US in the Library

Although you will need 3 print resources for this project, you don’t have to use 3 books. The library’s website hosts a variety of databases that include print material in easy-to-use databases. They have all the benefits of a reliable print source with all of the conveniences of searching for information online.

To access the library’s databases from school, simply go to the Library Website and click on the name of the database. To access a database from home, click on the “Access databases from home” link, found in the upper-right hand corner of the library’s website, and sign in with your FirstClass User ID and Password.

DATABASES TO TRY:
Encyclopedia Britannica – for general knowledge (reference articles)
Gale Biography – for research on people (reference articles)
Gale Virtual Reference Library – for research on the Medieval World (eBook)
Questia – for research on all topics (reference articles and eBooks)

DON’T FORGET TO CITE YOUR SOURCES!!!
Many databases make this easier for you by including Citation Tools. Make sure you select the MLA formatted citation.

INTERNET RESEARCH TIPS:

When searching for reliable websites online, remember your ABCDs. Check the site for:
Accuracy – Is the author or sponsor an expert?
Bias – Is the information one-sided?
Currency – Is the website well maintained?
Documentation – Can you find any references?

For help evaluating websites, try using this ABCD Web Evaluation Guide from North Seattle Community College.

Citing websites can be time consuming because they are not all designed with the same template. Generally, you will find useful information at the top and bottom or the article, page, or Homepage of the site you are viewing.

For this research project, you will need at least 3 book sources and 1 web source. When looking for a book source, remember:

1. Search the Library Catalog with the broadest terms that apply to your topic. The library catalog only searches book titles, short descriptions, and general subjects. Searches that are too specific will not wield results.

2. Once you find a useful book on the library's shelves, browse other books nearby. They are arranged by subject, so it is likely you will find many helpful sources together.

3. To determine if a book will be useful, look in the index, table of contents, and introduction. It's a good idea to skim all of these sections. If the index points you to a certain page, skim the pages before it also to determine if the information on the referenced page will be useful. To get a feel for a book in general, read or skim its introduction.

4. If you are looking for primary source material, try doing a keyword search in the Library Catalog using any of the following words: correspondence, diaries, documentary, documents, interviews, letters, manuscripts, oratory, primary documents, sources, speeches.

5. Ask a librarian for help when you are stuck. We have a lot of experience with our catalog and the library's books and love to help! (We are also your ticket to the reference books, as they are housed in the Library Classroom and there are often Latin classes using this space during the school day.)

DON'T FORGET TO ADD BOOKS TO EASYBIB OR NOODLEBIB THE MINUTE YOU DECIDE YOU WILL TAKE NOTES FROM THEM!!! Remember to search for a book in EasyBib with its ISBN, then make sure you are selecting the right edition if multiple choices are given.

What you need:
1. Sources to help match characters from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with their animal kingdom counterparts.
2. Sources to help find images of your chosen animal.

Where to begin:
If you have no idea what animal might be right for your character, try taking the test at The Animal in You with your character in mind.

If you’re still not quite sure what animal to choose:

Take a look at the library’s reference collection. Facts on File’s Encyclopedia of Mammals offers information on each animal’s Social Behavior. These books will be on Reserve at the Library Desk so that you can use them anytime in the library. There are great pictures for each animal, but you will either have to make copies of the images or sketch them out yourself.

Once you have an animal or two in mind:

Take a look at the library’s databases. Grzimek’s Animal Life is a great resource to search or browse through a variety of animals. Each animal entry has a section on the animal’s Behavior. You will find access to this database on the Blackburne Library’s website under the Science heading.

The New Book of Popular Science is also listed under the Science heading and provides even more information on animals and their characteristics. Don’t miss Encyclopedia Britannica, listed under the Encyclopedias and Dictionaries heading. It has great information and images.

Remember, you can access library databases from home by clicking on the “Access Databases from Home” link on the library website and logging in with your FirstClass ID and password.

Don’t forget to cite your sources:

Citing sources doesn’t have to be a chore. You will be making an account with either EasyBib or NoodleBib in your Information Literacy course this quarter. Use that account to cite any source you use for this project. Your teacher will probably want you to make an MLA style Works Cited, but it’s always good to check! Remember that database entries often contain a properly formatted source citation for the article you are reading right at the bottom of the page. Feel free to copy and past this if it is in the right citation style.

For more help searching for information:

Try browsing the library’s shelves in the Call Number Range 590-599.9

Try browsing or searching A-Z Animals. You will also find some great images here.

For more help searching for images:

Databases often provide useful images when you search them. Look for options to narrow down your search to “media,” “multimedia,” “images,” or “pictures.”

Not all images online are okay to use, even when you cite them correctly. To be safe, try to get images from Pics4Learning, FreePhoto or Flickr’s Creative Commons. (Make sure to scroll down and only search The Commons, and not ALL of Flickr.)

Make sure you cite your images, too!

For more help citing sources and creating a Works Cited:

Check out Diane Hacker’s Guide to Citation or any of the other links listed on the Library website under the Citation & Plagiarism heading.

For more help with ANYTHING, stop by the library. That’s why we’re here!

Finding French Resources at Packer

Search the Library Catalog for “French language”

Finding Resources Online

Google.fr online searching in French
Erudit
Persee

Ina.fr  video clip archive

Citing your Sources

Use MLA Guidelines

Create in www.NoodleBib.com or www.EasyBib.com

Read about in-text citations in Diane Hacker’s Guide to Research and Documentation

Packer is full of amazing people, but did you know that one of our Assistant Teachers recently published a young adult novel?

Every You, Every Me is a collaborated work in which Jonathan Farmer, Assistant Teacher in our Lower School, provided the book’s photographs before the story was even written. With the photographs provided, author David Levithan unravels a thrilling story of Evan, a teenager who is being followed, photographed, and threatened by an unknown stalker.

On Thursday, September 15, Jonathan Farmer and David Levithan will join several other authors at Books of Wonder to read from their new book. Stop by to buy a copy or just say, “Hello!”

Can’t make it, but want to know more about this book? Check out this conversation between the author and photographer: dft.ba/-farmerlevithan

Why should you use a library database for research?

They are designed to give you reliable information from trusted sources. They also help you sort through irrelevant information quickly and give you a head-start on citing your information.

How do I access the Blackburne Library’s databases?

First, go to the Blackburne Library’s website:

http://fc.packer.edu/Library/libweb/blackburne.htm

If you are at school, you can begin browsing through the available databases on our homepage.

If you are at home, click on the “Access Databases from Home” link in the upper right hand corner. You will sign in to this page using your FirstClass login information. Although this page looks a little different, it has the same databases as the library’s homepage. To go directly to this page, go to:

http://fc.packer.edu/library/erd/databases.htm

What databases will help me with my energy research?

Start with Greenr. If you browse the Issues and Topics section on the homepage, you will find an entire section dedicated to Energy. If you can’t find what you need, try the Basic Search or Advanced Search. Don’t forget to cite your sources!

If you need more information than Greenr can provide, try searching ProQuest. Don’t forget to cite your sources!

Where can I find pictures for my poster?

If you are searching in Greenr or another library database, try an Advanced search. Type in a keyword to search and then limit your search to pictures by checking the “Images” box. Then, the database will only supply you with images on your topic. Remember to cite your source!

If you are searching for images online, you need to remember that you cannot use any image that is searchable. Here are a few websites that have collections of images that are okay for you to use: (Don’t forget to cite your source!)

Flickr Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons

Pics4Learning: http://pics.tech4learning.com

Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

How do I cite my sources in APA format?

Most databases have a tool to help you cite the sources they provide. For more help on citing in APA format, go to the Diane Hacker guide on the library’s homepage. It’s listed under “Citation and Plagiarism” and can also be found here: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/

APA formatting is found under Social Studies on this website. Pay special attention to the “Documenting Sources” links, including ” the “APA list of references” and “APA in-text citations” links.

What if I need more help?

Come to the library! We are here to help you.

During your first visit to the Library for your 9th grade history research project you will be researching background inform about a person, place or event from history. Imagine that your goal for today is to learn enough about a topic to dazzle your parents, siblings, and house pets with this recently acquired knowledge at the dinner table tonight. Let’s listen in:

Parent: So, child of mine, what did you do at school today?

You: Went to the library to look up stuff about this Japanese woman, Murasaki Shikabu.

Parent: Really, what did she do?

You: You know, stuff.

Hmm. . . this doesn’t really meet the definition of dazzling, does it? Let’s try that again:

Parent: Really, who is Murasaki Shikibu?

You: Well, family of mine, she was an amazing women who lived in Heian-era Japan. She wrote The Tale of Genji, a glimpse into a society where court nobles  proved their worth through music and poetry. No one knows her real name, but her book is considered to be the greatest work of Japanese literature and the world’s first novel.  [You snap open your Japanese-style fan, elegantly masking your smugness as your family looks at you in awe].

Admit it. You want to be smug at the dinner table tonight. To make that happen, you need to use the rest of this period to dig into the resources, online and print, listed below. If you get stuck or can’t seem to find anything about your topic, talk to the librarian!

Online Resources
Click here to access these resources at home

Encyclopedia Britannica – the High School level version of Britannic is usually the best place to start background research. Don’t forget, the print edition is ready and waiting on the shelves if the internet connection is slow

World Book Online – Although less detailed than Britannica, World Book packs a lot of basic information into its articles. There is a print edition for this encyclopedia, too.

Gale Biography Resource Center – You should be able to find biographical information about any important person in the world through this database. Essays from The Encyclopedia of World Biography are often the most useful.

Print Reference Resources

These books are on the resource cart for this project. In most cases the title indicates the topics covered by the book, and keywords have been bolded. A short annotation has been added when needed.

• Great Religions of the World Ref 290 Nat
• Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World Ref 305.409103 Sal
• Encyclopedia of Jewish History Ref 909.04924 Enc
• Kingdoms of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa Ref 909.09 Gur
• The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages Ref 909.07 Enc
• The Discoverers: an Encyclopedia of Explorers and Exploration Ref 910. 922 Dis
• Ancient Civilizations 2 vols Ref 930 Kni - Includes information on Rome, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Africa, China, India, and the Americas
• The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Archaeology Ref 930.1 Cam
• Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire Ref 937.0603 Bun
• Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece Ref 938 Adk
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt Ref 932. 0103 Oxf
• Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations Ref 950 Hig - Emphasis on China and Southeast Asia
• Encyclopedia of China REF 951.003 Per
• Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan Ref 952.02 Dea - Covers the raise of the Samurai; for Heian Japan and Lady Murasaki, see Mr.Parson for additional material
• World Eras : West African Kingdoms, 500- 1590 Ref 966 Wor
• Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America Ref 972.01 Arc
• Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World Ref 972.81016 Fos

News Websites

• BBC
• CNN
• Economist

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

• Amnesty International
• Greenpeace

Quasi-Governmental Organizations

• United Nations
• International Court of Justice

Library Databases

• ProQuest (for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy magazines)
  After logging into ProQuest, click on the “Publications” tab and search
  either of these magazine titles. Once you have followed the link to that
  magazine, you can search within that title for your topic.
• Global Issues in Context

Model UN and other UN-related Sites

• The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN)
• THIMUN Forum
• United Nations Cyber School Bus
• United Nations Foundation
• United Nations System of Organizations – Useful index of UN organizations

For Mr. Kelley’s International Relations class project, you will need to find background information about a country. This pathfinder will point you to reliable Web and print resources for finding what you need.

Print

World Today Series - The multi-volume set includes short chapters on every country in the world. For each country you will find historical background, economic and political information, and important current issues. Volumes include: Africa; East and South Asia; Latin America;  Nordic, Central and Southeastern Europe.  These books will be on the reserve shelf at the Blackburne Library’s check out desk.

Web

CIA World Fact Book – Access to background information and a wide range of statistics. The clickable world map is cool.

United Nations Human Development Index – Country rankings based on an array of factors that indicate the quality of life around the world.

World Data Analyst from Encyclopedia Britannica – Allows you to compare a wide range of data, from demographics, to economics to military power – among countries of your choice. This database can only be accessed from school.

The library has two useful online resources for researching topics for History of Modern China. One is JSTOR, a database of scholarly journal articles, and the other is Questia, an online book collection. Both can be access by clicking on the link to Library Databases to the right. To access Questia, you will need to use your userID and password which has be sent to by email. To access JSTOR, you should set up a user name and password while you at Packer.