quilting and cookery) to find information I wanted to save. I thought I could put a recipe in the folder, but it only puts the entire book in the folder. Then I tried to email pages from the Quilt book to myself, but I got an error message, and was told I had to sign in again, But when I tried to sign in, it wouldn't accept my name or password! So I exited out and started over, only to find that the quilt book was in use.
I decided to print a recipe, but was told I exceeded the print limit (must be because of copyright?). Then I couldn't access the cookbook either, because it said it was in use!
That's when I knew I needed to step back and indulge in some chocolate!
Oh yes, I did do the third part of this exercise. By searching for Nebraska or Oklahoma in the PB Publisher field, results are limited to books published by presses that contain those words (University or Nebraska or University of Oklahoma Press). There were some interesting titles listed. I read the introduction to a book about baseball and the military during World War II, and also looked at a book about an Indian Boarding School in Rapid City.
There is no doubt that there is a lot of information available on eBooks on EBSCOhost, but it was difficult to get to. I am not giving up, but I will need to work with this more before I feel comfortable suggesting it to patrons.
My first search was for a recipe for a corn soup I ate in Guatemala. I searched for Cookery Guatemala, but had no results. So I tried Cookery Central America, and got two titles: Cooking the Central American Way appeared to be the best choice. Although the recipe I am searching for is not included, the book was interesting. Photos of the prepared food made my mouth water! The Table of Contents was listed at the side of the page, so I could scroll down and click on any recipe I wanted to read.
Then I searched for Quilting: of the various titles listed, I looked at Idiot's Guide to Quilting. I couldn't get the Table of Contents to appear as it did for the cookbook, but when I looked at the full text, I went to the Contents, saw what chapter I wanted to read, and typed in the page number at the bottom and clicked Go....
Moving on to the next part of the assignment, I searched for Constitution and United States, and Constitution Amendments. The resulting titles were definitely more scholarly and detailed than your average public library collection (especially in the Children's Department where I work)! The easiest was probably Idiot's Guide to the Presidents, but that really only deals superficially with the Constitution. I also looked at Companion to the United States Constitution and It's Amendments (3rd edition) by John R. Vile, 2001. It contains background information about events leading to the writing of the Constitution, as well as court cases dealing with various amendments. Working on the assumption that "more is better," I perused another title, Our Elusive Constitution, by Daniel N. Hoffman (1997).
This is when I began to get frustrated.... I wanted to specifically look up the 14th Amendment in the book. I found the index, searched to find the 14th amendment listed, and saw there were about a dozen pages listed. I searched several of those pages, before I gave up, opened a new window on my computer, and googled it! But I figured there must be an easier way to find specific information, so I went back to my ebook and studied the screen. Eureka! I found the "search within" button under Tool on the right side!
So then I figured I should investigate some of the other buttons there on the right.... I created an account so I could have a folder. I want back to my previous searches (quilting and cookery) to find information I wanted to save. I thought I could put a recipe in the folder, but it only puts the entire book in the folder. Then I tried to email pages from the Quilt book to myself, but I got an error message, and was told I had to sign in again, But when I tried to sign in, it wouldn't accept my name or password! So I exited out and started over, only to find that the quilt book was in use.
I decided to print a recipe, but was told I exceeded the print limit (must be because of copyright?). Then I couldn't access the cookbook either, because it said it was in use!
That's when I knew I needed to step back and indulge in some chocolate!
Oh yes, I did do the third part of this exercise. By searching for Nebraska or Oklahoma in the PB Publisher field, results are limited to books published by presses that contain those words (University or Nebraska or University of Oklahoma Press). There were some interesting titles listed. I read the introduction to a book about baseball and the military during World War II, and also looked at a book about an Indian Boarding School in Rapid City.
There is no doubt that there is a lot of information available on eBooks on EBSCOhost, but it was difficult to get to. I am not giving up, but I will need to work with this more before I feel comfortable suggesting it to patrons.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Gale Virtual Reference Library
My first impression of the Gale Virtual Reference Library was that there were alot of titles on various topics. Then I thought, "well, that's what a Reference collection is supposed to be like!"
The American Civil War Reference Library caught my attention, and I spent some time looking at biographies of several women listed. Many of them were spies. I think they were successful because men underestimated their skill and determination.
Then I figured I should check out some titles and topics that would be more pertinant for my work. Since we often have students asking about endangered animals for school reports, I looked at Endangered Species (2nd ed. 2004). It contains information on endangered mammals, birds, bugs, and more. Our library does not have books about many of the animals listed (numbats, for example), so this could be a good resource for students.
We also had someone asking about the water cycle, so that was the topic I searched for. There were many articles listed, but I found two especially helpful. Both the UXL Encyclopedia of Water Science and the Gale Encyclopedia of Science had articles on the "hydrologic cycle." The UXL Encyclopedia seemed a bit easier to understand and more helpful to younger students. The listen feature will benefit kids needing extra help to understand more technical vocabulary.
I also emailed an article to myself. Having this option means a student wouldn't have to stay at the library to work on their assignment - they could email it home. Or if students are working on a group project, they could share information easily.
The American Civil War Reference Library caught my attention, and I spent some time looking at biographies of several women listed. Many of them were spies. I think they were successful because men underestimated their skill and determination.
Then I figured I should check out some titles and topics that would be more pertinant for my work. Since we often have students asking about endangered animals for school reports, I looked at Endangered Species (2nd ed. 2004). It contains information on endangered mammals, birds, bugs, and more. Our library does not have books about many of the animals listed (numbats, for example), so this could be a good resource for students.We also had someone asking about the water cycle, so that was the topic I searched for. There were many articles listed, but I found two especially helpful. Both the UXL Encyclopedia of Water Science and the Gale Encyclopedia of Science had articles on the "hydrologic cycle." The UXL Encyclopedia seemed a bit easier to understand and more helpful to younger students. The listen feature will benefit kids needing extra help to understand more technical vocabulary.
I also emailed an article to myself. Having this option means a student wouldn't have to stay at the library to work on their assignment - they could email it home. Or if students are working on a group project, they could share information easily.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Proquest
There are more than 10,000 articles written about Charles Dickens that are available in Proquest, and I attempted to read several of them in this assignment. It was a challenge! I've always thought I have a decent vocabulary, but I needed a dictionary to decipher the article about Dickens's view on slavery! Proquest is definitely more scholarly - for those serious about their research.
My first search was for Quilting, an activity I wish I had more time to do. Most of the articles listed were for book reviews in Library Journal. I think this topic is better searched in a different database....
Then I decided to look up Charles Dickens, whose 200th birthday was February 7. I figured he would be fodder for more scholarly research, and I was correct. The focus of the 10,000+ articles varied, from Dickens's first visit to America in 1842, to his views on slavery, even to the cause of his death in 1870. Articles were from a variety of publications as well. Some were more scholarly than others.
High School and College students doing research should be able to find information using Proquest, but they will need to persevere. It will take time to sift through the articles.
For the third part of this assignment (Publications), I looked for Public Libraries and got one hit: Public Libraries. Then I tried Libraries and got 9 hits for Title, and 72 for In Publication Summary. I was thinking this could be very helpful, since our library has dropped subscriptions to several professional journals. But then I checked out Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, hoping to read current book reviews, only to find that there is a one-year delay. All I can read at this time is an abstract and citation for reviewed titles. So now I am frustrated. It's like they are holding a carrot just out of my reach!
I did check out some of the other blogs, and commented on one of them. It's fun to see what others are looking up and to note their search strategies. (I hope they don't mind if I borrow some of their techniques to help our patrons.) Reading my colleagues posts is also confirmation that I am on the right track in this Challenge.
My first search was for Quilting, an activity I wish I had more time to do. Most of the articles listed were for book reviews in Library Journal. I think this topic is better searched in a different database....
Then I decided to look up Charles Dickens, whose 200th birthday was February 7. I figured he would be fodder for more scholarly research, and I was correct. The focus of the 10,000+ articles varied, from Dickens's first visit to America in 1842, to his views on slavery, even to the cause of his death in 1870. Articles were from a variety of publications as well. Some were more scholarly than others.
High School and College students doing research should be able to find information using Proquest, but they will need to persevere. It will take time to sift through the articles.
For the third part of this assignment (Publications), I looked for Public Libraries and got one hit: Public Libraries. Then I tried Libraries and got 9 hits for Title, and 72 for In Publication Summary. I was thinking this could be very helpful, since our library has dropped subscriptions to several professional journals. But then I checked out Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, hoping to read current book reviews, only to find that there is a one-year delay. All I can read at this time is an abstract and citation for reviewed titles. So now I am frustrated. It's like they are holding a carrot just out of my reach!
I did check out some of the other blogs, and commented on one of them. It's fun to see what others are looking up and to note their search strategies. (I hope they don't mind if I borrow some of their techniques to help our patrons.) Reading my colleagues posts is also confirmation that I am on the right track in this Challenge.
Monday, February 6, 2012
SIRS Issues Researcher
A friend and I were talking this past weekend about how we did research when we were in high school. Both of us have fond (and not so fond) memories of using the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature.... Times have changed! Now we can click our way through SIRS Issues Researcher and have all the information we need to present our side of almost any debate!
The issue I investigated was Alternative Education: homeschooling, vouchers, and same-sex schools. By looking at the Pro/Con Issues and Essential Questions I can learn both sides of the issue, and either form an intelligent opinion or gather facts to support the opinion I already have. The Overview article and Timeline give good background information as well as critical thinking questions to ask and answer.
The Curriculum Pathfinder I chose was Language Arts. I looked at articles on American Literature including websites, magazine articles and even government documents. I also perused Creative Writing and English Literature articles. I did a little tutorial called Hints About Print, which shows how to evaluate a book for usefulness to your topic. I thought the tutorial, while containing good information, was a bit elementary for the intended audience.
SIRS Issues Researcher has been an interesting lesson, but I personally don't think it was as fun as Discoverer!
The issue I investigated was Alternative Education: homeschooling, vouchers, and same-sex schools. By looking at the Pro/Con Issues and Essential Questions I can learn both sides of the issue, and either form an intelligent opinion or gather facts to support the opinion I already have. The Overview article and Timeline give good background information as well as critical thinking questions to ask and answer.
The Curriculum Pathfinder I chose was Language Arts. I looked at articles on American Literature including websites, magazine articles and even government documents. I also perused Creative Writing and English Literature articles. I did a little tutorial called Hints About Print, which shows how to evaluate a book for usefulness to your topic. I thought the tutorial, while containing good information, was a bit elementary for the intended audience.
SIRS Issues Researcher has been an interesting lesson, but I personally don't think it was as fun as Discoverer!
Friday, February 3, 2012
SIRS Discoverer
This is only the first part of the SIRS lesson, but I wanted to post my results while they were fresh....
I must be a rebel at heart, because I did not want to look up armadillos. Yesterday was February 2, so I checked out information about Groundhogs. There was basic information about groundhogs (habitat, diet, lifespan, etc.), but also much more. I found magazine fiction stories, a craft idea from the Akron Beacon Journal, and a plethora of newspaper articles about Punxsutawney Phil and his Groundhog Day predictions. I also checked out a related web site (stormfax.com), where I learned that Phil lives at the Public Library in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania!
Moving on the the Database Features, I checked out both Haiti and Cuba. I think students researching countries for reports will find this very informative. The historical timeline is helpful as well. I did notice that the last date for Haiti was 2010, and for Cuba it was 2008. Students needing more current information will need to check out other databases.
Since I enjoy history, I looked at Historical Maps. There are a lot of them! Besides just being interesting to look at, these maps can be used to illustrate students' research, or even by educators to enhance presentations. I also checked out some of the Outline Maps. Once again, I can see students using them for reports. (Those lucky kids! I'm dating myself here, but I remember when we had to try to draw maps free hand for our reports!)
I investigated Activities as well. I looked at Art Projects, Science and Nature Projects, and Food Projects and Recipes. I'm looking for ideas to use in our Children's Programs, and I think I've found some potential programs!
I must be a rebel at heart, because I did not want to look up armadillos. Yesterday was February 2, so I checked out information about Groundhogs. There was basic information about groundhogs (habitat, diet, lifespan, etc.), but also much more. I found magazine fiction stories, a craft idea from the Akron Beacon Journal, and a plethora of newspaper articles about Punxsutawney Phil and his Groundhog Day predictions. I also checked out a related web site (stormfax.com), where I learned that Phil lives at the Public Library in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania!
Moving on the the Database Features, I checked out both Haiti and Cuba. I think students researching countries for reports will find this very informative. The historical timeline is helpful as well. I did notice that the last date for Haiti was 2010, and for Cuba it was 2008. Students needing more current information will need to check out other databases.
Since I enjoy history, I looked at Historical Maps. There are a lot of them! Besides just being interesting to look at, these maps can be used to illustrate students' research, or even by educators to enhance presentations. I also checked out some of the Outline Maps. Once again, I can see students using them for reports. (Those lucky kids! I'm dating myself here, but I remember when we had to try to draw maps free hand for our reports!)
I investigated Activities as well. I looked at Art Projects, Science and Nature Projects, and Food Projects and Recipes. I'm looking for ideas to use in our Children's Programs, and I think I've found some potential programs!
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