Reflections

Before I began this exercise, I knew from my dabbling that MARVEL was an important resource that I should know more about. What most surprised me was the breadth and depth of MARVEL. Perhaps it is these very qualities which make it so unknown and under-appreciated. To be honest, even after going through the tutorials and the discovery exercises, I am still intimidated by MARVEL.

Telling someone to "log on to MARVEL" is not a very helpful suggestion. Guidance and teaching are essential if a patron is to become a MARVEL maven.With that in mind, I have three MARVEL goals for 2013.

1.  Other than putting more shortcuts on the PA computers (to the Britannica, etc.), I will hold a "discovery" session for my board members. They are my best community ambassadors and can spread the word about this wonderful resource that is there for the taking for all Maine residents. Ultimately, I would like to entice one or two of them to teach small groups of our patrons about MARVEL.

2.  One of my monthly newspaper articles will highlight MARVEL.

3.  Rather than "googling" a question, I will use MARVEL to look for at least one answer each week. This will force me to use what I have learned and, I hope, make me more proficient with MARVEL. If I am more comfortable and adept with the databases and searches, I should be better equipped to teach my patrons about MARVEL and the world of information that lies at all our fingertips.

I began this process because I thought I "should." As the weeks went by I found myself really enjoying the exercises and the actual learning process. I believe this is an incredibly powerful, efficient way for all of us to improve our "professionalism."  I feel that those of us who don't have degrees in library science have been given a wonderful opportunity to "up our game" and help our patrons in this fast-changing world of information and digital literacy. Thank you to all who worked so hard to make this continuing education opportunity possible.

EbscoHOST and eBooks

EbscoHOST

I am going to be doing a talk for a community weight-loss program and need to research the latest information on portion control and how it relates to obesity. I choose HealthSource—Consumer Edition for my search. When browsing the publications that are in this database, I am overwhelmed—there is everything from WHO reports to Prevention Magazine to scholarly journals. I do a basic search and come up with a wealth of articles. The one that is most promising is:  “Keeping Portions in Proportion” in the following journal:

Harvard Women's Health Watch; Nov2007, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p1-3, 3p, 1 Black and White Photograph, 1 Chart

While not as current as I would like, it is a high-quality, full text article. On my next search I will put in date parameters to find more current information.

I looked at several other blogs. I learned a few tips about searching in Academic Search Complete. I am now paying more attention to all the items on the search page. Careful reading is essential and it will be important to tell patrons that slow, careful consideration is needed when setting up a search.

eBooks

I decide to search for information about Uruguay. I am disappointed that the most recent titles are from 2000. While several of the results look promising—regional water use and employment—the information is clearly not current. I am also confused by the appearance of the “Historical Dictionary of Pakistan” as a result for this search.

When I search for “constitution day” I get the “Historical Dictionary of Taiwan.” Clearly, I need to refine the search. When I add “U.S.,” the results are more what I had in mind, with 83 hits, although only 6 are about the U. S. Constitution. One of the non-related items is the ubiquitous “Historical Dictionary of Pakistan.” Maybe this source really addresses a multitude of topics? I will look at it when I have more time. A couple of full text options are:

Representing Popular Sovereignty : The Constitution in American Political CultureFull Text Available By: Levin, Daniel Lessard. In: SUNY Series, American Constitutionalism. State University of New York Press. 1999. eBook. 289p.

Constitution in Congress : The Federalist Period 1789-1801Full Text Available By: Currie, David P. Edition: [Pbk. ed., 1999]. University of Chicago Press. 1999. eBook. 338p.

When I search for “western history” and Nebraska in the publisher box, I get nothing. When I change it to “or” Nebraska, I get 9 hits. Several actually are about Western history and include:

Mountains We Have Crossed : Diaries and Letters of the Oregon Mission, 1838Full Text Available By: Smith, Sarah Gilbert White; Smith, Asa Bowen; Drury, Clifford Merrill; Lewis, Bonnie Sue. University of Nebraska Press. 1999. eBook. 312p.

Overland Journey from New York to San Francisco in the Summer of 1859Full Text Available By: Greeley, Horace. University of Nebraska Press. 1999. eBook. 398p.

One of the books is a biography of Abraham Lincoln; a more obscure title is “Grand Illusion: The Prussianization of the Chilean Army.” Who knew?

Overall, I am not overly impressed with the sources available in the eBooks. However, without further investigation and exploration it is really too soon to dismiss this resource. And, without saying, the quality (or lack therof) of my searches may well have a lot to do with the somewhat comical search results.