Lesson 1b - World Book Public Library Edition

The first challenge, using World Book Online Kids, was to find information on an mammal of my choosing, a picture of this mammal and information about its' habitat.  The mammal I chose was the llama, because I used to own llamas.  My thinking was it may prove beneficial to have a little knowledge to start with, to determine the breadth of information provided by World Book Online Kids, in comparison to the other WBO related databases.

The World Book Online Kids gives a photograph of a beautiful llama, and a good amount of basic information related to the llama.  Two short paragraphs, describing the llama physically, where it originates and some details regarding how they are used by the people whom own one of these great working animals.  All in all, a nice and concise introduction to the llama.  Just right for the age group audience it's aimed toward.  I am loathe to mention it, but the video shared is inaccurate, in that's footage of the Guanaco, not llamas, although the page states the animals are brown and white llamas.  In the photo below is a brown and white llama, but not then it is not same creature as the guanaco that is shown in the same video listed on both of the Kids' pages. Call me strange, but I believe the video needs to be either removed or the information corrected, in order for the resource to maintain integrity.

This is a llama ~



When I repeated the search, via the World Book Online Info Finder, there was more information related to the llama.  This time, the first page grants a peek at the llama, as well as many subjects related to them. It was good to see there is more variety of information for the researcher, two pages worth, in fact!  I clicked on the "Llama" link and was taken to a page that shows, again, a photograph and a video (same video as mentioned above) are offered for the reader to gain a better visual of the animal.  The information given about the llama, while still somewhat limited, is more than one finds on the previous search with World Book Online Kids.  The information basically expands on the details given during the previous search.  When this information is compiled with the info gained via visiting the related links, one might be able to come up with a better understanding of the llama.  Good information for an older audience, as long as the reader is interested in pursuing the many options available on these pages.. One good point to mention is the list of sources cited for the information given here.  The older kids will most likely appreciate access to the resources cited and may even learn how to add citations to their own reports, given this example.  That's always a good habit for them to get into.

This (as seen in the aforementioned video) is a Guacano ~

Finally, the third exercise instructed me to visit the World Book Online Reference Center and search for a country.  My choice was Peru, a native home to the llama.  The information that appeared on the first screen was really a huge surprise, as I wrongly assumed there would be just a "little bit more" than the previous two searches had provided!  In the left column, the search results are listed, including maps, Presidential papers, sounds and so much more!  This page offers much more than the first two, which makes it an excellent resource for the students seeking a wider range of data for their research.  I was also delighted to see there are e-books listed, primary sources and a plethora of data links on this first page.

Once I chose the link for my country of choice, Peru, I was taken to a page that has an amazing amount of detail information about this country, more than I anticipated! Along with details on the economy, geography, government, climate, history and so on, I learned things about Peru that I'd not yet learned.  I LOVE this  WBO Reference Center!  From now on, when I need to research a country, this shall be my "go-to" resource.  It contains shortcuts that will allow me (or the reader) to print subsections of my choosing on a topic.  The sources are sited, as well, at the bottom of the page, which aids the reader.  There were a couple of the links, in the left column, which did not work, but that may be a temporary glitch in the internet or on the site itself.  All in all, however, this is a great resource that can be extremely beneficial to those individuals requiring good, accurate information on any given subject.

The final question of this exercise proves the most difficult to respond to for me. What types of information will be most valuable to my patrons?  These databases/resources are so terrific, especially in that they are geared toward age appropriate audiences.  I feel there is a lot of good information, but am challenged to pinpoint how it might meet any one patron's needs.  The important thing to remember, when our patrons do seek our counsel, it's "out there" and we have the ability to lead them to this vast gold mine of knowledge.  That, my friends, is a very good thing. :)