Off the Front Page
Earlier this month the library was bumped from the list at the bottom of the Kirkwood main page. We’re still at the same address, but the link on the Kirkwood homepage is gone. Here’s how to find us now.
What’s Going On With EBSCO?
The State Library of Iowa opened the state’s package of databases to bidding for the first time and the winner wasn’t long time favorite EBSCO. Instead Gale came in the winner with an assortment of different databases offering similar coverage and some things we never had before – like a language database – at a lower price than EBSCO’s bid. Check out the new databases and be aware that while we continue to have the EBSCO databases for right now they may disappear next summer as negotiations continue.
Since we aren’t sure on how long we’ll keep EBSCO in addition to Gale, we’ve removed the direct link to EBSCO from our library homepage. You can still get access through the All Kirkwood Databases page which is linked on our homesite right where the Ebsco link used to be. The full EBSCO list is available under E and Academic Elite which is the bed and butter database for EBSCO is under A.
Please make sure to keep an eye on any links you may have made to articles in our databases.
Standalone Databases
Databases that we purchase stand alone outside the package, such as the language and literature module of JSTOR or our two film databases Kanopy and Films on Demand among others, will not be effected by this switch.
In the spring we had added two new databases. One is Credo Reference which is a great place to start your research. It’s a collection of reference books in ebook format, but also provides a mind map and brings up results from our other databases all in one place. Find it through our website OR by just googling your topic followed by the word Credo.
The other is Global Road Warrior. It provides profiles of countries around the world. If you use it for actual travel rather than reports or presentations, be sure to also check out the traveler’s language packets in Transparent Language Online database.
Finally be especially aware if you use PsycArticles that while we still have the database, we’ve switched providers so the interface will be different and links will have changed.
The Gale List
Try out the
all Gale Database list to see just what we get from them. Here are some highlights and their Ebsco equivalent names.
– Their equivalent of Academic Elite in EBSCO, the place to start for scholarly articles.
– Where to start for company and industry information and reports.
– Need information about fixing your car? Here you go.
– Information for college instructors, teachers, and future teachers about education research and publications that offer ideas for improving your teaching.
– Their equivalent of Masterfile Premiere, the place to start for popular and news magazines, etc.
– Their version of Health Source: Consumer Edition. It provides health information aimed at a popular reading audience.
– Their version of Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. It provides health information aimed at serious research for papers and those in the medical profession.
– A research database in Spanish.
– 1,000+ newspapers and news wires from around the world, plus some news blogs and television shows. Includes some major U.S. papers (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Boston Herald, Christian Science Monitor, Denver Post, etc.) but coverage is strongest in English-speaking British Commonwealth countries (Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, etc.). Also includes three major Spanish-language papers from Mexico (El Norte, Mural, Reforma). *
– This is aimed for high school use and so has easier reading materials than what is generally found in the other databases as a whole, but some titles will overlap with the advanced databases. It’s a mixture of publications specifically for young adults and some easy reading adult titles. While not acceptable for assignments requiring scholarly journals, it should still be OK for other assignments.
– This is definitely aimed at a low reading level, but if you’re learning English or know someone that is this database might be just the ticket.
– This is reference materials that are above Kids InfoBits in reading level, but not at the college level. It includes Discovering Authors, U.S. History, Science and Biography, and the entire contents of the Junior Reference Collection. Thousands of overview essays, critical analyses, biographies, timelines and multimedia elements in five core subject areas: history, literature, biography, science and social studies. **
– You have to create your own user account for this one within the Kirkwood system. It offers lessons for 100+ languages and offers English lessons for 25 plus for English language learners.
Field of Study
In addition this might be of use for your specific field of study. The descriptions come from the
Gales list.Agriculture Collection
This covers agriculture and related fields. It covers current information and research “from practical aspects of farming to cutting edge scientific research in horticulture.”
Culinary Arts Collection
“Provides academic journals and magazines on all aspects of cooking and nutrition. The database includes thousands of searchable recipes, restaurant reviews, and industry information.”
U.S. History Collection
“Scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers. The database offers balanced coverage of events in U.S. history and scholarly work being established in the field.”
Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Collection
“Provides access to scholarly journals, magazines, and trade publications that cover topics including the cultural and economic aspects of travel and tourism. The database offers current and relevant content that provides well-rounded coverage of both the historical and current state of affairs in the hospitality and tourism industries.”
Notes
*The Infotrac Newstand description is abbreviated from the one used by University of Michigan library since it was the best scope note (description of what it covers) that I found.
** The Research in Context description is taken in part from the College of DuPage library which had the best scope note I found.
I wrote the other short descriptions, except the bottom four as marked.
Sarah Uthoff is a reference library at Kirkwood Community College. LIKE the Kirkwood Community College Library on Facebook and find links to Sarah all over the web at her About Me Profile.
