After taking a look at the “teaser” video, I am extremely excited about major changes coming to SIRS Researcher, which we here access through GALILEO. The new version will be known as SIRS Issues Researcher, and highlights of the sleeker and more robust version include:
Essential research questions
A more comprehensive look at an issue, including its historical origins and impact on today’s society
More emphasis on the “whys” instead of the “whats” of an issue
More emphasis on the global impact of an issue
More international information sources
More multimedia, primary sources, and statistical data [charts, graphs]
More search enhancements
Topic/subject/keyword clouds and maps
Social bookmarking options (YES!)
Notetaking organizers
Citation generators
New critical thinking modules to help you as students better analyze the issue
More global and diverse perspectives
An audio read aloud option
Print and nonprint sources
Article translation into 10 languages
Correlation to state and national learning standards
These changes should be in place when we return to school in August! In the meantime, check out these great “sneak peek” resources!
Three of our GALE databases, GALE Student Resource Center Gold, Opposing Viewpoints, and Discovering Collection, now feature Read Speaker support! This feature allows students to listen to an audiofile of the article while reading the text; in addition, students can download the MP3 file of the article to listen at a later time. Take advantage of this cool new audio feature to increase your reading comprehension and listening pleasure!
Check out how you can use the new “add this” bookmarklet widget in the EBSCOhost 2.0 databases via GALILEO to bookmark your favorite database articles to your del.icio.us account!
Go behind the headlines and beyond the opinions to gain real understanding of today’s most pressing social issues with this innovative subscription database from ABC-CLIO.From terrorism to climate change, current events are an immutable part of our culture. But news sound bites and traditional databases often only scratch the surface in guiding us through a thoughtful examination of the issues.
Now, from the publisher with over 45 major educational technology awards, comes Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, a rich online resource that offers a more thorough, informative path to studying enduring issues: one that not only provides clear answers but also helps users frame their questions.Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society helps patrons develop a true understanding of how society shapes and is shaped by controversy—by offering authoritative historical context, expert perspectives, and carefully selected primary and secondary sources on the most enduring issues of the day. Produced in conjunction with leading scholars and educators, the database offers a graphical, straightforward interface that highlights up-to-date facts and figures, then leads researchers through understanding the complexities of both national and worldwide issues by modeling ways to think about them beyond simplistic pro/con debates.
This thought-provoking database does more than provide simple lists of information and keyword searches. Structured to support the historical inquiry process, it helps researchers make connections between the past and present. Users can search 150 of the most significant social issues and 4,000 reference entries, including thousands of images and audiovisual sources, by reference category, broad subject, or single issue. They can also dig deeper and learn the story behind the issues and enduring key questions through background discussions and detailed thematic analysis of the issues from the perspectives of scholars. With Issues, students from a variety of classes and general researchers will find what they are looking for, ask better questions, and develop more sound conclusions. In short, you will leave our library more informed.
Series Features
Over 15,000 primary and secondary sources in each database, including government documents, photographs and other works of art, video clips, and historic maps support students with differing learning styles and abilities
A series of chronologically and thematically organized in-depth lessons and activities provide context for greater understanding of an issue and a starting point for research projects—all cross-linked to related entries
Title Features
Provides comprehensive coverage of 150 of the most studied controversial issues, with more added every year
Delivers 4,000 diverse entries providing scholarly research from experts on each of the issues
Includes primary source documents such as President Lyndon Johnson’s Voting Rights speech to transcripts of court cases (e.g. Gitlow v. New York, 1925) to animation of the Indonesian tsunami of 2004
With more than 3,000 images and hundreds of audio/visual files, this depth of multimedia content makes Issues a valuable addition to any social science collection
The explore section helps students develop critical thinking skills by offering analysis of current issues by historians and scholars, presenting multiple viewpoints, supporting primary source material, and questions for further discussion
Highlights
Unlike other databases that aggregate information without providing context, Issues offers analysis and perspectives from scholars, a complete historical background of the issue, and supporting facts and figures
Content is written, selected, and organized specifically to help students understand and analyze the topics, guiding students in framing their own questions and supporting them in drawing sound conclusions about the issues
Ideal for everyone from the high-school debater to the undergraduate student to the general reader, Issues brings unique understanding to the topics that affect society on a personal, national, and global scale
Go to http://www.socialstudies.abc-clio.com/ and click on the icon for this database! See Mrs. Hamilton or Mrs. Fleet if you need a copy of our ABC-CLIO passwords.
Have you checked out the Encyclopedia Britannica blog? As you know, we have access to Encyclopedia Britannica via GALILEO. What you may not know, though, is that Britannica has a blog that is free to everyone! Blog posts covers a range of topics from culture, humor, education, sports, government, travel, and much more! There are even blog posts on”Campaign 2008″!
