Alabama Virtual Library

Presented by the

Office of Technology InitiativesAlabama State Department of Education

What Is the Alabama Virtual Library?

Scholarly, essential, electronic information resources Accessed through the Internet

What Are the Goals of the AVL?

EquityEconomyExcellence

Who Are the AVL Partners?

Alabama Commission on Higher EducationAlabama Department of Post-Secondary EducationAlabama Public Library ServiceAlabama State Department of EducationAlabama Supercomputer Authority

How Is It Funded?

$3,000,000 appropriated by the Alabama Legislature for FY 2000 and FY2001APLS serves as the fiscal agent for the AVLAlabama Education Trust Fund

How Is It Governed?

Under the legal authority of APLS“Council” appointed by agency heads– three members from each

agency

BylawsCommittees

How Is the Money Used?

License databases– online encyclopedias– almanacs– indexes– full text of online books

and magazinesTrainingSet up and maintain hardware and softwareNO FUNDS FOR STAFF!!

What Does This Mean for Our Schools?

Accurate, up-to-date informationAvailable at the desktopThe poorest and most rural schools to have access to the same information as everyone else

What Does This Mean for Students?

1998 Age of Collection Study – Eleven magazine subscriptions

• 2000+ in AVL2000+ in AVL

– Nineteen year-old Science books

• Up to the minute with AVLUp to the minute with AVL

Where Is the AVL?

http://www.avl.lib.al.us/

Alabama Supercomputer Authority

Where Is the AVL?

At Home

Go to your Public Library and ask for a blue “Alabama Virtual Library Card.”

What Is Your Research Question???

Data Bases•AccessScience•African-American History and Culture•Alabama Libraries•Business and Company Resource Center•Business Index ASAP•Business Source Elite•Contemporary Authors•EBSCOhost Web•Electric Library

• ERIC• Essay Finder• Ethnic NewsWatch Complete•

•FirstSearch by OCLC•General Reference Center Gold•Health Source: Consumer Edition•Informe  (Spanish version)  (English version)•InfoTrac OneFile•InfoTrac Student Edition•LegalTrac

EBSCO

ComprehensiveOffers three search optionsSearchasaurus, a user-friendly search option for young users– Middle Search Plus– Primary Search– General Encyclopedia– Encyclopedia of Animals– Tutorial and Fun Facts

Designed for the novice user, but powerful enough for an experienced researcherVariety of resources including newspaper, TV & radio transcripts, maps & other imagesAllows for the retrieval of age appropriate resources

Special Features

Uncluttered search pageIncludes television and radio transcriptsReading level for each article

SIRS Discoverer– interactive reference tool for young readers– each article is assigned a reading level category

SIRS Researcher– general research information on social, scientific,

health, history, business, and political issues

Knowledge Source

SIRS Renaissance– current perspectives on the arts and humanities

Government Reporter– wide range of information published by and about the

federal government, i.e. Supreme Court decisions, directories, information on Congress, etc

Knowledge Source

Special Features

Help and Tips on the search pageCan email articlesLists database contents on the search pageDISCOVERER is appropriate for elementary and middleAllows user to search by subject or keywordIncludes a workbook for learning how to use the resourceAlso includes an encyclopedia

Observations

Includes information from– General Reference– Information by and about the U.S. Government– Arts and Humanities

– Go to the SIRS Discoverer Database

Grolier MultiMedia Encyclopedia– Grades 5 and up (middle school)

New Book of Knowledge– Grades 3 and up (elementary school)

Encyclopedia Americana– Grades 7 and up (high school and junior college)

Research Abstracts IIProQuest Gold – high school

JuniorQuest – middle school

KidsQuest– elementary

Special Features

Includes numerous resources for career/technical programsSearch report includes whether or not a picture is included with article

Full text of most authoritative encyclopediaOther EB servicesFree vs. Fee Britannica service

Special Features

Includes a collegiate dictionaryProvides an Internet GuideIncludes Spotlight FeaturesGood mapsSearch results include a short summary of the article

Includes three databases– Contemporary Authors– Scribner Writers Series– Twayne Authors Series

Gale Group

Contemporary Authors

A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures,television, and other fields90,000+ authors

Scribner Writers Series

“the gold standard for literary criticism”Includes 1600 full-text articles on writers and literary genresArticles are written by scholars and include primary and secondary sources for further study

Twayne Author Series

Premier literary reference resourceEach author is tied to the high school and college curriculumProvides critical introductions to the lives and works of writers, to the history and influence of literary movements, or the development of literary genres.

Poem Finder

Online poetry reference centerLargest, most comprehensive and mot current poetry database availableInternational in scope– Covers poetry from antiquity to the present

Never out of dateSubject Navigator (Vietnam War, Women’s Rights, etc.)The Year’s Best Poetry

African American History Index

Facts on FileOrganized in five sections:– Biographies—sports, politics, science, literature, etc.– Encyclopedia—400 entries on concepts and terms– Historical Documents—court decisions, speeches,

political platforms,etc.– Gallery—vintage and contemporary images– Maps and Charts—pertaining to AA history

Access Science

7100+ articles; 115,000 dictionary terms; and hundreds of Research Updates in Science and TechnologyBiographies—in-depth bios of scientistsIn the News—weekly updates of breakthroughs and discoveriesStudent Centers—resources to guide researchRelated Sites—links to web sites reviewed by editors

What’s next for the AVL?

Additional databasesAccess to government and other free informationRecurring appropriation to maintain AVLTraining and use are criticalThank the legislature!