Finding+the+Best+Resources

Finding the Best Resources
Presenter: Pat Hoberg and Dale Dodds School District: Warwick School District Email:

Blog Notes on __Finding the Best Resources for Your Projects__ Presented by librarians Blogged by JoAnne Hangen CFF Coach Lancaster (McCaskey HS)

- local search engine - cybrarian - copyright, fair use, ethical, legal expert - information and resource specialists - know how to set up project from a literacy standpoint - collaborator, co-teacher - counsultant - know digital resources - cheerleaders and commiseraters - information literacy - can help narrow down resources
 * TALK to your LIBRARIAN**

- Know how to find resources - Critically evaluates sources
 * Information Literate Students**


 * Invisible Web – Subscription Databases have expensive resources that are already paid for by the state, school, or IU which means they are free for the teachers and students, moreover, they are better quality than those resources that are free to the whole world.**

- the best resources are not necessary free - schools have subscription databases, accessible from library homepage - basic level, New Book of Knowledge, - next level, World Book Online - - **Power Library** – phenomenal – can get from home – in school
 * Netlibrary – entire books online
 * Oxford Reference Online – finds quality references online

Use monitored search engines - Nettrekker – can have it read aloud to students, indicates reading level Get ID and password from librarian or IU

– Velcro crop crisis – lesson to prove that if it is in print it isn’t necessarily true -.edu but look for ~ (tilde) which means it is a personal website and may be biased - Use Wikipedia for references and external links, but watch out for inaccuracies - Google is in business to make money, not meant for good research
 * Evaluate for reliability**

- embedded search engine, looks to the web and library catalogue - library book search and website search done simultaneously - Web Path Express – gives just websites, leveled by grade, moderated
 * Destiny**

- Internet Public Library - Librarians’ Internet Index - Kathy Schrock – good for 9th grade - Blue Web’N
 * Subject Directories**

Books are not to be overlooked.

“In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us to swim.” Linton Weeks, The Washington Post, January 13, 2001

Invite your librarian into the pool!

Ask your librarian to come to your classroom or take your students to the library.