Research Tools

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

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

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.