Embedded Files
Book Connections
Book Connections
Teaching Books, LLC
Teaching Books, LLC
Bibliographic Information
Title BookConnections, aka TeachingBooks
Creator TeachingBooks, LLC
Format Database
Subjects Book readings, audiobook performances, book trailers, meet-the- author & illustrator recordings, browse books & authors, reader’s advisory, homework help, homeschool support, library programming, professional exploration, book promotion
Access Database – LA County Library
Summary
Founded by Nick Glass in 2000, BookConnections is a literary exploration and enhancement resource for students and teachers, providing book readings, meet-the-author movies, book trailers, graded teaching materials, reader's advisory, homework help, homeschool support, and applications for professionals such as library programming, book promotion, and summer reading.
Critical Evaluation
BookConnections is a convenient and comprehensive database of materials related to children’s and young adult books. Students and teachers can avoid a lot of the headaches of searching Google and YouTube for information and resources on a given book and find everything they need compiled here in one place. Lesson plans and discussion questions offer ways to think about a text, reading measures help teachers figure out which books are best for their students, and videos of author interviews and book trailers add depth and life to the collection. Some of the lesson plans I explored were a bit cursory, but they serve as a springboard to more intensive planning and instruction, and, from the student's perspective, would allow for greater engagement with a book, which is a central tenet of BookConnections' quest.
Reader’s Annotation
If you’re looking for study tools and other information about books, Google has nothing on BookConnection. Find everything you need about the book you’re reading or find a book you’d like to read, all in one place.
About the Organization
TeachingBooks [the public face of BookConnections] was founded upon the premise that educators find enjoyment and professional value in seeing and hearing authors talk about their work. Nick Glass, the Founder of TeachingBooks, had hosted many author presentations in his previous work—bringing authors to bookstores, schools, libraries, and conferences—and even arranged live author programs for educators over a distance-learning video network during the 1990s. Each author interaction with educators inspired new insights for teaching and sharing books with children—and Nick wanted to give this opportunity to everyone. In November 2000, the genesis for TeachingBooks took form. It debuted at the American Library Association convention in San Francisco in June 2001, and was launched on the Internet September 1, 2001. TeachingBooks began selling licenses in November 2003. (About Us (bookconnections.org))
Genre
Database
Databasetalking Ideas
Share the website and highlight its core features.
Reading Level
K-12 to college and university
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why I Chose This Database
The database is convenient and it is focused on books, which are core to this collection. Further, TeachingBooks’ mission is to “equitably give all readers insights and opportunities that deepen their understanding and joy of the books they are reading.”
Britannica School Edition
Britannica School Edition
Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
Bibliographic Information
Title Britannica School
Author Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Format Database
Subjects Animals, Arts & Literature, Earth & Geography, History, Life Processes, Living Things (Other), Philosophy & Religion, Plants, Science & Mathematics, Society, Sports & Recreation, Technology
Access Database – LA County Library
Summary
Britannica School, High School Edition, "offers thousands of up-to-date, curated, and curriculum-relevant articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, recommended websites" (Database – LA County Library ). The interface allows users to explore featured content, for example, "Science in Pictures: Small Magellanic Cloud" or "On This Day: Magic Kingdom's King," access articles, view images and videos, read biographies, review Fast Facts, delve into the Compare Countries feature, open the World Atlas, browse Recommended Primary Sources, see New & Revised articles, and read selected news stories from the New York Times. From the articles interface, students can search, use the content headings to narrow search, and click on tabs to find articles, media (images and videos), and biographies. Articles and media can be saved using the familiar star button on each page, and there are translation, reading level, and audio features to ensure accessibility. Students can save research items to their Google drives, find pre-formatted citations, and email items.
Critical Evaluation
As I have progressed through my library school program and the Information Mediation & Instruction pathway, what has become deeply apparent to me is the tremendous wealth of resources available to the public for free via the Los Angeles County Library website, and how underutilized these resources are among my students--and, I speculate, in general. The Britannica School edition database is one of those resources that reminds me with a little sting of Google's dominance over search and all that we miss when we rely on it. What Britannica offers in its school edition is an authoritative source of information, free of charge, on thousands of subjects--entrée into high quality foundational material in a variety of formats, designed to be easy to use for all levels and types of students. For an online database with so many features, the intuitive design of the interface is remarkable. At no point while browsing the site for this review was I ever confused or lost. Wherever I landed, it was easy to get back to where I had been or move ahead to the next interesting item. I was delighted to discover that I could save an article or other resource to my Google drive or Google classroom. By using the star button, I could also save items to the My Content section of the database, which also allows for the creation of Resource Packs (basically, folders of related content), allowing searchers to stay organized and get an overview of research assignments and interests. While research assignments do require the use a variety of sources, Britannica School is a reliable and rich place for students to begin.
Reader’s Annotation
Calling all researchers! Do you have a research paper assignment or other homework requiring you to find source material? Are you tired of wading through sites returned by Google searches, trying to assess their credibility? Well, fret no more. Head over to our online databases page and click on Britannica School and discover everything you need to start your project in an easy-to-navigate format from a content creator you can trust.
About the Organization
Encyclopædia Britannica [is] the oldest English-language general encyclopaedia. The Encyclopædia Britannica was first published in 1768, when it began to appear in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since its founding, the Encyclopædia Britannica has relied upon both outside experts and its own editors with various subject-area proficiencies to write its entries. Those entries are then fact-checked, edited, and copyedited by Britannica editors, a process intended to ensure that the articles meet Britannica’s long-held standards for readability and accuracy. Moreover, that same team of editors regularly revise and update existing articles to reflect new developments in those realms of knowledge. (Encyclopædia Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Encyclop%C3%A6dia-Britannica/32600)
Genre
Database
Databasetalking Ideas
Share the database and highlight its core features.
Reading Level
High school
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why I Chose This Database
Britannica School promises authoritative, comprehensive readings and media on thousands of subjects, saving students the time and hassle of web searching while offering a host of features to enhance the research process and accessibility.
Opposing Viewpoints
Opposing Viewpoints
Gale
Gale
Bibliographic Information
Title Opposing Viewpoints
Creator Gale
Format Database
Subjects Essays, articles, and primary sources on contemporary social issues.
Access Database – LA County Library
Summary
Gale's Opposing Viewpoints database is a collection of overviews, media, and resources on the most contentious issues in the world today. Each topic is anchored by an overview article with highlights, critical thinking questions, and links to other resources. Users can access core viewpoint articles from a variety of perspectives, contextual overviews of the articles included, news, videos, academic articles, infographics, and websites. Features allow users to listen to, translate, save, export, and cite resources.
Critical Evaluation
In our overheated and polarized political arena, it may be difficult for young adults to make sense of the issues they encounter in the classroom, online, and via social media. Searches on the open internet do not allay the confusion, but only return jumbled lists of sources which teens may not have the patience or the knowledge to sort through carefully. Gale's Opposing Viewpoints database offers a cool-headed counterpoint to this Wild West era of politicized everything. While it doesn't quite get to identifying the political leanings of the authors of its featured viewpoint articles, it does indicate those authors' credentials and summarize their arguments in neutral terms. This neutral tone pervades the content created by Gale, but teens will be on their own when reading the non-featured Viewpoints resources, and may need to get outside assistance to ascertain the political context of the discussions they find there. From a more practical perspective, Opposing Viewpoints can facilitate the research process and act as a one-stop database for academic search. For example, there are 189 Academic Journals sources for the topic "Quarantine and Isolation Measures." These articles come from a variety of publications and deal with a variety of sub-topics, such as the psychological, ecological, and economic effects of quarantine. A high school student doing general research on quarantine measures during the COVID-19 epidemic and seeking both quantitative and qualitative information need look no further. With the database's highlight, cite, and export tools, students and young researchers can do all of their work here, making for a highly convenient experience. As an aspiring reference librarian, I am eager to introduce students to this resource.
Reader's Annotation
If you've struggled with doing research on social and political issues, Gale's Opposing Viewpoints can be a real help. With its overview, opinion, and scholarly resources on thousands of topics here, Opposing Viewpoints is a database where you can do all of our research on topic and still find material from a variety of sources.
About the Database
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Informed, differing views help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions.
Opposing Viewpoints is a rich resource for debaters and includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more. A category on the National Debate Topic provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more. Opposing Viewpoints is cross-searchable with Gale In Context: Global Issues for users with access to both resources.
A part of the Gale In Context suite, Opposing Viewpoints offers an enhanced user experience with familiar navigation and a modern design to help users successfully orient across Gale products. This means less time learning how to use the product, and more time developing critical thinking skills. Tools like translation, text size adjustment, and text-to-speech help users with comprehension, while Lexiles and content levels help guide users to appropriate content. (Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints )
Genre
Database
Databasetalking Ideas
Share the database and highlight its core features.
Reading Level
High school
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why I Chose This Database
This database allows young people to make sense of difficult topics, come to their own conclusions, and conduct research using various source types, all in one place.
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