eBook & Audiobooks (EBSCOhost)

Bibliographic Information: eBooks &  audiobooks (EBSCOhost).  http://ebscohost.com/ebooks. EBSCOhost. 

Plot Summary: eBooks & Audiobooks, a component of the subscription database services EBSCOhost, offers a wide selection of downloadable digital ebooks and audiobooks. This tool, paired with the other EBSCOhost products, offers researchers, students, and a variety of other users complex search results and a full spectrum of resources.

Critical Evaluation: N/A

Reader’s Annotation: eBook & Audiobooks by EBSCOhost offer ebooks and audiobooks downloads that perfectly accent the wide variety of EBSCOhost database search results.
 

Information About the Database: EBooks & Audio books is a component of EBSCOhost (EBSCOhost, 2012). The EBSCOhost platform offers a variety of services including: DynaMEd, H.W. Wilson, Digital Archives, and many more services (EBSCOhost, 2012). Receiving more than 100 million daily page views, EBSCohost is an excellent resouce for a multitute of schools, libraries, universities, researchers and a variety of other users (EBSCOhost, 2012).  EBSCOhost offers top notch data in a variety of different fields and prides itself in offering premium content to a wide user base (EBSCOhost, 2012).

Genre: Database

Curriculum Ties: Ties into lessons on better research practices.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Challenge Issues: No challenge issues.

1) Refer to Library Bill of Rights, see items: I, II, and III (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill).
2) Refer to San Diego Public Library collection policy - (http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/about-the-library/freedom.shtml).  Original site: The American Library Association (ALA) Freedom to Read/View Statement (http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement).
3) Refer to California School Library Association (CSLA), Model School Library Standards - September 2010 (http://www.csla.net/index.php/publications/school-library-standards). PDF: (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/librarystandards.pdf).

4) Refer t0 American Association for School, Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner (http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf)

5) Contact Office of Intellectual Freedom for any further support, 800-545-2433, ext. 4223 or oif@ala.org.

6) Refer to legitimate book reviews, such as: School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book and others; found on either Academic Search Premier, Follett's TITLEWAVE, or Amazon.com.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?: This database component offers students a wide variety of supplementary resources; such as ebooks and audiobooks. This subscription based service will give students the opportunity to increase the value of their research results by giving them a more complete view of available resources.

Reference Page:
 
EBSCOhost.  (2012).  About us.  Retrieved July 21, 2012 from http://www.ebscohost.com/ebooks

Gale PowerSearch

Bibliographic Information: Gale PowerSearch. http://www.gale.cengage.com/. Cengage Learning, Inc. 

Plot Summary: Gale PowerSearch is a super search function of the Gale research group. Gale PowerSearch allows users to search over all the different Gale product options, such as: Gale Virtual Reference Library, Science In Context, Biography In Context, and over 35 other products. This option allows users the widest net of information possible. 

Critical Evaluation: N/A

Reader’s Annotation: Gale PowerSearch is a high powered search option that offers researchers the widest net of information retrieval.
 

Information About the Author: Gale, a part of Cengage learning, is an e-research and publishing service for students, schools, universities, libraries, and a variety of other users (Gale: About, 2012). The Gale company offers over 600 databases that are in print, ebooks, published online, and in microform (Gale: About, 2012). Some of the resources Gale offers are: fulltext magazines, newspapers, and many other services (Gale: About, 2012). 

Genre: Database

Curriculum Ties: Tie into lessons on best research practices and resources.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Challenge Issues: No issues. If there are any issues, I would use the following items as a defense:

1) Refer to Library Bill of Rights, see items: I, II, and III (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill).
2) Refer to San Diego Public Library collection policy - (http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/about-the-library/freedom.shtml).  Original site: The American Library Association (ALA) Freedom to Read/View Statement (http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement).
3) Refer to California School Library Association (CSLA), Model School Library Standards - September 2010 (http://www.csla.net/index.php/publications/school-library-standards). PDF: (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/librarystandards.pdf).

4) Refer t0 American Association for School, Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner (http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf)

5) Contact Office of Intellectual Freedom for any further support, 800-545-2433, ext. 4223 or oif@ala.org.

6) Refer to legitimate book reviews, such as: School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book and others; found on either Academic Search Premier, Follett's TITLEWAVE, or Amazon.com.

Why did you include this database in the titles you selected?: This subscription database is a great option for schools and libraries because it teaches students, especially high school aged students, what reliable information sources and materials look like.

Reference Page:

Gale. (2012). About. Retrieved July 21, 2012 from http://www.gale.cengage.com/about/

JSTOR

Bibliographic Information: JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/. ITHAKA.

Plot Summary: JSTOR, a subscription based not-for-profit service, is designed to provide trusted scholarly content (i.e research articles, primary sources, and books) to students, researchers, and librarians (JSTOR: About, 2012). JSTOR can be accessed for free through your local library by simply using your library card.

Critical Evaluation: N/A

Reader’s Annotation:JSTOR, a non-profit service, offers a variety of people the reliable scholarly content they need.
 

Information About the Database: JSTOR was originally created to help libraries cut down on the cost of building a digital library (JSTOR: Factsheet, 2012). In 2009, JSTOR merged with ithaka. org (JSTOR: Factsheet, 2012). JSTOR has access to over 1400 scholarly journals, will soon be offering books, and is dedicated to preservation and high quality digitization ((JSTOR: Factsheet, 2012).

JSTOR also has an incredible reach and impact on many institutions (JSTOR: Factsheet, 2012). JSTOR reaches over 7,000 institutions in 150 countries, 990 secondary schools, 132 libraries in about 32 countries (JSTOR: Factsheet, 2012). JSTOR prides itself in providing access to reputable scholarly journals, primary sources, and soon, books (JSTOR: Factsheet, 2012).

Genre: Database

Curriculum Ties: Could tie into a lesson on best practice research methods and techniques.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15 +

Challenge Issues: No challenges. I will present the following listed materials if any issues do arise.

1) Refer to Library Bill of Rights, see items: I, II, and III (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill).
2) Refer to San Diego Public Library collection policy - (http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/about-the-library/freedom.shtml).  Original site: The American Library Association (ALA) Freedom to Read/View Statement (http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement).
3) Refer to California School Library Association (CSLA), Model School Library Standards - September 2010 (http://www.csla.net/index.php/publications/school-library-standards). PDF: (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/librarystandards.pdf).

4) Refer t0 American Association for School, Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner (http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf)

5) Contact Office of Intellectual Freedom for any further support, 800-545-2433, ext. 4223 or oif@ala.org.

6) Refer to legitimate book reviews, such as: School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book and others; found on either Academic Search Premier, Follett's TITLEWAVE, or Amazon.com.

Why did you include this database in the titles you selected?: I chose this resources because it offers teens another legitimate resource for high quality research materials, such as: scholarly journals, primary sources, and books. These are all important factors of a strong researcher and scholar.

Reference Page: 

JSTOR.  (2012).  JSTOR: About.  Retrieved July 17, 2012 http://about.jstor.org/about-us

JSTOR.  (2012).  JSTOR cover art. Retrieved July 17, 2012 from http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2011/01/12/jstor-to-add-ebooks-in-2012/#.UAdYbpHAHyI

JSTOR.  (2012).  JSTOR: Factsheet.  Retrieved July 17, 2012 from http://about.jstor.org/sites/default/files/jstor-factsheet-20120213.pdf

Grolier Online by Scholastic

Bibliographic Information: Grolier Online. go.grolier.com/. Scholastic, Inc.

Plot Summary: Grolier Online is subscription database service that is made up by different digital encyclopedias and is offered for free to library patrons with use of their library card. The database is broken down into tabs for: Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Patrons, Librarians/Educators. These age-related sections makes this an excellent resource for  teens and their research papers and projects. All results are broken down by reading level and also show which specific encyclopedia the information can be found in.

The only downside is that patrons must have a library card to access this service.

Critical Evaluation: N/A

Reader’s Annotation: Grolier Online, by Scholastic, Inc., offers one point of access for eight fantastic encyclopedias.
 

Information About the Database: Grolier Online is published by Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic Inc. It includes eight encyclopedia databases: Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, The New Book of Knowledge, La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, America the Beautiful, Lands and Peoples, Amazing Animals of the World, and The New Book of Popular Science (Grolier Online: About: Overview, 2012).

Genre: Database

Curriculum Ties: Can be used on a section on best practice research methods.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age: Varied ages, but specifically caters to high school student.

Challenge Issues: No challenges. I would use the following items if any issues did arise.

1) Refer to Library Bill of Rights, see items: I, II, and III (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill).
2) Refer to San Diego Public Library collection policy - (http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/about-the-library/freedom.shtml).  Original site: The American Library Association (ALA) Freedom to Read/View Statement (http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement).
3) Refer to California School Library Association (CSLA), Model School Library Standards - September 2010 (http://www.csla.net/index.php/publications/school-library-standards). PDF: (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/librarystandards.pdf).

4) Refer t0 American Association for School, Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner (http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf)

5) Contact Office of Intellectual Freedom for any further support, 800-545-2433, ext. 4223 or oif@ala.org.

6) Refer to legitimate book reviews, such as: School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book and others; found on either Academic Search Premier, Follett's TITLEWAVE, or Amazon.com.

Why did you include this database in the titles you selected?: I chose this item because it is an excellent source of research materials that can be accessed for free by teens using their local library card. Also, the features included in the database (broken up age groups, reading level notations, and various sources) make this a great resource for any teen working on complex school projects.

Reference Page:
 
Grolier Online.  (2012).  Grolier Online: About: Overview. Retrieved July 18, 2012 from http://go-passport.grolier.com/help_about?id=goabout

Grolier Online.  (2012).  Grolier Online cover art. Retrieved July 18, 2012 from http://www.ps32.org/library-resources/library-links/