Current Database Offerings: Research Tools: Kanawha County Public Library

What Is Student Research Center?

A collection of science and technology resources put together by Mcgraw Hill. Whether you need an encyclopedia article, a science term defined, the latest science news, or a study guide for you next science test—Access Science has you covered.

Database devoted to popular Young Adult (YA) authors.

Biography database containing information on 335,000+ people throughout history and from around the world. You can search for anyone from Socrates to Richard Petty.

NewsBank provides access to news articles in the Charleston Daily Mail (1/1996 to date), the Charleston Gazette (1/1997 to date), the Huntington Herald Dispatch (1/1999 to date), the Morgantown Dominion Post (12/2006 to date). Access is free with your Kanawha County Public Library card. Provided by the West Virginia Library Commission.

Collection of stories/articles from several Charleston papers dating back to January 1985. The library links to the newspaper index but does not subscribe to the service that allows the public to view the actual articles.

Online version of Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry.

EBSCO is collection of databases, which cover a wide variety of subjects such as business, health, fiction and popular interest. There are a variety of search interfaces (based on different types of users) that access the information in these databases with three of the interfaces geared toward different age-groups of student searchers. The most comprehensive of the search interfaces is the ESBCOhost interface.

Place for the beginning searcher to find magazine articles, newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries and more on a variety of topics ranging from animals to history to stories. Lexile (reading) levels of the information found go up to Grade 5.

A place to find magazine articles, biographies, images and more on a variety of topics for students in grades K-8. It is similar to Searchasaurus but includes more categories/topics to search (such as geography and languages arts) and more advanced search options.

A collection of magazine, newspaper and journal databases, which cover a wide variety of subjects such as business, education, health and popular interest. Many of the online articles users can retrieve are full text.

Database containing information about 135,000 + fiction titles, 50,000 non-fiction titles, as well as advisory, teaching, and learning materials for readers, teachers, and librarians.

Database containing information about fiction and non-fiction titles specifically for grades K-8 as well as advisory, teaching, and learning materials for readers and teachers.

EBSCO's version of a health database that provides easy-to-understand consumer health information. A great place to start for a basic medical definition, health article or basic overview of a health-related topic. However, if you are looking for in-depth or more technical health information, you would be better trying a database like Medline Plus.

Almost identical to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, this database provides information on currently debated or controversial issues in order to help users understand all sides of an issue. Great for writing position papers.

The online version of Facts On File World News Digest is a searchable database of national and international news stories dating back to 1940 with special links and features. These features focus on both hot topics and historical topics.

The Foundation Center is the most authoritative source of information on private philanthropy in the United States, helping grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public better understand the field of philanthropy.

Online detailed descriptions of more than 6,000 foundation and public charity programs that fund students, artists, researchers and other individual grant seekers. Provided by the Foundation Center.

Online grant seeking research tool providing information on 80,000 grant making entities and their grants. Provided by the Foundation Center.

Online version of Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, which is a reference resource for students from elementary to high school.

Collection of online practice tests for a variety of academic, licensing and certification tests as well as advice and tutorials for practical job/life skills, e.g. building a resume or boosting reading skills.

Database providing a variety of information for almost 130,000 writers spanning all disciplines and time periods.

Tutoring hotline for students Grades 4-12 as well as college freshmen in the subjects of math, science, social studies, and English.

Database containing various types of health and medical-related information from extremely credible sources including the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, as well as other government agencies and organizations focusing on health and medicine.

Database that provides information that supports either a pro or con view of currently debated social issues.

Database consisting of contact, location, and other information on US businesses and residential households. Great for marketing and sales research or finding a specific company.

Publishing information collected by Baker & Taylor's for public libraries.

For readers and readers-to-be. A collection of animated story books, puzzles and games available in 4 languages (English, Spanish, French and Chinese).

Encyclopedia articles
Definitions from McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms
Biographies of notable scientists and mathematicians
Breaking trends, news, and developments in science and technology
Bibliographies
Links to quality science websites
Images, animation features, and news videos.
A Study Center, which includes learning resources like study guides, practice quizzes, and help finding that perfect paper topic for science class.

The bulk of this database is detailed information about 50 currently popular YA authors. Information includes:

In-depth author interviews with web links to topics discussed in the interview
Lists of the authors' work
Awards received by the author
If the author has any upcoming appearances scheduled
Various images of the author if available.

Information, when available, comes in the form of:
- Brief biographies
- In-depth biographies
- Magazine articles
- Recent updates
- Relevant and related websites.
In addition it includes a spotlight feature highlighting a particular person.

It contains back issues of The Charleston Gazette, Charleston Daily Mail, Sunday Gazette-Mail, and Metro East, North, West.

Find poems you know or find a new poem searching by subject.
Contains 210,000 full text poems to date but that number is always growing.
In addition to poem text, one can search:
- Poet biographies
- Anthologies
- The Glossary, which contains poetry-related terms
- A directory of Critical Context on selected topics such as 20th century soldier poetry and Chinese lyricism.

sas srck5 src ehost novelist novelistk8 chc pov serrc

Dictionary/Encyclopedia entries
Magazine/Newspaper articles
Parts of books
Biographies
Radio/TV transcripts
Pictures

Dictionary/Encyclopedia entries
Magazine/Newspaper articles
Entries from books
Biographies
Radio/TV transcripts
Images

EBSCOhost:
Contains 12 databases. Below, the databases have been divided by general subject. For a more complete description of each database's contents, go to EBSCOhost's main page.

Health:
Business:
- Business Source Elite
- Regional Business News
Education:
Misc.:
- Newspaper Source
- Library Information Science & Technology Abstracts

Information for titles includes:

Descriptions of the work
Reviews
Award information
Reading level
Similar book suggestions, etc.
Subject headings, etc.

Also available are:

Pre-made reader advisory lists divided into several categories (under the Browse Lists tab)
Book lists, read-alike lists, prepared book talk/discussion guides (under the For Readers tab)
Teaching and preparation materials for librarians and educators (under the Readers' Advisory/School Resources tab).

Information for titles includes:

Descriptions of the work
Reviews
Award information
Reading level
Similar book suggestions, etc.

Also available are:

Pre-made reader advisory lists divided into several categories (under the Browse Lists tab), including award winner lists.
Topical and thematic book lists, prepared book talk/discussion guides, and more for teachers (under the Teacher Resources tab)

Evidence-based reports
Encyclopedias and Reference Books
Fact Sheets and Pamphlets
News articles
Drug and Herb Information
Alternative Source articles
Images and Diagrams
Videos and Animations
Searchable health books that can be read online

Points of View articles
Periodical articles
Newspaper articles
Primary Source documents
Images
Videos
A "How to" section covering paper writing, source evaluation and other skills and techniques a person needs to know in order to write a successful essay or opinion paper.

Access to:

Today's top stories and those of the last two weeks
Top stories by year
Maps
Photographs
Editorial cartoons
Historic documents
Profiles of notable newsmakers, and much, much more

Sources searched are too numerous to list but can be viewed clicking on the Help icon.

foundationpro foundationindiv

Encyclopedia
An interactive atlas — Provides geopolitical, historical, and thematic maps, as well as gives coordinates and measures distances
Dictionary and thesauri links
Feature Showcase link — Highlights a topical area of study
Today Is… link — Highlights important birthdays and historical events
News Now link — Current events
For Educators section — Links to lesson plans and ideas that follow national standards

Contains 29 categories of tests and tutorials. Some popular tests include SAT, GRE, AP, ASVAB.
In addition there are e-books in PDF format that are examination preparation study guides for many of the tests.

Criticisms of writers
Biographies
Reviews
Bibliographies
Search options include:
- Traditional searches — Title, author, keyword
- Searching by author type — e.g. Nationality, genre, literary movement
- By the literary-historical timeline — Tells what key events happened during the period, who the key figures were, etc.
- Authors on the Highway — Tells of current authors' upcoming appearances
Access to the Encyclopedia of Literature and the Gale Literary Index, which tells you which Gale resource contains information on the term you are searching in case the library might own the Gale resource in print.

After entering one's grade level and subject area, it connects the student to a one-on-one instant message chat session with a tutor. Students at this point can share files, browse the website and use a whiteboard while simultaneously chatting.

Articles from medical journals and encyclopedia
Generic/brand name/herbal drug information
The latest health news stories
Information on diseases
Directory links and searches for hospitals, dentists, doctors, and other healthcare specialists
Links to clinical trials, medical organizations, and libraries
As well as information in Spanish (hit the espanol button to change languages).

Contains:

Viewpoint articles
Topic overviews
Statistics
Biographies
Primary documents
Images and podcasts
Court cases
Profiles of agencies and groups
Academic journal articles
Newspaper and magazine articles
Links to relevant/reviewed websites
A Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary

In addition to contact and location information, one can find the following types of details about businesses:

Employee counts
Estimated sales
Primary SIC
Estimated annual sales and much, much more

Additional residential information includes:

Median home income and value
Latitude/Longitude
County location and more

Contains product information on:

Books
DVDs
Videogames
Music
Out-of-print and pre-publication materials
Spanish and United Kingdom publications

Bibliographic information includes:

Reviews
Annotations
Excerpts
Table of contents, and much more

Animated story books where users have the option to read or have the book read to them
Chapter books in large print for YA users to read (no audio option)
Educational puzzles and games for younger children
A category of books that help teach important life and social lessons
Books in other languages to promote language learning

Things to Know

Contains wonderful data tables, charts, tools, etc. that are great for quick and ready reference. These include:
- An interactive Periodic Table
- An interactive Geological Time Scale
- Several unit tables
- Lists of conversion factors
- Commonly used scientific symbols in writing and more.

There are about 50 authors to choose from. Some classic YA authors that have not done things recently are not included. However, there are links to more classic authors' websites containing basically the same kind of information under the Links located at the top right-hand corner of the page.
Bibliographies are divided by type, e.g. novels, fiction, non-fiction, etc. These also include Essays for Educators.
Hyperlinks of works found in the bibliography take users to the Amazon.com descriptions.
The Links icon is worth exploring. It not only contains links to news on YA authors, but also includes links to YA resources like or YALSA, YA organizations, etc.

(if prompted use kanawha as the username and library for the password)

Not only can you search by name, but users can also find people by other identifiers such as occupation, gender, nationality, etc.
Remember: Search results will have highlighted tabs at the top depending on what is available. Look at the tabs for your complete results list.
If you mark your entries, you can turn this list into a list of citations by hitting the View Citations List button.
Results and citations can be both printed and emailed

The West Virginia Library Commission provides statewide databases with funds from the West Virginia State Legislature and the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Institute of Library and Museum Services. If you don't have a Kanawha County Public Library card access to this resource is available at the West Virginia Info Depot.

Search results show the article's date, headline, word count, and the first few sentences but to access the full article, it costs $2.95/article.
The "library card" they speak of is not KCPL's. It is for those wishing to access this electronic archive for a fee.
Searching is not completely intuitive and uses non-standard commands (it uses + and - for some searches). Look at (Search Help) link under search box for guidance.
The Features link in the top menu on the homepage has a list of links that one might find useful. Some of these links include the Classifieds, Career Site, Autobeat, Real Estate Gallery, and Celebrations.
Current postings are behind by one week.

All search screens have search directions built into the page so there is no extra clicking to find search help.
Search results provide an array of information when available. Such information includes:
- How to cite the poem
- The full text
- The poet's bio
- Poem info = where poem has been published and of those publications which ones are recommended by Granger's, and commentary about poem.
Not all poems will have full text available.

Things to Know For Searching:

You might need to type different versions of the same words to get all the results. For example, if you type "mountain" in the search box it will search for the word "mountain" as well as "mountains." However, if you type in "mountains" (plural) it will only search for the plural version. It will leave out all the results that include the word "mountain."
You can make your search more specific and accurate by picking where you search. So if you type in "tiger" in the main box, it will search all the categories, from animals to stories. However, if you click on the category "animals" and then type "tiger" in the search box, you will only search the animal category for information...giving you less results to look through.
If you hit the "Go Back" button, it takes you back to the previous search page you were on, if you hit the "Start Over" button you have to begin your search all over again.

You can limit your searches by Lexile Level.

Chart for lexile levels (reading levels by grade)
Grade	Text Measures (from the Lexile Map)
Grade 1	200 to 400
Grade 2	300 to 500
Grade 3	500 to 700
Grade 4	650 to 850
Grade 5	750 to 950
Grade 6	850 to 1050
Grade 7	950 to 1075
Grade 8	1000 to 1100
Grade 9	1050 to 1150
Grade 10	1100 to 1200
Grade 11 & Grade 12	1100 to 1300

For more help searching, click the Help link in the upper right hand corner of the page. On the page that appears, look at the advice listed under the heading of Searching.

Things to Know For Your Results:

Results are divided by type, dictionary entries, biographies, etc.
You can print or email your results.

Things to Know For Searching:

You might need to type different versions of the same words to get all the results. For example, if you type "mountain" in the search box it will search for the word "mountain" as well as "mountains." However, if you type in "mountains" (plural) it will only search for the plural version. It will leave out all the results that include the word "mountain." Also if you type in "child" you will need to do another search for "children" as the single term will not search this type of plural.
You can make your search more specific and accurate by picking where you search. So if you type in "tiger" in the main box, it will search all the categories. However, if you click on the category "animals" and choose a few of the subtopics provided and then type "tiger" in the search box, it will only search the animal categories you picked...giving you less results to look through.
Clicking on the Detailed Search link at the top of the home page will also allow you to limit your search, not only by subject but by type of information. So if you only wanted biographies and magazines articles, you could go to Detail Search and choose to only search those areas.
For more help searching, click the Help link in the upper right hand corner of the page. On the page that appears, look at the advice listed under the heading of Searching. There is also an online tutorial for searching under the heading Welcome.

Things to Know For Your Results:

Results are divided by type, dictionary entries, biographies, etc.
You can print, email, or save your results. When doing so it will give you the option to save, print, or email in a certain citation format like APA or MLA.

You can limit your results by lexile (reading) levels. Here is a breakdown of these levels:

Chart for lexile levels (reading levels by grade)
Grade	Text Measures (from the Lexile Map)
Grade 1	200 to 400
Grade 2	300 to 500
Grade 3	500 to 700
Grade 4	650 to 850
Grade 5	750 to 950
Grade 6	850 to 1050
Grade 7	950 to 1075
Grade 8	1000 to 1100
Grade 9	1050 to 1150
Grade 10	1100 to 1200
Grade 11 & Grade 12	1100 to 1300

All 12 databases have the same search screen and basic help menu.
Title lists are available for some databases. If you want to see if a database contains a certain publication, you can go to EBSCOhost's main page and the click on the Title List link.
You can search more than one database at a time.
Certain databases have certain features available, e.g. images. What is available for a particular database will show up under the top tab menu in the form of hyperlinks.
EBSCOhost Text Only is essentially the same except that it does not contain JavaScript, cookies, or frames.

In addition to searching by title, author, keyword, one can search by plot description, series name, and search for articles on related subjects.
You can limit your search by reading and age level.
For searching help and support materials, see the Training and Support link found on the left-hand side of the home page.
You can organize your searches by marking your results and put them in a folder. However, unless you create an account and save the results, they will disappear after you exit the database.
Provided by the West Virginia Library Commission. Availability subject to change.

In addition to searching by title, author, keyword, one can search by plot description, series name, and search for articles on related subjects.
You can limit your search by reading and age level.
You can organize your searches by marking your results and put them in a folder. However, unless you create an account and save the results, they will disappear after you exit the database.
For searching help and support materials, see the Training and Support link found on the left-hand side of the home page.
On the home page located on the left-hand side, there is a link to State Curriculum Standards for teachers.
Provided by the West Virginia Library Commission. Availability subject to change.

Remember: Search results will have highlighted tabs at the top depending on what is available. Look at all tabs for a complete results list.
Results can be emailed, printed and saved.
Information is clearly marked with who authored the information, the credentials of the author and when the article was last updated. A great plus for making sure information is current and accurate, especially for reports!
You can translate pages and articles into several different languages.
Provided by the West Virginia Library Commission. Availability subject to change.

As stated above, this database does basically the same thing Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center does, except that it is not as comprehensive. If you need more articles be sure to check out Opposing Viewpoints.
Like Opposing Viewpoints, search results are divided into tabbed categories. Remember to check all tabs for a complete list of results.
Not all ready to search topics are shown on the first page. To see all the categories you can browse, hit the View All Topics tab.
Provided by the West Virginia Library Commission. Availability subject to change.

Although the homepage may look overwhelming, it is divided into 3 main parts:
1. Left - where you enter your search and pick your limits.
2. Middle - highlighted issues which periodically change.
3. Right - Special features that one searches more like directories.
At the top menu there is a link to the Resource Center. The Resource Center is divided into 2 parts, one for students and one for educators. Here students learn how to pick a topic, analyze it and write a paper on it. Excellent citation guidelines are provided. Educators are given a variety of teaching aids and activities to try.
At the top menu there is also a link to Need a Research Topic. Selecting this link takes you to a generated list of topics. Once a topic is selected, a set of research questions and stories that would support writing a paper on such a topic will appear.

(in-house use at the Main Library in Charleston)

If you are prompted for a user name and password, Ask a librarian for the login information.
Depending on the student, you can switch the page setup to one for younger children (Grades 3-5) by clicking the Jump to Kids icon in the upper right hand corner.
Contains English to Spanish and Spanish to English dictionaries.

Ask a librarian for the username and password to access this resource.

There is a wonderful help menu accessible by clicking on the Help link at the top of the page. It includes specifics about tests as well as information about how to sign into the testing library.

You do not have to search twice if a writer has a pseudonym. It will search both versions of his or her name, e.g. Samuel Clemens pulls up results for Samuel Clemens and Mark Twain.
When searching remember that like the Biography Resource Center, results are divided into tabs. Check all tabs to get complete listing of results.
Research Guide is a link that takes you to pages that show how to pick a topic, analyze it as well as write a paper and cite sources. The Research Guide is not as detailed as the FACTS.com Resource Center in some areas like providing citation style examples for different types of sources.

Requires Windows XP and Flash 8 to run
The ? icon in the upper right-hand corner of the main screen will take users to a page containing information about starting and ending a session, session tools, and frequently asked questions.

One can search either by typing in a keyword or by picking a topic or entry in the links to the left (Health Topics, Drugs & Supplements, etc.) and then keep narrowing down your subject form the choices provided.
The FAQs link at upper right corner of homepage tells you how to cite information found in the database.
After selecting Health Topics from the links on the left side of the homepage, there is a variety of options on the bottom right side of the new page that allows one to select articles in large print or articles that are easy to understand. Check this out!
In the Drugs & Supplements pages, users can search for drugs by either their brand or more scientific name.
News articles in the database are only displayed for limited time. If you are interested but do not want to print right away, be aware of these time limitations.

Search results are divided into tabbed categories. Remember to check all tabs. Also, to the left of your results, there will appear a list of other subjects one can use to narrow or broaden a search.
There is a Toolbox link near the top of the page that contains advice on things like how to pick and analyze a topic, to writing a paper and citing sources. Under this link you can also find a Research Guide, with detailed instructions of how to evaluate concepts, think critically and more.
One can also change the size of the text/font by clicking on one of the "A's" in the upper right-hand corner. The bigger the A, the bigger the font.

When searching for businesses, company name searches can occur in 3 levels. Click the ? icon by the search box for a detailed explanation.
You can decide how much information you print, download or email about a company; however, printing, downloading, and emailing is limited to 50 results at a time.

Select Anonymous log-in to use this database.
The back button does not work particularly well. It's best to use the home or search tab when wanting to start a new search.
If you spell a name wrong by just one letter you will receive "no hits," so be careful of your spelling.

Requires a Flash 6 plug in to run.
Cannot search books by subject.
Can change the page language to Spanish, French or Chinese.

Research Tools