Week 10 - Wrap up

What was my biggest discovery?  On a personal basis, my biggest discovery was in Ancestry Library.  I found that my father was not 100% Norwegian!  It piqued my interest in someday spending more time looking into my ancestors.

In general, I discovered what a wealth of information is out there on these databases!  I wish I had more time to become an "expert" in one or more!

How will I promote or use these resources with our patrons, colleagues, and students?  Our branch is one that shares space with our high school.  I hope to be able to share these resources with high school and middle school students when they are looking for material to support their homework/projects.  As a mom of a college student, I will also pass on suggestions to her as well.  I've already told a relative about ACT practice tests that her daughter can use as she enters her junior year in high school.

This has been very interesting.  I wish I would have more time to absorb more of the information available!

Sanborn Maps

The town I selected was Wilmot, SD and the map I selected was dated March 1927.  On Main Street, there was a building called the Opera House.  When I was growing up, it was called Osterloh's, and it is now occupied by Anderson's Restorations.  There is some history to this building, as Wilmot was going to be the County Seat.  People from Sisseton came and took the records  by force because they wanted Sisseton to be the County Seat.

Week 9 - Ancestry Library

1.  Search for your own name in AncestryLibrary and report the results:  I found my childhood home address, my two addresses when I lived in Sioux Falls, my Worthington, MN address.  There was an error in one of the dates.  I wasn't able to find my birth or marriage records.

2.  Search for a grandparent and see if you can locate them in the census.  Report your findings:  I found my paternal grandfather, Oscar Mickelson, in the 1900 census.  He would have been 8 years old.  I found that my great grandmother was not listed - she had actually died in 1899.  My grandfather's siblings and their ages were listed, as well as two adults (boarders).  One was a "servant" and the other was a "farm laborer."

3.  I typed in South Dakota in the location box and looked at "pictures."  See what is there and report findings:  I looked at US School Yearbooks abt 1883 - I have no idea what that picture was about.  I looked at US School Yearbooks for later years, and found individual pictures.  I'd like to know how I could narrow it down to a certain town in SD.

4.  In HeritageQuest, search for a place or browse the publications. Report back on something that interested me:  I looked for Wilmot and Bridegewater, SD.  There were 11 and 12 results, respectively.  Many, if not all, dealt with family geneologies and there was nothing "obvious" about those two towns.

Week 8 - WorldCat

1.  There is a WIDE variety of ways to search!

2.  The Title Phrase search that I chose was Full Catastrophe Living.  The number of libraries worldwide that have this title is 599.  Options 2 and 3 have 591 and 301, respectively.  Option 3 looks like it has a newer edition.  The top library is Brookings Public Library.  Option 2 would be available in our system - Siouxland Libraries.  The difference between 1 & 2 would be the publisher.

3.  Call number (class descriptor) is:  LC:RA785
                                                            Dewey:  155.9/042
                                                            NLM:  WM172

The author wrote other books.  I clicked on a descriptor (stress/psychology) which were various subjects that were covered in this book.  The lists were endless.  Add/View Comments gives a summary of book.  People can write reviews.  There is also an option to read an excerpt of the book.

Discovery Exercise part 2

The result I chose was "Facts on Kids in South Dakota."  I clicked on the link next to "Access," and this took me to South Dakota State Library:  Digital Collections.  These consisted of documents and other publications from State agencies.  I then looked up "Retirement Planning Information," and this took me to the July 2013 brochure about the South Dakota Retirement System. 

This tool appears to be an archive of SD State documents.

Week 7 - eBooks on EBSCOhost

1.  I searched for multiple sclerosis.  The basic search gave me 41 results.  The advanced search, using SU (subject), gave me 4 results.  There are many advanced search options.  You can limit your results to full text, published data, language, and also if you wan an available download.

I'm going to have to read through some of these eBooks at home - some great material!


2.  In advanced search, I typed in Constitutional Day with no field stated.  This resulted in 28 hits.  Some appropriate titles would be:
 - The Bill of Rights - Thomas T. Lewis
 - The Reader's Companion to American History - Eric Foner
 - The Criminal Law Handbook:  Know Your Rights, Survive the System - Paul Bergman

When using "Smart Texting," I had 1613 results.  Some of these titles:
 - Representing Popular Sovereignty:  The Constitution in American Politcal...
 - The American Republic:  Constitution Tendencies & Destiny - Orestes Augustus Brownson


3.  I found 82 results.  Books were found on so many subjects:  Deserts, settlement of the West, Indians of North America, historic trails, early fur trade, the American Indian, guides to Oklahoma museums, among many others.  There would be something here for the student to include in their projects!

Week 6 - Gale Virtual Reference Library

1.  There were so many titles that looked interesting and informative!  We are a combined public/school library, so many of these titles would be so useful to the student!  The ones that caught my eye and how they would be useful:

American Decades - school projects

Checks and Balances:  The Three Branches of the American Government

The College Blue Book - Found narrative description of Augustana College in SF, email, website, phone number, entrance requirements, cost/year

Dictionary of American History - school projects

Fashion, costume and Culture:  Clothing, Headwear, etc. - Can find pictures of different cultures and time periods

Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer - Could search type of cancer (neuroblastoma).  This gave you an overview of the disease, drugs used, topic overview.

Scholarships, Fellowships & Loans

UXL Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes - Great for school projects

Some great features of GVRL is that you can print, email, translate article, listen to text, download to MP3 or an e-reader.

I searched the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine for multiple sclerosis.  The article gave a thorough overview of disease and treatment.  There were graphics and key terms.  There were also other articles linked to the index terms.

2.  I searched the Gale Encylopedia of Medicine for multiple sclerosis.  The "Listen" feature worked very well.  I would use this information to find out if there is anything new that I didn't already know about this disease.

3.  I looked at various blogger's posts and found many of them informative.  However, there are quite a few who hadn't done lesson 6!

Week 5 Proquest

1.  I searched "full text" for multiple sclerosis, and there were 46,316 results.  I then did a "peer reviewed" search and it narrowed down to 13,413 results.  I was able to sort results by relevance, publication date (oldest first or most recent first).  I could look at a brief view or detailed view of the article.  I could save to my research, email, print, cite or export/save.  I was able to determine what source type I wanted to view (scholarly or trade journals, newspapers, magazines, reports).  An important search feature was to sort by date of publication (even a specific date range). 

Findings:  In the magazine Skeptic, a study said that optimism added months, even years to patients suffering from MS.  It would even increase your resistance to common colds and flu viruses.

There was also an interesting article on "Nature vs. Supplements:  The Controversy Surrounding Vitamin D" from the International Journal of Childbirth Education.

1a.  I read the blog by "Shawn On the Road," and the blogger said they had done a lot of library research on Proquest and EbscoHost.  They had found a lot of overlap, but often when they couldn't get the full text of an article in EbscoHost, they could find it in Proquest.

2.  I clicked the Publications tab at the top of the page.I searched for "library" (in title) and 29 publications were listed.  It appears that there is a wide variety of interesting publications available.  Now, if I only had time to look at a few of them!  I then searched for "library" (in publication summary - 142 available) and (in subject - 96 available).  Helpful that dates of publication are listed.

SIRS Issues Researcher

- Select a leading issue and discuss the information located there, noting the topic overview, research tools, and articles.

Cellular telephones is the leading issue chosen.  Topic overview dealt with education policy.  There is a Pro and Con essential questions section, and a link for each question takes you to articles in support of each side.  You can narrow your results to newspapers, magazines, viewpoints, reference, graphic and multimedia, and WebSelect sites.  A link for citations is shown.  Perspectives, Global Impact, and statistics charts are an option.  Terms to Know and Additional Resources can also be chosen.  A list of related articales is shown.  You can email, share and print this information.


- Select "Curriculum "Pathfinders".  Pick your favorite subject and duscuss the information located there. 

So many topics are covered! I chose "Music" in the Fine Arts subject.  All types of music were listed and numerous articles, informative graphics, podcasts, websites, exhibits were available to click.  When I clicked on the first "article", hundreds of genres were shown in a very cool graphic.  You could then click on one of the genres and listen to an example!  So cool!!

2-6-15  SIRS Discover

- Look up armadillos and discuss the results:

I found eight articles, some were very dated - 20 plus years old!  Some articles searched for "relevance" were quite recent.  One nice feature was the the lexile score was shown.  I was able to choose an option on where I wanted to conduct the search:  all articles, newspapers, magazines, reference, graphics or web find sites.  On the graphics option, I was able to click to get the pictures.


- Some of the most useful features in SIRS Discoverer are the "Database Features" located on the right hand side of the window.  Select a country and noting the information located there:

I chose Norway - you can search for the country in an A-Z list.  I found the Official name, capital, population, size, which continent and region Norway is in, government type, government officials, agriculture, climate, currency, languages, holidays, observances.  This also showed the major events in history.  Links within this could be clicked to learn about related subjects.  Maps are available, as well as a picture of the Norwegian flag.  I could click on "source and summary."  I could listen to all of this information listed above if I was hearing impaired!

All of the information can be printed in PDF version.  There is an Easy Bib - can see the citation and can be viewed with or without abstracts.  From this point, you can also view "educator blogs."   The articles can be transmitted to your email.  The articles can be translated to other languages!  There is also a dictionary and thesaurus link available.


- Select a map in "Maps of the World" and discuss potential uses:

I searced for the map of Norway.  Potential uses might be seeing how the British and Germans advanced on Norway during WWII, where major ships were sunk, and what country those ships belonged to.  The maps also show the vaious regions of the country and where the cities are located.  An added feature is the ability to print the maps.


- Select one other are in "Database Features" and discuss the information located there.

I looked up Science Fair Explorer.  Then, "In the recycling bin" and then "recycling".  There were questions and articles on "why recycle", "how does it work".  There was a word find using the words in the article.  There is a weekly lab for an experiment (with a note to teachers).  There is a math activitiy, a section on writing in science, a challenge, a puzzle, an article on the background of recycling, questions to be asked and answered.  There is helpful section for teachers, internet resources, and a "did you know" section.  There is also a link for citations.

P.S.  After talking with my sister, who has a library card with Hennepin County Libraries, I told her about Learning Express Library.  Her daughter, a sophomore in H.S., is starting to think about taking the ACT Test.  I told her that she is able to access Learning Express Library and take practice tests.  She was very interested in knowing this and said she would be checking it out!

Learning Express Library - 1-27-14 - Lesson 3

1.  I set up my account.


2.  Choose one exam and answer a few questions:

I chose the ACT Test Prep, and answered a few questions in the ACT Science Practice Tests 4.  I am so glad I am past this phase in my life, and I don't have to worry about taking the ACT!  I liked that you could click on the question to see how you answered, and that it gave you the correct answer.


3.  Job searching and resume writing are among the self-paced courses in Learning Express.  Click on the "job Search and Workplace Skills" learning center and add one of the courses to your center.

First of all, the "Job Search and Workplace Skills" learning center was not easy to find!  I found it in the "Career Center."  There was a section entitled "Great Resumes" and the items covered in the tutorial were:  elements, formats (and advice on which format is right for me), importance of using right keywords, viewing some sample resumes, tips for proofreading.  On the left side, it gave a "table of contents" of sorts on what is covered in the tutorial. 

This was a lot like reading a textbook.  A lot of reading was involved. 

If you're unable to finish reading through it in one sitting, you can "save and finish later."  You can also "save to your fortfolio" then can resume at a later time. 

Some great resume examples were shown, although in limited number.

4.  Type a search term in the search box in the upper left of the home page* for a skills improvement or career topic in which you are interested.  Notice that results are sorted by tests, courses and eBooks.  Please select an eBook and look through its pages.  OR from the home page, bottom right**
click the link for eBooks.  The list will open in a new window.  Browse the titles and take a look at one that interest you.

  *  This was NOT in the upper left hand corner.  I found it at the bottom.
**  Didn't see a link for eBooks.  I searched for "eBooks" in the search box at the bottom of the page.  In "Search" results, I checked eBooks and then typed in "Nursing"

The eBook I looked at was a typical textbook.

In summary, there is a wealth of information and practice tests in Learning Express Library.  It would take awhile to fully understand everything that is available to the library patron.  Very useful!

Mango

I chose Norwegian as the language to learn on Mango.  I found out that there are about 5 million speakers, and it is spoken in Norway.

I completed lesson 1, and these are my findings, likes, and dislikes:
- You can hear someone speaking the words
- there is a "pronunciation" button if you need a review
- there is a "slide" or demonstration for each word in the lesson
- there is a "record" button to compare your pronunciation with the person speaking.  Not sure if this was possible on my computer.
- It would be helpful to have a dictionary that you could find a translation for the English word
- It would be helpful to see a list of the lessons that are presented, or available, in the Mango program.

 There is a translation tool which could be very helpful.

Chilton

3 things to be done at 30,000 miles:
- Replace auto transmission fluid
- Lubricate ball joints
- Replace cabin air filter

Most recent Technical service builletin or Recall Notice & when issued:

- Have accelerator pedal replaced @no charge.  Class Action settlement.  2/2/11

Info on Brake system:  When any part of the hydraulic system has been disconnected for repair or new installation, air may get into the system and cause spongy brake pedal action. This requires bleeding of the hydraulic system after it has been correctly connected. See Bleeding the Brake System, under Brake Operating Systems.

World Book Online Reference Center - very cool!  I chose Norway as my country.  On the first screen, I'm able to view maps, encyclopedia articles, tables, pictures and websites.  Once I clicked on "Norway", I was able to find information on the government, people, way of life, climate, history, etc.  On the right side, I was able to view interactive maps, which would be very fun/useful to the patron.  Another great item were the "tools" - where I could print the full article, email, save to My Research, and hear it read aloud.

I need to delve further into this database - great information!

I used World Book Online For Kids to look up squirrel.  I liked the "tools" that were available to the user - email, print, and the ability to hear text read out loud (very useful to the patron who is hard of hearing).  This gave quite a bit of information on what the squirrel eats, body features, and habitats. 

World Book Online offers different interfaces for varying age levels (use by kids and adults).  Makes research fun with the use of videos and sound.

In "Info Finder," you can do an "advanced search."  This allows you to look at various texts such as research guides, special reports, websites.  You can search a list of encyclopedia articles on "squirrels."  You can look at dictionary, maps, tables, pictures, research guides.  You can "limit" during your searches.  The left side breaks down the "squirrel" in many subcategories.  This is great for the older student who really needs to research his subject and use a variety of sources.