As most of you know, Joplin Public Library has a newly revised Web site at www.joplinpubliclibrary.org. When we revised the site, we changed the way we display the online databases. Categories were created to help you find databases by subject. We also made links to parts of databases so you have a better idea what a database holds and to lessen the steps you have to take to find your answer.
Most of the databases the library offers are available from home and they are being constantly updated. Two of the databases reviewed this year have some changes. With a call to the publishers of “Salem Health,” the confusing first login screen has been eliminated. Now when you click on the icon for access, you go directly to the screen to input your library bar-code number. “Oxford Language Dictionaries Online” was introduced at the first of the year with four languages in combination with English: Spanish, French, German and Italian. Chinese and Russian were promised for later in the year and they are now available. Pronunciation software was also added so you can now hear the word pronounced in the language you are searching.
As mentioned earlier, some of the databases cannot be offered to home users and are only available in Joplin Public Library. One of the databases that the library has offered for many years, “American National Biography,” falls into this category.
“American National Biography” is a database offered through Oxford University Press and is the electronic version of a classic reference set, the “Dictionary of American Biography.” The database has more than 18,000 biographies of deceased people who are significant in United States history. It also includes 900 articles from “The Oxford Companion to United States History.”
The people profiled include figures from government, politics, entertainment, science, labor, business and more. Biographies are added and updated semi-annually with articles of recently deceased notables added more often. The latest update includes profiles of David Brinkley (reporter), Bob Hope (entertainer), John Gotti (organized crime), Mary Kay Ash (business), Strom Thurmond (government), Emily Geiger (revolutionary war spy), Philip K. Dick (author), Nathan Jacobson (math), Dale Earnhardt (race car driver) and Gregory Peck (actor).
“American National Biography” offers many different ways to search the database including name, full text, occupation, gender, birth date, birthplace and death date. A simple search can be done from the home page, and other searches are done using the “Custom Search” screen. Users can also do research by using specially selected collections or the research topics.
The specially selected collections are Black History, Women’s History, Asian Pacific American Heritage, American Indian Heritage and Hispanic Heritage. From the “Custom Search” screen, you would enter a search term and choose a category. For instance, if you were searching for black military figures, you could choose Black History and enter “military” as your search term. The results list displays biographies of people who are significant to black history and to the military.
The Oxford editors selected 12 research topics for students and others who are doing research. The topics have articles from “American National Biography” and the “Oxford Companion to United States History.” Researchers can choose from American Literature, Arts in America, Black History, Civil Rights Movement, Civil War, Depression and the New Deal, Frontier and Western Expansion, Gilded Age, Hispanic American Heritage, Native American Heritage, Women’s History and World War II.
The database also includes a “Teacher’s Guide to Using ANB Online.” The teacher’s guide has six lesson plans that highlight the importance of studying biographies as an end in itself and as a starting point for doing further research.
Even though full access to this database requires you to come into the library, you can have free access to some of the content. You can view, from home, the “Biography of the Day” and, by choosing “What’s New,” any of the biographies covered in the current update.
So the next time you are in the library, stop in the reference area and use one the computers reserved for database searching (no library card required) and see what “American National Biography” has to offer you.
Patty Crane is the reference librarian at Joplin Public Library.
Globe Life
Related Photos
Discussion
Revised library Web site includes database updates
- Globe Life
-
-
Balloons become everything from giraffes to gateways in Joplin man's hands
Ronald Metz’s fingers fold pinched-off portions of a skinny, blue balloon, wrapping and squeezing them until the balloon ends up looking like a tail-wagging pooch.
-
Frankie Meyer: Tornado stories should be recorded
The Joplin tornado was one of the worst disasters to ever hit our area. Thousands of families were forever changed.
-
Phyllis Seesengood: Minor character in series gets major role
Nate Romanowski has been a minor player in most of the novels in the series, but he takes center stage in this thriller. Previous novels have teased us with bits and pieces of Nate’s past, but in this latest entry we learn more about Nate’s background -- why he has gone underground and shied away from society, and why he lives as an isolationist in the Wyoming wilderness.
-
Frankie Meyer: Medical histories hold important details
Details about family health patterns can help a doctor in diagnosing problems, and it can also help each person recognize his or her increased health risks. Armed with that knowledge, patients may need to change to a healthier life style and add new medical tests to regular checkups.
-
Close-knit quarters: Guests at hotel become new neighborhood after tornado
“Someone from Chicago asked us the reason for this, why we would all want to get together,” Stanley said. “When he found out the reason, he said that this doesn’t happen in Chicago. If something happens, everyone goes their separate ways, and they don’t try to bond.”
-
Frankie Meyer: Historical societies need volunteers
Even with the tough economic times, dedicated volunteers at genealogy societies, historical societies and museums continue to help their communities. Please show your support by contacting your local groups and asking how you can help.
-
Jacque Gage: Relationships between animals, kids subject of heartwarming book
Until just recently, I was unaware the phrase “A dog is man’s best friend” has its origins in Missouri.
-
Tornado victim builds place where she, others can begin recovery
For the past year, Ann Leach has been making lemonade out of lemons. Last May, she was looking forward to expanding her grief and loss counseling business, Life Preservers, and attending a fall conference in Hawaii.
-
Danya Walker: Authors star in historical mystery series
I am a huge fan of mysteries, especially historical ones, reading a wide variety and always on the lookout for a new author. So I was delighted to discover a new series featuring Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle and a cast of other historical figures by Gyles Brandreth.
-
Frankie Meyer: Fort Smith’s vast history creates family destination
The best way to get relatives and descendants interested in their family history is to organize trips to sites where ancestors lived, and to also visit historic sites that significantly affected their lives.
- More Globe Life Headlines
-
Spelling Bee's Youngest Ever Doesn't Advance
Police: Seattle Cafe Gunman May Have Shot Self
No Limits for Disabled Hunters at Mich. Base
Victim Identified in Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Crossed the Pacific
90 Guns Seized, Dozens Arrested in Oakland
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Judge's Ruling Halts Tenn. Mosque Construction
Romney in Las Vegas on Texas Primary Day
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
