Lesson 5: ProQuest

1. Do a basic search on something of interest to you. Report your findings and observations. 

I did a basic search on Drug Use in the Horse Racing Industry. I found that ProQuest pulled up multiple article from newspapers, journals, magazines, and even audio. They dated all the way back to the 1970's. I refined my search to include only articles from 2010 to date. The articles all had citations. 

1.a. See what your Challenge cohort is discovering. Choose at least one other Challenge blog, read that person's post (about this or a previous lesson), and comment on it. You may like to check each other's blogs throughout the Challenge as you learn together. 

I read thelibrarianqueen's blog. I think she did a great job posting her findings. What a great thing that we can use this site to look up such useful information!

2. Click the Publications tab at the top of the page. You will see an alphabetical list of the periodicals indexed in Proquest and the years included. Notice that this list is "Full text only." Do a search for a journal in your profession by typing a title or keyword in the search box. Report your findings and observations. 

I searched for "Library" and came up with several periodicals. I found that they list full articles delayed by one year, and coverage-any format to present. Once you click on the desired periodical the issues are listed by most recent first. You can select the year and issue desired and a list of articles from this periodical appear. This would be great if you were looking for a specific article. 

Lesson 4: SIRS Issues Researcher and Discoverer

SIRS Discoverer
1. Look up armadillos (or your favorite animals) and discuss the results. Note if you find pictures and the various reading levels of the articles. (Remember, articles in SIRS Discoverer are selected, so you may not find something from yesterday's news.)


When looking up armadillos I found 94 total articles. These were also listed by tabs for newspaper, magazine, reference, graphics, and websites. There was also a key at the top of the page so I knew what reading level the articles were, whether or not they had graphics, activities, they were fiction, and also if it had a pdf version.
After opening the article, I found that the citation was easily located at the bottom of the article to copy and paste, and any pictures were easily accessed by clicking on the camera icon.

 2. Some of the most useful features in SIRS Discoverer are the "Database Features" located on the right hand side of the window. Explore this section by:

• selecting a country in "Country Facts" and noting the information located there.
• I found information about Finland. Discoverer listed the official name, capital,population, size, region, government type, government official, agriculture, climate, currency, language, holidays, major events, and an interesting "did you know?" fact.
• selecting a map in "Maps of the World" and discussing a potential use.
• I selected a map for Alaska. This could be used for a school report, or for a curious student who wants to see where a relative lives in Alaska.
• selecting one other area in "Database Features" and discuss the information located there.
• I picked the Science Fair Explorer. This tool could be very handy for finding interesting topics and information for middle school age kids participating in science fairs.

SIRS Issues Researcher
1. Select a leading issue and discuss the information located there, noting the topic overview, research tools and articles.


I chose "abused women" for my issue. The information I found was a variety of articles supporting the pros and cons of the issue. In this case it was whether or not the NFL should immediately penalize players for domestic violence issues. There was also a list of many other related articles from newspapers, magazines, references, etc. There were also research tools such as topic overview, timeline, global impact, statistics, my analysis, and note organizer.

 2. Select "Curriculum Pathfinders" on the right hand side of the window and mouse over the course subjects, noting the range of topics covered. Pick your favorite subject and discuss the information located there.


I picked statistics. The information I found was a list of magazine, newspaper, government documents, primary resources, reference, graphics, multimedia and web select sites. The information can also be sorted based on the type of statistic you are looking for, date, and lexile level.

Lesson 3: Learning Express Library

1.  Set-up an account in Learning Express and browse through the available exams.  

2.  Choose one and answer a few questions. Then click "Score my test" in the top toolbar. Ignore the warnings and continue to have your test scored, so that you can see how the diagnostic page looks. Then click "View Answers" at the bottom of the page. What did you think about this test experience? 

This is a great way to practice for upcoming exams. I like that it lets you know which ones you missed so that you know which areas to work on. I also like the different options for taking the test: timed, not timed, and with the answers provided for study. 

3.  Job searching and resume writing are among the self-paced courses in Learning Express.  Locate the career resources and add one of the courses to your center.  Take a few minutes to explore the course and note your observations.

The resume writing course takes you through step by step and does a great job explaining the why's and how's to certain aspects of the process. I like how you can save the course anywhere and start again later at the same spot. 

4. Type a search term in the search box for a skills improvement or career topic in which you are interested. Notice that results are sorted by tests, courses and eBooks (if all of those are available for your chosen topic). Please select an eBook and look through its pages.

Lesson 2: Chilton Library, Mango Languages and Tumblebook Library

Chilton:

1. Look up the maintenance schedule for your vehicle. View the whole chart and list 3 things that should be done at 30,000 miles. 

The things that need to be done between 25000 and 50000 miles are servicing/inspecting the exhaust system and heat shield and inspecting the fuel system. 

2. What was the most recent Technical Service Bulletin or Recall notice on your car about and when was it issued?

The most recent Technical Service Bulletin was about expediting warranty parts and it was issued on January 24, 2006.

3. Click to the Repair tab and note some of the information about brakes for your car.

For my anti-lock brakes it lists the components, description and operation, diagnostic information and procedures, repair instructions, special tools and equipment needed, and specifications. 

Mango Languages:

1. Try out a lesson. How helpful would this program be to help you learn a language? What did you like? What didn't you like? Why?

This program would be very helpful to learn a new language. I like how you can hear how you are supposed to pronounce the phrases, and how they start with sentence structure. Not much I didn't like about it. The way the material is presented is easy to follow along with. 

2. A Vietnamese student would like to improve her English. You do not know Vietnamese. Describe how Mango Languages can help her.

I can direct her to the Learn English section that is for Vietnamese speakers. After the course is loaded everything is displayed in Vietnamese. 

Tumblebook Library:

1. Choose a story book, chapter book, or nonfiction book. Try it out! Listen to it being read, turn the pages etc. Report your impressions of this e-resource.

This resource is very user friendly. I liked how the sentences are highlighted as they are being spoken. I also liked the subtle animation. 
2. Try out a video, puzzle or game and report your impressions.

Again these are all very user friendly and great for kids. 
3. To whom will you promote this e-resource?

I will promote the resource to school kids that play video games at the library after school. I will also promote it to home schoolers.