Mid-Pacific Institute Library

rev. Sept. 7, 2007

 

                     The MPI Library's Online Subscription Databases

                                             for Elementary School

 

Note: A print version of this page, with IDs and passwords included, is available from the school.

 

EBSCOhost: Kids Search and NoveList

 

To access EBSCOhost, go to:    http://search.ebscohost.com

NOTE: This subscription services is password-protected.  Please ask one of the MPI librarians for the MPI User ID and password.  The subscription is paid for by the MPI Library and is intended for use by MPI students and faculty and their families.  We ask that you not share the user ID and password with others.

FOR RESEARCH: Choose the Kids Search link.  Kids Search primarily includes magazine articles, but it also includes some other types of sources.  It provides full text for almost 70 popular magazines for elementary school research, and also includes some articles from reference books like the World Almanac & Book of Facts.  (The actual database name is Primary Search, but they call it Kids Search.)

GUIDE TO CHOOSING FICTION:  Choose NoveList (K-8).  The NoveList guide to finding fiction books can be searched or browsed by various criteria.  Click on the tabs at the top called Search Our Database or Browse Lists.  (Tip: Under Browse Lists, try the link called Explore Fiction: Children.)ia.

SEARCH TIPS FOR KIDS SEARCH

You can search for articles either by typing keywords in the Search box on the home page, or by selecting a topic using the Search by Topic buttons.

 If you Search by Topic, you'll come to a screen where you can type your search term and also focus your search by using the checkboxes.  If you want to keep your search broad, you can just check off one of the topics and leave the search box completely empty.

There is also an Image Search option at the top, if you are looking for pictures, and a Dictionary option too.

When you see the list of articles found through your search: 

·         When the results of your search show up, notice that you can select particular article types through the radio buttons at the top (Magazines, Books & Encyclopedias, Photos, etc.).

·         You can also click on one of the subject headings in the Narrow Results by Subject column on the left to narrow your list by focusing in on one of the subjects listed.

·         Note that the results are sorted by date by default (with the most recent article at the top), but you can switch to a relevance sort if you want.  A date sort is usually best if you want very current information.

·         Click on the title of any article to go into it.  The full text of the articles may be in either HTML or PDF format, and sometimes in both formats.  When you're in an article and want to return to the list to browse more, click on the Result List link at the top-left.  It will take you right back to the last article you looked at.

Folder:  You can use the Folder feature to collect articles that look good as you are browsing.  As you find articles you like, add them to your Folder by clicking on the Add to Folder link at the upper-right of each article (or the Add link on the right side of the result list).  After you’ve added everything, you can go into the Folder (at the very top) and see the articles you've saved.

Document delivery:  Articles can be formatted for printing, or emailed to any email address, or saved to disk.  You'll find links for these options at the top of each article.

 

 

World Book Encyclopedia

Note about different versions of World Book Encyclopedia: 

There are two versions of World Book suitable for elementary school students.  One version, World Book Online Reference Center, is intended for upper-elementary or middle school students. The other, called World Book Kids, is a simplified version for students in grades K to 4th grade.

 

World Book Online Reference Center – for upper elementary or middle school students

The World Book Online Reference Center includes all articles from the 22-volume World Book Encyclopedia print set plus thousands of additional articles, reports, pictures, maps, and media.  The site is updated frequently.

URL: http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/kids       

NOTE: This subscription services is password-protected.  Please ask one of the MPI librarians for the MPI User ID and password.  The subscription is paid for by the MPI Library and is intended for use by MPI students and faculty and their families.  We ask that you not share the User ID and Password with others.

Just enter your search term in the box at the top.  The encyclopedia articles will be in the center column on the results page, with the most relevant articles at the top.

Article view options:  If an article is long, it is broken into sections, and the article will be displayed one section at a time. The sections will be listed in the yellow column on the left.  If you prefer to see all sections of a long article on one page, click on the View full article link in the Tools box at the top. 

Document delivery:  Articles can be printed, emailed to any email address, or saved to disk.  You'll find these options in the Tools box at the top of each article. Before printing articles, be sure to click on the Print link in the Tools box to put the article in simple format for printing. If the article is broken into sections, you can view or print either just one section, or the whole article.

Related Information:  Once you're in an article, be sure to look at the Related Information box in the upper-right, which lists excellent extended resources (related World Book articles, magazine articles, Web pages, & Special Reports.)

Dictionary definitions:  If you double-click on any word in an article, it will take you to a dictionary definition of that term.

 

World Book Kids – for lower elementary students (K to 4th grade)

World Book Kids is a simpler version of World Book Encyclopedia, intended for students in grades K through fourth grade.

URL: http://www.worldbookonline.com/kids  

NOTE: This subscription services is password-protected.  Please ask one of the MPI librarians for the MPI User ID and password.  The subscription is paid for by the MPI Library and is intended for use by MPI students and faculty and their families.  We ask that you not share the User ID and Password with others.

You can either enter a search term in the box at the top, or you can browse using the categories under the search box. 

If you click on a category to browse, you can keep clicking on the narrower categories on the next screens (on the left side, in the Dig deeper! column) until you get down to an article you want.

Longer version of each article:  At the bottom of each article (in a blue box) is a link to the longer article on the same topic from the regular World Book Online Reference Center, which is intended for older students.

Document delivery:  Articles can be printed, emailed to any email address, or saved to disk.  You'll find these options at the top of each article. Before printing articles, be sure to click on the Print link to put the article in simple format for printing

 

 

--notes by M. Kemble, Mid-Pacific Institute Library

            return to MPI Library Resources page