SIRS Discoverer
1. In the advanced search options, I entered solar systems as the subject matter, then the "Easy" reading levels. This resulted in locating 4 newspaper articles, 31 magazine articles and 7 references. As I explored the other options available, I learned the "Lexile arrows" will help to find better appropriate reading materials for the 3rd graders abilities. I set it to the lowest arrow possible and the results remained the same.
2. My first method of searching was by using the Keyword/Natural Language search feature. I entered the phrase "maps of volcanoes" and discovered 239 articles, total. There were only 16 graphics, mostly of maps, but there are several Newspapers (15), Magazines (122), and Reference (74) materials which contain images of the volcanoes around the world.
My second method was using the basic search feature. I typed in "volcano" and got 1000 articles, total. 151 Newspapers, 492 Magazines, 238 References, 151 Graphics. Once again, many of the various results contain one or more images of the subject volcanoes.
SIRS Issue Researcher
1. This was a tough one for me. I searched the SIRS Issue Researcher, but only came up with 2 results via WebSelect Sites. If I did a simpler search for just Suicide Prevention, the results were a total of 4. However, using Google resulted in just a couple thousand more than 2 million results. Bear in mind, however, via the SIRS Issue Researcher, there are a total of 243 results in a number of different sources (newspapers, magazines, viewpoints, reference, graphics/multimedia, and WebSelect Sites. I didn't have the time to check out all of the "hits" on the Google search, but would venture a fairly safe guess that many of those results are also links to magazine/newspaper articles and other sources, much like those found in the SIRS Issue Researcher. I would think if one had the time to view the many results which stem from the SIRS Issue Researcher, one might find more good websites on suicide prevention for teens.
2. For this lesson, I used Topic Browse > Earth Science > Contents = which led me to 1K+ results in Newspapers (543), Magazines (332), Reference (0), and Graphics (399). This offers many choices for the researcher, but I wondered if there were a better way to find the answers...
This time, I chose Subject Index instead of Contents. This led me to a more condensed search tool, where I was able to enter the keywords, "drought or water restrictions" into the Subject Heading Search window. Eureka! Here, there is a list of subject headings, nice and neat, where I chose the following subjects to use for my research on this topic:
Crops, Effect of drought on
Drought relief
Livestock, Effect of drought on
Plants, Effect of drought on
Droughts
Drought Relief
There are a few more condensed subjects, mostly related to droughts & their effects on other countries. so I didn't feel it necessary to include them in my answer. :)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Lesson 3 - Learning Express Library
1. I will show him how to locate the User Guides for the LearningExpress Library, as well as help him through the sign up process if he hasn't already done so. After that, I would show him how to find the Center which would be most beneficial to meet his needs. From the School Center, I would lead him to the appropriate school level (elementary, in his case) and from there I would guide him to the Reading Comprehension Skills Improvement. He would be able to partake in many different practice sets, under a variety of types: Informational Reading, Narrative Reading, Persuasive Reading, Poetry Reading & General Reading.
2. The best place in LearningExpress Library for her to start would be in the Career Center. She could begin by exploring Build Your Workplace Skills. In this center, she would be able to ascertain which skills she might need to improve upon prior to seeking employment. She would be able to strengthen her business writing skills and also do research on how to Succeed on the Job (public speaking).
Following the research she does on these topics, I would recommend she investigate the "Improve your Job Search, Interviewing, and Networking Skills to find more helpful information under the sections included there.
3. I would start this student out in the Career Center. He could explore the Careers in Allied Health, for starters, to learn more about the job market, training programs, financial options, exams, certifications and more. It may be valuable for him to also peruse the Healthcare Essentials: A Glossary & Study Guide, since the guide contains nearly 1K key terms and easy definitions within one's grasp. Following his exploration of these areas, I'd suggest he enter the term "nurse" &/or "pharmacist" into the search window on LearningExpress Library to discover the plethora of information that is his for the reviewing. :)
2. The best place in LearningExpress Library for her to start would be in the Career Center. She could begin by exploring Build Your Workplace Skills. In this center, she would be able to ascertain which skills she might need to improve upon prior to seeking employment. She would be able to strengthen her business writing skills and also do research on how to Succeed on the Job (public speaking).
Following the research she does on these topics, I would recommend she investigate the "Improve your Job Search, Interviewing, and Networking Skills to find more helpful information under the sections included there.
3. I would start this student out in the Career Center. He could explore the Careers in Allied Health, for starters, to learn more about the job market, training programs, financial options, exams, certifications and more. It may be valuable for him to also peruse the Healthcare Essentials: A Glossary & Study Guide, since the guide contains nearly 1K key terms and easy definitions within one's grasp. Following his exploration of these areas, I'd suggest he enter the term "nurse" &/or "pharmacist" into the search window on LearningExpress Library to discover the plethora of information that is his for the reviewing. :)
Lesson 2 -- ChiltonLibrary, Mango Languages and TumblebookLibrary
Chilton Library -
1. First, I make sure my neighbor signs up for his own SDSL e-card, so he can take advantage of the great online resources available online! Then, I show him how to navigate the SDSL website, to find the online resources & lead him to the Chilton's library. The sight is really easy to maneuver around, with the search features which aid in researching a large number of assorted automobiles.It's so simple to use - simply enter the vehicle make, year and model to discover a plethora of related repair topics. We'd type in his info, pull up the 1982 Jeep Cherokee (easy-peasy, since I have a Jeep & use this frequently to determine whether I can do the repair or the job requires a mechanic) and search the left side menu for the specific repair he's seeking. I show him how much faster it is to find the part & open up all the topics covered under the little "+" box to the left of each subject. From there, we'd open up the Removal & Installation link to find the available animations, tech tips and videos. Following these instructions, he can determine if it is a task he wishes to pursue. There is also a print option for some of the information, which might be helpful to the neighbor.
2. The A131L transaxle is a 3-speed automatic, developed specifically for transversely mounted engines. The wide gear ratios and efficient torque converter combine with the built-in locking clutches to operate quietly and efficiently.
Mango Languages -
1. I would introduce the student to Mango languages. I'd give the student a quick navigation lesson, so they'd understand how to do searches on the Mango site and then suggest they try the following languages to see if they meet the needs of the student: Biblical Hebrew & Ancient Greek.
Tumblebook Library -
1. Using the Tumblesearch feature, we first select Reading Level/1-3. Since Alex is a voracious reader, given by his gobbling up every available mystery in the library, we then choose Chapter Books from the menu links provided. There are three titles which he may not have read yet, so I suggest he explore the Max-a-Million books and the Zibby Payne book. These titles are: Max-a-Million: Max the Magnificent, Max-a-Million: Max the Mighty Superhero, and Zibby Payne and the Party Problem. I might also recommend the Blast to the Past series, as those titles involve historic subjects, but have a fun spin on them to keep the young reader captivated. (I found some books I really want to read this weekend, now!) Thanks!! :)
2. Using the search option on Tumblebooks, I entered the keyword, "science" and found several listings show up. I went through the listings, weeding out the non-fiction titles & videos, to focus on fiction titles only. The titles I found which may be beneficial to the students are:
Clever Trevor by Sarah Albee
Gotcha! by Jennifer Dussling
Our Seasons by Grace Lin
A Moldy Mystery by Michelle Knudsen
Friday, February 6, 2015
ERC 2015 - Lesson 1/World Book Online
Lesson 1a: Reaquainting with World Book Public Library Edition
It was nice to go back and explore the WBO Public Library Edition, again. I realized there was much I'd forgotten about these sites, so had some pleasant moments rediscovering the plethora of helpful information and resources provided via the WBO-PLE. :)
Lesson 1b: World Book Public Library Edition - Advanced Challenge
1. Since I am still trying to come up with a good activity to present at the Jump Start Workshop in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd venture into the Activities section for some ideas to get my brain going. I explored several of the various activities, within the 4 different categories (Think It!, Be it!, Make it!, and Teach It!) and found some activities that could be customized to apply to my needs. Then, I did some further searching, under the classification "Important People", thinking perhaps I could find inspiration in that area. I love how this WBO for kids is so thorough and offers so many options for the person wanting to research. Within minutes, I'd discovered a lot of heroes and information related to each one, simply by doing a search. The videos provided are a very nice touch, also. :)
2. I love WB-InfoFinder! The Virtual Tours are terrific and so fun to watch! I did notice the following broken links under the "Unusual Places" videos: The Spam Museum, Elvis Presley's Graceland, Mutter Museum, International UFO Museum and Outreach Center, and the Spy Museum. It has always been fun (for me) to visit museums and interesting locations, the weirder the better. Given the virtual tours available in this category and the others, I spent more time exploring that probably necessary for this lesson. Let's call it an investment, shall we?
As far as how to use these with patrons, I can think of several ways to do so. Perhaps a student comes to me, challenged with writing a report on someplace they'd like to visit. I could suggest they view the various videos for inspiration/ideas of places to visit. Another suggestion I could offer them would be for them to explore the research tools feature, to see if any of the information provided might aid them in their quest. This is a terrific resource, especially given the many ways one can locate information - via the A-Z, By Subject, Images/Videos, etc. In the past year, I've shared with a lot of parents and kids about the WB-Online via the SDSL website, encouraging them to get their E-card from the state library. It's really nice when a patron returns to the library and extends thanks for learning about the SDSL website and the terrific resources that are free to the public.
3. My search for Jane Austen's Emma produced several tools which may prove beneficial to my patrons. Those patrons with visual or reading challenges might appreciate the ability to hear the text read aloud. Patrons might find the ability to save projects, print, translate (lots of languages!!) the text and email sections very helpful in their research.
Under Related Information, the websites & Back In Time Articles are interesting to check out. I glanced through a couple of the articles (out of 13 related) to learn more and also discovered a lovely website related to Jane Austen and her home in Hampshire, England. That's a really nice resource, for anyone wishing to learn more about her.
The Related Encyclopedia Content section has 22 items, including articles on Parody, Book Collecting, other books by the same author, information about film directors (creating films from novels), and so much more. Each of those links, once clicked, takes the reader to a page about that subject & even more research tools. This can be a tremendous resource for the curious patron! :)
It was nice to go back and explore the WBO Public Library Edition, again. I realized there was much I'd forgotten about these sites, so had some pleasant moments rediscovering the plethora of helpful information and resources provided via the WBO-PLE. :)
Lesson 1b: World Book Public Library Edition - Advanced Challenge
1. Since I am still trying to come up with a good activity to present at the Jump Start Workshop in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd venture into the Activities section for some ideas to get my brain going. I explored several of the various activities, within the 4 different categories (Think It!, Be it!, Make it!, and Teach It!) and found some activities that could be customized to apply to my needs. Then, I did some further searching, under the classification "Important People", thinking perhaps I could find inspiration in that area. I love how this WBO for kids is so thorough and offers so many options for the person wanting to research. Within minutes, I'd discovered a lot of heroes and information related to each one, simply by doing a search. The videos provided are a very nice touch, also. :)
2. I love WB-InfoFinder! The Virtual Tours are terrific and so fun to watch! I did notice the following broken links under the "Unusual Places" videos: The Spam Museum, Elvis Presley's Graceland, Mutter Museum, International UFO Museum and Outreach Center, and the Spy Museum. It has always been fun (for me) to visit museums and interesting locations, the weirder the better. Given the virtual tours available in this category and the others, I spent more time exploring that probably necessary for this lesson. Let's call it an investment, shall we?
As far as how to use these with patrons, I can think of several ways to do so. Perhaps a student comes to me, challenged with writing a report on someplace they'd like to visit. I could suggest they view the various videos for inspiration/ideas of places to visit. Another suggestion I could offer them would be for them to explore the research tools feature, to see if any of the information provided might aid them in their quest. This is a terrific resource, especially given the many ways one can locate information - via the A-Z, By Subject, Images/Videos, etc. In the past year, I've shared with a lot of parents and kids about the WB-Online via the SDSL website, encouraging them to get their E-card from the state library. It's really nice when a patron returns to the library and extends thanks for learning about the SDSL website and the terrific resources that are free to the public.
3. My search for Jane Austen's Emma produced several tools which may prove beneficial to my patrons. Those patrons with visual or reading challenges might appreciate the ability to hear the text read aloud. Patrons might find the ability to save projects, print, translate (lots of languages!!) the text and email sections very helpful in their research.
Under Related Information, the websites & Back In Time Articles are interesting to check out. I glanced through a couple of the articles (out of 13 related) to learn more and also discovered a lovely website related to Jane Austen and her home in Hampshire, England. That's a really nice resource, for anyone wishing to learn more about her.
The Related Encyclopedia Content section has 22 items, including articles on Parody, Book Collecting, other books by the same author, information about film directors (creating films from novels), and so much more. Each of those links, once clicked, takes the reader to a page about that subject & even more research tools. This can be a tremendous resource for the curious patron! :)
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Lesson 10 - Wrap Up
1. My biggest discovery is that I'm a lazy researcher! True story! Somehow, in the age of digital information, I've gotten accustomed to expecting the answers to just "be there" with little exertion on my part. As I did the exercises, it became apparent to me that my skills in searching have fallen by the wayside and I needed to hone them again. That's the nice thing about the lessons provided in the challenge. It motivated me to dig a little deeper, to check another link or tool provided in the databases. Jane's helpful guidance was also a great assist, when she commented on my blog entries. Maybe this isn't the kind of "big discovery" the ERC leaders were anticipating, but this is the biggest thing I learned.
In the ERC itself, I did discover how to navigate many of the databases more fluently, given the guidelines and lessons during the challenge. I've found that some of them are really a lot of fun to use, while there are a couple that nearly put me in a coma from boredom. That's okay, however, because all of the databases we covered in the challenge offered something valuable and not everything HAS to be fun all the time. I am very grateful to have these resources available in the SDSL system! Once I have had the opportunity to peruse the database further, I'm sure even the "boring" sites will prove less taxing on my patience. ;) All in all, I appreciate all I learned in this challenge and am so glad I participated!
2. The final query of the ERC asks me how I will promote or use the resources with patrons, colleagues or students. This is something I've been sharing since first introduced to the Electronics Resource Challenge and plan to continue for as long as I'm in a position to do so. Our library here in Clark, SD is a small public library. Since there aren't a lot of patrons who come in on a regular basis, I've taken to utilizing some of the social media (Facebook, for example) to remind patrons about the many databases the State Library system offers to patrons. If a patron does come in, searching for something in particular, I go straight to the Resources now, to attempt to find what they seek. When we get a new patron, I also tell them about the SDSL system, the E-card that they can get for free from the SDSL website and then about the resources available there. They know they can come in at any time & I am glad to assist them in their searches or if they need some guidance on using the system.
This is such an excellent tool, in the right hands, and is a very valuable gift which our library (or any other, for that matter) can offer the community. It's so nice to know there are helpful tools like these out there for anyone who wants to learn anything. Thank you, to the leaders of this ERC, for all of the great lessons & help they provided in the past few weeks. Thank you so very much!
So, now that it's over, I will still use it, keep digging deeper (and not so lazily) to see what other resources are there, so it will be easier to be a good librarian for my community. First though... finishing the challenge calls for a Recess break! Who's up for a game of tetherball?
In the ERC itself, I did discover how to navigate many of the databases more fluently, given the guidelines and lessons during the challenge. I've found that some of them are really a lot of fun to use, while there are a couple that nearly put me in a coma from boredom. That's okay, however, because all of the databases we covered in the challenge offered something valuable and not everything HAS to be fun all the time. I am very grateful to have these resources available in the SDSL system! Once I have had the opportunity to peruse the database further, I'm sure even the "boring" sites will prove less taxing on my patience. ;) All in all, I appreciate all I learned in this challenge and am so glad I participated!
2. The final query of the ERC asks me how I will promote or use the resources with patrons, colleagues or students. This is something I've been sharing since first introduced to the Electronics Resource Challenge and plan to continue for as long as I'm in a position to do so. Our library here in Clark, SD is a small public library. Since there aren't a lot of patrons who come in on a regular basis, I've taken to utilizing some of the social media (Facebook, for example) to remind patrons about the many databases the State Library system offers to patrons. If a patron does come in, searching for something in particular, I go straight to the Resources now, to attempt to find what they seek. When we get a new patron, I also tell them about the SDSL system, the E-card that they can get for free from the SDSL website and then about the resources available there. They know they can come in at any time & I am glad to assist them in their searches or if they need some guidance on using the system.
This is such an excellent tool, in the right hands, and is a very valuable gift which our library (or any other, for that matter) can offer the community. It's so nice to know there are helpful tools like these out there for anyone who wants to learn anything. Thank you, to the leaders of this ERC, for all of the great lessons & help they provided in the past few weeks. Thank you so very much!
So, now that it's over, I will still use it, keep digging deeper (and not so lazily) to see what other resources are there, so it will be easier to be a good librarian for my community. First though... finishing the challenge calls for a Recess break! Who's up for a game of tetherball?
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Lesson 9 -- History and Genealogy Resources—Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest and Sanborn Maps
1. At AncestryLibrary, I entered my name & birth year, as well as one of the many cities I have enjoyed living in... Bellingham, WA. When I hit the search button, the number of results really floored me! Over 6 million hits, from just that little bit of information. Bear in mind, the results were not for exact matches, but any & all that were similar enough by one or more factors (name, second initial, birth year, city of dwelling at any time) in the search. This database allows the user to alter the number of responses a query can receive on the page, once the results come up, from ten (10), twenty (20), or fifty (50). After I'd been given over 6 million responses, I thought it best to go for 50 hits per page. Forgive me, but I only went through the first few pages and then realized I'd be working on this exercise for days, if I were to go through every result of my query. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of women with the same name, all born in the same era, with my name. In my search of the first few pages, I didn't locate "me", but that's not to say I'm not listed. This librarian just could not find the time to peruse every one of the pages offered. This does not mean, however, that I shan't return and see if I do find myself listed, at a later date. :)
2. In exercise 2, I was instructed to search for either a grandparent or great grandparent, to see if I can locate them within any census. This search, for a grandparent, gave better, less frustrating results! I discovered my paternal grandparents in a 1930 census, simply by typing in one of their names and the location where one of them may have lived. The database gave 750 results for my query, many of which were for my grandparent(s) in the search. While there, I also discovered a couple of uncles and aunts, within the confines of this same search, no doubt due to the unusual last name and the location data I provided. Now that I've found these long, lost relatives, I shall attempt to contact them & see if we can reconnect. This is so cool! I'd thought my paternal side of the family was to forever elude me, but maybe not now. :)
3. The 3rd exercise instructs to search for South Dakota, then review the "pictures" option from the menu to the left of the screen. I entered the requested term and received 220,983,931 results. The first photo/image I looked at was of some Brooklyn baseball players. They wore some funny uniforms back then. The images on this photograph resembled those often seen on old-time baseball cards. Pretty cool, actually, to see the names and photos of these ball stars of way back when. The second image I viewed was... wait a second! I looked right at it, without actually seeing it, but once I got to the "pictures" point, where each individual image is listed, there is a new menu to the left of the listed images (where I'd clicked on "pictures" previously). This menu is an index of the various categories under which the photos/images are listed. So, instead of scrolling through every single baseball photo, then the individual school pictures, I can check the index to determine whether I want to look under a different category and avoid the snail's pace of scrolling one by one! Does that make sense? I sure hope so, for the reader's sake.
Anyhow, I checked over the index and saw there are images in categories like Library of Congress Photo Collection 1840 - 2000, U. S. Historical Postcards, U.S. Panoramic Photos 1851 -
1991, Professional Baseball Players 1876 - 2004, and more. Lots more! Each category also informs the user of how many listings are available per category, which is extremely helpful. :)
My second choice is for U.S. Civil War Photos 1860 - 1865. There are 6,846 results for this search. I looked at a couple of the photos, one of the Alexandria, VA Cooks in the kitchen of Soldier's Rest, taken July 1865. Nice open air kitchen, great for summer, but probably not so fun in winter. Another photo I examined from the same category was Yorktown, VA (vicinity). Topographical Engineers, Camp Winfield Scott from May, 1862. This photograph has the image duplicated on the same photo, as if viewed through one of those old "View-Finder" toys, or through binoculars. I like looking at old photos, so I could sit here for hours and peruse this alone! I really like this feature!
4. In HeritageQuest, there are over 28,000 family and local histories in their online historical books. Search for a place or browse the publications. Report back on something that interested you.
My search in the Heritage Quest database came up with several "No results found" messages, when I attempted to look up people and some places. So, I tried searching for an older town that I once lived near, back in Montana. Plains, MT is a lovely little town, set on Hwy 200, in the NW corner of the state. It's a very lovely, small town with some very warm-hearted locals. I thought it might be nice to find some information about this place where I once lived.
The ProQuest Site has been uncooperative, when I attempted to use the links provided on the http://sdlibrarychallenge.blogspot.com page. The handout link, the video links, and tutorial videos all gave me the same response, when I attempted to view them...
so, I gave up on trying to use them for help. Today, on a whim, I tried those links again, with the same results as previously attempted. So, I did my searching the best I could, with the tools at my disposal. :)
When I entered the search info, 58 results came up for the term, "Plains, MT". This database offers the ability to do a more refined search, if one chooses. Once the results come up, the user is then able to sort the results, according to Relevance, Date of publication (ascending or descending), Author, or Title. I discovered that many of the responses that came up from my search are only listed because the word "plains", "Montana" or a combination of both words are located within the text of the publication. A feature I really like here is the "hit" button, located at the bottom of the individual entry (choose a title and then see what opens up), where the user may click the button and be taken to the page where the "hit" is in the publication. This could save the reader a lot of time, with not having to scroll through several pages to find/determine the relevancy of a hit to the search. More on this feature later...
The first two results led to a Directory of churches in Montana, where I located some in Plains, Montana. The second book, "Society of Montana Pioneers" (1899) provides the Constitution, the list of State & County Societies, the Society of the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers, a list of members, officers and more. There are maps and ports and even more info on the people listed in this book. The database offers the user a total sum of "hits" in the text of the book & this book has 68. The hits on this book, are all within the "membership" chapter of this book. Upon perusing the list of hits in this book, I learned the majority of those hits were related to the phrase, "traveled across the plains..." and "Montana".
Now back to the "hits" feature I spoke of earlier ~ Some of the other places I searched were cities/towns where I once lived, or am living now. Those other searches gave similar results, where the state name counts as a "hit", so any books with the state name show up in the relevancy of results. This can be rather frustrating, if one is trying to locate something quickly. Even with the relevancy option, combined with the "hits per search", I still had to scroll through the "hit pages" to see if the "match" was related to my query. *sigh* How much more helpful this database could be, if they enabled a more in depth search tools, or at the very least, to offer an "exact word(s)" option for the user, so they might avoid the challenge of perusing so many pages to find the one actual result the reader seeks.
My search in the Heritage Quest database came up with several "No results found" messages, when I attempted to look up people and some places. So, I tried searching for an older town that I once lived near, back in Montana. Plains, MT is a lovely little town, set on Hwy 200, in the NW corner of the state. It's a very lovely, small town with some very warm-hearted locals. I thought it might be nice to find some information about this place where I once lived.
The ProQuest Site has been uncooperative, when I attempted to use the links provided on the http://sdlibrarychallenge.blogspot.com page. The handout link, the video links, and tutorial videos all gave me the same response, when I attempted to view them...
Oops!
Something went wrong. Sorry, we couldn't find your page.
so, I gave up on trying to use them for help. Today, on a whim, I tried those links again, with the same results as previously attempted. So, I did my searching the best I could, with the tools at my disposal. :)
When I entered the search info, 58 results came up for the term, "Plains, MT". This database offers the ability to do a more refined search, if one chooses. Once the results come up, the user is then able to sort the results, according to Relevance, Date of publication (ascending or descending), Author, or Title. I discovered that many of the responses that came up from my search are only listed because the word "plains", "Montana" or a combination of both words are located within the text of the publication. A feature I really like here is the "hit" button, located at the bottom of the individual entry (choose a title and then see what opens up), where the user may click the button and be taken to the page where the "hit" is in the publication. This could save the reader a lot of time, with not having to scroll through several pages to find/determine the relevancy of a hit to the search. More on this feature later...
The first two results led to a Directory of churches in Montana, where I located some in Plains, Montana. The second book, "Society of Montana Pioneers" (1899) provides the Constitution, the list of State & County Societies, the Society of the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers, a list of members, officers and more. There are maps and ports and even more info on the people listed in this book. The database offers the user a total sum of "hits" in the text of the book & this book has 68. The hits on this book, are all within the "membership" chapter of this book. Upon perusing the list of hits in this book, I learned the majority of those hits were related to the phrase, "traveled across the plains..." and "Montana".
Now back to the "hits" feature I spoke of earlier ~ Some of the other places I searched were cities/towns where I once lived, or am living now. Those other searches gave similar results, where the state name counts as a "hit", so any books with the state name show up in the relevancy of results. This can be rather frustrating, if one is trying to locate something quickly. Even with the relevancy option, combined with the "hits per search", I still had to scroll through the "hit pages" to see if the "match" was related to my query. *sigh* How much more helpful this database could be, if they enabled a more in depth search tools, or at the very least, to offer an "exact word(s)" option for the user, so they might avoid the challenge of perusing so many pages to find the one actual result the reader seeks.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Lesson 8 - WorldCat, CAMIO and More
1. Oh boy! This is one cool search tool! I had a lot of fun investigating the many options available to the user with the drop down menu under the "keywords" box. I was pleasantly surprised to see the headings, some with sub-headings, that help break down the search further. These include, but are not limited to: Access Method, Accession Number, Author (broken down to 5 sub-headings: Author Phrase, Corporate and Conference Name, Corporate and Conference Name Phrase, Personal Name & Personal Name Phrase), Language Phrase, Material Type, Material Type Phrase, Musical Composition, Musical Composition Phrase, Notes/Comments, Publisher, Publisher Location, Standard Number (breaks down to ISBN or ISSN), Subject (breaks down to: Subject Phrase, Descriptor, Genre/Form, Geographic Coverage, Named Corporation and Conference, and Named Person), and Title (breaks down to Title Phrase & Series Title ). Those are a lot of options, for keyword searching. When the user adds the the other search features offered, such as limiting the year, language & number of libraries, as well as the type limits one can choose (books, visual materials, archival materials, musical scores, maps, etc) and even more, they really help narrow the search down. I did a search for a title that one of my patrons is trying to find, but didn't find any titles of the same name, nor with the Author's name. I'll try with the other exercises.
2. The title I was searching for is, "Why Are You Here" by David Christenson. Following the exercise instructions, I was presented with 34 records that matched my query, The first record, while not the book I was looking for, is found in 527 worldwide libraries. The top library, for this result, is the Burlington Public Library in Iowa. This first title is not the book I am seeking, but that only means the book is not in this catalog system. It's sure to show up somewhere, so I'll continue searching for this book.
3. Per the instructions, I opened the first record that shows on my search for the book, "Why Are You Here?" by David Christenson. Bear in mind, the first record was not the book I am seeking for a patron, but another titled, "Preaching With Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons, 1750 to the present" edited by Martha J. Simmons and Frank A. Thomas. The call number (class descriptor) for this book is LC: BV4241.5; Dewey: 252.0089/96073. When I clicked on the first author's name (Martha J. Simmons), I learned she has written &/or edited 12 books, most of which are on the subject of preaching. Clicking on Frank A. Thomas' name resulted in 17 titles authored &/edited/co-authored by him, again mostly based upon preaching. When I clicked on the subject button, the results gave 1,223 (1,216 are in English) total titles. When all was broken down into categories, the following results appeared: Sound 610, Books 403, Visual 123, Internet 62, Archival 20, Serials 3, Computer 1, and Articles 1. There are an amazing number of books on preaching! I discovered a book of old sermons by black women preachers from 1850 - 1979! For whatever reason, when I clicked on the subject and got this search result, the first title was related to the great Martin Luther King, Jr. and his preaching. Hence, the majority of the titles listed in this search resulted in the subject matter being on black preaching/preachers. That led me to finding some books I am interested in reading, that I had previously never heard of before!
Other FirstSearch Indexes
It was good to learn WorldCat offers the access to other databases. I really appreciate the "i" icon feature that opens a pop-up window which explains the primary function of the particular database. It was even more helpful to view the guide/chart for the RACE participants, created by the SDSL with Jane Healy & Julie Erickson! They did a phenomenal job on this asset! Hopefully, these two women understand how beneficial this is to librarians and how appreciated they are for creating it. I've printed up a copy, for reference & future use. :)
Discovery Exercise part 2
On the final exercise of this lesson, I did as instructed, by selecting "Subject Phrase" and typing South Dakota in the search window. This gave OAIster results - records found 1,152. My choice was # 71, "Log Shanty with Flag, Woman and Seven Boys". Upon clicking on the "access" hyperlink, a page opened, with a photograph and information related to the image. This was not a book, nor an article provided, but just a single photograph with tons of information/hyperlinks within the page. This is a lovely feature, which helps the user locate some pretty specific information, for the most part. There is a good history behind the photograph, so the user might locate the information they particularly need. I like that it includes photographs with history, as one of my passions is photography.
2. The title I was searching for is, "Why Are You Here" by David Christenson. Following the exercise instructions, I was presented with 34 records that matched my query, The first record, while not the book I was looking for, is found in 527 worldwide libraries. The top library, for this result, is the Burlington Public Library in Iowa. This first title is not the book I am seeking, but that only means the book is not in this catalog system. It's sure to show up somewhere, so I'll continue searching for this book.
3. Per the instructions, I opened the first record that shows on my search for the book, "Why Are You Here?" by David Christenson. Bear in mind, the first record was not the book I am seeking for a patron, but another titled, "Preaching With Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons, 1750 to the present" edited by Martha J. Simmons and Frank A. Thomas. The call number (class descriptor) for this book is LC: BV4241.5; Dewey: 252.0089/96073. When I clicked on the first author's name (Martha J. Simmons), I learned she has written &/or edited 12 books, most of which are on the subject of preaching. Clicking on Frank A. Thomas' name resulted in 17 titles authored &/edited/co-authored by him, again mostly based upon preaching. When I clicked on the subject button, the results gave 1,223 (1,216 are in English) total titles. When all was broken down into categories, the following results appeared: Sound 610, Books 403, Visual 123, Internet 62, Archival 20, Serials 3, Computer 1, and Articles 1. There are an amazing number of books on preaching! I discovered a book of old sermons by black women preachers from 1850 - 1979! For whatever reason, when I clicked on the subject and got this search result, the first title was related to the great Martin Luther King, Jr. and his preaching. Hence, the majority of the titles listed in this search resulted in the subject matter being on black preaching/preachers. That led me to finding some books I am interested in reading, that I had previously never heard of before!
Other FirstSearch Indexes
It was good to learn WorldCat offers the access to other databases. I really appreciate the "i" icon feature that opens a pop-up window which explains the primary function of the particular database. It was even more helpful to view the guide/chart for the RACE participants, created by the SDSL with Jane Healy & Julie Erickson! They did a phenomenal job on this asset! Hopefully, these two women understand how beneficial this is to librarians and how appreciated they are for creating it. I've printed up a copy, for reference & future use. :)
Discovery Exercise part 2
On the final exercise of this lesson, I did as instructed, by selecting "Subject Phrase" and typing South Dakota in the search window. This gave OAIster results - records found 1,152. My choice was # 71, "Log Shanty with Flag, Woman and Seven Boys". Upon clicking on the "access" hyperlink, a page opened, with a photograph and information related to the image. This was not a book, nor an article provided, but just a single photograph with tons of information/hyperlinks within the page. This is a lovely feature, which helps the user locate some pretty specific information, for the most part. There is a good history behind the photograph, so the user might locate the information they particularly need. I like that it includes photographs with history, as one of my passions is photography.
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