Library Challenge-Ancestry Library

After some problems with Ancestry Library connecting at our Library, everything if working again. So I went to finish my final assignment for the Library Challenge. I took a class a few years ago, and did some researching on AncestryLibrary. I remember finding my grandmother's marriage and death certificate at that time. Now, I was quit frustrated. I tried to research my own name, looking for our marriage license. I found a record through the US Records Index stating my birthdate and current residence. Although, I moved across the street about 8 years ago from 441 5th Street to 420 5th Street, and my old address was still listed. My mailing address is POBox 390, which was listed, but POBox 71 was also listed. That was a mailbox that we had some years ago, probably at least 25 years ago. Then when I tried to research our marriage license, I had problems. I also put in my maiden name, which was Eidem. I received information on names from Adams to Eatons, with a few Eidem's mixed in. They were my cousins, so I guess I was a little related to my research. I did find some information when researching my husband's name (Greg Gemar) and got a little info. but not our marriage license. I'm wondering if it's all legal?! I did find a couple of my husband's brothers' marriage to their wives. When I marked the box for "exact" it jumped me to JoAnn Efta's obituary. She was my neighbor years ago, so I felt a little "related" to that search also. But I was very frustrated after an hour of searching. Was I doing something wrong? Are we still having problems with our AncestryLibrary at our library? This is one database that I would love to be familiar enough with that we could offer a hands-on class at the library. We have a part-time staff of 3, and if we could all be familiar with it, we could give some explanations for searching, and then just all be there to assist as people gave this a try, so I was disappointed since I couldn't find what I was looking for at all. I would like more help, or some explanations of why I had so many problems. I hope everyong else had more success than I did. But as I expressed in more summary, I was pleased for the most part with the class, and I am glad I took it. But, I need a lot more work on AncestryLibrary.

Wrap up

There are so many discoveries that I made. It was especially good for me to use the Archive Grid and CAMIO, since I had not used them at all yet. It definitely teaches you that the more you "play around" the more you will learn, and the better service we can provide to our patrons. When you read the intoduction to each database, and it points out how many hundreds of thousands of resources are available, I think we could spend a lot of time each day, and never see all there is to see. I'm so glad I took advantage of this. We always say we are going to spend time researching, but until there is a deadline to do it by, we just don't take the time. There are some I was frustrated with, seeing "no results" several times. I need to continue to work on my skills.

I hope to encourage our patrons to explore the databases by featuring one every month, as they are doing in Cornerstone. I think that's a good way to do it without overwhelming people. We can post flyers and handouts around the Library, and I can talk about each one in a little more detail each month in my newspaper article to peak their interest. I hope to host an Ancestry Library night in the future. I can see that as being one that many people are interested in.

Thanks again for offering the course in the format that it was presented. Even over a couple months, it takes a lot of time. But by spending more time, it was more valuable than just a 1/2 day or even a full day. Those will continue to push me, now that I made it this far.

Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest & Sanborn Maps-Library Challenge

I am unable to get to the Library for my research, since it is late at night, and I am leaving in the morning for Denver. It will be interesting to see if I can access the databases while I am there. I hope I can get the Ancestry Library in before Sept. 10, but I will only be home part of a day before that.

I tried to search many people and places with Heritage Quest, but didn't have success. I will have to spend more time, and maybe I'm not selecting good names or places to use for my search. It is frustrating when you keep getting "no results". I'm sure the problem is probably me, but I'm not sure what to try.

I did enjoy searching through Sanborn Maps. I looked at Scotland at two different time periods. I found one of the businesses that was located on the map in 1923-1935 is still at the same location today, and though it has changed ownership it still goes by the same name.

Library Challenge-Lesson #8 Learning Express

I started with the quiz about Learning Express, and felt I did vert well. That was good, since I didn't do very well on the practice exams I tried. Oh boy, it's time to challenge our brains. This is a great site for anyone working on new degrees and challenges. It's also great for the adult population that just needs to keep challenging ourselves. While browsing through the site, I noticed there are 96 exams offered. The first one I chose was Health Career Practice Entrance- General Science. I was a nurse (some years ago) so thought this would be great. Unfortunately, I didn't think about General Science basically being physical or earth science. But it was a great experience. Then I tried the Biology portion on the Health Career Practice Entrance, and that went much better. I know it's not to see "how"we do ON the test, but rather navigating through the test. Learning Express is VERY user friendly. I spent some time in job searching and resume writing. I think it's time for me to review some correct punctuation, especially colon's and semi-colons. I looked through the ebooks offered in Learning Express and would like to spend more time with "Read Better, Remember More". I will have to go back. I hope we can encourage parents and teachers to get kids to try Learning Express in many situations.

Library Challenge-Lesson #7

Archive Grid and CAMIO are new to me. I spent this evening at the Library, since we cannot access this site from our home computers. I really enjoyed this assignment, since I had not had any exposure to this site before. I found it user friendly, and full if information.

Discover Exercise Part 1 instructed us to research "sitting bull autograph card". It is located at Cornell University, call # 9052. They have the autograph card and the envelope for the card. I clicked the link and learned that sitting bull, also known as Tatanka iyotake, Tatanka Iyotanka or Ta-tanka I-Yotah. Native American shamen and leader of the Hunpapa Sioux. He fought against Crow Indians and was wounded in battle on several occasions. Sitting Bull greatly opposed the encroachment of the white men. He led Sioux and Cheyenne warriors against United States soldiers of the 7th cavalry at the battle of Little Bighorn. After the battle, in which many were killed, Sitting Bull led his tribe to Canada, where they lived until surrendering to U.S. forces. After his capture he toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Sitting Bull was killed while resisting arrest for his unwillingness to abandon the traditions of the ritual Ghost Dance, which had been outlawed.

Collection Covers: Sitting Bull 1834?-1890 Hunkpapa Band of Dakota or Sioux Indians and Autographs--United States.

For the second part and my "own search" I searched SD Artists and got 189 results. Just below it said "searching for a name use SD artists as a proximity search". I was able to click the words SD artists from that phrase and got 3 results. 1. Eleanor Tufts papers from Southern Methodist University. Tuft was a recognized authority on women artists, and it matched by search options since it featured woment's artists project South Africa, South American and South Dakota. The word "south" was highlighted in each spot. 2 Papers, 1898-1989 Huseboe, Arthur R. (1931- ) Library of Congress National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections located at Augustana College, Center of Western Studies, Sioux Falls, SD. It gave me the opportunity to click on "read more" Dakota Artists. This told me "correspondence, lectures, notes, curriculum material, meeting records, biographical material, project papers, reports, published articles, periodicals, books, photographs, and other papers of Huseboe and his wife, Doris E. Huseboe, also a professor at Augustana, chiefly relating to the promotion of Norwegian American heritage in South Dakota. . . and Huseboe's An Illustrated History of the Arts in South Dakota (1989) commissioned by SD Arts Council and SD Committees on the Humanities containing an article on Sioux Indian Art by Arthur Amiotte and many references to state artists of Norwegian origin. There was a long list the collection covers. 3. Walter Bone Shirt ledger. Eighteen drawings: topics include buffalo robes, elaborate masks, and figures on horsebacks. Under "read more" it referenced Brule Indian ledger drawings, SD Rosebud Indian Reservation. This is located at the University of Montana in Missoula.

It was fascinating that even small items can be located and accessed with time. Even though my search took me through a Norwegian heritage as I researched SD artists, thinking I would find mostly native american artists, it taught me a lot. I actually attended Augustana at the time that the Huseboe's were there, so that was awesome to learn. The Center of Western Studies is a great afternoon visit. This is a fabulous resource, and there is so much that can be accessed.

The CAMIO site is all new to me also, and another awesome site. I typed "Paul Revere" in the search box and found 34 works. Many personal items and photographs are included on the site, but is states the creator of each and the the approximate time they were made or discovered. There were 25 separate displays in 2 pages that were made by Paul Revere. Some photos showed more that one item in a photograph, so actually more that 25 items were made by our Revolutionary War Hero, most from 1761-1793 from the dates recorded. What a talented silver- smith I typed Sioux in the search box and found displays of beautiful art work, beaded clothing, hand carved pipes, and photographs. There were 4 pages and 63 works listed. The location of each item is listed. I searched Monet for my favorite artist and was able to view many of the artists work. I paged through many of the paintings, clicking the box to the left of the image number and choosing them to "add to my favorites". After making at least 10 choices, I could view my favorites, move them around and delete any I changed my mind about. It gives many options for us to use these beautiful works of art, expecially at a time when art budgets are being cut. We should all take some time the look, and enjoy.

Library Challenge-Lesson #5

I am finally doing my NetLibrary assignment. I had trouble accessing this site from home, maybe I missed that somewhere if it told me I needed to use it from the Library only.

The search topic that I used as my "topic of interest" was immigrants. Since I am reading One Read SD, that is a topic of interest to me now. There were 1444 results, all were ebooks. When I focused the search to immigrants to South Dakota, it narrowed it to 34. It was interesting, since I was thinking of modern day immigrants to SD, but it reminded me that we are all immigrants (other than the Native Americans, that is). The first article I read was an article by a Native American who made the statement, "we don't view it the same as the immigrants arriving". So that was a great reminder to me, and reminded me that the immigrants they were talking about (our ancestors) were not the same immigrants I was thinking of by reading "What is the What" by Dave Eggers.

The second part of the assignment instructed us to look up Constitution Day. I got 1067 results. From the first entry, I learned that "Sept. 17 , marks the day the constitution was signed, thus Constitution Day. It was first proposed in 1916 that this day be recognized, and it was first observed in 1919. It was remade as Citizen Day by Congress in 1952, changing the focus of the holiday from the history of the document to the duties of the American people." from Representing Popular Sovereignty. I tried constitution and day or observation without success Related topics listed were constitutional and administrative law. So I would recommend Representing Popular Sovereignty: The Constitution in American Political Culture by Levin, Daniel Lessard and Let's Celebrate Today: Calendars, Events, and Holidays by Marks, Diana F.

The final assignment required us to research western history. Using advanced search I put western history (keyword) and Nebraska or Oklahoma. There were 61 results, all ebooks. The sort by box stated rank, and most of the articles made reference to pioneers and prairie stories. Then I changed from "rank" to "oldest first" in the sort by box, and the focus changed to titles of Great Western Indian Fights and My People: the Sioux. Once again the era made a difference to what was pertinent through the search.

It was very good to spend time searching NetLibrary, and it will be a ongoing learning process.

Library Challenge- #5 NetLibrary

Oh brother, I am lost with this one. I have spent a lot of time searching, but I must not have any basic skills. I typed in "constitution day" into every search box I could find. I also tried "western history" in all my search opportunities, and nothing. I did find some interesting information, (none of which I was looking for) by starting with view all resources. I found an interesting chart about education statistics for all states, and I did find the South Dakota information there very interesting. Am I suppose suppose to have a specific ebook that I am searching, and know what chapter, and then go from there. I guess I failed on this one, unless tomorrow brings more inspiration on how to approach searches in NetLibrary. This is my first attempt on NetLibrary. Any suggestions? Anyone?

Library Challenge-Lesson 6

I'm skipping past Lesson 5, since I have been unable to access NetLibrary from my home computer. When I started doing my research on WorldCat, I thought "I know this, and use it often". Boy was I wrong. I have been using it in it's simplest form, there is so much more. It was very interesting, and I hope I keep using all that I learned. I used the tutorial, and felt it was very beneficial. After spending some time looking at different ways to search, I started working on my assignment. I looked for the book "What is the What", the current One Read SD selection. There were 35 results to my search, 26 in English. 1701 libraries worldwide have this item. The top library listed was Augustana College. Yeah, that's my alma mater. I then clicked into my #1 selection and see the full record. I looked for the call # (class descriptor). LC PS3605.648 and Dewey 813/.6 (which is what we use at our Library). I clicked the author's name and there are 54 total results. I clicked on the first title there, and of course, got the subjects of those. If you aren't reading the One Read SD, I would highly recomment it. I'll tell you a few of the subject headings to get you interested. Sudanese--United States/ Refugees--Sudan/ Refugees--United States/ Sudanesischer Fluchfling/ Sudan--History--Civil war, 1983-2005. Pick it up, it's a good book. I am especially interested in it, since my son works with immigrants and refugees.

For the second part of the assignment, I looked and looked for what I was looking for. Since the assignment said "search in database" I was looking for exactly those words. Boy, I truly am the most challenged in the class. Finally, I accessed the "database" tab and found exactly what I wanted. It's so much easier than I made it. Wow, this is where I was feeling like, there is so much more on the WorldCat and FirstSearch than I ever realized. I selected OAIster as directed and typed South Dakota in the search box. I selected the first item which said "Sinclair, Lewis" and I thought, "I must be in the wrong place, what does this have to do with SD?" It was a letter written by Lewis Sinclair to Marcella Powers. He talks about "leaving Minneapolis . . .Albert Lea. . west to the Dakota border. West through Sioux Falls, SD a roaring metropolis of 34,000." I going to do a little more research. I have a daughter who has had several medical papers published through the Univ. of Wisconsin. Will I be able to find some of these research papers? I'm anxious to find out. Of course, I'll also have to back-up and do lesson #5.

GALE assignment for Library Challenge

GALE is the database I am least familiar with, so boy did I need this one!! I didn't stray very far from just researching topics that were suggested. I used the basic search to find the foods that contain zinc. I discovered the book Minerals by Tom Brody, clicked on that and then used the search box on the left to look for zinc. I like that the search words are in red so I can quickly scan through the articles and find what I am interested in. To quote Minerals page 1188, lamb, beef, leafy greens, root vegetables like potatoes & carrots, shellfish and organ meats (liver or kidneys) contain zinc. And too much fiber can reduce the absorption of zinc and lead to zinc defiancy, which can cause mental retardation. But you probably all know this from your research. You were maybe more comfortable at trying new topics.

I struggled a bit more with the second idea of literary criticism of Huckleberry Fin. I tried many ideas and saw "No Results to Search". I don't know what I was doing wrong, but it took be some time to find what I wanted. I used the Basic Search again, and finally had success when I looked for "entire documents." I clicked on the the book Literature by David Reddall and others. As I scanned this article, and checked the area entitled Civil War to War, I found what I was looking for. "A national masterpiece, Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin (1884) has been universally admired since it's publication though it continues to stir controversy in politically correct circles because the author permits his protagonist to speak the mind of his age and call his runaway slave friend, Jim, "a nigger". Some readers miss the moral metamorphosis that Huck undergoes, and the salvos Twain launches against ignorance and prejudice." In my opinion, we sometimes forget that while the word "nigger" is offensive to us, at the time this literary work was published, it was a commonly used word. But the research was very interesting. I did also try the "read to me", and that is VERY cool, especially for kids.

Just for my own interest, I researched multiple sclerosis, since I have MS. I enjoyed reading some interesting articles from common symptoms to medication, and other available treatments. I missed a week of study since I was gone, so everyone else is probably ahead of me, but I am enjoying the Library challenge.

Discovery Exercise--Proquest

For my topic of interest, I researched "texting and driving". I found this topic interesting because it is in the news everywhere, and every States are deciding how they will deal with the distracted driver. I read an article from the Journal of Transportation; Atlanta; 7-17-10. 40% want internet in cars, and 50% admit to illegally texting/phoning while driving. BUT 87% believe in-vehicle web access is a safety concern, and 95% want internet banned or restricted in vehicles. We have a dilemma, since people want it both ways. So, I'm not sure how we will solve this. In 2009, National Highway Traffic Safety Adm. found nearly 6000 people died in crashes involving distracted drivers, and more than 500,000 were injured. (P.S. please make your car a no-phone zone.)

In an article by David Runk in Transportation Topics; Alexandria; 7-5-10 the conclusion seems to be we need to educate the public. Michigan's ban on texting while driving is an enforcement challenge. Texting drivers are fined $100--It's the Law. The article points out texting, like drunk driving or lack of seat belt usage is a public safety issue.

It was interesting to read the articles on this topic. They were easy to locate, since it is a topic in the news right now.

As I did the second part of the assignment I used the publication tab to locate Library Quarterly. I researced the topic of rural libraries, since that's "where I am". There were articles from grants and funding opportunities to where libraries are going in the future. I also located where we can find SDLN holdings available to us by Inter-Library Loans on these topics.

I agree with Library Chick that Proquest is handy for research, especially when there is a specific topic, or you know the specific publication you are looking to research. You can really find anything. But I did have some frustrations when I thought, "well I will just use this to find some ideas for a storage cabinet I want to have built". I am not familiar with carpentry publications, and probably wasn't using the right search words, so I kept getting the message about narrowing my search. I think to have success at every topic, you need to know the proper language for searches.

SIRS Discoverer & SIRS Researcher

I enjoyed "playing" on the databases, and I am hoping I can get more educators and librarians to take time to research and keep investigating these sites. I think that is the key to helping our students get more familiar with these databases also.

I used SIRS Discoverer to look up armadillos. I learned a lot (being a SD girl, and never having seen an armadillo). For the first time I learned they can burrow and wedge themselves tightly into a protective position and a protective hiding place. The armadillo can also swim across a river or stream by taking in a large gulp of air, blow up their stomach and intestines like a balloon, and paddle itself across. I also enjoyed seeing the photos. There was a great photo of the armadillo rolled up in a ball. Once again I learned this from my 2 year old grandson. He told me they could roll up in a ball, but it was fun to see the photo showing how tight of a ball they can really get into.

Tanzania is the country I selected, using "country facts" for my research. My son spent 3 months in Tanzania, near Arusha, where he helped build a school. I liked seeing facts about the country, and I especially like the history facts you can find at a glance. In 1992 the Tanzanian government agreed to adopt a multiparty democracy. I was also taken by the fact that in the Tanzanian 2005 election there was a 72.4% voter turnout. WOW, I wish we could get that kind of turnout. Although historical facts were recorded from the 8th century until present times, it is understandable they don't have organized government services, since they have been a democracy for only 18 years.

The other topic I chose from 'database features' is pathfinders. This is changed every 30 days. It told of holidays this month, and famous people with birthdays this month. Amelia Earhart(1897-1937), the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic was born in July.

The SIRS Discoverer is a great place for kids to find facts, articles, and information.

With the SIRS Researcher I selected banned books. There are 17 newspapers articles, 3 magazine articles, 4 viewpoints offered, 1 reference article, and 10 graphic/media items. They offer pro and cons to the question: Should school administrators be allowed to ban books? An article from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly deliberated over stronger regulations on sexual images in 'manga' comic books, animation, and video games. (published 6/12/10)

An article from the Indianapolis Star was recorded awaiting the decision made as to the use of "Song of Solomon" by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison-- whether is will continue to be taught at Franklin Central H.S. The book was being read by the advanced placement English class, and has been used for 8 years without any challenge. I enjoyed reading the article, but I was disappointed that it hadn't been updated since 4/30/10. I wonder how that turned out.

Using curriculum pathfinder in SIRS Researcher I read some articles on Bullying in Schools. Both pros and cons were presented in articles. 89 total sources were cited.

The more you look, the more you learn. I hope kids will use these resources. I find I am more interested in history and knowledge now as I am older, than when I was a student. That's the challenge I guess.

World Book Advanced and World Book Discover.

I searched for the country Tanzania, since my son has made two trips there, and the people hold a spot in our hearts. The left side gives search results for maps, tables, sounds, pictures, back in time, special reports, websites and research guides. Click "sounds" and you can even have the opportunity to hear the Tanzanian National anthem. Once you click on an article the right side will give you primary sources. The images present a broad representation of the country showing Dar Salaam and Arusha (cities) and rural life and farming. It also has articles and photos of Kilimanjaro National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria. This is the area of Tanzania that brings many tourists to the area. Related articles tell of Jane Goodall, Terrorism, Huti & Tutsi conflicts, which gives some background and history for the researcher.

In World Book Discover I enjoyed researching American Government. There are 198 articles, and numerous features. The World Book Discover helps patrons who are still working on their English skills because is offers the opportunity to translate the text. This feature is easily found on the left side. Also, the feature video right now (The Great Depression) has printed text that you can follow at the same time as hearing the video.

The more we play around, the more familiar things are becoming.

Since my last post, I have changed by opinion a bit. I spent more time playing around with World Book On-line for Kids & World Book Students. While there is a lot of overlap and repeated information, they also continue to build upon each other. For instance, World Book for Kids and World Book On-line for Kids are very similar, but one builds on the other. World Book Student continues to build with more information. You can see on article contents listed on the left, that the number of articles are more. When you click on a photo, you are offered more articles, pictures, and research guides. It also links you to more related websites. Of course, with my topic being camels, the research guide didn't really apply to my topic. I also like the quiz that was offered, since it gives students on opportunity to check what they learned and comprehended.
It really is true that the more time you spend at it, the more information you will find. Keep hunting.

World Book

I used World Book Kids to research the camel. I learned that the dromedary camel has 1 hump and the bacterian camel has 2 humps. These humps are used to store fat, food, and water. Camels can range in size from 550-1500 pounds. The llama is the largest camel in South America, and the vicunas is the smallest camel in South America. I'm sure I learned this in school, but have since forgot that kind of information.

I enjoyed looking around between World Book Kids/ World Book On-line for Kids/ and the Info. Finder. I agree with "Ashley's SD Library Challenge" thoughts that the information offered in each area is the same. Is this for different "types" of learners? Does this make it easier for kids to research no matter their learning style?

I chose the camel since my three-year old grandson and I just rode on a camel at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls. This gives me a chance to show him pictures and information about camels from my computer.

ScotLib

Summer Reading Program is just about to start. If you are signed up, we will see you July 1, at either 9:30-10:30 or 11:00-12:00. Be ready for fun.