NOVEL Databases

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A presentation for elementary school teachers and administrators

This product was supported by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES School Library System.

Welcome

Please introduce yourself and share one goal you have for this workshop.

You will learn… To successfully access NOVEL databases To choose specific databases for your

information need To use special features to narrow and refine

their searches The benefits of accessing online databases

Agenda

Welcome and Introductions Who are we and what do we want to learn?

The NOVEL Databases What are these databases?

Types of Resources and Information What do they contain?

Wrap-Up How can I use NOVEL databases with my

students?

Have you ever wondered? How can I find reliable health information?

Where can my students find information on why volcanoes erupt or what a tsunami is or why can’t penguins fly?

Where can I find good primary sources for my

unit on inventors?

NOVEL

The New York State Online Virtual

Electronic Library

NOVEL Databases An electronic collection of books, e-journals, full-text

magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, and other databases licensed on a statewide basis for free public access through local libraries and remote locations such as home, school, and office A source of high-quality, reliable, up-to-date information

available only through licensing/subscription (not available free on the Internet).

Levels the playing field for all New Yorkers by permitting individuals to share access to the same resources regardless of economic, geographic, or physical circumstances.

NOVEL Databases Business & Company Resources Center —global business information including over 300,000 companyprofiles, Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) —contains full-text entries found in nine searchableonline reference titles focusing on health and history.These reference titles include Gale Encyclopedia ofAlternative Medicine, Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer, GaleEncyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Gale Encyclopedia ofMedicine, Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health,American Revolution Reference Library, American Civil WarReference Library, Major Acts of Congress, and HistoryBehind the Headlines.

General Science Collection —provides information on all aspects of the scientificworld and offers full-text coverage for more than 60 ofthe most popular science publications.

Health and Wellness Resource Center — a sourcefor both medical care professionals and consumersconcerning important current health information.full text of over 650 journals and many reference services

Informé Revistas en Español — specificallydesigned to meet the research needs of Spanish speakingUsers; 40 full text Spanish languageand bilingual magazine journals, reports andmaps; a total of over 75,000 articles are updated daily.

InfoTrac Custom Newspapers — offers over 150full text newspapers including New York Statenewspapers and the New York Times full text for thecurrent year.

InfoTrac Junior — especially designed for juniorhigh and middle schools. It features hundreds of titlesmost critical to school libraries and the curriculum.This database includes hundreds of full text newspaperarticles from the Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service andmore than 300 full color Rand McNally maps.

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National Newspaper Index — provides indexing(1977—present) of America’s top five newspapers;the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian ScienceMonitor, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

Primary Search via Searchasaurus—designedspecifically for the young researcher, it contains fulltext for more than 60 popular, elementary schoolmagazines. All full text articles are assigned a readinglevel. It also features 30 full text student referencebooks, including Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia and theAmerican Heritage Dictionary. An image collectioncontains over 100,000 photos, maps and flags inaddition to full text access to the Encyclopedia ofAnimals.

Topic Search — This current events database allowsresearchers to explore social, political and economicissues, scientific discoveries and other topics. There isfull text for over 64,000 articles and more than 3,000diverse sources, including international and regionalnewspapers.

Twayne’s Author Series — features the content ofover 600 books that comprise three print series—United States Authors, English Authors and WorldAuthors. This series is devoted to literary criticalinterpretation and discussion for readers ranging fromhigh school students through college and above.

MasterFILE Select — contains full text for nearly

750 periodicals covering general reference, business,

health, education, general science, multicultural issues

and much more. This resource also includes full text

for more than 1,200 pamphlets, 40 reference books,

6,900 Magill Book Reviews and includes Essential

Documents in American History—U.S. Constitution,

Speeches and more.

Your students are researching penguins. They have thought about what they want to know and have developed questions to research.

We’ll start with Primary Search…

Let’s take a closer look…

Primary Search via Searchasaurus Designed specifically for the young researcher, it

contains full text for more than 60 popular, elementary school magazines.

All full text articles are assigned a reading level. It features 30 full text student reference books,

including Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia and the American Heritage Dictionary.

An image collection contains over 100,000 photos, maps and flags in addition to full text access to the Encyclopedia of Animals.

InfoTrac Junior — especially designed for juniorhigh and middle schools. It features hundreds of titlesmost critical to school libraries and the curriculum.This database includes hundreds of full text newspaperarticles from the Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service and more than 300 full color Rand McNally maps

Let’s look at another database, still researching penguins

Choose which type of information you want

How does NOVEL compare to searching on Google?

What’s the difference between Google and the NOVEL databases?Internet Anyone can publish – no evaluation

Is free to everyone Is targeted to adults

Uses key words

Cannot limit by reading level

NOVEL Databases Contains up-to-date, reliable

information -- magazines, newspapers, and encyclopedia articles…– authoritative sources

Is free to NYS citizens Has specially designed searching

screens and databases for children and young adults

Uses key words and controlled vocabulary (subject headings) to help uses find what they want

Some databases can be limited by reading level

How to Access NOVEL Databases

IMPORTANT: Type in the local information on how to access NOVEL databases via public and/or school libraries including the URL, IDs and Passwords

Reminder: The access information is on the NOVEL brochure you received as a handout

What you have learned

To successfully access NOVEL databases

To choose specific databases for your information need

To use special features to narrow and refine their searches

The benefits of accessing online databases

Wrap-Up

What curriculum units are best to integrate NOVEL Databases?

What challenges exist? What are the next steps?

Go home and try this yourself:Hand-outs to help you search NOVEL

You are a 4th grade student researching the Eric Canal: How and where was the Erie Canal constructed? How did its construction impact immigration and the economy of New York State? (Hint: Use EBSCO’s Primary Search via Searchasaurus.)

You are a 2nd grade student searching for information on the white whale: What does it look like? Where does it live? What does it eat? How long does it live? (Hint: Use EBSCO’s Encyclopedia of Animals; find a photograph in EBSCO’s Primary Search via Searchasaurus)

You are a 5th grader who is learning about inventors. You want you to find out when George Washington Carver lived and what he invented. Your teacher suggested you look in both reference books and periodicals. (Hint: Use Info Trac, and Jr. Edition, K-12)

Thank-You!

Email me with your questions (add your email address here)