Week 7
Thank goodness for the 3-day weekend. I might actually come out ahead instead of playing Marvel Invitational catch up! Just finished reading Mindset: the New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck for a community read. Fascinating stuff...must get into a growth mindset and leaved the old fixed mindset behind.

Health Source – Consumer Edition

1. In Health Source – Consumer Edition, click on the Publications link at the top of the page and explore the types of magazines and journals indexed in the database.

It appears that there are a lot of one-shot books or articles indexed as well as major health publications, but I'm puzzled as to how to access the text of these. For example, there is a publication on Rohypnol (the date rape drug) which give the URL of the publisher and says it is available full text, but I couldn't access it. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong? I get nothing when I click on full text. Hmmm...

Rohypnol Fast Facts (2007)
Bibliographic Records:06/01/2007
Full Text:06/01/2007
HTML Full Text
2. Search for a disease or condition, such as diabetes. Sort your results by the most current publication date by clicking on the ‘Relevance Sort’ option.

I looked up ADHD, sorted by date, and read an article which explained the investigation into whether or not dyes in foods could cause ADHD. Evidently the evidence is pretty slim. 

3. Pick one of the articles you found and read through the full text. Was the article written in terms you could understand without consulting a medical dictionary?

I read a hysterical article which refuted many of the current "miracle" cures on the market. It was very frank and the language was simple and to the point. Guess infomercials are lousy sources of good medical products. 

Source: Nutrition Action Newsletter  

1. Go to Medline Plus 

2. Look at a few of the links on the main page. What’s in the news column on the right side? 

• Common Antidepressants Tied to Higher Bleeding Risk in Warfarin Users
• Does Black Tea Reduce Diabetes Risk?
• HPV Vaccine May Benefit HIV-Infected Women

Indicate in your blog post what some of the top searches are as listed on the left side of the page

• amlodipine 
• Rank 12 of Top 14aspirin 
• Rank 2 of Top 14asthma 
• Rank 5 of Top 14autism 
• Rank 1 of Top 14diabetes 
• Rank 9 of Top 14gabapentin
• Rank 3 of Top 14hypertension 
• Rank 13 of Top 14lisinopril 
• Rank 8 of Top 14metoprolol 
• Rank 6 of Top 14multiple sclerosis 
• Rank 11 of Top 14osteoporosis 
• Rank 10 of Top 14shingles 
• Rank 14 of Top 14trazodone 
• Rank 4 of Top 14vitamin d

3. Click on tab “Drugs and Supplements” and search for a medication you take or you have seen ads about recently such as Prilosec or Cymbalta. Note the kind of information available.

Ibuprofen (where would we be without it?)

Why is this medication prescribed?How should this medicine be used?Other uses for this medicineWhat special precautions should I follow?What special dietary instructions should I follow?What should I do if I forget a dose?

What side effects can this medication cause?What storage conditions are needed for this medicine?In case of emergency/overdoseWhat other information should I know?Brand namesBrand names of combination products

4. Click on “Health Topics” and search for the same disease or condition you looked at in Health Source. How does the information in MedlinePlus differ from that in Health Source?

Medline Plus has a very easy to read overview on ADHD and then additional links, some to articles in Spanish. I think this would be super useful to parents seeking to understand a disease...

In Health Source, it seems as if the information is in the form of research journal articles and may not be as concrete and easy to read as the info. in Medline Plus. 
5. Look at the list of videos available by clicking on “Videos and Cool Tools” tab. Pick one video and launch it so you have an idea of what a patron would experience. What did you think of the video?

My daughter had an arrhythmia of the heart and recently had surgery to correct it. I watched part of a video called 

Electrophysiological Study and Catheter Ablation with 3D Mapping (Mercy Hospital, Miami, FL, 11/15/2007) which was about an hour long and graphic but informative. What a cool way to learn about certain procedures! 

Week 6!

Business Source Complete 

1. Do a search for available information on FM radio. Pay attention to the types of sources found.
Whoa, lots of technical stuff surfaced. However, I was intrigued with an article which said  that many talk-based traditionally AM stations (sports, all-news, etc.) are heading to FM because of the sound quality and the broader audience for FM.  For some reason, AM radio hasn't been on my radar for ages...not since I was a teenager back in the, um, late 60s and early 70s. I actually didn't realize that most of the programming there is talk-based, not music. Duh. 

2. Look for the visual search option and try it. Does it make searching easier or harder?
Visual search was pretty slow to load on my computer at home and seemed pretty confusing. I played with it for a while but didn't really get the advantages. I have to admit, I am the "try it first, then read up on it if I can't figure it out" type of learner. So off to the Help section which made the Visual Search much clearer. This time when I searched "fm radio" I looked at both the column and the block displays. I found the block display to be easier to use, especially to see the article titles without having to scroll way to the bottom of the screen. I also filtered by date for the most current results. Nifty. 

EconLit 

1. Complete a search to find resources for small business owners.

I did a search for "marketing Maine" and was pleasantly surprised to find articles written by economics experts in other countries on Maine potatoes and lobsters! 

2. Complete a search for items that pertain to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and small businesses.

This is a subject close to my heart and wallet, since my husband's schooner business and small shipyard must conform to lots of government environmental regulations...wastewater management, runoff from cleaning boat hulls on the marine railway, paint disposal, etc. I was interested to find a study which said that the larger the business the higher the expenditure per unit for pollution abatement: "We model establishments' PAOC intensity--that is, their pollution abatement operating costs per unit of economic activity--as a function of establishment size, industry, and year. Our results show that PAOC intensity increases with establishment size. We also find that larger firms spend more per unit of output than do smaller firms." 

Becker, Randy A., Carl, Jr. Pasurka, and Ronald J. Shadbegian. "Do Environmental Regulations Disproportionately Affect Small Businesses? Evidence From The Pollution Abatement Costs And Expenditures Survey." (2012): 35 pages. EconLit. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

3.Complete a search for items that pertain to tax policy and small businesses.

Here's another subject which hits close to home. I found an article entitled: Can State Tax Policies Be Used to Promote Entrepreneurial Activity?

Evidently Mainers believe that they can! Recent legislation has now exempted Maine windjammers from having to pay sales tax on supplies directly related to the operation of the vessels. This has just gone into effect. 

Regional Business News 

1. Pick a nationally known company. Search under the company’s name and look at the results.
Being a Mac addict, I searched under Apple to read up on the change of leadership in the company. 
It seems as if the decision to change leadership was well founded, and I learned some of the reasons why from a very direct article. I also learned the term "skeuomorphism," the inclusion of certain design elements that were once functional but remain simply for decoration

2. Narrow the regional search to something more appropriate for this area of the country.
Searching under Maine and technology, I was immediately envious to learn that Verizon has expanded to 4G internet services in Augusta and Waterville. Come on, Verizon! The midcoast is waiting! And you promised! Jealous. 
3. Choose a Maine company to see what information is available about either the company or its industry.
Although it is based in Canada, I searched TD Bank and was pleased to see that the bank has been planting trees from Maine to Florida, cutting down on paper use, and encouraging summer reading for kids! Way to go!

Value Line

I was interested to read that sales of seasonal beer brews are outpacing regular beer sales. We recently toured the Sam Adams Brewery outside of Boston, and we are fans. Looks as if their seasonal offerings are paying off. 

I love the phrase used in Value Line when your search is unsuccessful:  Try to relax constraints above.

I'm trying!

3. Pick a well-known stock such as Starbucks, General Motors, Apple, etc., and do a company search using either the general search box at the top of the page or “company look up.” 

Glad to see that Apple has a financial strength rating of A++. In their full report, the opening line is "Apple is still king of the hill." Talk about a positive outlook!

Wall Street Journal
Couldn't resist searching for Apple iPhone 5 to see what the buzz is all about. Apparently there are several key features which other phones offer, and Apple needs to step up to be competitive against the android phones. Bill payment and sharing media (near-field communication) are lacking. I think I'll wait for the next incarnation!
Still, sales are strong! 

1. Using the advance search feature, look for articles on small business and health care.
Lots of articles on why Romney lost the presidential election...
2. Look at how the results are returned and the suggested limiters offered by the site. What might a small business person be interested in?
I sorted by date, most recent to least. It seems as if timeliness is key.
I read an interesting and very clear article about the impact of the health care act on small business:

What The Health Care Decision Means for Your Small Business

Maltby, Emily. Wall Street Journal (Online) [New York, N.Y] 28 June 2012: n/a.

Week 5 NoveList Plus

I searched for Ranger’s Apprentice in NoveList Plus. Very nice to be able to search series…and for the result list to be in order by volume. I used the view mode to print out a list of just the vols. in order with titles. Nifty! Also neat to have the Read Alikes to the side for comparable books.

I often have students and staff who want “another book just like this one,” and using the Read Alikes and the author recommendations from NoveList will make my life much easier. If only I owned all the books…Aah, to dream.

I have an avid reader who is enthralled with Pete Hautman, and this kiddo is reading everything we have by that author. I used NoveList Plus to explore other titles by Hautman and found a nice set of reviews on each. How convenient for collection development! 

Week 4 Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center

I chose Antiques then Ephemera.

Our library doesn’t get any magazines at all, so it is great to see that those in the Hobby Ref. Center are full text.

Next I tried Arts and Crafts, then Jewelry Making, and then Projects. If I had a chunk of time, I’d love to try to make some of the earrings and necklaces! Cool:

Wisniewski, Kat

Source:

Step by Step Wire Jewelry; Oct2011, Vol. 7 Issue 5, p38-42, 5p

Abstract:

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making glass chain maille bracelet made of anodized aluminum jump rings and Czech pressed glass rings.

I also used the Find More Like This link to see related articles.

By using the Help guide, I was able to watch the online tutorial for this database. Very clear and helpful. 

Week 3 Newspapers and Maine Newstand

I searched Maine Newsstand for articles about my husband’s schooner, the American Eagle. I was surprised to find that the articles which surfaced were not arranged in chronological order. Hmmm. I then changed the Sort Results By to have the latest article come up first. Much better.

I created an alert which will send me info. on any newly published articles about the boat. Cool!

I enjoyed reading some of the blogs of other librarians, but here at school I wasn’t “enabled” to comment. Perhaps from home.

One HUGE hit was when I introduced our Health class students to MARVEL. They had a wide range of health topics they wanted to search, and they were thrilled to find lots of articles to use for their critiques. The teacher was especially happy, too, to be able to use this resource with his students. 

Lesson 2:

It's a crisp (below freezing) and beautiful morning for exploring MARVEL. And there is actually time, since it is Saturday!

1. I started with using the Britannica Pre-K to 2 edition. My first impression was "hey, where do I type in my search terms?" but then I realized that this is really, really designed for little ones. I clicked on the picture of an elephant to give it a try. Right away, I felt like I was watching a junior version of Nature on PBS...same steady adult male narrator was telling me about this giant mammal. However, since I was now trying to be a wee student on MARVEL, I had some questions. What is a savannah anyway? What is a kilogram and why does he keep giving me measurements in it? It was cool to learn that elephants have new teeth that will grow when theirs wear out and fall out. But what is ivory and why are elephants hunted for it? What does "illegal" mean? My biggest wonder was if male elephants grow up and move away from the herd, how do female elephants keep having babies? Just saying... Gee, I am an obnoxious youngster, but I do have a lot of questions. Maybe if I use this version of MARVEL some more, I'll find out the answers!  In a nutshell, elephants live on the savannah and in the forest according to the video. Nothing about the differences in their ears.

2. Wowee! The middle school version of Britannica has 9 pages of information plus video. They still don't explain savannah, but there is detailed info. on trunks and more. Big jump from the K-2 version.
It also has a table of contents on the left and links on the right to additional resources in media, journals, and best websites. Cool. I  can save, print, email, or cite the article, too. Go Britannica!

3. On Brit. H.S. I searched for Korea and then chose South Korea. On the right the population and area are listed. In addition:

Expand Your Research:

  Quick Facts

  Journals & Magazines

  The Web's Best Sites

  Additional Reading

For my students in 7th grade during the World Tour they design for their fictional rock groups, they will want to find out major cities, weather, any travel alerts, venues at which they would be able to perform, and native foods. Some of these things are readily available in CultureGrams. Are they in Britannica? Let's see. The table of contents does list Daily Life and Customs which would work. Cool. 

4. Workspace sounds ideal for a teacher to use to compile info. as a model for their students needing sources...and if research time is lacking, to provide students with a set of materials to use. I like that it can be shared as view only or can be emailed or accessed by a URL. We already use GoogleDocs with all of our students (especially those with laptops), and they will easily muckle on to Workspace for some assignments. This is something I will definitely share with kids and teachers, too. 

2b. Very nice to have this up to date so that kids and teachers can have access to current events. Google Translate will be helpful for our ESL students. I will share it with the ESL instructor. 

3. Britannica Blog is timely and would be a great resource for having students read and discuss, take notes, or find main ideas, supporting details, etc. in Lang. Arts or Social Studies or Science. Will recommend. 

2C. Disappointed to see little about our current presidential debates. Interesting to read the articles on Romney and Obama. Citation styles are handy, esp. for upperclassmen and college kids. Like the World Data Analyst. 

3. To create a workspace, you need to enter your name and email. For our kids using GoogleDocs, this should work same as with Britannica Public Library ed. Shared workspace is a great idea. Group projects!