Expanding the Library Collection: Online Tools
Connected Classroom Conference November 1999
Presented by Patti Tjomsland
Mark Morris High School, Longview, Washington
zimba@kalama.com

Print, CD-ROM or Online?  Points to Consider

 "Librarians don't give answers, they improve access"
 ...Dale Dougherty, publisher, Web Review

The issues are pretty much the same if you are trying to decide between print and CD-ROM or between print and the Internet or between CD-ROM and the Internet.
 

                Can you afford an online service?  Can you commit your budget for an extended period of time?  If you have
                the online service for only a year or two, how are you going to fill in missing issues of your print titles?  Can you
                afford to subscribe to the print version and the online service?                How many Internet stations do you have in the LMC?  A lab of Internet connected computers really increases
               access.  Many of the online services now offer passwords for home access.  If you live in a rural community this
               could be a real bonus.  However, if you have lots of classes coming into the LMC and you only have one or two
               Internet connections it may not be the time to invest in online subscription services                Students will print off the CD-ROM and Internet.  Are you going to charge for printing?  Will this put a drain on your
               budget if you don't?  You have more control photocopying print.                CD-ROM services sometimes lag months behind the publication date.  Although some online services take awhile
               to get current magazines listed many have issues online before you get them in the mail.   Be sure to find out the
               lag time before you subscribe.                Is this the type of source that is only used for a specific unit of study or is it something kids need all of the time.                 The Internet services have the advantage of back issues not being stolen or lost. You don't have to worry about
                storage space or what to keep or throw away.  On the other hand, Internet services might not keep archival
                material you think is important.  Ask about their policy before you subscribe.  If you are considering a CD-ROM
                program, they tend to drop archival information off as space gets tight.  Some companies expand the data to more
                than one CD.  Do you have the equipment to run a multi-disk program?  Is disk switching something you'd rather
                not worry about?                   Online resources change with the times.  It is true, when you invest in an online database you don't have anything
                  to "keep."  On the other hand you haven't invested your money in something one teacher uses one time and
                  then they quit, transfer, retire, or change their research project.                Conducting good searches takes practice and time.  Many of our schools are not open after hours for lab or
                library access.  A book on the other hand can be checked out.  A good balance is essential at this point in
                school libraries.                  How fast is your Internet connection?  Is it reliable or down a lot?  Kids get very frustrated waiting at the
                computer for slow information to appear.                  Is your school or district concerned about what kids will find online?  Are there many students in your building
                whose parents won't sign their Internet Use Agreement forms?  Funding may be easier to get if you choose
                CD-ROM and guarantee a controlled environment.              Students like to browse the LMC in print.                  Is this something you want your kids to learn?  Then you need the materials to teach it.                  Britannica will not have a print edition in 1999.  More companies are dropping their print materials and
                concentrating on electronic formats.                  The use of the Internet for school is creating a gulf between those students who have access at home and those
                    who don't.   According to a 1994 survey there are still 1 in 4 children under the age of six who live in a
                    home without a telephone.
 

Online Subscription Services Available
     Encyclopedia and Periodical Databases Internet Sites
          ProQuest Direct                            1-800-521-0600                               http://www.umi.com/proquest/
          Sirs Researcher/Sirs Discoverer     1-800-232-SIRS                              http://www.sirs.com/index.html
          Ebsco Host                                   1-800-653-2726                               http://www.epnet.com
          Electric Library                             1-800-304-3542                               http://www.elibrary.com
          Facts on File                                 1-800-322-8755                               http://www.factsonfile.com/
          Grolier/Americana Online              1-800-621-1115                               http://www.grolier.com/
          Britannica Online                          1-800-621-3900                               http://www.eb.com/
          NewsBank                                   1-800-762-8182                               http://newsbank.com/
          InfoTrac                                       1-800-877-4253                              http://www.gale.com/gale/infotrac/icatalog.html
          Wilson Web                                  1-800-367-6770                              http://www.hwwilson.com/default.html

Magazines and Periodicals On-line for no fee
        Often these are current issues only.  If back issues are listed, they are often only a few feature articles that are
        available full text.

All Together Now
        This link leads you to the index.  Click on "M" for magazines and you can get a listing of many of the magazines
        available online.   This list doesn't contain the questionable sites E-Zines contains.
        http://www.alltogethernow.org/mp/mp.htm#Top

Crayon
        Crayon guides users to build their own newspaper.  A complete list of news sites is available to help do just that.
        Although this site doesn't search through all of these news sites, it is a great way to link to newspapers and columns
        all over the world.
        http://www.crayon.net/using/links.html

Chico High School's Full Text Daily News Archives with Search Engines
        Peter Milburry lists daily news sources that can be searched. Only those that allow access to extensive news archives
        are included here.  At last count there were more than thirty links.
        http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/news-ss.html

Drudge Report
        http://www.drudgereport.com/

E-Zines List
        This is a list of electronic 'zines around the world, accessible via the Web, FTP, email, and other services. The list
        is updated approximately monthly.  At last count there were 4425 listings.  You can search by keyword or by title.
        Keep in mind this indexes everything... smut included.
        http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list/

Internet Public Library
        http://www.ipl.org/reading/news/

News Central
        More than 3500 links to newspapers around the world.  Organized by region
        http://www.all-links.com/newscentral/

NewsIndex
        NewsIndex can be slow to first connect. Search around 300 different news sources. These are current articles only
        and are not intended to be an archive.  A great place for students who are researching timely topics.  Most of the sites
        indexed are newspapers.
        http://www.newsindex.com