Click below or scroll for links to:
Databases --
Our subscription databases are available to Red Bud High School students
24/7 from any computer with Internet access. However, because we BUY
the right to use the database, we are not allowed to post passwords to
those databases on our web site.
User
ID and passwords are posted in teachers' classrooms, in the office, and
in the Media Center. They are also available on bookmarks in the Media
Center.
You can also access our databases without
passwords by first logging in to Destiny. Type in the topic you are searching
for. Click on the One Search tab. Then, choose the database(s) you
want to search.
EBSCOhost MAS Ultra Online for High School
should be your first stop for any research assignment. See Mrs.
McCutcheon for information on how to create your own EBSCO account to save
your searches and your articles.
Username: redbud Password: See
your handout
Issues & Controversies is a database
perfect for any student doing research on controversial social issues such
as the death penalty, drunk driving laws, censorship... It presents information
available on both sides of any issue.
Username: rbhsmedia Password:
See your handout
Opposing Viewpoints in
Context is similar to
Issues & Controversies, but it offers much more depth and analysis into
many more subjects. OVC offers not only opposing arguments, but extensive
reference material, primary sources, reviewed websites, and statistics.
No Username required. Password: See your
handout
ABC-CLIO American History
is a user-friendly database that is easy to search
and includes weekly and daily updates that tie historical events to current
events.
Username: festival Password:
See your handout
ABC-CLIO World Geography is an award-winning
database that includes daily news items as well as information on the people
in over 200 countries.
Username: festival Password:
See your handout
OCLC
FirstSearch is a huge database made up of several more huge
databases. Most valuable to researchers are the H.W. Wilson, MedLine,
and WorldCat databases. Wilson includes links to full-text articles.
The latter two contain links to valuable web sites as well as to articles.
Username: 100109733 Password: See your handout
Teen Health
and Wellness is an award-winning database that focuses on physical,
mental, and emotional health and wellness. Check out links for preparing
for interviews and college. The database is also interactive and allows
teens to speak with professionals about some of their most personal concerns.
Username: redbudhs
Password: See your handout
Good general reference
books in our Media Center -- Believe it or not, everything
you need to know is NOT yet available online, and some things can actually
be found much faster in a book. Search your topic in Destiny or talk
with Mrs. Courtney or Mrs. McCutcheon.
Reference books ONLINE - 24/7! -- We've
added 10 full-length, multi-volume reference books via the Gale Virtual Reference
Center. Search them as you'd search any database. You can
access them through the Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context as well.
What if I need a book
that we don't have in our Media Center?
Check this
handout
for step-by-step information on how to place an interlibrary loan request.
If we do not have the book at RBHS, your next option is to search SILNET,
the Southern Illinois Library Network of public and school libraries throughout
Southern Illinois. Search (
http://search.shawls.lib.il.us)
Print a copy of the page describing the book you want. Add your
name and the name of the teacher and hour that you need the book for.
Turn that sheet in to Mrs. McCutcheon.
If SILNET does not have the book you need, search the 76 academic and
special libraries in the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in
Illinois (CARLI). Search (
https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/ilcso/cgi-bin/welcome).
Again, print a copy of the page describing the book you want. Add
your name and the name of the teacher and hour that you need the book for.
Turn that sheet in to Mrs. McCutcheon.
Search Engines and Internet
Sites
Google is a great search engine that is getting
better and it is, indeed, HUGE. But, other search engines and subject
directories organize information in different ways that can make finding
what you need a lot easier.
Smart Research
Click
here for a Word document explaining
how to be smart about your research. Includes more annotated links
to subject directories and subject-specific websites and deep web portals.
Choose the Best
Search for Your Information Need is a collection of search
engines and directories organized according to your research needs by the
people who brought you NoodleTools.
Best Search Tools Chart
is another linked collection of search engines and directories organized
by the the folks at Infopeople.org
Choosing Invisible
Web Databases takes you to websites, search engines, and databases
that Google can't take you to.
Librarians' Index to the Internet (
www.lii.org) is sponsored by the Library
of California and is more than just a search engine. It's actually
a library online. Each link comes with a detailed description.
Great for in-depth information without having to wade through the advertising.
Ixquick (
www.ixquick.com) is a meta search engine
that ranks its results and offers highlighted versions of each hit.
You can search for pictures, too.
Clusty (www.clusty.com), Ask.com (
www.ask.com) and
AllTheWeb (
www.alltheweb.com) are meta search engines
that organize their hits and offer suggestions for more specific searches.
Kartoo (
www.kartoo.com) is a meta search engine
that shows the results graphically with lines and circles. This is
a dream-come-true for right-brained researchers!
The
Library of Congress (
www.loc.gov) site features exhibits and information
from America's past and present.
IMSA Search Challenges
The
Search Challenges below
are presented by the Illinois Math and Science Academy via the IMSA 21st
Century Information Fluency Project. Learn how to become a Master
Searcher and have fun at the same time.
Piranha
Keyword Challenge - Will your keywords be effective 80% of the time?
Earthquake
Challenge - Can you find the answer in less than 8 minutes?
Earthquake
Keyword Challenge - Can you score above a B- in three tries?
Three
Keyword Challenges - How effectively can you write a search query?