Badgerlink

Some of the most under-utilized services here at the library are our reference databases, accessible from the Database link on the left-hand side of our library homepage.  Waukesha County spent nearly $90,000 to fund these resources this year, yet they are often overlooked by library patrons, who might not even be aware of their existence.  This week, let's take a look at these info-loaded resources and what they offer.

We'll start with Badgerlink, a huge and many-faceted repository of services and resources.  Badgerlink is a portal provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.  It provides access to a wealth of search facilities especially valuable for media searches.  Here's a list of what's in Badgerlink:

EbscoHost offers magazine and journal searches.  All the standard mainstream magazines are there, but there is also access to specialized academic, medical, professional, and industrial journals.  Searches can be tailored specifically to a patron's needs.  Most articles can be printed out in full-text versions.

Searchasaurus is a search engine for kids, offering a regular encyclopedia, a dictionary, an animal database, image search, and special magazine databases for primary graders and for middle graders.

ProQuest offers newspaper access.  The ProQuest Newsstand catalogs 850 U.S. and international newspapers and the Wisconsin Newsstand lists a dozen state newspapers.  Many offer full-text articles dating back as far as fifteen years.

The African-American Biographical Database lists biographical sketches of thousands of African-American professionals and leaders.  It offers a broad overview of the African-American experience in the United States over the last two centuries.

LitFINDER is a literary database offering a wealth of material on authors, essays, books, and poetry.  You can search by author, genre, historical era, and many other angles.  This one is a gold mine for students.

TeachingBooks is another book-related resource.  This one is geared to teachers and parents, with book reviews, book suggestions, themed reading lists, listings of award-winners, and much more.  Homeschool parents will find much to love here.

Whew!  That's a lot!  All this and more awaits at Badgerlink.

Comments

[Anna]

This is wonderful information. Can we find a place right on the web page for all this? I think more people will use these services if they know what they are.