I feel almost embarrassed that I am not acquainted with the Gale Virtual Reference Library but until recently I have only been an elementary school librarian. This resource is geared for high school and college level research.
#1 Under the Literature section of the reference collection I clicked on Literature and It's Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them.
I had recently read My Antonia by Willa Cather and looked for information about the novel. The "literary work", "events in history at the time the novel takes place", "events in history at the time the novel was written", "the novel in focus" and "more information" are all part of the information on the side bar. I could find a large amount of information about this novel.
#2 Since I have done some research on the other resources about the holocaust, I decided to
see what the Gale Virtual Reference Library would say about Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. The side bar information included this parts: Introduction, Plot Summary, Themes, Historical Overview, Critical Overview, and Critical Sources.
I also typed in "holocaust". There were 100 references under that subject. Several books were in that list. One reference was not exclusively about the holocaust but the word holocaust was in the article twice marked in red. That feature is a great help in knowing if the article is beneficial in the research you are looking for.
I decided to do something entirely different for another search. I typed in glucosamine because I have heard that it is a good mineral to use for human joints. There were 9 entries from different sources, most relating to scientific and medical resources. The basic search and advanced search came up with the same results.
How can the Gale Virtual Reference Library be used in our school?
#1 Our high school students participate in a science fair and do research for those projects. This could be a resource that would be helpful. Students doing research papers could use this resource.
#2 If the students were doing research on novels or certain aspects of literature this would also be another great source of information.
I did click on the audio "read to me" feature. This could be helpful to a slow reader but the voice is a computerized voice which is very dull and monotonous. I would rather read the article than hear it being read.
Gale Virtual Reference is relatively easy to use. It is easy to sit for several minutes and click away to a wealth of information.
As I continue with this course my biggest challenge is how I can effectively relay this information to the staff and students at our school. We have a staff meeting tomorrow after school. I might take a survey to first determine if our staff used the electronic resources that are presented in this course.
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Hi, Lois! Never be embarrassed to learn a new thing! That's the purpose of this challenge, and we are so happy to have you with us! I'm glad you found GVRL useful and easy to use. I agree that the readaloud voice is very robotic, but for those with vision problems or reading disabilities, it is a huge plus. It's also helpful to hear some of the medical or scientific terms pronounced. FYI, I know of a school where the chemistry students were assigned elements on which to give reports. They weren't finding enough info until they discovered GVRL. Also, the most used GVRL book in SD is the Endangered Species. You may be surprised at the many ways GVRL can help you. I'm glad you are wanting to share these resources with your staff. A little at a time is a good way to go, and don't forget to share them with your students, too. Also, keep in mind that I am available at no charge to your school to give school inservices on the electronic resources if you think that would be beneficial. Thanks for your comments. BTW, My Antonia is one of my favorite books.
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