Thursday, December 13, 2012
Week 11 Wrap Up
My biggest discovery was a combination of these exercises and a question I asked on melibs that involved access to Consumer reports magazine. The end result was getting results for a patron so she could finish Christmas shopping and for me was the unlocking of individual publications in Ebsco. (It was so simple I feel embarassed.) Thanks to those who explained the process. Doing a blog seemed wildly intimidating at first, but now only mildly so. Thanks for providing the opportunity to explore the Marvel resource, it feels good to complete the assignment.
I work a lot with Interlibrary loan so I'm thinking knowing about Ebsco ebook might be helpful to patrons who need information but can't wait a few days for the delivery van. Also, I feel more confident about reccommending Marvel's use at home especially novelist for those patrons who like to search for lookalikes or plot summaries.
Week 10 EbscoHost Family of Databases and Ebsco eBooks
I am in Masterfile Premier and yes, there is People magazine, our most popular circulating periodical. I also took a few minutes to look at other titles and found Quality Remodel designed for the contractor and Zoo for the younger set.
Success on the zinc front, the first try "zinc in foods" yielded numerous studies from other continents as first hits in relevance, then I tried "foods that have zinc" with more appropriate and understandable selections. Cashews were a good morning snack!
We recently had a parent ask for material on stranger danger so I used that for search terms and got much more specific results when enclosed in double quotes.
I cannot find relevant information on Constitution Day in Ebsco eBooks.
The Western history project initially called up over 40 results so I used the left column for refining results and clicked subject and then show more where I selected options that looked to have history content, then clicked update and the selection was narrowed to under 10. There would likely be something there for a highschool student practicing research skills. Topics ranged from the dust bowl to westward immigrants to Cheyenne history.
Success on the zinc front, the first try "zinc in foods" yielded numerous studies from other continents as first hits in relevance, then I tried "foods that have zinc" with more appropriate and understandable selections. Cashews were a good morning snack!
We recently had a parent ask for material on stranger danger so I used that for search terms and got much more specific results when enclosed in double quotes.
I cannot find relevant information on Constitution Day in Ebsco eBooks.
The Western history project initially called up over 40 results so I used the left column for refining results and clicked subject and then show more where I selected options that looked to have history content, then clicked update and the selection was narrowed to under 10. There would likely be something there for a highschool student practicing research skills. Topics ranged from the dust bowl to westward immigrants to Cheyenne history.
Week 9 LearningExpress
Account set-up was a smooth process. I enjoyed the word analogy test and actually took several of the word tests, they grade instantly and you can see mistakes and explanations. Good place to work on cognitive skills.
I looked at the Public Speaking Success in 20 Minutes a Day course in the "Job Search and Workplace Skills". There were 20 lessons in an easy to understand format with worksheets and clear instructions.
I searched under the topic "cover letters" with a result of 3 tests, 89 courses and 8 ebooks. I looked at Goofproof Resumes and Cover Letters. It was divided into 2 major sections and further divided by rules. If you follow the rules you goofproof the product, if you don't its a goofup. The book projected a casual and friendly tone to a reader with little experience in the writing aspect of job search. I have a little concern that the copyright was 2003, some editing and updates might be in order. I have always been hopeful that with the advent of e-texts that changes could be made more efficiently than with printed textbook updates.
I looked at the Public Speaking Success in 20 Minutes a Day course in the "Job Search and Workplace Skills". There were 20 lessons in an easy to understand format with worksheets and clear instructions.
I searched under the topic "cover letters" with a result of 3 tests, 89 courses and 8 ebooks. I looked at Goofproof Resumes and Cover Letters. It was divided into 2 major sections and further divided by rules. If you follow the rules you goofproof the product, if you don't its a goofup. The book projected a casual and friendly tone to a reader with little experience in the writing aspect of job search. I have a little concern that the copyright was 2003, some editing and updates might be in order. I have always been hopeful that with the advent of e-texts that changes could be made more efficiently than with printed textbook updates.
Week 8 Genealogy Resources-- Ancestry Library
I found 7 entries for my own name, 2 were connected to an out of state address from nearly 30 years ago. The Phone and Address Directory had a button for neighbors yielding sporadic results. Several of my neighbors have lived here much longer than the 22 years I have, but no mention--interesting.
I searched for my maternal grandparents who were immigrants from Finland. I found my grandfather in the 1920 census and his wife at that time. She died shortly after (family records) but I found the marriage record of grandfather and grandmother and their listing and family in the 1940 census. Through these listings I find my grandfather's first name spelled differently each time and significantly so for the 1940 census where his first name was listed as the name I had always understood was my grandmother's middle name.
I found the "Photos and Maps" tab difficult to locate for little yield.
The Ancestry resource is a goldmine for family researchers, its a great way to 'go green' while studying our roots.
I searched for my maternal grandparents who were immigrants from Finland. I found my grandfather in the 1920 census and his wife at that time. She died shortly after (family records) but I found the marriage record of grandfather and grandmother and their listing and family in the 1940 census. Through these listings I find my grandfather's first name spelled differently each time and significantly so for the 1940 census where his first name was listed as the name I had always understood was my grandmother's middle name.
I found the "Photos and Maps" tab difficult to locate for little yield.
The Ancestry resource is a goldmine for family researchers, its a great way to 'go green' while studying our roots.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Week 7 Consumer Health Resources: Health Source Consumer Edition and MedlinePlus
Health Source - Consumer Edition - I would consider this a great resource for the serious researcher/consumer but is likely to be mostly used by those in the medical profession. The magazines and journals are specific and technical covering a wide range within subject category. I searched on diabetes and used the filtering function on the left of the page to narrow the selection to 38 articles that mentioned diabetes and aging. I then chose an article based on an interesting title that I could undertand without additional resources "Women who maintain optimal cognitive function into old age." After a quick look I have a general understanding but there was a lot of statistical interpretation and long story short - there isn't much room for slacking if we want to maintain optimal cognitive funtion into our late 80's.
Medline Plus
Some recent popular searches were on aspirin, diabetes, stroke.
I looked at the information on Prilosec and note that it is presented in an easy to follow format and easily understood. This is a good resource for family members to access when a member is under medical care.
Medlines information is directed at the consumer offering information on prevention, care, process and much more in a variety of presentation from slide shows, to video, pdf, easy to read formats and multiple language to cite a few.
The first video I chose under diabetes on Healthy eating did not launch. The second was on the ABC's of diabetes and was a little over 2 minutes, had subtitles, the viewer heard from a real patient and two medical professionals. It was well done. I just went back and tried the first choice again and it loaded. It was under 3 minutes, upbeat, showed people having a good time and offered clear easy to follow guidelines.
Marvel offers something for everyone.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Week 6 Business Resources
Wow, a lot of material to cover!
Business Source Complete
Nearly 4000 sources were found in the search for FM radio but I couldn't get the visual search to work so the left column on the main page worked great for me.
EconLit
I did the suggested searches and then did them a second time adding the word Maine and received many more responses.
Regional Business News
Wal Mart over 9000 responses
Dunkin Douts over 800 responses
L.L. Bean just over 100 responses
Value Line
I was able to get in on the first try, but will have to come back a few more times to feel really confident about showing someone around. I'm feeling pressed for time and cannot find "full research report", however I do find it interesting to note that Tootsie Roll is one of the top 100 stocks in early December.
Wall Street Journal
There are a lot of results for articles on small business and health care so the limiters are useful. I think a small business person would be interested in the cost of health care so with limiters to the United States, the last 3 years, insurance policy, coverage the choice was narrowed from over 19000 to 8. Pretty amazing but I don't think I would be able to answer a specific question. Again, I am feeling pressed for time so I am not going to try to create an alert.
Business Source Complete
Nearly 4000 sources were found in the search for FM radio but I couldn't get the visual search to work so the left column on the main page worked great for me.
EconLit
I did the suggested searches and then did them a second time adding the word Maine and received many more responses.
Regional Business News
Wal Mart over 9000 responses
Dunkin Douts over 800 responses
L.L. Bean just over 100 responses
Value Line
I was able to get in on the first try, but will have to come back a few more times to feel really confident about showing someone around. I'm feeling pressed for time and cannot find "full research report", however I do find it interesting to note that Tootsie Roll is one of the top 100 stocks in early December.
Wall Street Journal
There are a lot of results for articles on small business and health care so the limiters are useful. I think a small business person would be interested in the cost of health care so with limiters to the United States, the last 3 years, insurance policy, coverage the choice was narrowed from over 19000 to 8. Pretty amazing but I don't think I would be able to answer a specific question. Again, I am feeling pressed for time so I am not going to try to create an alert.
Week 5 Novelist Plus
Week 5 Novelist Plus
I used One for the Money for series search with a 14 page result. Number 1 was the one I was looking for, the ever popular Stephanie Plum. The "view" makes it easy to provide hints to the reader that the series they are looking for has been located.
The "Read-alike" feature is extremely helpful for author suggestions while a reader is waiting for the next publishing or when a reader has finished all books and is looking for a new author. Some patrons just want to be pointed in a direction or handed a slip of paper while others seem to really cherish the personal touch of a brief description. The combination of novelist, Maine Infocat and ILL delivery service is a Win, Win, Win for Maine readers.
The "Read-alike" feature is a great aid in collection development and weeding for its brief but detailed content.
I used One for the Money for series search with a 14 page result. Number 1 was the one I was looking for, the ever popular Stephanie Plum. The "view" makes it easy to provide hints to the reader that the series they are looking for has been located.
The "Read-alike" feature is extremely helpful for author suggestions while a reader is waiting for the next publishing or when a reader has finished all books and is looking for a new author. Some patrons just want to be pointed in a direction or handed a slip of paper while others seem to really cherish the personal touch of a brief description. The combination of novelist, Maine Infocat and ILL delivery service is a Win, Win, Win for Maine readers.
The "Read-alike" feature is a great aid in collection development and weeding for its brief but detailed content.
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