SIRS Issues Researcher and Discoverer

This is an excellent reference tool for patrons of all ages. It is especially beneficial to small libraries that may not have the funds or space to have several resources to accomadate the needs of the students when they need several sources.

I choose to look up platypus. I wanted to see what would happen if the word is misspelled and it offers the option(s) with the correct spelling. A very helpful tool for most patrons. There was a nice variety of articles in several different formats. The pictures are awesome and many times that is what the patron is needing. It is very useful to have the option for the reading level to be both numeric and color coded. The Database features are very useful. The information on the states is especially great for the unit the elementary school does on the states. For the students, using the database would be a huge time saver. Many times the student does a search on the internet and it takes a lot of trial and error before they find useful information. This gives all of the required information in one place! The Maps of the World are awesome. So many categories to choose from. At the library we visit a country each week for four weeks. We print the map, flag, etc. about the country to supplement the activities we schedule. This resource would save a lot of time is searching for the needed information for each country. Yeah!!

SIRS Issues Researcher was very interesting. I was surprised to find the pros and cons list. What a helpful tool for all topics.  I choose cursive writing. The information expanded to other educational issues. I really think students and/or adults doing any type of research will find this so useful. Just the  list of topics is a great resource. Many time the students is required to find a topic. What a great way to get a current topic and resources to support it  all in one shot. This is excellent for the last minute researcher we see so often!!

For the third grader needing articles on the solar system, the advanced search is probably the best way to begin. The articles can be narrowed down to those that the student will have no trouble reading and this really helps with the self confidence and reduces the anxiety many struggling readers tend to experience. There are so many results that every one who searches will find a source that appeals to there interest and reading level!

To find maps/images of volcanoes one could start with a basic search of volcanoes in the search box. this results in 138 images. A choice many students would prefer is to select the science icon. On the next page select weather, climate, and natural disaster. At this point volcanic eruptions is listed on the right hand side and selecting that will result in 158 choices for images. 

SIRS is another valuable resource. Currently students are selecting Science Fair topics. This is an excellent source for that!! I also found many activities for adults and children for all topics! Everyone should be able to find something that appeals to them on SIRS!