At sundown Jews begin celebrating the Festival of Lights that we also know as Chanukah or Hanukkah. I wanted to find information that I could rely on - not just any old web site freely accessed on the web. I went to GALILEO and did something a bit different - because sometimes one wants to narrow the search for information by using "off the beaten path" databases!
I selected the search tab
..typed in my search term
....left full text and peer reviewed unclicked
....did not change the years
Unclicked Academic Search Complete and Research Library (yes, these are the big boys but I wanted to try something a bit different)...
Then selected Show more databases
Scrolled down and clicked on Encyclopedia Britannica, the Religion database, and World History
I searched this group three times. I used Chanukah, Hanukkah, and Festival of Lights.
Using the word Chanukah turned up 1 article in EB, 1 in World History and a few more in the Religion database.
Hanukkah resulted in 14 EB, 2 World Historyand 32 in Religion.
Changing the search term to Festival of Lights brought up 32 in EB, 6 in Religion and 5 in World History.
Fascinating what a difference a word makes in the search. Get off the beaten path- explore different databases using the search tab and the Show more databases option!
-kls
You may get the current password to use GALILEO at home from your Georgia librarian.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Just browsing
When a sales clerk asks if I need help in a store, I regularly respond with "I'm just browsing". Patrons in the library respond the same way when I ask if they are finding what they need on the shelves -"just browsing, thanks".
ABI Inform (a Proquest resource) has a Browse tab (fourth tab from the left) for those who don't know exactly what they want but are looking to see what's available. Most ProQuest resources do not have this feature.
What does Browse do for you that a regular search does not? ABI Inform has noted specific topics and categories:
-- Industry and Market Research
-- Commodity Reports
-- Company Reports
-- Country Reports
Under each heading are links that focus the browsing.
What does Browse do for you that a regular search does not? ABI Inform has noted specific topics and categories:
-- Industry and Market Research
-- Commodity Reports
-- Company Reports
-- Country Reports
Under each heading are links that focus the browsing.
When you aren't sure what to search for but you have some general ideas on what you might like to know- use the Browse tab in ABI Inform.
-kls
The password to use GALILEO at home is available from your Georgia librarian.
-kls
The password to use GALILEO at home is available from your Georgia librarian.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Weeding and New Stuff
Greetings,
Weeding is the term librarians use to describe the process of sifting through the collection and removing materials that are out of date or no longer necessary. This is done so that the library's users won't be given false or incorrect information in a book. Indeed, the accrediting bodies related to our college's programs often check to see that the materials in the library are current and up to date. Medical books in particular are removed in most cases no later than five years after their publication.
Often there are those who see this as a waste. My own father does not believe old encyclopedias should be discarded. The 'someone might get something out of them' argument is used to defend this position. But what if the 'something' were incorrect? This could potentially be harmful, particularly if it is medical information.
This week I have gone through the reference section at the Mountain View campus and have removed some items. These were items of a statistical nature for which we had a more recent version. A few other items I left on the shelf, but made a note to order the most recent version the next time I do a book order.
The weeding of the reference collection freed up some shelf space. I have decided to dedicate this space to the creation of a new materials section. This small area will house books that are new to the library. The idea is to make faculty and students more aware of the books' existence. Just one more way to promote our materials.
Remember friend, you can find out the new materials in the library's collection. Just go to the library's catalog. Click on the button that says 'new books,' located in the top left corner of the page. You will then be able find out the newest materials in the collection by campus.
JF
Weeding is the term librarians use to describe the process of sifting through the collection and removing materials that are out of date or no longer necessary. This is done so that the library's users won't be given false or incorrect information in a book. Indeed, the accrediting bodies related to our college's programs often check to see that the materials in the library are current and up to date. Medical books in particular are removed in most cases no later than five years after their publication.
Often there are those who see this as a waste. My own father does not believe old encyclopedias should be discarded. The 'someone might get something out of them' argument is used to defend this position. But what if the 'something' were incorrect? This could potentially be harmful, particularly if it is medical information.
This week I have gone through the reference section at the Mountain View campus and have removed some items. These were items of a statistical nature for which we had a more recent version. A few other items I left on the shelf, but made a note to order the most recent version the next time I do a book order.
The weeding of the reference collection freed up some shelf space. I have decided to dedicate this space to the creation of a new materials section. This small area will house books that are new to the library. The idea is to make faculty and students more aware of the books' existence. Just one more way to promote our materials.
Remember friend, you can find out the new materials in the library's collection. Just go to the library's catalog. Click on the button that says 'new books,' located in the top left corner of the page. You will then be able find out the newest materials in the collection by campus.
JF
Listening
Are you a visual or an aural learner? Gale Literature Resource Center offers an audio icon with the option to download the text as an MP3 file. I'm listening to a file as I type - the female voice is pleasant but there is an electronic quality to the reading that is a bit like listening to a good SciFi movie.
From Gale's help screen:
What types of content can be read aloud?Full-text documents. Citation-only or abstract-only documents will not display the Listen icon. You will also be able to listen to Help pages and Dictionary definitions.
The audio player may not read aloud all links within the document. In addition, it will ignore image captions.
I can see this being used by athletes, travelers, and folks who just want to listen! Being able to select articles on topics I'm interested in, then downloading the article to my MP3 player makes it possible for me to create a library of short audio titles for free!
Chattahoochee Tech users may access the Gale Literature Resource Center through GALILEO. Stop by your campus library to get the current password.
-kls
From Gale's help screen:
What types of content can be read aloud?Full-text documents. Citation-only or abstract-only documents will not display the Listen icon. You will also be able to listen to Help pages and Dictionary definitions.
The audio player may not read aloud all links within the document. In addition, it will ignore image captions.
I can see this being used by athletes, travelers, and folks who just want to listen! Being able to select articles on topics I'm interested in, then downloading the article to my MP3 player makes it possible for me to create a library of short audio titles for free!
Chattahoochee Tech users may access the Gale Literature Resource Center through GALILEO. Stop by your campus library to get the current password.
-kls
Monday, December 07, 2009
Let's not forget
Hat Tip to Dear Myrtle
Footnote.com Opens Their WWII Collection Free To The Public During December
Lindon, UT – December 7, 2009 – In honor of Pearl Harbor Day, Footnote.com announced today that they will make the largest interactive WWII collection on the web including the Interactive USS Arizona Memorial free to the public during December. Featuring over 10 million records, documents and photos from the National Archives, this collection helps family members and historians better understand the people and events of WWII......
GALILEO offers Ancestry Library Edition in the library. There are ten resources in Ancestry Library Edition that have World War II in the title.
- U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Military USA
- U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Military USA U.S.
- Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945 Military USA
- World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas Military USA
- World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945 Military USA
- World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 Military USA
- Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II Military USA
- World War II Japanese-American Internment Camp Documents, 1942-1946 Court, Land, Wills & Financial USA
- World War II Young American Patriots, 1941-1945 Military USA
- New York Southern District, World War II Military Naturalization Index, 1941-1946 Immigration & Emigration USA
If you're looking for the person in your family who served during World War II, come to your Georgia library and use Ancestry Library Edition
Go to GALILEO
..select Databases A-Z
....select A
......select Ancestry Library Edition
scroll down to More Collections, click on list all databases
type in World War II for the title
-kls
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