1) When I searched for “Technology Education” and “Alaska” in Teacher Reference Center, I got 14 hits. Those additional limits brought it down to 9 articles. Here's the citation in MLA format:
"Technology Takes On Rural Alaskan Schools." T H E Journal 30.4 (2002): 52. Teacher Reference Center. Web. 31 Mar. 2012.
2) The same search in ERIC returns 81 results. The limits bring down the results to 3 articles. None of the three show a link to a PDF or HTML version, but if you follow the link in the record, each article displays on the screen as a PDF.
3) The search in Professional Development brings 18 results, and the limits narrow that to 4 articles. And yes, there is some overlap. I recognize the title about the former Apple executive, and some of the others look familiar, too.
4) Yes, there's a little overlap, but not really that much. The search done in all three databases together brings 100 hits, and limited it comes down to 7. I'm a little unclear about how I could have gotten 9 hits in Teacher Reference Center, yet only 7 when that database was combined with two others. When I look at the facets on the left, I see that 3 articles came from ERIC and 4 came from Professional Development, but only 3 came from Teacher Reference Center. Where did the other 6 go?
Maybe this is a lesson in trying to do things too quickly. Like I mentioned in the last post, I'm rushing through these exercises Saturday morning, so I think my lack of close attention is affecting my success. As I sit here saying I don't have time to double check, now it's really bothering me, and I want to re-do that search. Bear with me. Yup, figured it out. User error. I limited to articles after 1998, not 2008. Once I set my limits right, I got 3 hits.
So to answer the initial question -- what are my thoughts about searching the databases together vs. separately -- it's definitely more efficient to search them together.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Introduction to Alaska Digital Resources - Lesson 4a : Live Homework Help
I just watched the video, and that's amazing! I knew that the live homework help existed, but I hadn't really thought about what all it could entail. That is a great resource. Of course, since it's Saturday morning and I'm trying to rush through this assignment before heading to the cafe, I can't really use the tutoring service (it's not available until 1 pm). I didn't know that it included a career center. I could see the resume help being extremely popular and helpful, although it seems strange to work on a resume with all personal information removed.
OK, on to 4B. I'll have to come back and finish this exercise later.
OK, on to 4B. I'll have to come back and finish this exercise later.
Introduction to Alaska Digital Resources - Lesson 3 : Reader's Advisory
I must admit, I've been dreading this assignment a little bit. I've always felt very unqualified when it comes to readers' advisory -- I like what I like, but I don't feel comfortable suggesting authors or books to others. Opinions are subjective, and pleasure reading is so personal. We all have different preferences, points of view, and backgrounds.
1) Using the read-alike feature in NoveList is intriguing. I've been poking around for a while, and it's hard to say how accurate the recommendations are without reading all the suggested books. I have seen a few recommendations that are good, though. One book I really enjoyed recently was "Winter's Bone," by Daniel Woodrell. One of the read-alike recommendations was "To Kill a Mockingbird," which is one of my favorite books. They are linked because they both have a strong, young female at the center of the story. It is interesting that each book I put into the system was identified as "character driven." Aren't they all? I guess not ... I finally put in one that's considered "Plot driven." That makes sense; when I think back on it, I remember the story more than I remember individual characters. The series recommendations seem possibly helpful. I'm not that crazy about the read-alike recommendations, since they're only as good as the subject headings and other tags. It's better than nothing, and I could totally see myself using this to help someone find a book, I'm just skeptical that its recommendations are spot-on. At least it helps give someone a handful of options; that way, they can take the suggestions and evaluate several books to see if they're a good fit. Now that I've said that, the author suggestions are looking more interesting to me than the book suggestions.
2) OK, saved 'em.
3) Ah, that's a nice feature. After searching an author and using the series tab, when you click on the resulting title, that brings you a list of books in series order.
4) Wow, there are some good resources here. I could see the book discussion guides being useful to book groups or the featured book display ideas coming in handy in libraries.
Article: I'll get back to that later.
1) Using the read-alike feature in NoveList is intriguing. I've been poking around for a while, and it's hard to say how accurate the recommendations are without reading all the suggested books. I have seen a few recommendations that are good, though. One book I really enjoyed recently was "Winter's Bone," by Daniel Woodrell. One of the read-alike recommendations was "To Kill a Mockingbird," which is one of my favorite books. They are linked because they both have a strong, young female at the center of the story. It is interesting that each book I put into the system was identified as "character driven." Aren't they all? I guess not ... I finally put in one that's considered "Plot driven." That makes sense; when I think back on it, I remember the story more than I remember individual characters. The series recommendations seem possibly helpful. I'm not that crazy about the read-alike recommendations, since they're only as good as the subject headings and other tags. It's better than nothing, and I could totally see myself using this to help someone find a book, I'm just skeptical that its recommendations are spot-on. At least it helps give someone a handful of options; that way, they can take the suggestions and evaluate several books to see if they're a good fit. Now that I've said that, the author suggestions are looking more interesting to me than the book suggestions.
2) OK, saved 'em.
3) Ah, that's a nice feature. After searching an author and using the series tab, when you click on the resulting title, that brings you a list of books in series order.
4) Wow, there are some good resources here. I could see the book discussion guides being useful to book groups or the featured book display ideas coming in handy in libraries.
Article: I'll get back to that later.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Introduction to Alaska Digital Resources - Lesson 2 : Genealogy Resources
When I met with the others on Saturday, I discovered that I made a few mistakes on lesson one. I'm not going back to change them! Since what I'd like to get out of this course is more about process than getting "right" answers at all costs, I'm not going to fuss and go back. Just rest assured that I know the number I put under "how many women work in Anchorage?" is way off! It's for the entire state of Alaska.
Now on to lesson two. I'm already getting impatient with Heritage Quest, since I'm not finding my Grandmother. What's the deal?? I've broadened my search to just a surname, census year 1930, and state: Illinois, and I still get 0 hits.
Hmmm ... I broadened the search even further, to include all census years, and found NA under 1930. When I look at 1920, I get five pages of hits for the surname. Now I've found my Great Grandpa's name. Ooh, cool. Harvey and Clementine, with 6 kids, including my Grandma Dorothy who was 4 years old at the time. I remember these Great Grandparents as very old people when I was very young, so it's funny to think of them in their 30s. I just learned that both of their fathers were not born in Illinois, but in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Since I'm not familiar with local genealogy collections in my area, I can't speak specifically to how to safeguard them, beyond the obvious (try to make digital backups to paper documents, don't store everything in one place, etc.).
1880 was the first year that Alaska was included in the census, but much of the 1880 and 1890 data is suspect, particularly when it comes to villages in rural Alaska. Ask Atilla ... she knows a lot more about this than I do!
Wow ... some of these census records are REALLY hard to read! I'm trying to figure out my great-great grandfather's name, but I just found a totally illegible card. Switching to negative from positive doesn't help. Maybe if I download the TIFF file and play in Photoshop for a while I'll get it more legible. First, I should ask my dad if he knows the guy's name. Too bad the 1890 census data is gone ... I know my great grandpa was born in 1880, but I'm not sure what month. Chances are, he wasn't born yet when the census taker came that year, so without knowing anything about siblings or his parents names, I can't figure out who are his parents. If only I could search 1890, that would really help. I do see the importance of polling relatives who are still alive, too. Like I said, I should ask my dad if his grandpa had siblings, what his parents' names were, etc. It's a lot easier to fill in the blanks if I start my search with more information.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Introduction to Alaska Digital Resources - Lesson 1 : Business Resources
Discovery Exercises
1) The CFO of Microsoft is Peter Klein. Before working at Microsoft, he worked in corporate finance in Seattle, including at McCaw Cellular Communications and at Orca Bay Capital.
After my first unsuccessful search, I noticed a Browse column on the right hand portion of the screen with a link to Company Profiles. Once I found that, getting at the answer was a breeze. I looked again at the opening screen, and saw two links to Company Profiles! I need to be more observant ...
2) The big place to sell handicrafts online is Etsy. If opening your own store is too big of a leap, a major category of in-person handicraft sales is the craft fair or festival. Another is a local craft gallery. Chapter 24 of Leisure Market Research Handbook is findable in this search, and it is all about crafts. It has a brief breakdown of who creates crafts, then a resource list of fairs, festivals, and galleries, as well as contact information for craft associations. It doesn't really tell you how to start a craft business, but the "Small business Start-up Kit" in the database gives details about starting any business. Another helpful resource I found in this database was "Small Business Start-Up Guide: Alaska."
3) The "Industry Information by Small Business Type" links to articles and industry information on a long list of industries, including Crafts. General articles and practical business advice can be found here. Under "Browse Popular Sources," I looked at the book "How to write a business plan," which had a nice overview of why you need a business plan, plus good information on how to write one, complete with an example. This does look like a good resource.
4) A landlord's responsibilities include: giving the tenant a copy of any written rental agreement, abiding by the lawful terms of the agreement, keeping the tenant informed of any change in the landlord's address, making sure the premises are ready for the tenant, maintaining a fit premises, giving adequate notice of a rent increase, and returning the tenant's security deposit when the tenant moves out and/or giving a complete written accounting of money held for rent, damages, etc.
An advanced fee fraud is a notice you receive (sometimes from a "Nigerian prince") claiming you have won a large amount of money, you just have to send them a smaller amount of money first. There are a lot of variations to this scam, but the bottom line is ... don't send money to a stranger thinking you'll get more money back!
Phishing is another kind of fraud, where someone pretending to be an authority (from your employer, your bank, your credit card, etc.) asks you to "verify" (really to send) your account number or password to them. Trusting people fall for this fraud a lot, but scrupulous businesses never request information from their customers this way.
You can file a consumer complaint with the state Attorney General's Office. There are additional consumer protection agencies to which you can also file a complaint (Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau of AK/OR/Western WA, Internet Crime Compaint Center, etc.)
5) As of 2010, there are 149,571 female workers in Anchorage, and the region's top employer is the State of Alaska (excluding the University).
6) The phases of the small business life cycle are Think, Launch, Grow, Reinvent, and Exit. Under the Tools tab of this website you can find a checklist for starting a business.
7) In Nov. 2011, Heather E. Hudson published two presentations on the topic, called, "Broadband Policies for the North: A Comparative Analysis," and "Rural Broadband: Opportunities for Alaska."
In March 2011, Ginny Fay and Tobias Schworer published a presentation on considering small scale modular nuclear power in Alaska.
Many of ISER's research areas seem relevant to life in Alaska (economy, energy, fisheries, education, etc.). The state is unique in many ways (geographic, demographic, climate, etc.) so that research on the country as a whole doesn't take into account the specific issues of life in Alaska.
8) Since there are so many entrepreneurs in Alaska, there is always a need for business information. These resources we've just studied seem to build a strong foundation for all the tech-savvy (or library using) business owners out there.
1) The CFO of Microsoft is Peter Klein. Before working at Microsoft, he worked in corporate finance in Seattle, including at McCaw Cellular Communications and at Orca Bay Capital.
After my first unsuccessful search, I noticed a Browse column on the right hand portion of the screen with a link to Company Profiles. Once I found that, getting at the answer was a breeze. I looked again at the opening screen, and saw two links to Company Profiles! I need to be more observant ...
2) The big place to sell handicrafts online is Etsy. If opening your own store is too big of a leap, a major category of in-person handicraft sales is the craft fair or festival. Another is a local craft gallery. Chapter 24 of Leisure Market Research Handbook is findable in this search, and it is all about crafts. It has a brief breakdown of who creates crafts, then a resource list of fairs, festivals, and galleries, as well as contact information for craft associations. It doesn't really tell you how to start a craft business, but the "Small business Start-up Kit" in the database gives details about starting any business. Another helpful resource I found in this database was "Small Business Start-Up Guide: Alaska."
3) The "Industry Information by Small Business Type" links to articles and industry information on a long list of industries, including Crafts. General articles and practical business advice can be found here. Under "Browse Popular Sources," I looked at the book "How to write a business plan," which had a nice overview of why you need a business plan, plus good information on how to write one, complete with an example. This does look like a good resource.
4) A landlord's responsibilities include: giving the tenant a copy of any written rental agreement, abiding by the lawful terms of the agreement, keeping the tenant informed of any change in the landlord's address, making sure the premises are ready for the tenant, maintaining a fit premises, giving adequate notice of a rent increase, and returning the tenant's security deposit when the tenant moves out and/or giving a complete written accounting of money held for rent, damages, etc.
An advanced fee fraud is a notice you receive (sometimes from a "Nigerian prince") claiming you have won a large amount of money, you just have to send them a smaller amount of money first. There are a lot of variations to this scam, but the bottom line is ... don't send money to a stranger thinking you'll get more money back!
Phishing is another kind of fraud, where someone pretending to be an authority (from your employer, your bank, your credit card, etc.) asks you to "verify" (really to send) your account number or password to them. Trusting people fall for this fraud a lot, but scrupulous businesses never request information from their customers this way.
You can file a consumer complaint with the state Attorney General's Office. There are additional consumer protection agencies to which you can also file a complaint (Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau of AK/OR/Western WA, Internet Crime Compaint Center, etc.)
5) As of 2010, there are 149,571 female workers in Anchorage, and the region's top employer is the State of Alaska (excluding the University).
6) The phases of the small business life cycle are Think, Launch, Grow, Reinvent, and Exit. Under the Tools tab of this website you can find a checklist for starting a business.
7) In Nov. 2011, Heather E. Hudson published two presentations on the topic, called, "Broadband Policies for the North: A Comparative Analysis," and "Rural Broadband: Opportunities for Alaska."
In March 2011, Ginny Fay and Tobias Schworer published a presentation on considering small scale modular nuclear power in Alaska.
Many of ISER's research areas seem relevant to life in Alaska (economy, energy, fisheries, education, etc.). The state is unique in many ways (geographic, demographic, climate, etc.) so that research on the country as a whole doesn't take into account the specific issues of life in Alaska.
8) Since there are so many entrepreneurs in Alaska, there is always a need for business information. These resources we've just studied seem to build a strong foundation for all the tech-savvy (or library using) business owners out there.
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