Learning Express

While I think the tutorial on the MSL site is very good, I did glaze over a bit when listening to the differences between setting up an account from home or in a library. That being said,the actual setting up of an account is easy and should be for most people.

I decided to try the GRE math exam. I thought it was all very straight-forward. I liked being able to monitor my use of time by looking at the countdown "clock" on the upper right side of the page. The screens are clean and easy to read. Being able to test myself at my desk, in my own home, was pleasant. The diagnostics and summary of the test results are very good. Being able to look at the answers and explanations is helpful and compliments the learning that is supposed to be taking place. (I'm not sure how much I want to brush up on my geometry at this point.)

In the "Job Search and Workplace Skills" center, I added the Business Writing I course. The course is very basic and chops the writing process into its elemental steps. For anyone who has never been exposed to the writing process, this would be a helpful course. Being able to go at one's own pace is a definite plus for this program. I also like how each exercise is saved and a final "product" is created from the completion of each step. I found this reinforced my desire to continue. My reservation about this course is the level of reading required. The program assumes a very high reading ability. Based on my observations, I think this could be a problem for some.

I selected an eBook for vocabulary improvement. I was disappointed. It is merely a collection of 501 multiple choice sentences, looking for the best word to complete the sentence. The answers are provided with a definition for the correct answer. I think this is a test not an eBook. I expected more reading about how to improve one's vocabulary, an explanation of word roots, etc. I also find scrolling down pages an unenjoyable way to "read." But then, I am one of the dinosaurs yet to succumb to an eReader.

Ancestry

I thought it would be easy to find evidence of my marriage in Maine. I was mistaken. I wasn’t surprised, assuming that a small town in Maine may not have reported the marriage of an out-of-stater. I decided to change the details of my search, using my birthday and place of birth. Again, there is no evidence of my birth. I tried searching using my parents’ names and still found nothing. Perhaps being born in a territory rather than a state makes a difference. I changed that—still no hit. Frustrated, I give up.

Finding my grandfather in the 1900 census is much easier even though I have much less information. I only enter his name and place of birth (I remember the town incorrectly but the state is correct). I am given several  “relevant” choices but I remember my great-grandmother’s first name so know which record to go to. The handwritten census report is difficult to read—but I find my grandfather (1 year old in 1900) and his siblings and parents in the census ledger. The manner in which the original record is displayed—right in the middle of the page—simplifies the search.

Going to Photos and Maps and looking at Maine, I discovered that there are few maps for the years I select. In fact, there is one image for each of the years I select from the list. One is of the Eagle Lake area, the other is a state map of Maine. When I go to the photos, I decide to look at Civil War images. There are in fact many photos of soldiers from Maine. I don’t know if any of my Maine ancestors fought in the Civil War but decide to search for information. I don’t find any matches. The photos are compelling. I wish I had more time to look at more of them.   

Consumer Health Resources

Week 7
Health Source--Consumer Edition
In looking at the publications in this database, I noticed that many of them are not peer-reviewed. Many are magazines that one would find at the check-out in the grocery store. Immediately I question the scientific integrity of these sources. That being said, I searched for "diabetes" and went to an article in "Diabetes (0-929661-16-8)", a publication of Medletter Associates with some kind of link to Johns Hopkins medicine.

I read "What is Diabetes," dated January 2011, one of the more recent articles based on the sort by "descending date. I read the article and concluded that it is written at much to high a lexile level for most people. In addition, the language was dense and there were no graphics to help explain the information. The one illustration showed the location of the pancreas in the body but did little to illuminate the relationship between insulin and glucose in the blood stream and cells. I have a pretty decent medical vocabulary, so I didn't need to consult a medical dictionary but I think many would. However, I doubt few would make use of the medical dictionary because another window has to be opened to get to it. With my internet connection it was so slow that I gave up.

Medline Plus
This is a very user-friendly site. The most commonly searched topics are asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and vitamin D. (I figure there are lots of people wondering if they need vitamin D supplements now that the hours of sun light are diminishing.)  The information for drugs and supplements is basically what is in the product inserts. However, I do think that the language has been simplified and the organization is such, that FAQ's can be answered by clicking on the hyperlinks at the top of the page.

The information on diabetes is much more accessible. It is clearly written and displayed. It is organized in a logical manner. I clicked on one of the diabetes videos and it was excellent, with colorful graphics that enhanced understanding. Without a doubt, a patron would feel as if his concerns/questions has been answered. If not, he could always rewatch the video or watch a different one.

Finally, I know that the sources of information referenced on Medline Plus are the most reliable in the US., i.e. NIH, Mayo Clinic, National Library of Medicine, etc. I currently have a poster on display with the health books which directs patrons to Medline Plus for current, reliable health information. Even small, "poor" libraries can get patrons quality health information with Medline Plus. A link to Medline Plus on our public access computers should be an easy convenience for us to add for our patrons.

Business Resources

Week VI
Business Source Complete
In my search for "FM Radio," I noticed the following:
The types of sources include trade and academic journals, newspapers, magazines, and product reviews. I clicked on the "Company Information" on the right of the screen and found this fascinating. A list of FM stations and companies appeared, with basic information as to location and annual revenues. I clicked on News Corps.because its revenues ($33Billion) were the most eye-popping. Drilling down, I could look at basic financials, products, whether it is a publicly traded company, ownership and management, etc. This was quick and informative and were I in the market for a partner, job, stock, etc. it would be a good place to start.

In using the visual search option, I found the "graphic" component very interesting. However, I concluded that the search terms used would have to be very specific to find the desired information. "FM Radio" was too broad a topic. When I narrowed it by "Public" FM Radio I got more of what I was looking for without having to guess which "box" to select.

EconLit
In doing my search for resources for small businesses, I noted that most of the articles are from academic journals or government reports. I decided to do a search that added the term "fisheries" to see what kind of information I might find for a young lobsterman. To be honest, I didn't find anything that would be remotely pertinent, useful, or at a reading level that would be engaging. I tried advanced search, as well as changing from Boolean to the other choices and the results became more and more bizarre. When I got a hit from a Croatian journal, I gave up and moved on to look for information about the EPA and small business. Again, I didn't find much that would be germaine to someone wanting to avoid EPA entanglements or trying to understand their regulations.

When searching for items pertaining to tax policy and small business, I got 21 hits. The first article was in the journal "Small Business Economics" and explores "Can State Tax Policies Be Used to Promote Entrepreneurial Activity?" This article would certainly be of interest to a policy wonk, but for the small business trying to figure out whether or not to locate in Hancock County, Maine it might be of little value.

I admit that my inability to find the kinds of articles I was looking for may be due to my poor search skills, but I think that mine are probably better than the average person's. I've concluded that this database might be more geared towards the academic than the practical, particularly since most of the articles I found were from academic journals.

Regional Business News
I selected Bain Capital as my nationally known company. With 1,942 results, I scrolled down until I found an article about a northeastern US company. I clicked on an article about a Pennsylvania concern, 4Moms. The article outlined why Bain had just given it an infusion of $20M. I learned that to make the most of this tool, it is important to click on the "full text" box. What I particularly like about this database is the option of having the article read aloud! Having a choice of 3 accents for the reader makes it entertaining. I recommend the Australian accent for anyone having a dull day.

For my Maine company, I selected Hannaford Bros. I read a full-text article about the LEED certification of the Augusta store. I had a harder time finding regional information about the industry, in general. I was successful in locating articles about Hannaford in the various regions of the country where it has stores. It was only through doing this search that I discovered that Hannaford has closed stores in North Carolina and wants to sell the remaining properties.

Value Line
Of interest to me was that I couldn't get to Value Line from the EBSCO Host site. I had to go back into MARVEL and get to Value Line from the alphabetic listing. When we lived in Iowa, I was one of those people who went to the library and stood in line to use one of 2 Value Line books. I would make sure I had all my questions written out so that I could search as quickly as possible in my allotted 20 minutes.

Reading the discovery exercise questions, I expected to find much of the information I would normally look for to be locked or abbreviated. However, I didn't find this to be the case. Once I familiarized myself with how to search for information on particular stocks, I found everything I could possibly need to evaluate individual stock performance, as well as industry-specific information. Even though I have a very poor internet connection at home, I didn't encounter any problems with Value Line. Not many people must know about this resource, as I didn't have any delays in using it. In fact, it was as speedy as anything today. I smiled when reading the Value Line pages...the online version is as blurry and the type is as small as it is in paper. The good part is that the "pages" don't smell musty.

Wall Street Journal

I found this to be the easiest resource studied this week. I used the terms “small business” and “health care” and got 120 articles. The suggested limiters are very helpful, including: health insurance, fines and penalties, employees, etc. I created an alert for “health insurance: and “penalties.” Having already looked at the Proquest site and other newspapers, I found using the Wall Street Journal site very similar. This is a great resource for those who want a decidedly conservative view of business challenges and concerns today.