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, a certified
teacher/ library media specialist and an experienced media secretary, 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 13 great research sites listed
below to find the facts you need to know.
To Use Our Online Research Databases from Home:
1. Get a parent’s or guardian’s permission to access the Internet.
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).
SIRS Knowledge Sourcehttp://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-portal-display?id=SMI5313-0-5583
Excellent Research Tools for Social Issues
Magazine, Newspaper Articles, Government Publications
Features - Listen to, save, email and share articles. Create bibliographies.
1. Log in.
2. Select SIRS Issues Researcher, Government Reporter, Renaissance, or
Discoverer.
InfoTrac Junior Editionhttp://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/lom_port
Magazine and Newspaper Articles
Videos, Podcasts
Features - Listen to, save, email and share articles.
Watch videos and create citations.
-TIPS - These tips will help you use this database and other databases with 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.
Issues & Controversieshttp://www.fofweb.com/Subscription/
1.
2.
Opposing Viewpoints for 250 Social Issues
Charts, Graphs, Maps and Primary Sources
Log in.
Use search box in upper left corner. Follow instructions on the screen.
Electric Library .
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, 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 Online Passport http://go-passport.grolier.com/main?page=passport
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
World Book Encyclopedia http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/products?ed=all&gr=Welcome+Portage+Public+School+District
1. Log in.
2. Older students: World Book Student
3. Younger students: World Book Kids
CultureGrams –
http://online.culturegrams.com/
1.
2.
Government and Cultures of Countries and States
Geography, Flags, National Anthems, Native Dishes
Log in.
Select the section you would like to use -- CultureGrams, Kid’s Edition, or States.
Instructions for each section are on the home page.
NetTrekkerhttp://school.nettrekker.com/goPage?np=/home.ftl&pp=/home.ftl&pref_code_1=HOMEPAGE&pref_value_1=E
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.
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.
Michigan Electronic Library • Free Research Databases for All Michigan Residents
http://mel.org/SPT--BrowseResourcesDatabases.php?ParentId=617
Click on the database you want.
If you need to log in, you have three 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.
3. Go to http://mel.org and click on Kids, Teens, Reference Desk, or
other links to free databases (no log-in required).
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/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&newstyle=1
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.