Setting up an account was so smooth. The directions are very easy to follow. The diagnostic tool after completing a test is so valuable. It gives direction to the student and saves alot of valuable study time. It is especially important that the feedback is immediate and the student can make decisions right away - no waiting!
I took some time to explore "Goof Proof" a business writing skills area. I choose it because I liked the name! It was very helpful. Once again, very easy to follow and there was evan a downloadable ebook format available.
The ebooks selection is excellent. Not only are there a wide variety of information books available but they are all free. Who can pass up free information for skills improvement??
With the advanced challenge, I would start the fourth grader with a guided tour and setting up an account. I would follow this by directing him/her to the elementary button and 4th grade. The reading diagnostic and reading practice would both be very helpful. Another resource to direct them to would be the ebook selection. Great resources!!
With the high school graduate, the job search and workplace skills would be excellent. The business writing, resume, work keys practice, and ebooks would all help the student to improve in necessary areas. Additional skill building could be found in the skill building section with the writing and grammar.
The high school student completing a report on careers might find the jobs and careers tab very helpful. The career guidance would contain a lot of valuable information. The Job and Work Place Skills tab would be another great section. The sections on career guidance and the ebooks would be great resources.
The is such a valuable resource that often gets overlooked. Most of the patrons we have want to use the books. I suggest the Learning Express Library; however, I do not always succeed in getting them to try it out. I just need to find a way to give that little nudge that gets them started. Once they have logged in, I know they would love the resource!!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
World Book Online - WOW!
I spent a few hours looking over the information available through the World Book School Edition.
The kids will absolutely be thrilled with all of the options found in World Book Kids. The information is easy to find and read. The pictures are always important to students of the is age and the photos are excellent. The availability of additional external sites enhances the resource tremendously. For those who need several sources for reports, this is like one stop shopping!! What a time saver. I also spent time looking at some of the special features for the advanced challenge. These resources are invaluable to parents, educators, and students. The extension activities are great and the ability to search by both words and pictures is great. The fun learning section would appeal to those who would like the children to do a little more - they learn as they play. The wonderful plus is the fact that there are no filtering worries!!
The World Book Student extended my research on the elephant. The information that is the most valuable for our patrons would be the the ability to expand the sources. The ease in which one can find addition sources was great. The pictures and basic information is similar to the kids version; however, the content is much more in depth. This data base would have information for everyone. When following a special feature, I found that the icons/choices are very easy to follow. Writing current event reports is very common. What an awesome place to get a current event. The searching online is timely and much easier than tracking down a newspaper or magazine and them making a copy or cutting it out. This should be a daily search in classrooms!
I spent time using World Book Advanced and found that The information that is the most valuable really depends on the needs of the patron. There are so many options for expanding the search results. The e-book center was great. Many students would be able to find required readings online at no cost and for those needing to cite works in a report, the correct format is given. It is very easy to navigate through the book with the table of contents. This resource should be demonstrated by educators within the first couple of days of class to allow students to make better use of the resources available to them. Many parents would love this source. I have not used it in the past; however, I have had parents come in looking for an ebook format for a student. This site is one the library staff need to become more familiar with and recommend it to parents and students.
World Book Discover - great features for those who struggle with the English language. Not only can the material be translated into over 30 different languages, one can choose to have it read aloud. The content is excellent. I also took the time to review the special features as part of the advanced challenge. I was very impressed with the feature of being able to ask a question. The students visiting the library would especially like the videos. Many times students are researching a need a picture for a report. This is another source for finding great visual supplements.
There is so much to discover with this resource. I could spend an hour every day over the next month and probably have only scratched the surface on the World Book Data Base.
The kids will absolutely be thrilled with all of the options found in World Book Kids. The information is easy to find and read. The pictures are always important to students of the is age and the photos are excellent. The availability of additional external sites enhances the resource tremendously. For those who need several sources for reports, this is like one stop shopping!! What a time saver. I also spent time looking at some of the special features for the advanced challenge. These resources are invaluable to parents, educators, and students. The extension activities are great and the ability to search by both words and pictures is great. The fun learning section would appeal to those who would like the children to do a little more - they learn as they play. The wonderful plus is the fact that there are no filtering worries!!
The World Book Student extended my research on the elephant. The information that is the most valuable for our patrons would be the the ability to expand the sources. The ease in which one can find addition sources was great. The pictures and basic information is similar to the kids version; however, the content is much more in depth. This data base would have information for everyone. When following a special feature, I found that the icons/choices are very easy to follow. Writing current event reports is very common. What an awesome place to get a current event. The searching online is timely and much easier than tracking down a newspaper or magazine and them making a copy or cutting it out. This should be a daily search in classrooms!
I spent time using World Book Advanced and found that The information that is the most valuable really depends on the needs of the patron. There are so many options for expanding the search results. The e-book center was great. Many students would be able to find required readings online at no cost and for those needing to cite works in a report, the correct format is given. It is very easy to navigate through the book with the table of contents. This resource should be demonstrated by educators within the first couple of days of class to allow students to make better use of the resources available to them. Many parents would love this source. I have not used it in the past; however, I have had parents come in looking for an ebook format for a student. This site is one the library staff need to become more familiar with and recommend it to parents and students.
World Book Discover - great features for those who struggle with the English language. Not only can the material be translated into over 30 different languages, one can choose to have it read aloud. The content is excellent. I also took the time to review the special features as part of the advanced challenge. I was very impressed with the feature of being able to ask a question. The students visiting the library would especially like the videos. Many times students are researching a need a picture for a report. This is another source for finding great visual supplements.
There is so much to discover with this resource. I could spend an hour every day over the next month and probably have only scratched the surface on the World Book Data Base.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Biggest Discovery
Archive Grid and CAMIO were my biggest discoveries. I was very impressed with the amount of information that can be found in Archve Grid. CAMIO was amazing. In rural communities art is appreciated but usually a substantial drive. To have access to these resources without leaving your community is invaluable.
In our library, I would like to develop a handout for patrons. A trifold handout listing each database and its primary function would be very helpful for both the staff and the patrons. The handouts available online for each database can be printed and available in a binder located by each computer. In addition to these ideas, the best form of spreading the news of the resource is through verbal encouragement from the staff. The staff will be trained to offer the appropriate database to patron requesting information not available in the library. The training for the staff will begin at our next monthly staff meeting. It would be very helpful to our library if the Library Challenge could remain available for training and review purposes. It would not be necessary to have the blog segment; however, to access the challenge for reviewing would be great. I would be interested in adding it to new employee training. There are so many valuable resources. Without revisiting the databases on a regular basis, the new information will be lost. To encourage and ensure constant review, I may put one database per week on the schedule. Each staff member would then be responsible for reviewing that database during the week it is listed. Thank you for taking the time to develop and implement the challenge.
In our library, I would like to develop a handout for patrons. A trifold handout listing each database and its primary function would be very helpful for both the staff and the patrons. The handouts available online for each database can be printed and available in a binder located by each computer. In addition to these ideas, the best form of spreading the news of the resource is through verbal encouragement from the staff. The staff will be trained to offer the appropriate database to patron requesting information not available in the library. The training for the staff will begin at our next monthly staff meeting. It would be very helpful to our library if the Library Challenge could remain available for training and review purposes. It would not be necessary to have the blog segment; however, to access the challenge for reviewing would be great. I would be interested in adding it to new employee training. There are so many valuable resources. Without revisiting the databases on a regular basis, the new information will be lost. To encourage and ensure constant review, I may put one database per week on the schedule. Each staff member would then be responsible for reviewing that database during the week it is listed. Thank you for taking the time to develop and implement the challenge.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sanborn Maps
In Sanborn Maps, I was able to discover a lot of history regarding Dell Rapids. I chose November 1893. Back in 1893 the street names were different. The numbered streets were names and LaDelle was LaBelle. The main street which is now 4th Street was named Pearl. I located the Dell Rapids Opera House which is still in use today. In fact, it has just been newly renovated back to the original design (or as close as could be replicated). The Dell Rapids Public School was located where the Public Elementary School is located today. There is a historical plaque commemorating the original school at the location.
I continued to search and chose 1911. I found all of the names for the now numbered streets. I also found the Baptist Church that is currently being used as the Baptist Church in Dell Rapids.On the 1911 map I was also able to locate the Public Library which is still the library in Dell Rapids today. I then searched 1927 and found that at some point between 1911 and 1927 the named east/west streets had been changed to numbered streets. It was during that time that LaBelle was changed to LaDelle.
This another database that can be very addicting. You find more and more reasons to research just a little more. Patrons will love using this database.
I continued to search and chose 1911. I found all of the names for the now numbered streets. I also found the Baptist Church that is currently being used as the Baptist Church in Dell Rapids.On the 1911 map I was also able to locate the Public Library which is still the library in Dell Rapids today. I then searched 1927 and found that at some point between 1911 and 1927 the named east/west streets had been changed to numbered streets. It was during that time that LaBelle was changed to LaDelle.
This another database that can be very addicting. You find more and more reasons to research just a little more. Patrons will love using this database.
Heritage Quest
In Heritage Quest, I used PERSI and searched for Laura Ingalls Wilder. I found an article in the periodical "True West". I clicked on the button to order the article. I was then directed to a form that would need to be completed and mailed with a check for $7.50. After the article is copied, it would be mailed to me and I would be billed $0.20 per page. In searching for Laura Ingalls Wilder, I discovered many other interesting articles. I then chose to search the Revolutionary War and found a seven page document on George Washington. It was an original document that had been scanned in and was as exciting to find as it was difficult to read.
This is a database I have never opened and researched in. I found it has valuable historical information on almost any topic a patron is interested. We have some young patrons very interested in Abe Lincoln. It would be great to get them started using this database. They would take their excitement to school and spread their enthusiasm!
This is a database I have never opened and researched in. I found it has valuable historical information on almost any topic a patron is interested. We have some young patrons very interested in Abe Lincoln. It would be great to get them started using this database. They would take their excitement to school and spread their enthusiasm!
AncestoryLibrary
AncestoryLibrary can be very addicting. As I searched my name I discovered there were four other people in the United States with my first and last maiden name. I then researched my married name and found my date of birth and the locations I have lived since being married. However, my current address is listed last as a previous address.
My quest for grandparents or great-grandparents in a census report was a little more difficult. I was unable to locate my paternal grandfather and grandmother in a census report. However, I was able to find my paternal grandfather's parents. I printed the page the listed my paternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother and their children. My grandfather is listed as one of the children. It is interesting to locate relatives. In doing so, new spellings for your name may be found as well as long lost relatives.
In AncestoryLibrary I performed a search under "Photos and Maps" and type "South Dakota" in the keyword. I found close to 180,00 results with pictures. Most of the results are for yearbooks. I refined the search by putting Dell Rapids in for the location. This gave me no results. In addition to the pictures, there were almost 140,000 results for maps, atlases and Gazettes. Most of these results were in the U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Maps.
In researching with AncestoryLibrary, I discovered there is more information than a person can possible research in just a couple of hours. I now understand how the genealogy researchers find themselves spending hours, days and years researching their family history. This is a valuable resource for all patrons. Although it can be purchased by individuals, it is an expense they could avoid by visiting their local library.
My quest for grandparents or great-grandparents in a census report was a little more difficult. I was unable to locate my paternal grandfather and grandmother in a census report. However, I was able to find my paternal grandfather's parents. I printed the page the listed my paternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother and their children. My grandfather is listed as one of the children. It is interesting to locate relatives. In doing so, new spellings for your name may be found as well as long lost relatives.
In AncestoryLibrary I performed a search under "Photos and Maps" and type "South Dakota" in the keyword. I found close to 180,00 results with pictures. Most of the results are for yearbooks. I refined the search by putting Dell Rapids in for the location. This gave me no results. In addition to the pictures, there were almost 140,000 results for maps, atlases and Gazettes. Most of these results were in the U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Maps.
In researching with AncestoryLibrary, I discovered there is more information than a person can possible research in just a couple of hours. I now understand how the genealogy researchers find themselves spending hours, days and years researching their family history. This is a valuable resource for all patrons. Although it can be purchased by individuals, it is an expense they could avoid by visiting their local library.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Learning Express Library
This database in unlimited. It offers very valuable resources ranging from practice tests and resume writing to ebooks on numerous topics. Even those patrons who feel they are not computer literate will feel comfortable using this datebase.
I choose to start the PSAT practice exam. This was an excellent practice exam. This is no pressure to finish within a certain amount of time and the explanation on how the solve the problem is very easy to understand. Many students will find these practice exams very valuable. The other practice exams available make this database an excellent addition to all libraries. It is very expensive to purchase all these exams and keep them up-to-date. The Learning Express Library makes is possible to offer current practice tests to all patrons.
The job searching and workplace skills is a valuable asset to the database. We have numerous patrons who visit the library who are actively seeking employment. The resume writing is very user friendly and the process takes no time. I have not developed a current resume and found the process very encouraging. Many programs cause some frustration by the time you have completed the resume. This is very easy to follow and offers excellent tips as you progress.
The ebooks are great. I choose a book on alternative careers for teachers. It was very easy to maneuver within the text and the information very current. The font was easy to read and the program was again was very user friendly. There are many options within the book such as searching, viewing pages, go to a page number, view comments and attachments, print, save, share the document, and create a PDF. The cost savings for all libraries is tremendous.
I choose to start the PSAT practice exam. This was an excellent practice exam. This is no pressure to finish within a certain amount of time and the explanation on how the solve the problem is very easy to understand. Many students will find these practice exams very valuable. The other practice exams available make this database an excellent addition to all libraries. It is very expensive to purchase all these exams and keep them up-to-date. The Learning Express Library makes is possible to offer current practice tests to all patrons.
The job searching and workplace skills is a valuable asset to the database. We have numerous patrons who visit the library who are actively seeking employment. The resume writing is very user friendly and the process takes no time. I have not developed a current resume and found the process very encouraging. Many programs cause some frustration by the time you have completed the resume. This is very easy to follow and offers excellent tips as you progress.
The ebooks are great. I choose a book on alternative careers for teachers. It was very easy to maneuver within the text and the information very current. The font was easy to read and the program was again was very user friendly. There are many options within the book such as searching, viewing pages, go to a page number, view comments and attachments, print, save, share the document, and create a PDF. The cost savings for all libraries is tremendous.
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