(#48) / InfoTrac Student Edition / (produced) by Gale Cengage Learning / (Database)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

InfoTrac Student Edition / 
(produced) by Gale Cengage Learning

(Access through Humboldt County Library)

Cost Unknown – Contact the company directly

2011

Body of Content

Summary: This is a high-level database resource for high-school students.  The formats are wide – allowing students to search within magazines, newspapers, standard reference books, along with more recent formats like podcasts.  The content is also diverse – helping students find resources throughout the majority of their coursework subjects– containing information on arts, science, history, sports, popular culture, etc.  The Student Edition searches a total number of nearly 16 million articles as part of its search matrix.  With the articles hailing from the years between 1980 and 2011, the database represents a good source of current information.  The database is very flexible for users – as the site contains a language toggle button to over 30 languages that are possible for information retrieval.  The site contains a simple design – with a homepage where the user does not need to scroll to perceive all options available to them (Gale, 2011).      

Critique: The search methodology is more professional than the Junior Edition.  And as such, the Student Edition contains more options – showing a more academic approach to research.  The site does contain a “basic search”.  But more interesting, the site contains an “advanced search” option presenting an excellent variety of retrieval options for the user.  For instance, the advanced methodology allows for searches according to keyword, abstract, full document, title of document, publication language, etc. – and contains further helps such as publication date and word count – all of which provide the user the option of creating a Boolean, word-string search with keywords –or a Boolean, organizational-string search with structural data.  The user’s previous research and content knowledge of their topic could certainly help them with so many options.  At the very least, it does not handicap the users – but allows them to search how they best see fit.      

Further search limits include searching only peer-reviewed publications, only full-text documents, and more interestingly, only documents with images.  As a modern database, Student Edition allows for faceted search results – which can receive further specificity and limitations post-search. Overall, this database presents a very clear, clean, and searchable database that any high school student could employ in their research projects.

Teaser: The convenience of Google – plus the expertise of a cache of database resources. 

Information about the Author: See entry #47.

Supplemental Material

Genre: Reference

Curriculum Ties: Library – information retrieval, electronic databases

Booktalking Ideas: 1) Did you know that you can search within different format categories?

Reading Level: The database is intended for use in high-school settings – for ages (15-18). 

Challenge Issues and Defense: Given the educational format and the types of articles as academic in nature, a lack of challenges is expected.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I wanted to include a few databases – unfortunately, the local library did not have much of a selection, though this database seems of high quality.   

Last Thoughts

References:

Gale. (2011) InfoTrac Student Edition (Homepage) [Database]. Retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=STOM&u=locpac_hucl

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Phil Wickham/ Album – “Heaven and Earth”  

(#47) / InfoTrac Junior Edition/ (produced) by Gale Cengage Learning / (Database)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

InfoTrac Junior Edition / 
(produced) by Gale Cengage Learning

(Access through Humboldt County Library)

Cost Unknown – Contact the company directly

2011

Body of Content

Summary: The Gale InfoTrac Junior Edition represents an academic database – set for the purposes of aiding school curriculum and helping students find resources for their projects and papers.  The results appear in ranked fashion – similar to Internet search engines.  A handful of format types are searchable (magazine, newspaper, etc.).  Although the database is primarily intended for an English audience, language translation includes the addition of three new languages – possible translations for Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages.  Some special features include text-to-speech technology to aid students with special learning situations.  The site includes around 300 indexed sources – with 230 of those available as full-text, retrievable documents.  Additional help tools allow students to view documents as PDFs, change citations to different cite styles, transcribe the article into a MP3 for later listening as an audio file, translate the article into a variety of languages (11 are possible), besides the basic capacities of printing, downloading, and emailing articles and search results (Gale, 2011).    

Critique: This database contains a very simply interface.  The search fields and matrixes are very bare-boned.  While this creates a straightforward search procedure, the student does not have much in the way of advance search techniques.  And as such, a librarian could do little to demonstrate more effective searching techniques – such as Boolean search strings.  The advanced search option does allow for searching within different format types – within encyclopedias and/or magazines and/or maps and/or newspapers and/or references or all source types.  The search boxes do allow for “and” functionality – but the database is devoid of keyword strings attached by “or” and “not”.   

While this database contains a decent amount of information, such a simplistic operational framework leads itself more to audience in lower high school grades or upper middle school grades.  Libraries looking for more academic venues – i.e. looking to prepare junior and senior year students for university studies – should look elsewhere.  

Teaser: A straightforward interface allows students easy access to a host of resources for their research purposes.

Information about the Author: Gale is an educational company – specializing in academic publishing and educational database programs.  The Michigan-based company was founded in 1954 with a few business mergers and/or purchases along with way.   Other popular database collections – besides the InfoTrac label – include Gale Virtual Reference Library, Health & Wellness Resource Center, Military & Intelligence Database, Book Review Index, and Biography & Genealogy Master Index.  Gale is broad business – with an online presence which includes Encyclopedia.com and New Catholic Encyclopedia (Wikipedia, 2011).   

Supplemental Material

Genre: Reference

Curriculum Ties: Library – information retrieval, electronic databases

Booktalking Ideas: 1) “Looking for help in an attempt to write a killer term paper?”

Reading Level: The database is included for students – for either middle school or high school ages – with best usage by students (12-15).

Challenge Issues and Defense: Given the educational format and the types of articles as academic in nature, a lack of challenges is expected.  The information is more limited and narrow than an Internet search (in general) – leading to fewer challenges of particular objections to content.  

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I wanted to include a few databases – unfortunately, the local library did not have much of a selection. 

Last Thoughts

References:

Gale. (2011). InfoTrac Junior Edition [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.gale.cengage.com/

pdf/facts/itjr.pdf

Wikipedia. (2011). Gale (Cengage) [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/

wiki/Gale_%28Cengage%29

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Third Eye Blind / Album – “Third Eye Blind”   

(#38) / GamePro / (founded) by Patrick J. Ferrell / (Magazine)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

GamePro / (founded) by Patrick J. Ferrell

ASIN: B005BZJUAA/ International Data Group (IDG)

p. 92 / $ 3.95 (Amazon)

2011 (July issue)  

Body of Content

Summary: The magazine is largely a review source for video games – across a host of game consoles.  Each issue holds a wide variety of reviews – with this issue looking more closely at the following games – “The Lord of the Rings: War in the North” – “Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City” – “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” – MMA Supremacy” – “Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One” – Tomb Raider” – and “Game of Thrones” – among others (p. 3).  The magazine also contains a few articles dealing with the video game culture – for lack of a better idiom.  These articles refer to trends in game design, self-construction of a PC unit, and video game classifications – with interviews of game designers and industry experts as part of the write-up.   

Critique: Whether it is a book or a magazine, the author(s) have an intended audience for their work.  Often, in the case of magazines, if someone looks at the advertisements, then they can decipher a great deal about the intended readership.  Looking at GamePro, it is clear that younger males comprise the key demographic.

One ad from Digital Storm for a specially-made gaming computer shows a computer tower – in ominous red light – with a chain of bullets draped across the tower – with the headline reading “DOMINATE your opponents” (p. 21).  Another ad markets the Blu-ray version of Battle: Los Angeles – an action-based alien invasion movie – with the review headline “Pure Adrenaline” (p. 17).  Further, an ad for a fantasy game reads “He’d love to wake up next to Nina” (p. 50).  The ads present a consistent message that males – heavily interested in hot technology, violent action games, and sexual innuendos – demonstrate their chief demographic.       

Teaser: “All the latest game news, reviews, and cheats that a serious gamer could ask for!”

Information about the Author: In 1988, Patrick J. Ferrell started the magazine with Leeanne McDermott, his sister-in-law.  Early contributors also included a husband-wife duo of Michael and Lynne Kavish within the design aspects of the magazine.  The founders teamed with a major publisher – IDG – and settled in various Bay Area cities (San Mateo, San Francisco, and Oakland) over the years (Wikipedia, 2011).  In a 2002 news article, industry experts reported that GamePro held 3 million monthly subscribers – mostly to a male teen demographic (Business Wire, 2002).

Supplemental Material

Genre: Gaming 

Curriculum Ties: Technology – video games graphics, game design, game theory

Booktalking Ideas: 1) How does GamePro’s review of a game stack against other industry standards like GameSpot? 2) “See the feature article on the newest addition to the Elder Scrolls franchise!”

Reading Level: GamePro is a thoroughly young adult selection – read highly by teens 13-19 … and even a few procrastinating college students.   

Challenge Issues and Defense: Some games are rated-M for Mature audiences – even though the magazine contains a heavy teen audience.  Although the magazine does not contain a high amount of objectionable material, some parents may feel that it pushes, advertises, influences, etc. teens towards such titles for purchases.  The best defense is not one of exclusion from the collection – but rather to tactfully inform parents that they still hold parental rights over what product purchases their teens make – instead of asking for censorship of the collection.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I wanted a resource for males in the magazine format that countered the female-heavy Seventeen magazine.

Last Thoughts

References:

Business Wire. (2002). Find articles [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/

p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Sept_23/ai_91910470/

Wikipedia. (2011). GamePro [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GamePro

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Leeland / Album – “Sound of Melodies”   

(#36) / The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Visual Companion / by Jude Fisher / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Visual Companion /

by Jude Fisher

ISBN-13: 978-0618154012/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

p. 72/ $7.00 (Amazon)

2001

Body of Content

Summary: The work by Jude Fisher is a complementary text to The Lord of the Rings canon.  In her work, she provides summary-type material to the folklore – information that might have slipped the reader’s or viewer’s attention when reading the official Tolkien works or the Peter Jackson helmed film projects.  This is the first entry in her supplemental sources (she also wrote a second and third companion resource corresponding to the subsequent release of the theatric films).  In her work, she broadly highlights the people classes – of hobbits, of men, of elves, of dwarves, of the wizards, (and) of the dark forces.  She then spends time in each chapter highlighting key figures – key characters within that class group.  The information provides important information regarding the characters, while screen shots of the first film provided a visual context to the narratives. 

Critique: This is a more teen-friendly reference guide to the films and the books written by Tolkien.  The famed author actually wrote something akin to a reference guide – when he wrote the work The Silmarillion.  The book acts like an official history guide to his four Middle-Earth books – the three Lord of the Rings titles and their chronological prequel The Hobbit.  But The Silmarillion does not tell a narrative story – not one that would easily redact into a film.  It serves as a text to provide context, tradition, and history to the events leading up to the books in the narrative canon.

In Fisher’s work, she has taken that same intent – but made a more useable product – particularly with the inclusion of photos as an easy media to provide instant recognition – if a reader has seen the film version.  Given that the canon books include very different types of character names – from Gimli the Dwarf to Legolas the Elf – from the man Boromir to the hobbit Meriadoc Brandybuck – such a visual help to the readers is a welcomed one. (The book also contains a geographic map of Middle-Earth.)

Overall, the companion book acts like a reference book – and in that way, it provides an entry-level encyclopedia into the famed works of Tolkien.

Teaser: Tolkien’s classic work now has a companion resource – in the form of a visually aided encyclopedia.

Information about the Author: Jude Fisher actually is a pseudonym – as Fisher’s real name is Jane Johnson.  She also has written books under the name Gabriel King.  The 51-year-old author hails from England, though she married her husband, a tribal nomad, while researching a story in North Africa.  Besides writing efforts, Johnson served as an editor over some very famed fantasy, science fiction, and thriller genre authors – including Dean Koontz and George R. R. Martin.

Under her real name, Johnson has published five children titles (three of which hail from the Eidolon Chronicles) along with two adult titles.  As Fisher, she has produced a trilogy (Fool’s Gold) and four companion books to the Tolkien books – the last of which serves as a complete companion over the entire canon.  As King, she used the name as a pseudonym – co-writing four titles with M. John Johnson – a few years before using the Fisher name (Wikipedia, 2011).       

Supplemental Material

Genre: Reference / Fantasy

Curriculum Ties: Philosophy – worldviews, mythology / History – culture, geography  

Booktalking Ideas: 1) “Have you ever wanted more information about your favorite characters form The Lord of the Rings series – now is your chance!” 2) “Trace the histories and the events that shaped The Lord of the Rings literary universe!”

Reading Level: The book contains a nice mix of pictures and narrative – ideal for teen audiences (15-19).

Challenge Issues and Defense: The book is more about characters, geography, and history – and overall, it does not carry the violence or magical overtones of the books and film versions.  Challenges may arise to the series or the films – but it is difficult to assess a similar threat to this resource.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: Tolkien’s classic trilogy is adult literature – and this represents a good redaction to fit younger audiences in the teen demographic.

Last Thoughts

References:

Wikipedia. (2011). Jude Fisher [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jude_Fisher

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Hans Zimmer / Album – “Inception (Movie Soundtrack)”