Wrap-Up

I learned so much from doing this challenge - very helpful information.  I particularly liked the World Book resources for children and teens.  I have referred several patrons to this site already as well as my kids.  My son used the information for his report on the JFK assassinatin. 

I also referred a patron working on his GED to the Learning Express Library - exceptionally useful and timely resource.   The genealogy sites are always popular and now I know how to use them a bit better. 

Overall, this was such a wonderful learning experience.  I had no idea that the State Library provided ready-made handouts on these resources for our patrons - easy to print out and have available.  I would encourge all SD librarians to take advantage of this experience; there is so much to learn.

Thank you to Julie and Jane for all of the time you have taken to make this a worthwhile class.  Obviously, it takes alot of your time, but  we appreciate it greatly!!

AncestryLibrary

I am an active user of Ancestry.com at home as I have my own personal account so this is comfortable territory.  When I looked up myself on AncestryLibrary, all my previous addresses came up from voter registration information.  I forgot I lived in so many places in college!

I've located a large number of relatives previously, but I did find a plat map for my great great grandfather's land in Strawberry Point, Iowa.  Sounds like a delicious place to grow up.

I really enjoyed the photo collections.  I found Civil War photos of Iowa prisoners of war, some really nice photos of Vermillion landmarks from the Library of Congress, and old photos of  Native Americans in that same collection.

I searched lots of family names on HeritageQuest and, of course, the census records were the same as Ancestry.  I found some legislative decrees related to the Missouri River and Native Americans that were really interesting.  This would be a great resource for genealogy fans looking for further information on particular places.  I found some interesting articles about the Strawberry Point, Iowa area regarding stagecoach hold-ups and the price of eggs.  It's nice they give the location and address of where the information can be accessed.

The Sanborn maps site is really interesting.  I found that Vermillion in 1903, there was a motel on Main Street where CorTrust Bank is now.  There were lots of small businesses - selling eggs, millinery, harness, jewelry, etc.  Things sure have changed!

I have work to do, but I don't want to stop digging.  History is too cool!!

CAMIO

Wow, who knew our national hero was such an accomplished silversmith.  Beautiful work!!  Loved the portrait of his wife as well - quite a looker. 

The Sioux artifacts were fantastic - such a wide variety from clothing to pipe heads to drawings.  Items you would never get the chance to see otherwise.

I searched for art by Renoir.  Particularly loved the work, "Lise in a White Shawl" -  one I hadn't seen before.  The picture quality is quite good as well.

Our library has an art print collection, so we could use this resource to round out our collection based on a particular artist or theme.  It could also be used for school reports by kids or even by persons planning a vacation who might want to see certain pieces on their trip.

I made a small collection of works with people reading and added to favorites.  This was a very interesting feature as I could group black & white photos separately from oils; contemporary works from older ones.  It made it easier to make cohesive groups. 

I found this resource really interesting and fun to explore.

ArchiveGrid

I looked up Sitting Bull Autograph card and found the site at Cornell University where this item is held.  When you go to the Cornell website, you can view his actual autograph.  While at the Cornell site, I found an article about Sitting Bull's wife who was killed in 1907 in a fire on the reservation. 

I searched several terms - Gosper County Nebraska History (where I was born); Clay County South Dakota (where I live now); and Keya Paha County History (where my husband was born).  I found a result for a woman who was born in Clay county and moved to Keya Paha county in 1916 - found that rather ironic. This is such an interstig site - I could spend hours searching.

WorldCat

I searched for Hilary Mantel's historical novel, Wolf Hall.  There were 2,279 libraries holdings.  The South Dakota libraries were the first on the list, but I couldn't access Mitchell, Brookings, Rapid City or  Sioux Falls.  I was able to view SDSU's record.  The call number is Recent Fiction PR6063.A438 W65 2009.  Mantel has written three other books, one being the sequel to Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies.  When I check under the subject heading, Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Sussex, her other novel comes up; but, when I search Great Britain, Henry VIII, several other novels come up.  I love historical fiction, so this feature is nice as I can find other novels that take place during the same time periods. 

I found some amazing photographs using the OAIster database.  They are from the Minnesota Reflections project.  In particular, there is one called "Log shanty with flag, woman & seven boys, possibly SD" that is really amazing.  I tried to pull up an article, The Gorge of the Missouri, but I think the site was experiencing difficulties or it was our internet connection.  Really interesting information.

I use WorldCat almost daily in my work as a cataloger, and I think it is fantastic.  If I'm doing original cataloging and need to brush up on a subject heading, I look through their records. 

Ebooks on EbscoHost

I did a search fo weight loss (yes, my New Year's Resolution has already gone by the wayside!!) and got 129 hits, many of which were more health related (nursing and women's issues) than weight related.  I found many of the sources very outdated in a realm where the information changes every week. 

I also ran into an issue where when I clicked on the title and tried to access the book via table of contents, it said it wasn't available but when I accessed it directly from the search page, it was.   Not sure if that's a glitch or me not using the site properly.

Honestly, I didn't really find what I would say is good information on Constitution Day.  The internet was much more useful than this resource.  I spent a lot of time looking and doubt a young person would have waited for me to find this info. Found several references to AP history but would have had to read through the book to find the information. 

The third search of western history with Oklahoma publishers provided much more comprehensive results, in my opinion.  Lots of information about Native American issues with regards to the army were available.  I especially enjoyed browsing "When Buffalo Ran" by Charles Bird Grinnell

Overall, I wasn't impressed with this resource - it felt cumbersome.

Gale

I checked out the medical reference collection and the Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health.  This encyclopedia consists of 4 volumes. Specifically, I looked through the resources on influenza.  This resource was very uer-friendly, well-rounded and easy to understand.    Medical information is a popular search option that needs to be frequently updated.  This allows us to have the most up-to-date information without breaking the bank on expensive reference items.

For part 2, I searched for the Buddhist prophet Nichiren.  There were several references that came up, all very comprehensive.  I tried the Listen function - rather robotic voice - but still a great feature.

The availability of this database would be fantastic for smaller libraries and those with limited budgets.  The cost of reference books is immense, and this allows the maintenance of current information with less cost.

Proquest

I searched the topic crosswords and memory on Proquest and got over 1,400 hits.  If a person were doing research, it would be very helpful to refer to the types of resources the information is coming from: trade journals, magazines, scholarly journals, wire feeds, even NPR.  I also found the graphic on the right-hand side that showed the decades of publication interesting - 1974-2013. Could be great for comparing/contrasting evolving thoughts on the issue.

I read several of my fellow Library Challenge participants blogs and found many of the same comments that I had.  This is a database that encompasses so many topics, you should be able to find whatever it is you're looking for!

I was surprised to find at least 9 library-related journals listed in the publications.  It's surprisingly easy to browse issues using the Preview button to the right of each article - gave a short synopsis. 

SIRS Issues Researcher

I chose the leading issue of Human Trafficking.  The topic overview gave a nice introduction to the issue - there was also an audio MP3 that read the overview to you.  The statistics tab provided you links to articles with stats but there were also graphic representations you could select as well - posters, charts, graphs, etc. It was also nice to see parallel topics to branch out in more specific ways. 

The Curriculum Pathfinders are very extensive - interesting that they also add research topics to go along with them.  I chose Archaeology as my subject.  I like the various formats that are available: government docs, newspapers, magazines, graphics/mecia.  The graphics section had some great pictures that could be embedded in your project.   

SIRS Discoverer

I thought a kookabura was a cute, furry mammal - guess I was wrong. 

I have children at home who would get great use out of this resource.  I like that the information is separated by format, i.e., newspaper, reference, magazine, web.  The various reading levels make the site much more user friendly for various age groups.  I even found an activity that could be used by a teacher in their classroom. 

Wow!  The map feature is awesome.  My 8th grader is studying the Revoluionary War and it's hard to explain to him how differently the country looked at that time.  It also breaks it down by time period as well as battles.  Impressive!

The last Database Feature I looked at was the Science Fair.  Again, very helpful for my daughter's 3rd grade science fair project.  It gives you an equipment and supplies list, instructions, and explanation of why you get the results you do. 

Learning Express Library

I took a portion of the GED Math test as well as the Civil Service Exam.  First of all, my math skills have gotten extremely rusty!!  That is one sad observation.  Secondly, what a great resource for test prep.  If you have some idea of what is coming, it will reduce your stress level as well as show you areas of weakness. 

I scanned through the Business Writing course - wow! I had no idea these courses were there and that they were so easy to access.  Excellent information in very concise and understandable terms. 

I typed 8th grade in the search box because my son is in that grade.  Several options came up including tests, courses and ebooks.  I chose the Praxis test ebook.  Again, I had no idea that this information was readily available at my fingertips. 

I think our large homeschool group would appreciate this information!!

Sri Lanka

The WorldBook Online Reference Center site is exceptionally well-rounded in its information.  Not only is there encyclopedic information, but maps, websites, pictures, and cross-referenced information from U.S. governmental papers.  Our patrons could use this information to get a broad range of information about a topic without having to go to multiple places. 

Tasmanian Devil #2

The Online Info Finder site provides much more detailed information than the Kids site.  Not only does it have more information about Tasmanian devils, but you can find information about the country of Tasmania, as well as details about marsupials. 

I found the Tasmanian flag very interesting, so thought I would share!!

Tasmanian Devil

During the day, the Tasmanian devil sleeps in a cave, a hollow log, or some other shelter. At night, it hunts for small animals to eat. Tasmanian devils also eat any dead animals they can find.