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.