Transcript technologyfinalx

Biography Research Tips
Why use a database instead of
Google?
 Google is a search engine. It will only give
you what you ask for – its not smart and that
which it gives you may or may not be reliable.
Google is not policed by anyone. The
websites it finds for you could have been
created by ANYONE and they could have put
any information on the site, true or not! Look
at this website and see what you think.
 www.allaboutexplorers.com
Well….
 A database on the other hand has people who
add information to it because they have been
hired to do so. They are people who are
experts in their field, people who have much
knowledge about what they are writing.
Usually, the contributors to online databases
are professors, scientists and men and
women who hold degrees, usually Phd’s in
their field. You can count on this information
to be reliable.
Reliability
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Let’s look at some of the information from our earlier website.
Christopher Columbus was born in 1951 in Sydney, Australia. His home
was on the sea and Christopher longed to become an explorer and sailor.
However, as a young man, Christopher went to Portugal and got
involved in the map making business with his brother, Bartholomew.
This business made Columbus a rich man. His books of maps are still
found today in every library in the world. WHAT
 During this time, people were very interested in finding a sailing route
around Africa to China, Japan and India. They believed they would find
expensive jewels and riches. The experts believed that sailing east was
the best route. Columbus, however, argued that sailing in the opposite
direction would get them to these lands much faster. King John II of
Portugal, along with the Kings of France and England thought Columbus
was crazy and refused to help him make the voyage.
 Columbus knew he had to make this idea of sailing, using a western
route, more popular. So, he produced and appeared on infomercials
SERIOUSLY which aired four times daily. Finally, the King and Queen of
Spain called his toll-free number and agreed to help Columbus.
Well…what do you think

Voyages of Christopher Columbus: In 1942 he set sail with three ships,
the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria and about 90 men. The voyage was so
much easier than sailing east. On October 12, 1942 Columbus landed on
an island southeast of Florida. He claimed this island for Spain and
named it the Indies, since he thought he had landed in India. He named
the native people of the island Indians. The Indians were excited by the
newcomers and their gadgets. They especially enjoyed using their cell
phones and desktop computers. THIS IS CRAZY
 Columbus returned to Spain in 1939 and was hailed as a hero. He was
known as the first person to walk on American soil. A huge parade was
held in his honor. He appeared on Larry King Live and became quite
famous around the world.
 Columbus made three more voyages to the lands of Hispaniola,
Dominica, Trinidad, Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras and Panama. These
trips were all documented by National Geographic and opened a whole
new business of tourism for the country of Spain.
 Columbus died in 1906. He is buried in Valladolid, Spain.
The truth
 Though this looks like a reliable, well
produced web site, it is actually full of
misinformation. I am quite sure that
Columbus never appeared on Larry King Live!
Also, if you look at the authors of the website
– you will see they have very interesting lives.
Does she seem like and
expert?
 Lauren Zucker, MD, is the AllAboutExplorers.com Staff
Psychiatrist and Botanist. Known worldwide as the
discoverer of the rare Australian Ligh-Ligh bush, which has
arguably the sweetest fruit of any plant, she is better
known in our offices for her delicious Lighberry jam. Lauren
is also a voice-over actor, and her work has been heard in
nearly 1.2 million radio and television promotional and
public service announcements. For some reason, though,
she refuses to record the greeting announcements for our
office phone system. The webmaster (see above)
recommends that you email her and try to talk her into it.
Lauren enjoys clear soft drinks, disco, and creating origami
power tools. She has lived her entire life underground.
So What Does Reliable Look
Like
 In general, you will find the most reliable
information from websites that end with .edu
(educational organizations), .gov
(government entities) and .org (generally
non-profit or community groups). This is not
to say that .com websites do not have factual
information on them. It is up to you to look at
several sources to verify the information you
are finding is accurate. You should also be
able to find author information on the site.
Let’s Validate
 Let’s say I am interested in finding the birth
and death dates for John Adams. I am going
first to the online databases on the public
library website, America the Beautiful and
Biography Resource Center. Both of these
databases give me the same information –
born 1735 and died 1826. It is always
important to make sure to check your facts,
no matter where you get them, by comparing
at least two resources.
Example
 http://www.biography.com/articles/John-
Adams-37967?part=7
 If you follow this link to biography
information on John Adams, you will see that
the article was written by a man named
Joseph J. Ellis and that the information was
taken from the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
Using the online databases
 Click on the following screencast for a
demonstration on how to use the online
databases at the Jefferson County Public
Library.
 http://screencast.com/t/Mjk1YWI1MT
Using other library resources
 The following two links to screencasts will
demonstrate how to use other library
resources and the library catalog.
 http://screencast.com/t/ZTY0NmE1
 http://screencast.com/t/NjNkMGQ3Nm
Recommended databases
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Daily Life Online (Formerly Greenwood Daily Life Online)
Collects several related databases that allow you to explore everyday life past and present. Find
out what people ate, wore, and used. Research topics such as food, fashion, holidays and teen life
in America and around the world. Brings history up close by looking at people's everyday lives
throughout the centuries. Includes the databases Daily Life Through History and Daily Life America
as well as the complete contents of World Cultures Today. Licensed from Greenwood Publishing
Group, Inc.
Biography Resource Center
A database of biographical information on more than one million people from throughout history,
around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. Includes approximately 300,000
biographies from Gale sources as well as full-text articles from nearly 275 periodicals. Licensed
from Gale CENGAGE Learning.
America the Beautiful
Each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and major territories are covered.
Essays cover history, geography, economics, government, culture, and major cities. Special
features include essays on U.S. presidents and major Native American tribes, timelines,
educational games, an almanac and more than 1,000 Web links. Licensed from Grolier, Inc. Guide
More databases
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American Indian History Online
Contains detailed articles, historical documents, maps and charts, biographies,
images, legends and timelines. Licensed from Facts On File.
History Resource Center: U.S.
A database for information on U.S. History topics. In addition to periodical
articles and reference sources, the database includes multimedia, chronologies,
primary sources and biographies of historical figures. You may also cross-search
the companion database, History Resource Center: World to find additional
information on a topic. Licensed from Gale CENGAGE Learning.
History Resource Center: World
A database focused on world history topics, from ancient times to the present
day. In addition to periodical articles and reference sources, the database
includes multimedia, chronologies, primary sources and biographies of historical
figures. You may also cross-search the companion database, History Resource
Center: U.S. to find additional information on a topic. Licensed from Gale
CENGAGE Learning. Guide
And more databases
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Kids InfoBits
Designed especially for students in kindergarten through grade five.
Kids InfoBits meets the needs of young students with simple, quick
access to curriculum-related information on current events, arts,
sciences, health, people, government, sports, history and more.
Licensed from Gale CENGAGE Learning
 Pop Culture Universe
A comprehensive database containing authoritative reference works
about popular culture. Includes information about pop culture figures
and icons, as well as topics such as fashion, media and technology, food
and popular music. In addition to browsing these topics, you can also
read overviews for each decade from the 1920s through the 2000s.
Licensed from Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc
 World Book Online For Kids
Contains articles and multimedia specifically for young students. You
may search for articles or click on the pictures on the main page to begin
exploring a range of topics. Licensed from World Book, Inc
Reliable Websites
 www.biography.com
 www.biography-center.com
 www.achievement.org
 www.loc.gov
 www.infoplease.com
 www.notablebiographies.com
Rationale
 Each of the websites being suggested will
provide students with reliable facts about a
variety of people across all walks of life.
 The recommended online databases are
specifically designed for conducting
biography research and should provide
students with a range of reliable information.
References
 All of the databases referred to within this
presentation are found within the Jefferson
County Public Library website under research
tools.
 Any of the online databases or other
reference materials referenced within the
screencast would be legitimate sources for
biography research.