Although it sometimes seemed a hassle to get this done, it was well worth doing. I had never used Archive Grid or Camio before so learned a lot there. I am not much of a genealogist (I'd rather find the stories than the names) but that resource is something that would be used a lot here. We are lucky to have our local genealogy group host open sessions at the library once a month.
I think it would be useful to promote these resources through classes at the library but we would have to come up with something more catchy than "Database usage" -- perhaps "Beyond Wikipedia". Anyway, mostly we will have to keep ourselves reminded of the resources so that when a patron is looking for something that will pop into our head as well as books and magazines.
Thanks for all the comments and keeping us on track.
Friday, May 7, 2010
LIBRARY CHALLENGE #9 Ancestry, Heritage, Sanborn maps
Ancestry:
I could only find references to me in the US Phone Directories and US Public Records Vol 1. Both addresses we have lived at in Brookings were listed in the phone books. I was amazed that you could view a list of the neighbors (although they were not up-to-date). In the Public Records my birdate and addresses were listed. All the other Peggys were unknown to me.
I did a search for my father's parents (Syreika) who came here from Lithuania. I could find no references, although their name may have been changed a bit on arrival. I did find my father and his siblings in death records as well as my Dad's army enlistment information.
In the Photo and map section in searching SD I was amazed to find that there were baseball players listed with pictures (who knew that would be a whole category). Loved looking at the old pictures of a Harvest scene in Brookings, a 1938 photo of a miner at Two-Bit Creek and the USS South Dakota. I could have spent hours, but had to get on to Heritage.
HERITAGE:
I looked up Sturgis, SD and in looking for an article to read was told that I needed to submit a request form for the article. I found my grandfather Paul Grubl in a 1920 census record -- however I found it unreadable -- couldn't decifer the handwriting plus was not clear to read. When I looked under G in the Publications section I found there were 2425. Wow!
SANBORN MAPS:
I selected a map of Sturgis from 1931-42. I found the street where I grew up. Found out that there were 3008 people in town with one firechief and 23 volunteers. I also saw listed on the map the Meade County Poor Farm and a Detention Hospital which apparently were gone by the time I was born. I think the Post Office is still where it was on the map but since the Rally has changed the face of the town completely I really didn't recognize much else but street names. Very interesting to look at.
I could only find references to me in the US Phone Directories and US Public Records Vol 1. Both addresses we have lived at in Brookings were listed in the phone books. I was amazed that you could view a list of the neighbors (although they were not up-to-date). In the Public Records my birdate and addresses were listed. All the other Peggys were unknown to me.
I did a search for my father's parents (Syreika) who came here from Lithuania. I could find no references, although their name may have been changed a bit on arrival. I did find my father and his siblings in death records as well as my Dad's army enlistment information.
In the Photo and map section in searching SD I was amazed to find that there were baseball players listed with pictures (who knew that would be a whole category). Loved looking at the old pictures of a Harvest scene in Brookings, a 1938 photo of a miner at Two-Bit Creek and the USS South Dakota. I could have spent hours, but had to get on to Heritage.
HERITAGE:
I looked up Sturgis, SD and in looking for an article to read was told that I needed to submit a request form for the article. I found my grandfather Paul Grubl in a 1920 census record -- however I found it unreadable -- couldn't decifer the handwriting plus was not clear to read. When I looked under G in the Publications section I found there were 2425. Wow!
SANBORN MAPS:
I selected a map of Sturgis from 1931-42. I found the street where I grew up. Found out that there were 3008 people in town with one firechief and 23 volunteers. I also saw listed on the map the Meade County Poor Farm and a Detention Hospital which apparently were gone by the time I was born. I think the Post Office is still where it was on the map but since the Rally has changed the face of the town completely I really didn't recognize much else but street names. Very interesting to look at.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
LIBRARY CHALLENGE #8 - LEARNING EXPRESS
It seemed quite easy to sign up for Learning Express. There were so many tests available! I chose The 4th Grade Reading Test (just checking what my grandson's tests would be like -- or maybe it was to get a good score). Either way it was a detailed description of how to make a pinata and had 8 questions following. I like that you can skip and answer the question later. The scoring was quick and you were able to see the correct answers to missed questions. I also quickly looked at a college government test and answered a couple questions. Probably should have stuck with a 4th grade level!
In the ebook list I picked two books: "Think you know your vocabulary" and "501 Grammar and writing questions". Both were in large enough type to read and looked interesting. I do miss the feel of a book in hand as opposed to on screen, but then that may be an "age" thing.
These two resources would benefit a large population in any city. The variety of tests and the easiness to access is a big plus. We have been recommending this resource to HS and college students. I think once parents know about the lower level exams, they would use them as helps to their children.
Great resource.
In the ebook list I picked two books: "Think you know your vocabulary" and "501 Grammar and writing questions". Both were in large enough type to read and looked interesting. I do miss the feel of a book in hand as opposed to on screen, but then that may be an "age" thing.
These two resources would benefit a large population in any city. The variety of tests and the easiness to access is a big plus. We have been recommending this resource to HS and college students. I think once parents know about the lower level exams, they would use them as helps to their children.
Great resource.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Library Challenge #7 - Archive Grid & Camio
As directed I first looked at "Sitting Bull autograph card" in Archive Grid. The card was located in Cornell University Library. I didn't really find any new information on Sitting Bull from this search. Guess we've helped too many kids do research or have read on our own.
In my own search I looked for Ft. Meade in Sturgis (where I grew up). I looked at the Baldwin Day Spilman Diary of 1882. His diary recorded his escorting a government survy party from Ft. Meade to Fr. Ellis, MT. The provenance of each piece as well as what museum/library or Historical Society the piece is located in is great information.
CAMIO is an amazing site. Could have spent hours looking, but since I'm hoping to get done with the Challenge I moved through quicker than I wanted to. Will go back and look again.
In looking for "Paul Revere" I found a newspaper clipping called "The Bloody Massacre" which was a gift from several Reveres, including Paul. Then looked further to a sugar bowl and cover which Paul Revere made for Sarah Ellery wedding in 1795. The high resolution option is so cool to look at any piece.
In searching "Sioux" I found 63 works. I looked at a painting called Dreams about Blacktail Deer and pipe bowl from 1887 and a buckskin coat from 1869. Each image gave the title, artist, date, type of art, and the museum where it is located. What a wonderful resource for a state that is sparsely populated with few museums. SDSU's motto applies in that "You can go anywhere from here."
I tried Oscar Howe and Harvey Dunn in a search and came up with nothing, which rather surprised me. I then search for Rodin and looked at his works (he really was a very prolific artist). I liked that there was a short history of the artist. The advanced search was helpful in that you could limit to a specific museum.
Then I went looking for Seth Eastman for a subject of choice and came up with 3 results -- a Sioux Indians breaking camp painting, scalp dance painting and a sketch of the Washington Monument under construction. Since there were only 3 results I added them all to favorites and looked at the slide show. Very impressive.
In my own search I looked for Ft. Meade in Sturgis (where I grew up). I looked at the Baldwin Day Spilman Diary of 1882. His diary recorded his escorting a government survy party from Ft. Meade to Fr. Ellis, MT. The provenance of each piece as well as what museum/library or Historical Society the piece is located in is great information.
CAMIO is an amazing site. Could have spent hours looking, but since I'm hoping to get done with the Challenge I moved through quicker than I wanted to. Will go back and look again.
In looking for "Paul Revere" I found a newspaper clipping called "The Bloody Massacre" which was a gift from several Reveres, including Paul. Then looked further to a sugar bowl and cover which Paul Revere made for Sarah Ellery wedding in 1795. The high resolution option is so cool to look at any piece.
In searching "Sioux" I found 63 works. I looked at a painting called Dreams about Blacktail Deer and pipe bowl from 1887 and a buckskin coat from 1869. Each image gave the title, artist, date, type of art, and the museum where it is located. What a wonderful resource for a state that is sparsely populated with few museums. SDSU's motto applies in that "You can go anywhere from here."
I tried Oscar Howe and Harvey Dunn in a search and came up with nothing, which rather surprised me. I then search for Rodin and looked at his works (he really was a very prolific artist). I liked that there was a short history of the artist. The advanced search was helpful in that you could limit to a specific museum.
Then I went looking for Seth Eastman for a subject of choice and came up with 3 results -- a Sioux Indians breaking camp painting, scalp dance painting and a sketch of the Washington Monument under construction. Since there were only 3 results I added them all to favorites and looked at the slide show. Very impressive.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Library Challenge #6 World Cat
I chose the book "The Postmistress" by Blake in a Title/Phrase search, since that is the book our book club is reading this month. I received 9 results with 1298 libraries owning a copy. The first library listed was ours (SBR). In looking at the full record it was interesting that you could get how to cite the book for any paper you were writing.
In OAISTER I found 145 results for South Dakota. I loved looking at the photos-- "Cattle on a western farm" by Frank Moore and "A school of the Prairie" by Laura Kinsloe. Nothing surfaced when I put Sturgis, SD in sub/phrase but it did come up in a keyword search -- "Sturgis: The story of the Rally" by Carl Edeburn.
In OAISTER I found 145 results for South Dakota. I loved looking at the photos-- "Cattle on a western farm" by Frank Moore and "A school of the Prairie" by Laura Kinsloe. Nothing surfaced when I put Sturgis, SD in sub/phrase but it did come up in a keyword search -- "Sturgis: The story of the Rally" by Carl Edeburn.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Library Challenge Lesson #5 Net Library
In Net Library when I did a full text search on the Dead Sea Scrolls I found 62 results. When I used Dead Sea Scrolls in a key word search nothing came up. But back to the first results. I spent some time looking at the book on Archeology and Biblical Interpretation. Always so easy to get sidetracked on interesting subjects.
For the fitness guru I got 26 results from a keyword search of "fitness", sorting by newest first. A couple of books that I would recommend would be Fitness Leader's Handbook and Nutrition for Maximum performance.
In the advanced search option I search for Nebraska in the Publisher's Box and found everything from changing images of Omaha to the History of Danish Literature.
I spent some time scrolling through the list of ebooks -- looked at a couple on children's self esteem and one on rocks and minerals. I can see how you could spend a lot of time meandering through the options just as you do wandering the shelves in different parts of the library.
For the fitness guru I got 26 results from a keyword search of "fitness", sorting by newest first. A couple of books that I would recommend would be Fitness Leader's Handbook and Nutrition for Maximum performance.
In the advanced search option I search for Nebraska in the Publisher's Box and found everything from changing images of Omaha to the History of Danish Literature.
I spent some time scrolling through the list of ebooks -- looked at a couple on children's self esteem and one on rocks and minerals. I can see how you could spend a lot of time meandering through the options just as you do wandering the shelves in different parts of the library.
Library Challenge #4 Gale Research
In using Gale Research I went to the category "medicine" and researched cholesterol (high cholesterol has been part of my life forever). I thought it was easier to do a basic search than go through the list and find out what articles would apply.
In the basic search I looked up the Dead Sea Scrolls, since we just saw the exhibit in Minneapolis last weekend. It was good to have differentiated sub searches so that the topic could be narrowed down. I chose one article and used the read speaker technology which is a certainly a value added resource to Gale.
In the basic search I looked up the Dead Sea Scrolls, since we just saw the exhibit in Minneapolis last weekend. It was good to have differentiated sub searches so that the topic could be narrowed down. I chose one article and used the read speaker technology which is a certainly a value added resource to Gale.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Library Challenge #3 - Proquest
I am getting a little more done, since I am docenting (is that a word?) for the Termesphere exhibit here in our library and no one is here right now.
In the Proquest basic search I looked at "Marathon" and "women" and came up with 29 articles. I loved the idea that you can email the articles and the site provides citations. Boy would this have been handy in 60's when I was in HS. (Think typewriters and notecards and researching how to write a footnote) My grades might have been better if I had all of this at my fingertips.
I looked at the Library Trends in the Publication tab and searched "jobs" which produced 263 articles. I looked at an article entitled " Public Librarianship as a Career" published in Fall 2009, which suggested that even though we are not paid well and there a few opportunities for advancement, librarians still like their jobs. I have to agree!
In the Proquest basic search I looked at "Marathon" and "women" and came up with 29 articles. I loved the idea that you can email the articles and the site provides citations. Boy would this have been handy in 60's when I was in HS. (Think typewriters and notecards and researching how to write a footnote) My grades might have been better if I had all of this at my fingertips.
I looked at the Library Trends in the Publication tab and searched "jobs" which produced 263 articles. I looked at an article entitled " Public Librarianship as a Career" published in Fall 2009, which suggested that even though we are not paid well and there a few opportunities for advancement, librarians still like their jobs. I have to agree!
Library Challenge #2 - Sirs Researcher
I chose "illegal immigration" as a leading issue (note the news this week). In looking at the articles I liked the timeline in the overview plus "find similar" in the subject area. Gives a student lots of places to go and helps narrow the search. Also lots of statistics were available in the research.
In the Curriculum Pathfinders I chose the general topic of Health, narrowed it to "physical fitness" and went to an article on "Understanding Adult Obesity". OK, here's where I got completely sidetracked on the "portion distortion quiz". 20 years ago a cheeseburger was only 333 calories, not it is 590 (no wonder we're getting fat). I found out it takes an hour and a half to work that off. Guess there will be no cheeseburgers in my future!
Speaking of getting sidetracked -- that seems to happen often in looking at all of these databases. One thing leads to another and an hour or two is gone and the vouchers and accounting remains undone. So I'm behind at work and at study.
In the Curriculum Pathfinders I chose the general topic of Health, narrowed it to "physical fitness" and went to an article on "Understanding Adult Obesity". OK, here's where I got completely sidetracked on the "portion distortion quiz". 20 years ago a cheeseburger was only 333 calories, not it is 590 (no wonder we're getting fat). I found out it takes an hour and a half to work that off. Guess there will be no cheeseburgers in my future!
Speaking of getting sidetracked -- that seems to happen often in looking at all of these databases. One thing leads to another and an hour or two is gone and the vouchers and accounting remains undone. So I'm behind at work and at study.
Library challenge #2 Sirs
OK, I'm starting to feel like I'm in school again and just like then I'm behind. Guess students never learn. I don't like the feeling but life and work have been interfering.
In Sirs Discover I first went to the subject icon of sports and looked for Shaun White that way and eventually got to an article. Then I tried a search of his name and immediately came up several articles. I looked at "King of Snowboarding" plus looked at some pictures. This kid must not be aware of gravity as a force.
In the database feature I selected Lithuania (the land of my grandparents). Lots of good information from weather to industry. I especially liked the teacher resources. My daughter teaches 1st grade and she would find lots of options. In looking at the maps of the world I again looked at Lithuania. It's great that the maps are printable. I also took time to look at the historical US atlas. Once students are aware of these database features, they will find doing papers easier.
Another database feature I looked at was under "activities" -- the "Read aloud plays". I quickly reviewed "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" which was 6 pages long and would also work well in a classroom. This was an unexpected resource to me, but what a find.
In Sirs Discover I first went to the subject icon of sports and looked for Shaun White that way and eventually got to an article. Then I tried a search of his name and immediately came up several articles. I looked at "King of Snowboarding" plus looked at some pictures. This kid must not be aware of gravity as a force.
In the database feature I selected Lithuania (the land of my grandparents). Lots of good information from weather to industry. I especially liked the teacher resources. My daughter teaches 1st grade and she would find lots of options. In looking at the maps of the world I again looked at Lithuania. It's great that the maps are printable. I also took time to look at the historical US atlas. Once students are aware of these database features, they will find doing papers easier.
Another database feature I looked at was under "activities" -- the "Read aloud plays". I quickly reviewed "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" which was 6 pages long and would also work well in a classroom. This was an unexpected resource to me, but what a find.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Worldbook
RunningReader I used the WorldBook to search "cats" in both student and library editions. It was interesting to see how the material was adjusted for the age groups. Each looked much the same but more info was added and more pictures.
I spent some time in World Book Advanced looking at Lithuania, the country of my ancestors. I liked the pictures, maps and the related information provided. It was hard not to spend a lot of time going from interest to interest. Citation information is a big plus for any student.
The Foreign Language Visual and the encyclopedia are a great addition to any library, since most of us have some patrons who speak Spanish. The fact that the article could be read in either English or Spanish for the viewer is a big value added resource.
The tutorials in all of the sections were helpful although I imagine, like me, most students would just jump in and start looking around on their own.
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