This was a very interesting assignment for me, since I used to train teachers (and students) on using our district's resources. I was interested to see how schools around Missouri presented their databases for students to use. As expected, the results were pretty varied. What was interesting to me was that the variety didn't seem to directly correlate with the location of the school (urban vs. rural) or the diversity of the community, or even the size of the school and/or district. Instead, it seemed to a strictly school-to-school decision, with a variety of approaches showing up even within a single district. In fact, my favorite two (Central High School and Rock Port R-2) were on opposite ends of the spectrum on district size (11,000 vs. 300), and community (suburban vs. rural), yet they had the best access pages.
The five schools I felt did the best job were extremely varied in their backgrounds, but did a fair job of providing access to the databases for their students. I didn't really feel like any of them did an outstanding, can't-be-improved job, though. Definitely finding some pointers for when I am working on my own library website...
Disclaimer: I used to teach here! But lots has changed since I left...
Description of School
Midway is a K-5 school in a rural community, but is a part of Columbia Public Schools, which is a larger district in Central Missouri.
Description of Access
Midway's link to their databases is located on the school's front page in the sidebar. The link takes the student to a page on the district's site that is specific to Elementary students. Links for the Middle School and the High School pages are on the side. The page is organized in a table, with an icon and a description of each link. The page does not link to or specifically describe the databases available. However, it does link to the age-appropriate interfaces Searchasaurus and Kids Search. There is a separate link on the left for Home Access, which takes the user to a page to sign in, but there isn't a description of what their username and/or password would be.
What they did well
The page is very appealing to look at. I like that they included the pictures to go with the databases, it makes it more visually appealing. There is a good use of white space, and I like that the links are organized in a table (I'm big on tables and organizing, clearly!). The descriptions of each database/link and the information contained would be very helpful for a student who hadn't really listened to the descriptions in class! The high school and middle school links also have good databases specific to the needs they might have for their research process, and I like that it is differentiated by age. They also have a wide variety of resources/databases besides those offered by MORENet, so they obviously have a strong emphasis on providing quality resources on a variety of topics. I hope that their training on using those resources is as good!
What they could improve
First, the link from the Midway home page actually takes the student to the middle school resources page. It's a pretty easy issue to fix by clicking on the correct link on the CPS page, but it would be better if it went directly to the elementary page. Also, it would be nice if there was some kind of reminder about the username/password. It is a difficult line to walk, because you don't want to just put the username/password there, but you also don't want to leave the students totally clueless. Perhaps if the student signs in to the overall site it gives more information? I can't tell without having access. I do wish, for the secondary sites especially, that there was more of a description of the different databases that EBSCO could search. They include MasterFILE and Consumer Health Complete, but it would be nice for them to include/describe some of the other databases as well. It seems silly to link only to those two databases when EBSCO has so much else to offer. They do link to several Gale databases, so I wonder how their listings will change after Gale is no longer available through MORENet.
Hickman Mills Freshman Center is a new school, presumably just for freshmen, in the Hickman Mills C-1 school district. This district is an urban district in Kansas City, MO. It is one of the oldest districts in Missouri, and serves an economically disadvantaged community, with 86% of students qualifying for free/reduced meals.
Description of Access
The descriptions and links for the databases are listed under a link on the left sidebar called "Databases." This link takes the user to a page that has a table with links to different databases on the left and a description of those databases on the right. At the top of the table it links to MORENet and indicates that the databases are provided by MORENet, and that there are more databases listed at MORENet, but this list is some of the available databases. The first database on there is not actually a database, but the interface Student Research Center, which would be the best general research database offered by MORENet for students at this age. There are also links for the Gale databases and Learning Express Library, as well as specifically linking to the EBSCO databases Newspaper Source and Professional Development Collection. At the top of the page it says that the databases are subscription only and cannot be viewed at home.
What they did well
I think that the information is easy to find, with just one click from the library website to get to the database list. I like that they chose the interface specific to the age group and described the types of resources that the interface would search. They broke out the specific databases they (I'm assuming) felt would be most applicable and included links (and descriptions) for the Newspaper Source and Professional Development Collection databases. They also linked to the Gale databases and Learning Express Library with a separate link and description. For each of their descriptions, they also said that there was a link to the listing of all EBSCO databases to the left (I'm assuming once the user was logged into EBSCO), so at least they are pointing out that there is a variety of databases. I also think they did a nice job keeping the page organized and neat, and providing a link to MORENet for more information. Overall, it would be pretty easy for a student to search for and find the information they needed from an appropriate database.
What they could improve
The biggest issue I have with this school's site is that they do not include a way for accessing information at home. While it would be easy for a student to find the information at school, students are not known for planning that far ahead! Since I know that MORENet provides passwords for at-home access, I have to think that not allowing access at home is a school or district decision, and I'm not sure why. I think it's critical for students to have access to these databases at home because, reality is, they are going to be doing their work the night before and need easy access to reputable sources, or they're straight back to Google and Wikipedia! I also think it would be nice for the description of the chosen interface (Student Research Center) to include the names of the databases searched. Middle school/early high school is when it's important to start teaching students to evaluate what database makes the most sense for them to use, and that starts by making them aware that there even are different databases. Including a description of the databases that Student Research Center searched would be a way to start getting students familiar with the names and purposes of the databases being searched. The last thing that I would change about this site is purely aesthetic, and that is I would add icons/pictures to each of the databases. I just feel like students are used to seeing graphics everywhere, and it helps make the databases more appealing.
Kennett Middle School is a part of the Kennett School District #39. There are 6 buildings serving approximately 2200 students in this district, including a K-2, 3-5, a middle, a high, a career/technical school, and an early childhood program. It is located in Kennett, Missouri, which is in the boot heel.
Description of Access
Links to the resources are located on the library page, which is clearly linked from the school's front page. Once on the library page, there is one page called "How to Research" with "Online Resources" as a choice in that drop down. On the resources page, it indicates that the resources linked are available from MORENet. There is one button that takes you to search all of EBSCO. There is also one button that says "Search By Database," which takes the user to the MORENet page with the description of each database. There is also a link for the specific interface appropriate for this age group - Student Research Center. Additionally, there is a link to download an app for Android and/or Apple products to access mobile versions of these resources. Though it is not labeled, the username and password for EBSCO is also included on this page.
What they did well
Though it does take a few clicks, they are fairly obvious menu choices, so getting to the resources is not difficult. I like that the librarian separated out searching the entire EBSCO group of databases from searching individual databases. That at least lets the students know that they have the option of narrowing their searches to specific databases. Whether they have been taught this is unknown. I also liked that the librarian linked to the appropriate EBSCO interface as well. In addition to linking to the interface itself, she did a screencast recording of how to access and search using that interface, which I think is wonderful! For that kid who only half paid attention when she went over it in class and is now trying to research at 10:30, a how-to video would be a lifesaver! My other favorite thing that this librarian did was include a link to access the databases on mobile devices. More and more research is being done on the fly, on mobile devices like iPads and cell phones. I think it's good that the librarian at Kennett is encouraging and enabling this 24/7 access.
What they could improve
Although I like that the librarian gave students the options to search the entire set of databases, choose one to search, or search the ones included in Student Research Center, I wish she would have explained why she was putting the different links on there, and perhaps included descriptions of the databases searched. Without descriptions, it would be difficult as a student to know which search would best fit my needs. At the middle school age I like to give some scaffolding (for instance, searching using the Student Research Center which chooses just a few databases for the student), but they should also start learning what it is the scaffolding is doing for them, and how to be independent and efficient at searching for what they need. Also, the username and password being on the page seems like a violation of the EBSCO user guide. However, she did put the disclaimer/access policy at the bottom, so I'm not sure if that is her way of letting people know that it is only ok to use the sites if they are a member. Either way, I'm not sure it is ethical.
On a purely aesthetic note, the buttons with a variety of sizes and shapes, not aligned with each other, makes it hard for me to focus on what is on the page. Also, while it is fairly easy to get to the library website, it is fairly difficult to get back to the main district site. A clear link to both the school homepage and the district homepage would be a good addition.
Central High School is one of three high schools in the St. Joseph School District in northwestern Missouri. The school district serves around 11,000 students, with about 1600 of those students attending Central High.
Description of Access
From the Central High School Homepage, students would need to click on Departments, then Library Media Center to get to the library webpage. On the left, there is a link for the databases. This takes the student to a page with a long, alphabetical list of available databases. At the top of the page the student is informed that if they sign in they can see a version of the page that has database usernames and passwords listed. I'm assuming that they would sign in with a username/password that they are familiar with already. Each database listed has an image, a link, and a brief description of what is included in that database. The EBSCO databases are listed with descriptions of each database, and there are many Gale databases listed as well.
What they did well
This is probably the school I feel did the best job overall, so they did a lot of things really well! Their page is easy to find and clearly titled (it would be hard to mistake what you'd find on a page called "Databases"). The page itself is clean to look at and easy to find what you need with the alphabetical listing. Descriptions of each database would make it easy for a student to choose which database to use. Also, there is a huge benefit to being able to log into the website as a whole and see the passwords for each database. What a great way to make the passwords available, but only to people who have a right to use them. I wonder if the librarian had to build two copies of the site, one password protected and one not. If he/she needs to update the site, does he/she have to remember to update both versions? It would be worth it, once they were created, to be able to make the passwords so easily available to students. A student who only half paid attention would easily be able to access valid, reputable information from these databases if they had a modicum of common sense! And that's the main goal of the online access page, right?
What they could improve
In reality, there is not a ton that this school could do better. It would be nice for them to provide a way for students to access the databases from mobile devices, but that is about the only improvement I would make to this site.
Rock Port R-2 is a school district in Rock Port, Missouri, in the northwest corner of the state. It is a very small town, with about 1300 people in the 2010 census. The school district serves approximately 300 students, so it is a very small, very rural school
Description of Access
The Rock Port school district has one website for all of the schools. Under the Students link at the top of the page is a link of "Educational Resources" which takes the user to the EBSCO databases. There is an active link to search all of EBSCO, but there are also links to each of the individual databases along with descriptions as well. The databases are divided into 7-12 and K-6, and include links to the interfaces specific to those grade levels. There is no description of how students would access the resources from home.
What they did well
The site is easy to get to and very clear. They did a great job of linking to the databases individually, but also to let students search all of EBSCO, or the databases specific to the different interfaces. No matter what stage of research a student was in, they could find an option here. The list is very clean and easy to look at with the links and descriptions organized into a table with alternating colors to make it easy to distinguish between lines. Very clean, easy to understand, and easy to access... one of the better sites I looked at, which is impressive for such a tiny district.
What they could improve
It would be nice for students to have some reminder of what the login information is in case they forgot (although in a town this size, there is probably a teacher on the same block). Also, mobile access would be nice. If I was creating the site, I might also divide the 7-12 and K-6 resources onto separate pages so that the younger users don't have to scroll through such a long list of resources to find the ones for them. I would also probably add icons or images to help students find the database or search interface they were looking for. This would be especially helpful for the younger students.
For my spreadsheet, I gave the schools "credit" for listing a database if the database itself was listed, or if they suggested the age-appropriate interface (i.e. Searchasaurus, Kids Search) that accessed that database. However, if there was merely a link to EBSCO or MORENet without any description or direction I did not give them "credit." My reasoning for that distinction was this: As a teacher, particularly an elementary teacher, I would probably not spend a lot of time talking to my students about which databases they should use. Elementary teachers should be teaching the basics of researching (keywords, narrowing, looking at result type, etc). Being able to decide whether Newspaper Source or Primary Search is the best place for them to search for their report on George Washington is more in-depth than most elementary students are ready for. Therefore, I think it's reasonable to suggest an interface to students (especially younger ones) rather than overwhelm them with a list of all available databases. However, I do not think it is helpful to just put a link to EBSCO with no description of the databases at all. Then students are not thinking about where they are searching, but just typing in another search box, and I'm not sure they would understand the difference between searching EBSCO databases and searching Google. Type in a keyword, get a list of results, right? Short story long, that is the criteria I used for my spreadsheet.
Databases
This was a very interesting assignment for me, since I used to train teachers (and students) on using our district's resources. I was interested to see how schools around Missouri presented their databases for students to use. As expected, the results were pretty varied. What was interesting to me was that the variety didn't seem to directly correlate with the location of the school (urban vs. rural) or the diversity of the community, or even the size of the school and/or district. Instead, it seemed to a strictly school-to-school decision, with a variety of approaches showing up even within a single district. In fact, my favorite two (Central High School and Rock Port R-2) were on opposite ends of the spectrum on district size (11,000 vs. 300), and community (suburban vs. rural), yet they had the best access pages.
The five schools I felt did the best job were extremely varied in their backgrounds, but did a fair job of providing access to the databases for their students. I didn't really feel like any of them did an outstanding, can't-be-improved job, though. Definitely finding some pointers for when I am working on my own library website...
Midway Elementary
Disclaimer: I used to teach here! But lots has changed since I left...Hickman Mills Freshman Center
Kennett Middle School
On a purely aesthetic note, the buttons with a variety of sizes and shapes, not aligned with each other, makes it hard for me to focus on what is on the page. Also, while it is fairly easy to get to the library website, it is fairly difficult to get back to the main district site. A clear link to both the school homepage and the district homepage would be a good addition.
Central High School
Rock Port R-2 (K-12)
For my spreadsheet, I gave the schools "credit" for listing a database if the database itself was listed, or if they suggested the age-appropriate interface (i.e. Searchasaurus, Kids Search) that accessed that database. However, if there was merely a link to EBSCO or MORENet without any description or direction I did not give them "credit." My reasoning for that distinction was this: As a teacher, particularly an elementary teacher, I would probably not spend a lot of time talking to my students about which databases they should use. Elementary teachers should be teaching the basics of researching (keywords, narrowing, looking at result type, etc). Being able to decide whether Newspaper Source or Primary Search is the best place for them to search for their report on George Washington is more in-depth than most elementary students are ready for. Therefore, I think it's reasonable to suggest an interface to students (especially younger ones) rather than overwhelm them with a list of all available databases. However, I do not think it is helpful to just put a link to EBSCO with no description of the databases at all. Then students are not thinking about where they are searching, but just typing in another search box, and I'm not sure they would understand the difference between searching EBSCO databases and searching Google. Type in a keyword, get a list of results, right? Short story long, that is the criteria I used for my spreadsheet.
School Database Spreadsheet