EBSCO Host Lesson 10

Ebsco Host is an extremely useful tool for researchers, especially students.  As a former preschool and primary school teacher, I immediately checked out the databases for elementary and middle school students.  As I looked through these sources with children in mind, I really liked the way they explained permission to copy and how to cite information found there. 

Then I got to the actual assignment!  Although it took some searching to find an article which actually answered the question of what foods have zinc in them, (at least in language understandable to the average person!) I eventually found an article titled "Foods that Fuel the Immune System" from Environmental Nutrition (Nov. 2010) which states that zinc food sources are red meat, poultry, seafood, beans, nuts, and cheese.

As I began to check out Ebsco non-fiction ebooks I chose to look for craft books.  One of the first books to come up was Creative Resources for the Early Childhood Classroom which looked interesting to me.  However, when I tried to download it, it took so long that I gave up.

Next, I went looking for information for Constitution Day.  I was surprised to find that I got better results when I just entered the term constitution than when I put in United States Constitution.  By putting United States in there as well, I got a lot of results which had to do with the US, but nothing to do with the constitution.  I came up with the following books: The American Republic: Constitution, Tendencies and Destiny by Orestes Augustus Brownson, The Constitution of the United States of America from the Gutenberg Project, and The United States Bill of Rights, also from the Gutenberg Project.

When researching books on Oklahoma, I found the search to be too inclusive.  When I searched for Oklahoma history, I got a shorter, more applicable list.

Learning Express

I am a little late getting to the week 9 assignment, but better late than never.  Since our library was one of the recipients of the BTOP grant computers, I have spent some time looking at Learning Express Library, but it was still interesting to look over what is available there.
First I took a math GED test.  It was simple and straight forward.  I like the fact that it gives you a chance to change your mind if you have clicked "score my test" by accident.  (I did not like the fact that I missed 3 of the 8 questions I attempted.  And I used to be so good at math!)
The course I selected was Business Writing Basics.  After looking through some of the information, I closed out and then went back to see if I could easily pick up where I left off.  It was easy to find in "My Center" and was right where I left off.
Next I searched for an ebook on marketing.  The list of books which I got did not seem to have much to do with marketing, but maybe they each have sections which deal with marketing.  I spent some time looking at the book Search Smart and Get Ahead.  It was very readable, even for a non-business person.
Although I had been shown quite a bit about Learning Express before, it is different to actually use it.  I could easily recommend this to those who have a need.

Ancestry Library

I thought this would be a really easy assignment because I have used Ancestry Library some already.  But, not all of it was simple.  First, the tutorials were very straightforward.  One thing I found here that I had never noticed before was the family tree chart which will be very useful.

When I looked under the alphabetical listings for Heritage Quest and Sanborn Maps, I couldn't find either of them.

In Ancestry Library, I started by looking for myself.  When I put in just my name, date of birth, and town where I had lived, I didn't come up with anything.  However, when I added some other family member names and a marriage date, I did come up with a marriage certificate.  No matter how much information I added, I never did come up with my birth certificate.

I looked up one of my grandfathers and easily found him in the 1910 census when he was 3 years old.

I tried to perform a search under the photos and maps tab, but I couldn't find it anywhere.

So, I guess that I can do a basic ancestor search, but still have more to learn in Ancestry Library.

Health Resources

Wow!  I had no idea we had such extensive health resources online!  (I wish this had been available when I was raising my three kids.  Could have been very helpful.) 
In Health Source, I researched ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease).  There were a number of articles available.  Although the listings tell the subjects discussed in the articles, there is not actually a synopsis of the articles which would be helpful and save time.
Next I went to Medline Plus.  In the news column were these headlines: Head Injury, Pesticides Tied to Parkinson's Disease, Migraine _ Associated Brain Changes Not Related to Impaired Cognition, US Pre-term Birthrate Continues to Drop.  (I went back next day to see if these had changed or were the same, and they were all different.)  Under top searches were cancer, diabetes, polio, and vitamin D.
Drugs and Supplements:  I looked up Advair.  Nothing came up.  Suggested that my search might be too specific.  So I tried Salmeterol which is one of the active ingredients in Advair.  This time I got some information about the uses of this drug, problems with patients not knowing how to take it effectively, etc.
Health topics:  It is nice that it starts with a basic definition of the disease.  This source seems more basic than  and more aimed at the patient, while Medline seemed more aimed at the doctor/researcher.
Videos and Cool Tools: This is a very helpful resource.  I watched a video on diabetes.  It was informative and easy to follow.  It was nice that you could go at your own pace, so that you could go over something a second time if you didn't take it in the first time.
I will definitely keep these sources in mind for patrons with medical questions.

Business resources

Okay, feeling a little over my head with all of the stock information on Value Line.  However, it is good to know it is there.  We often have business men and women here on vacation who are very disappointed to find that we do not have any of the national papers, only the local newspapers.  I think that they could easily find any information they need on this site.
The Wall Street Journal site seems very user friendly.  There is a great deal of information for those in business.  I found some interesting and informative articles about the new health care law when I searched for small business and health care.  (They confirmed my feelings that the new healthcare law is going to put further strain on those who already cannot afford healthcare.)
In searching for articles on FM radio, it did make it much easier to tell which articles I might want to explore further when I used the visual search option.  Then I had a clearer picture of where the article was going without actually having to go there, and possibly waste time on an article that was not on the topic I was researching.

NoveList Plus is my favorite database on Marvel so far!  It is easy to use with lots of useful information.  This will be very useful in our library.  Patrons frequently ask for author recommendations similar to their tried and true authors.  Sometime I tell them to type in "If you like (author's name)" on an internet search site, which gives them some suggestions, but this gives them so many more details.  One feature I like is that it suggests which of the author's books you should start with if you are new to this author.  I will definitely use this site frequently.

Okay, I have just copied and pasted last week's post which I thought I had succussfully posted to my blog, but apparently not.  Although I have been impressed with all that is on Marvel, I have found the blog to be a pain in the neck!

I never realized Marvel had a hobbies and crafts section before.  I have already shared that fact with one other person.  I spent quite a lot of time looking at the variety of hobbies represented there.  Although there appears to be a wealth of information there, I wish there was an easier way to preview what you are going to find in each article.  For instance, if I am looking for a new quilt pattern, I like to be able to glance at a lot of pictures until one catches my eye.  But, with this, I have to click on the article, wait for it to come up, then find out if I like it, before going on to another.  I don't see it replacing actual quilt magazines and books any time soon, but I could be wrong!
I was really surprised to find that the hobbies and crafts site included ourdoor activities like fishing and hiking.  I read a very interesting article from Backpacker Magazine which is funny, because our library gets a subscription to that magazine and I never read it because I didn't think it would be of interest to me.  (I like to hike, but not read about hiking. :)

I will definitely recommend this site to patrons to check out, even though I do not personally prefer it to physical magazines.  Obviously it puts a lot more material at your fingertips that you would not have otherwise.

Frustration level mounting

Okay, I am really starting to feel like a failure.  Although I was successful in responding to one person's post, I have not been able to respond to a second.  I noticed that Andrea had the same problem with looking up obituaries that I had.  I wrote a response to her and tried to post it.  I had to prove that I was not a robot in order to post, but apparently I do not pass the human being test.  I tried five times, but was unable to prove that I am indeed flesh and blood.

Maine Newsstand

I have been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to use Maine Newsstand to search for obituaries since we often have patrons ask us for help finding obituaries and I thought that this site would make it easier.  However, I have started by searching for people that I knew the death dates for and that I knew which paper their obituaries were printed in, just so that I would be sure of the results the first time I tried it.  However, it keeps saying there are 0 results.  What am I doing wrong?  Although I am not a computer wizz, I have done plenty of successful searches on the web.

I have been checking out Britanica Online.  It is an excellent resource.  I love some of the features such as the sample citations at the bottom which allow you to choose MLA, Chicago Style, etc.  I also found it very convenient that you can get immediate definitions by double clicking on words.

I am wondering if there is a place that tells you how recently an article has been updated.  How long does it usually take for recent news events to be added?

Checking out Marvel

I have been checking out what is available in Marvel.  As I checked out several different topics, I came accross the Economic Census under Business and Economy.  I am curious as to why 2002 is the most recent census.  The site says a census is done every 5 years.  Who keeps the Marvel sites current?

I also checked out Contemporary Authors.  This is a very interesting site and should be helpful as I research books for future book orders.

Another site I found particularly helpful was a health site for consumers.  As I was looking up information on ALS I thought how useful this site would have been when my mother was diagnosed a few years ago and I was desperately trying to find out more about the disease.  I will definitely keep this site in mind for when patrons have healthcare questions.

I am looking forward to finding out what other wonderful sites I have been missing out on.