Welcome to the Media Center -The Place to Go When You Need to Know!
Check out these resources!
With over 12,000 books, access to many online research databases, your school library
media center is the place to go for help with any research project.
You can work from home!
To access documents in your school U: drive, go back to the Media Center tab and click
on Access U: drive Instructions.
A reference library at your fingertips!
Just read the following directions, and click on one of the many research sites listed below to
find the information you need.
These and more resources also available on Mrs. Sims
eboard http://mediacms.portage.site.eboard.com
To Use Our Online Research Databases from Home:
1. Get a parent’s or guardian’s permission to access the Internet.
1.
2. Choose a research database (below) and click on the blue link.
3. To log in, type the log-in names and passwords exactly as shown on the
hand-out provided by your language arts teacher (also available in the media
center).
-TIPS - These tips will help you use these database as most have similar features.
1. Log in.
2. Do a subject or keyword search for your topic.
3. If you want the best results near the top of the list
SORT BY
Relevance
SORT BY
4. If you want the most recent results near the top of the list
Publication Date
5. If you have more than one search term, such as “drug abuse,” “United States,” and
“schools,” use ADVANCED SEARCH.
6. To get a list of topics related to your subject, do a general subject search.
Under “Limit By,” select SUBJECT. If you searched for “pollution,” you would get related
topics: air pollution, water pollution, industrial pollution, etc.
Click on the sub-topic you want.
7. Not enough time to read the entire article? Type keywords into Refine Results.
Check the box for:
within these results. Your keywords will be highlighted
throughout the article. Read only the highlighted sections.
8. Look for tools to listen to, save, email and share articles.
SIRS Knowledge Sourcehttp://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-portal-display?id=SMI5313-0-5811
Excellent Research Tools for Social Issues
Magazine, Newspaper Articles
1. Log in.
2. Select SIRS Issues Researcher, Renaissance, or Discoverer.
e Library Curriculum.
Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Magazines
Pictures, Maps, TV and Radio News
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/elibweb/curriculum/do/search
1. Log in.
2. Follow instructions on the screen.
Student Resource Center Biographies, Science, Social Studies, Current Issuses, Geography and Author Information
Literary Criticism, Multimedia
http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/start.do?prodId=SRC-4&userGroupName=port37752rpa
1. Log in.
2. Follow instructions on the screen.
Grolier Onlinehttp://go.grolier.com
The New Book of Knowledge – easier articles for elementary and middle school
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia – shorter articles for middle school and up
Encyclopedia Americana – longer articles for high school students and adults
Lands and Peoples – countries, cultures, and current events for middle and
high school
NetTrekkerhttp://school.nettrekker.com
Educational WEB SITES
Current, Accurate, Highly Recommended by Educators
1. In the upper right corner, click on: log in
2. Easier reading level: Elementary tab
3. Higher reading level: Middle tab
4. Type your search term or use subject guides to find web sites on your topic.
Michigan Electronic Library • Free Research Databases for All Michigan Residents
http://www.mel.org/
Click on the database you want. Suggestions include:
CultureGrams (World Edition)-- Government and Cultures of Countries and States
Geography, Flags, National Anthems, Native Dishes.
InfoTrac Junior -- Magazine and Newspaper Articles, Videos, Podcasts Middle school level
InfoTrac Student -- Magazine and Newspaper Articles, Videos, Podcasts High school level
InfoTrac Newsstand – over 1,00o newspapers from around the U.S. and the world
eLibrary - same as eLibrary Curriculum above, references sources, articles, websites
eLibrary Elementary – easier version of ELibray, shorter articles, limited topics.
General Reference Center Gold – Broad collection of magazine and journal articles
Health and Wellness Resource Center – trusted medical info and websites
Opposing Viewpoints in Context – opinions and info on social issues, also video
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe – K-9 content includes articles, books, audio and video
If you need to log in, you have two choices:
1. Use your Portage District Library card number to log-in.
Select: Portage District Library
Enter your Portage District Library card number.
2. With your parent’s or guardian’s permission, use their driver’s
license number to log-in.
OR -- Go to http://www.mel.org and click on Kids, Teens, Reference Desk, or other links to
free databases (no log-in required).
Portage District Library Many Databases for Online Research
http://eps.portagelibrary.info/rooms/index.jsp
1. Log-in User Name: Your Portage District Library card number
2. Log-in PIN: Last 4 digits of the phone number you had when you got your card.
3. Click on: Article Search
4. Select a database and click on the link.
Ask Any Research Question -– Get an email answer in 30 minutes!
1. To –e-mail- your question to a librarian at the Portage District Library, click on:
http://www.pdl.lib.mi.us/ask-us/ask_a_librarian/
2. To ask a librarian a research question, call -329-4544.
The Homework Spot – Help with Middle School Subjects
www.homeworkspot.com
1. No log-in.
2. Go to
3. Under MIDDLE,
MIDDLE click on a subject.
Citation Machine –
http://citationmachine.net
Citations tell where you found your information.
1.
2.
3.
Create easy citations in MLA format.
Click on the type of resource you want to cite: Book, Encyclopedia, Journal Article, etc.
Fill out the gray form.
Click on SUBMIT.
4. Copy the bibliographic citation or the in-text citation and paste it into your
bibliography page or your document.
Atomic Learning
http://www.atomiclearning.com
1. Log in.
2. Follow instructions on the screen.
Get help with software applications and technology.
Watch tutorials, read instructions and experiment with different programs.