Oh, what have I learned? So much. But the proof will be in using this new information. My library is so small and very rural so I do not get reference questions often. However, hopefully, now that I have all these basics of using MARVEL, I will be better able to help the patrons who do ask questions. I have all my notes and will put them together into a MARVELous notebook where I will be able to access all this information as I need it. Unless I use information often, I can forget the details pretty quickly, so for me, some kind of written help/guide will be necessary. And by putting all this into my own words, I will be getting a refresher of the past 10 weeks.
When we began, I was offering a class on using the Internet with some homeschooled children and the first MARVEL lesson fit into the lessons perfectly. The parents of these children have been back to tell me that they are now using what I showed them often. This is a small success. I hope to be able to show more parents and children how MARVEL can help them with their homeschool lessons.
I have found this Invitational very valuable since my knowledge of all the many aspects of MARVEL was very scant. I had used Novelist and Academic and Middle School Search before, and I did have a one-time-only lesson on Learning Express, but much of the information presented here was new to me. I am so glad I joined the Invitational and hope I can use this new learning often at my library.
Strong Public Library
This is the front view of my tiny library.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Week 10: EbscoHost Family of Databases and Ebsco eBooks
Ebsco Host
1. and 2. I chose Academic Search Complete from the Ebsco Host list and then I clicked on "Publications". I decided to check on People magazine since that seems to be the most popular magazine in my library. I found that Acadremic Search Complete has the bibliographic records from 1/10/ 94 to Present for this magazine. After this, I went back and clicked on "Basic Search" and searched for Abnaki in Maine since I have a patron who is very interesetd in learning more about these native peoples. A short article about the Abnaki came up which included where they lived, the derivation on the name, etc. I also found that there were two electronic Columbia encyclopedia articles.
3. I checked out Andrea explores MARVEL and read that she searched for reviews of vacuum cleaners in Consumer Reports. I was glad to see that I'm not alone in having some difficulty since she, too, had to tinker with search terms to get exactly what she wanted for information. I also checked to see what helenwilsonresearch found in doing this lesson. She found 4 books which she would recommend to high school students when she did the Constitution Day search.
Ebsco eBooks
1. Once again I searched for information on Abnaki in Maine and got no results, but when I changed the search to Abenaki instead, I found there was one article entitled, "Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property: Whose culture? Whose property?"
2 and 3. I had trouble searching for material on Constitution Day since all the results seemed to have nothing to do with the U.S. Then after I checked out helenwilsonresearch, I realized I was on the wrong path and should have been looking for information just on the US Constitution if I wanted good results. This showed me two things: 1. the importance of other people's blogs, and 2. how important it is to play with search terms and try more than one path:-) After going to Middle Search Plus in order to find materials for a Western history search, I typed "Oklahoma" in the Publisher and found an appropriate 312 page eBook entitled "Mountains We Have Crossed: Diaries and Letters of the Oregon Mission 1838." When I tried "Nebraska" in the Publisher, I found three appropriate eBooks.
I found the Ebsco eBooks exercises very educational and valuable to know how to access. I had never used these parts of MARVEL before so I feel I am learning many things that I would not have known about if I had not taken this course. Thank you for exposing me to all these helpful resources. Now if I can get to use them often, perhaps I'll retain all this learning. Of, course, I'll have all my notes:-)
1. and 2. I chose Academic Search Complete from the Ebsco Host list and then I clicked on "Publications". I decided to check on People magazine since that seems to be the most popular magazine in my library. I found that Acadremic Search Complete has the bibliographic records from 1/10/ 94 to Present for this magazine. After this, I went back and clicked on "Basic Search" and searched for Abnaki in Maine since I have a patron who is very interesetd in learning more about these native peoples. A short article about the Abnaki came up which included where they lived, the derivation on the name, etc. I also found that there were two electronic Columbia encyclopedia articles.
3. I checked out Andrea explores MARVEL and read that she searched for reviews of vacuum cleaners in Consumer Reports. I was glad to see that I'm not alone in having some difficulty since she, too, had to tinker with search terms to get exactly what she wanted for information. I also checked to see what helenwilsonresearch found in doing this lesson. She found 4 books which she would recommend to high school students when she did the Constitution Day search.
Ebsco eBooks
1. Once again I searched for information on Abnaki in Maine and got no results, but when I changed the search to Abenaki instead, I found there was one article entitled, "Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property: Whose culture? Whose property?"
2 and 3. I had trouble searching for material on Constitution Day since all the results seemed to have nothing to do with the U.S. Then after I checked out helenwilsonresearch, I realized I was on the wrong path and should have been looking for information just on the US Constitution if I wanted good results. This showed me two things: 1. the importance of other people's blogs, and 2. how important it is to play with search terms and try more than one path:-) After going to Middle Search Plus in order to find materials for a Western history search, I typed "Oklahoma" in the Publisher and found an appropriate 312 page eBook entitled "Mountains We Have Crossed: Diaries and Letters of the Oregon Mission 1838." When I tried "Nebraska" in the Publisher, I found three appropriate eBooks.
I found the Ebsco eBooks exercises very educational and valuable to know how to access. I had never used these parts of MARVEL before so I feel I am learning many things that I would not have known about if I had not taken this course. Thank you for exposing me to all these helpful resources. Now if I can get to use them often, perhaps I'll retain all this learning. Of, course, I'll have all my notes:-)
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Week 9 Learning Express
This was a valuable and practical lesson since I had only had one quick training session on Learning Express and when I don't use something, I forget how to use it.
1.& 2. I set up an account then chose the GED Preparation Practice Exam to explore in depth since I know someone who just got their GED. I decided to take a test in Language Arts & Reading since I taught this subject at the high school level for 26 years. I proceeded to take the Reading Practice Exam 1. I found the site easy to use with clear directions and the scoring was easy to understand.
3. In the Job Search and Workplace Skills learning center, I added the Business Writing course to my center. In this course, I could get grammar practice in the Grammar & Writing Questions 4th Edition. The font was large and easy to see and read, the site was easy to maneuver, and I found I could add comments and send files.
4. On the Job Search site, I first tried a search using the term "horticulture" which did not end in any results. When I changed my search to "outdoor jobs", I got several results. I selected Best Careers for Veterans and found there were 43 Tests, 12 courses, and 42 e-Book offerings.
This lesson was very educational for me and I see lots of practical uses for Learning Express. I am anxious to have the opportunity to help one of my patrons by using this resource.
1.& 2. I set up an account then chose the GED Preparation Practice Exam to explore in depth since I know someone who just got their GED. I decided to take a test in Language Arts & Reading since I taught this subject at the high school level for 26 years. I proceeded to take the Reading Practice Exam 1. I found the site easy to use with clear directions and the scoring was easy to understand.
3. In the Job Search and Workplace Skills learning center, I added the Business Writing course to my center. In this course, I could get grammar practice in the Grammar & Writing Questions 4th Edition. The font was large and easy to see and read, the site was easy to maneuver, and I found I could add comments and send files.
4. On the Job Search site, I first tried a search using the term "horticulture" which did not end in any results. When I changed my search to "outdoor jobs", I got several results. I selected Best Careers for Veterans and found there were 43 Tests, 12 courses, and 42 e-Book offerings.
This lesson was very educational for me and I see lots of practical uses for Learning Express. I am anxious to have the opportunity to help one of my patrons by using this resource.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Week 8 (Bonus) Genealogy Resources--Ancestry Library
1. When I put just my name into Ancestry Library, there were two people with my name and birth date supposedly located in my town but one of them was born in 1935 (ten years too soon to be me) and lived on a street that does not even exist in my town. Kind of interesting. The second listing was the correct one for me and I found the following information: Date of Birth, Current Address and Telephone Number, and the Number of Years I've Lived at this Address. I tried adding my spouse's name, where I have lived, and my birth date and got even less information ( I actually didn't want to take the time to weed through all the other individuals that showed up with this search).
2. I searched for my grandfather Walter Barker and once I added Maine to the search, I found my relative. According to the 1940 census, he was 44 years old then, was married to my grandmother and had 3 daughters ( their names were given as well). He also did not live on a farm--interesting that at that time this was information asked for on the census.
3. I could not find the tab for Photos and Maps.
I do have people asking about genealogy at the library and have one lady who spends a couple of hours a week researching and printing off information. I did not get a chance to ask her what sources she uses but I will do that next time she comes in. I do not think she uses Ancestry Library.
2. I searched for my grandfather Walter Barker and once I added Maine to the search, I found my relative. According to the 1940 census, he was 44 years old then, was married to my grandmother and had 3 daughters ( their names were given as well). He also did not live on a farm--interesting that at that time this was information asked for on the census.
3. I could not find the tab for Photos and Maps.
I do have people asking about genealogy at the library and have one lady who spends a couple of hours a week researching and printing off information. I did not get a chance to ask her what sources she uses but I will do that next time she comes in. I do not think she uses Ancestry Library.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Week 7: Consumer Health Resources
Health Source--Consumer Edition:
1. When I clicked on the Publications link, I found there were all kinds of magazines and journals that could give me information on heath related issues. From A (ADD and ADHD) to Y (Your Healthy Back) there are articles to cover all kinds of health problems/concerns. I decided to find out more about Heart Disease.
2. Using "Relevance Sort", I found a very recent (Nov. 2012) full text article entitled "Booze and Your Body" which discusses the pros and cons of alcohol on the body. The article was written in simple terms that I could easily understand, and I could have chosen to have the article read to me in either an American, Australian or British accent. I could have also had the article written in another language. There were lots of Tools at this site giving me such options as Print, E--mail, Add to Folder, Create Note, etc.
MedlinePlus:
Now, here I had a problem due to having printed off this week's lesson on Sunday evening before the link to MedlinePlus was added to the instructions. However, I persevered, went back to the Marvelous Maine site and found the complete information I needed. Off to MedlinePlus I went.
1. The News column for November 14 was focused on " Head Injury, Pesticides Tied to Parkinson's Disease."
2. The Top Searches box included such topics as aspirin, diabetes, hypertension, and pneumonia as well as others.
3. When I went to Drugs and Supplements and entered a search for simvastatin I found that there was information available in 94 articles.
4. Using heart disease again as my search term in Health Topics, I found that Medline Plus offers a brief description of the disease written in easy-to-understand language as well as a list of magazine articles and a Medical Encyclopedia tool. Then there are links to Basics, Learn More, and Multimedia and Cool Tools. Wanting to check out these cool tools, I clicked on Anatomy Videos and heartburn.
5. This was a good exercise because I found out that I didn't have Apple Quick Time Player on my home computer so I had to download it. I will need to make sure that the library computers have this installed since it took approximately 20 minutes to download and install then restart. Patrons who want to use this at home will also need to know about the download. The heartburn video was short, easy to understand, and had neat sound effects (especially the chewing).
I think the MARVEL health resources and Medline Plus have a great deal of valuable information that I can share with my patrons since I do not have a budget big enough to spend a lot of money on medical books, and magazines. Also, since health information is ever changing, these resouces will always be current.
1. When I clicked on the Publications link, I found there were all kinds of magazines and journals that could give me information on heath related issues. From A (ADD and ADHD) to Y (Your Healthy Back) there are articles to cover all kinds of health problems/concerns. I decided to find out more about Heart Disease.
2. Using "Relevance Sort", I found a very recent (Nov. 2012) full text article entitled "Booze and Your Body" which discusses the pros and cons of alcohol on the body. The article was written in simple terms that I could easily understand, and I could have chosen to have the article read to me in either an American, Australian or British accent. I could have also had the article written in another language. There were lots of Tools at this site giving me such options as Print, E--mail, Add to Folder, Create Note, etc.
MedlinePlus:
Now, here I had a problem due to having printed off this week's lesson on Sunday evening before the link to MedlinePlus was added to the instructions. However, I persevered, went back to the Marvelous Maine site and found the complete information I needed. Off to MedlinePlus I went.
1. The News column for November 14 was focused on " Head Injury, Pesticides Tied to Parkinson's Disease."
2. The Top Searches box included such topics as aspirin, diabetes, hypertension, and pneumonia as well as others.
3. When I went to Drugs and Supplements and entered a search for simvastatin I found that there was information available in 94 articles.
4. Using heart disease again as my search term in Health Topics, I found that Medline Plus offers a brief description of the disease written in easy-to-understand language as well as a list of magazine articles and a Medical Encyclopedia tool. Then there are links to Basics, Learn More, and Multimedia and Cool Tools. Wanting to check out these cool tools, I clicked on Anatomy Videos and heartburn.
5. This was a good exercise because I found out that I didn't have Apple Quick Time Player on my home computer so I had to download it. I will need to make sure that the library computers have this installed since it took approximately 20 minutes to download and install then restart. Patrons who want to use this at home will also need to know about the download. The heartburn video was short, easy to understand, and had neat sound effects (especially the chewing).
I think the MARVEL health resources and Medline Plus have a great deal of valuable information that I can share with my patrons since I do not have a budget big enough to spend a lot of money on medical books, and magazines. Also, since health information is ever changing, these resouces will always be current.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Week 6: Business Resources
Okay, I'll admit that this part of MARVEL will probably be my least favorite, and that will be because I have no background in business and much of what I found on the various resourcs was like a foreign language (yes, Greek) to me. I also don't think my tiny rural library will get much call for me to use these resources--high unemployment, no industry, very few small businesses. However, that being said, no new knowledge is wasted so here's what I found out about the various business resources available through MARVEL.
Business Source Complete:
1. FM Radio--My initial search query returned a "No results" message, but "using Smart Text" returned a list of articles which were primarily in academic journals.
2. I found Visual Search very confusing to use and I got no results. The topic I had entered kept changing to "Global Warming".
EconLit:
1. Resources for small business owners in EconLit included articles, books, and working papers.
2. When I searched for small business and the EPA, I got 1 result with the title "Land Recycling, Community Revitalization, and Distributive Policies. . . ."
3. A search for tax policy and small business gave me more than 4 pages and 31 results.
Regional Business News:
1. I selected Apple for a nationally known company and there were over 29,000 results.
2. When i narrowed the search down to Hannaford Bros., a more regional company, there were only 117 results.
Value Line:
1. The Value Line Investment Survey Description tells me that this resource is "one of the most widely used independent investment information services used in the world" and that it "covers 1700 equity issues.
2 & 3. I found this resource hard to navigate and very difficult to understand. I picked Starbucks to investigate but I'm not sure I got to where I needed to go and I'm not sure if there was a "full research report".
Wall Street Journal:
1. When I did a search for "small business and health care", I got 19,665 results. Wow!
2. Looking at the limiters, I would think that a small business person would be very interested in the areas of "health insurance AND heath care expenditures".
I think it's important that I am aware of this MARVEL resource in case I get questions or interest from my patrons;, however, I think that once I show them the resource, they'll probably be able to teach/help me more than I could help them.
Business Source Complete:
1. FM Radio--My initial search query returned a "No results" message, but "using Smart Text" returned a list of articles which were primarily in academic journals.
2. I found Visual Search very confusing to use and I got no results. The topic I had entered kept changing to "Global Warming".
EconLit:
1. Resources for small business owners in EconLit included articles, books, and working papers.
2. When I searched for small business and the EPA, I got 1 result with the title "Land Recycling, Community Revitalization, and Distributive Policies. . . ."
3. A search for tax policy and small business gave me more than 4 pages and 31 results.
Regional Business News:
1. I selected Apple for a nationally known company and there were over 29,000 results.
2. When i narrowed the search down to Hannaford Bros., a more regional company, there were only 117 results.
Value Line:
1. The Value Line Investment Survey Description tells me that this resource is "one of the most widely used independent investment information services used in the world" and that it "covers 1700 equity issues.
2 & 3. I found this resource hard to navigate and very difficult to understand. I picked Starbucks to investigate but I'm not sure I got to where I needed to go and I'm not sure if there was a "full research report".
Wall Street Journal:
1. When I did a search for "small business and health care", I got 19,665 results. Wow!
2. Looking at the limiters, I would think that a small business person would be very interested in the areas of "health insurance AND heath care expenditures".
I think it's important that I am aware of this MARVEL resource in case I get questions or interest from my patrons;, however, I think that once I show them the resource, they'll probably be able to teach/help me more than I could help them.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Week 5: NoveList Plus
I am excited that I'm learning so much, but I also feel shame that I didn't already know all this information. This week's topic will be so helpful to my patrons. Not a week goes by but someone asks me to suggest an author similar to one they like or suggest another book in their favorite genre. And here it all is right at my fingertips!
1. I chose the George R.R.Martin Game of Thrones series which I am reading right now. The View component has 4 different ways for patrons to get information about their favorite authors, books, and/or genres. The Grid view gives basic information as well as views of the book covers which would appeal to those peole who remember what the book looked liked but not the title or author. Title only is just the basic info about the book: title and author while the Brief view adds info on Popularity and Categories (i.e. Adult, Fiction, etc.) When I chose the Detailed view, I got a summary of the book as well as Genre, Storyline, Tone, and Writing Style. This information will be so helpful to both my patrons and me. Here they can get all that they need in order to select what to read. One-stop shopping!
2. When I explored the author, David Baldacci, and the "Read-alikes from NoveList", I felt like I had found a gold mine. So many times I've had a patron ask me to suggest another author similar to the one they love but whose works they've finished reading. Here is the perfect resource to help them as well as give me ideas of other authors to add to my collection.
3. I see myself using NoveList Plus often in my future both in working with my patrons and in ordering items to add to the collection. I have felt that I would use the other areas of MARVEL more frequently now that I am more familiar with them, but I know that NoveList Plus will now be bookmarked on all my computers for easy access and more frequent use.
1. I chose the George R.R.Martin Game of Thrones series which I am reading right now. The View component has 4 different ways for patrons to get information about their favorite authors, books, and/or genres. The Grid view gives basic information as well as views of the book covers which would appeal to those peole who remember what the book looked liked but not the title or author. Title only is just the basic info about the book: title and author while the Brief view adds info on Popularity and Categories (i.e. Adult, Fiction, etc.) When I chose the Detailed view, I got a summary of the book as well as Genre, Storyline, Tone, and Writing Style. This information will be so helpful to both my patrons and me. Here they can get all that they need in order to select what to read. One-stop shopping!
2. When I explored the author, David Baldacci, and the "Read-alikes from NoveList", I felt like I had found a gold mine. So many times I've had a patron ask me to suggest another author similar to the one they love but whose works they've finished reading. Here is the perfect resource to help them as well as give me ideas of other authors to add to my collection.
3. I see myself using NoveList Plus often in my future both in working with my patrons and in ordering items to add to the collection. I have felt that I would use the other areas of MARVEL more frequently now that I am more familiar with them, but I know that NoveList Plus will now be bookmarked on all my computers for easy access and more frequent use.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)