POTTSGROVE
High School Library
ONLINE RESOURCES HANDBOOK
Danielle Moore
Library Media Specialist
WELCOME to the Pottsgrove Library!
This handbook will provide information about each of the library’s online resources.
On the desktop you will see the following icons. Double click on:
DESTINY (Library Manager: Online Public Access Catalog): This is the library’s
card catalog. It contains a complete listing of all materials, print and non-print,
currently held here. The patrons of Pottsgrove High School will be able to access this
system through any workstation with a supported web browser, through the district's
network and the Internet.
Open up FireFox or Internet Browser and type: http://pgdestiny.pgsd.org
Click on the Catalog link and Library Search box.
Look for materials using any of the search methods (title, subject, author, etc.). Type
your search term in the empty box at the top of the screen. Then click on the type of
search you wish to perform. Your search results will be displayed. A list of items will
appear. Usually a screen that says “Titles Closest to ex: Harry Potter.” Click the link.
The next screen will provide an image of the book, and contain information concerning
the author, title, and call number and will indicate if that item is available for checkout.
Gale Group- This is a collection of databases consisting of Contemporary Literary
Criticism, Twayne Author Series, Scribner Writer Series, and the Discovering
Collection. The first two databases pertain to contemporary, world, British, and the U.S.
authors, their works, criticisms of their works, literary genres, and essays on their lives
and works. However, the Discovering Collection is a comprehensive database
containing in-depth information in the areas of Literature, History, Biography, Science,
and Social Studies. All of the resources in this collection are easy to navigate. Just
follow the directions provided on each screen.
From the Pottsgrove Homepage – Click “Schools” – Click on the “High School”
– Click on “Departments” – Click on “High School Library” – Click on “Senior
Research Links” – Click on “Gale – Student Research Center”.
or from home:
type in http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/pl2695
Password: pl2695 (letters p and l are lower case)
MONARCH NOTES- This resource provides information on various authors and their
works by name or literary period. Authors’ works are listed, along with geographical
information, criticisms of their works, and character analyses. Other features include
“Gallery” and “Portrait” sections which provide images and multimedia clips. This
resource is very easy to use. Click anywhere on the title screen. This takes you to the
menu. Follow the directions on each screen to find the desired information.
http://www.studyworld.com/monarch_notes.htm
POWER LIBRARY
POWER is an acronym that stands for Pennsylvania Online World of Electronic
Resources. It provides access to numerous resources for all residents of Pennsylvania
through computers either in school or at home if they have a public library membership
card. The welcome screen that appears is divided into eleven basic subject areas. Each
contains resources that apply to that category. Some of the resources may appear in
more than one subject area. Most resources are listed below. Click on the resource you
wish to order access.
Type in to Internet Browser:
http://www.powerlibrary.org/Interface/POWER.asp?ID=pl2695
ART/MUSIC
 Grove’s Dictionaries-This resource is a collection of comprehensive databases
covering all aspects of music and art. Images are accessible to aid in the
identifying art works. Follow general navigational procedures to access and use
these resources.
AUTO REPAIR
 Auto Repair Reference Center- This database provides information on car
repair procedures, recalls, and labor estimates for various makes, models, and
production years of automobiles.
BIOGRAPHY
 Associated Press Multimedia Archive- This is an archive of more than 500,000
current and historical photos of events covered by the Associated Press news
service. New photos are added daily. All photos are captioned. On the initial
screen, type your search information into any or all of the three blanks at the top
of the screen. Or you may choose to search any or all of the topics that are present
on the home screen.
 Biography Reference Bank- This resource contains biographical articles on over
500,000 individuals form ages past through the present. Information was obtained
for authoritative book and periodical sources. The database may be searched
using browse, basic, or advanced methods and includes images as well as a
thesaurus.
 Contemporary Authors- This database contains complete biographical and
bibliographical information on over 120,000 U.S. and international contemporary
authors. Just type an author’s name and click <search>. If that author is included
in this database you will get results.
BUSINESS
 Business Searching Interface- This provides a highly focused, easy to use
way to both browse and search for country economic data, company profiles,
industry information, and market research.
 Business Source Premier- This database covers all subject areas related to
business and contains full-text articles from over 3,650 scholarly journals.
 Regional Business News- This resource provides comprehensive coverage
from 75 business journals, newspapers, and newswires from all metropolitan
and rural areas within the Untied States.
CHILDREN’S RESOURCES
 All resources listed under this category are either designed for younger
researchers or are listed under another category elsewhere in the POWER
Library list of resources.
EDUCATION
 ERIC- The Educational Information and Resource Information Center
contains over 2,200 digests, citations and abstracts from over 980 educational
and education-related journals, as well as references to other sources of
information on this topic.
 Professional Development Collection- This database is designed for
educator’s and contains a collection of almost 600 full text journals that focus
specifically on educational issues.
FIND A BOOK
 Access Pennsylvania- This is a web-based union catalog designed to give
residents of Pennsylvania access to a wide variety of materials and titles from
ALL participating libraries across the state. At the welcome screen click on
<Search the Database>. On the next screen click on “Montgomery” (lower right
of the screen). Then select <School Libraries>. This brings you to the search
screen. Select the search method you want to use and type in your search term
using default settings where applicable. If you would like to request an item to
borrow from another library, select it from the results list. Print ONLY the first
page of the record. Then give it to the librarian.
 Book Index with Reviews- Includes fiction and nonfiction in all genres. It
contains over 800,000 full text searchable reviews from a number of reputable
sources.
 Book Collection: Nonfiction- This is a research database containing full text
and abstracts for over 1,000 popular nonfiction books covering various subject
areas including literature, history, social studies, science, careers, technology,
health, and sports.
 netLibrary- This is a comprehensive collection of more than 37,000 e-books
giving users full text access to subjects such as technology, the arts, religion,
literature, business, science, history, sociology, technology. The collection also
includes fiction titles. Just enter the database, perform a keyword or other
available search and get your results list. From the list select the title you want.
It’s that easy! Books may be read anywhere so long as computers with Internet
and POWER Library access are present.
NextReads- This is a customizable emails readers’ advisory service that provides access
to various fiction and nonfiction newsletters. You choose those to which you would like
to subscribe when you register. Periodically, you will receive newsletters via your email
giving you lists of new releases and popular titles.
Novelist- This database offers resources for teachers, librarians, and students. Included
are discussion guides, book reviews, book talks, and comprehensive subject searching
capabilities so users can find just the right fiction books. Designed for K-8 and young
adult/adult readers it provides several ways to access titles of interest. If you are looking
for a good book to read this is the place to get great ideas.
GENERAL REFERENCE
 EBSCOhost- This is a comprehensive periodicals and reference database
covering a wide variety of topics. Click on “EbscoHost Web” to access the menu
of databases. Review the list of databases and select the one(s) you want to search
by clicking in the box(es) to the left of each database. Click on <Continue> at the
top or bottom left of the screen. This brings you to the search screen. Type your
search term at the blinking cursor. Then click <Search>. Your results will appear
on the next screen. Skim the article titles until you find one or more you want to
view. Click on the article title. The next screen will contain a citation for the
article and the full text of the article or an abstract of it. If you want to print from
EBSCO and the article is in the HTML format you must use the print feature
within the database. Click on <Print> at the top or bottom of the screen and
follow the directions given. To determine the number of pages in your article
click that link below the print button on the Print Manager screen. The number of
pages will be displayed in red. Then print. Please note: If the article is only
available in PDF format you must use Adobe Readers’ print function in the
Adobe toolbar.
 COIN CAREER LIBRARY – http://library.coin3.com
site ID = LPA14429 password = PHS
Coin Career Library allows you to search for an occupation, find a college, take
the COIN self assessment survey, find information on scholarships, etc. Coin is a
necessary essential reference for students completing a career research paper in
English. It may be accessed from PowerLibrary’s Ebscohost.
 Facts for Learning- This resource contains archives of nine periodicals dating
from the year 2000, a reference library that includes an atlas, dictionary, general
encyclopedia, and a picture gallery in addition to the other products dealing with
countries and nations of the world. Other features include timeline and current
events articles and a calendar that provides links to perpetual calendars plus a list
of those born and events that occurred on a given date in history. This is a
comprehensive resource that could be useful to high school students.
 Funk & Wagnall’ New World Encyclopedia- This is a general encyclopedia
containing over 25,000 entries covering a variety of subjects.
 History Reference Center-This database contains full text for over 750 historical
encyclopedias and other nonfiction books plus full text for almost 60 leading
historical periodicals. In addition, it contains numerous historical documents.
Biographies, and historical maps and photos, film and video.
 Oxford Reference Online- This is a comprehensive database covering a wide
variety of topics. Information in the form of articles, definitions, quotations,
bibliographies for further study, and weblinks is derived from over 160 language
and subject reference works published by Oxford. This database also has a
timeline feature. The database may be searched by subject, keyword, or browsing
the entire database.
SIRS Discoverer- Once you have entered this database click on the SIRS Discoverer
link located below the search box. This is an interactive reference database designed for
Middle school level researchers. It includes, basically, the same resources as SIRS
Discoverer. However, they have been expanded to meet the research needs of higher
level users. Searching may be done by browsing subjects, keying in subjects, or
keyword/natural language searches. The keyword/natural language search will yield the
best results. One addition to this resource is SIRS Government Reporter which
contains current and historic government documents, U.S. Supreme Court decisions,
information, about branches of the federal government, agencies, elected officials, etc.
An excellent source for current and historical information about our government.
This resource also provides a link to show users how to cite work obtained from it.
This feature can be invaluable when using information gathered at this site for written
reports or researched papers.
 Student Research Center – Ebsco’s interface that provides students with the
most appropriate research tools to easily gather information from Ebsco’s
databases in POWER Library. Students can easily select what types of materials
to include in their search. An online dictionary, encyclopedias, T.V. and radio
news transcripts, film and video are among the many sources contained in this
database.
HEALTH / SCIENCE
 All resources listed in this category deal specifically with health and medical
topics and the exception of Facts for Learning and EBSCO Animals. Facts for
Learning is discussed elsewhere in this handbook.
 EBSCO Animals – intended for younger researchers, this resource includes
indexing, abstracts, and full-text articles covering the nature and habitat of
familiar animals.
LITERATURE
 All resources listed in this category have been discussed previously in this
handbook with the exception of LitFinder.
 LitFinder – This resource provides access to several different types of literature
– poetry, short stories, essays, plays, and speeches. Each area contains
comprehensive coverage including complete texts of works, explanations of
works, and portraits. All are easy to navigate and may be searched by genre, by
subject, or by contemporary works. An extra feature titles Kid’s Corner is
designed for younger researchers.
o Poems – contains over 100,000 full text poems with over 800,000 poem
citations. Additional features include a Kid’s Corner of poetry for children
and a Year’s Best Poetry Anthology.
o Short Stories – contains thousands of full text classic and contemporary
short stories and many pictures.
o Essays / Speeches – Essays in this database focus on the humanities and
social sciences and include literary criticism. A wide variety of topics are
covered. Speeches comprise those best known over the last 2,500 years.
o Plays – encompasses the widest variety and most complete full text
collection of plays currently available.
PLAN AN EDUCATION AND CAREER PATH
 CHOICES PLANNER – is an online program that helps you explore education
options, and is a place where you can discover a variety of occupations, and make
plans to achieve your goals.
o
www.bridges.com



Site ID = 1222167
Password = falcons
Click on create a new portfolio and start exploring all the careers and
options
NEWSPAPERS / MAGAZINES / WEBSITES
 All resources listed in this category have been discussed previously in the
handbook or are intended for younger researchers with the exception of DartClix,
MAS Online, MasterFILE Premier, and Newspaper Source. These databases may
be accessed individually, as listed, or by clicking on EBSCOHost.
o DartClix is a collection of over 18,000 professionally selected, high
quality websites which may be searched through the Access PA database.
Click on DartClix to enter the database.
o MasterFILE Premier is a multidisciplinary database with full text dating
back to 1975. Sources include general reference books, biographies,
periodicals, primary source documents, and an image collection.
o MAS Online is a miniature version of MasterFILE Premier so MasterFILE
Premier is the more desirable choice for the high school level or adult
researcher.
o Newspaper Source provides access to selected full text articles from over
230 regional, national, and international newspaper publications. It also
contains full text radio and television news transcripts.
OTHER WEBSITES FOR SENIOR RESEARCH PAPER
Spark Notes: http://sparknotes.com
Unlike other study guides written by disgruntled academics and stodgy old
professors, SparkNotes are written exclusively by students and recent
graduates. Over 100 Harvard students and graduates have contributed to
SparkNotes.
Pink Monkey Notes and Barron’s Book Notes: http://www.pinkmonkey.com
PinkMonkey® is a FREE study site designed for junior high, high school
and college students, teachers and home-schoolers. Within the
PinkMonkey® website you will find the largest collection of chapter
summaries available on the Internet.
Classic Notes: http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles.html
ClassicNotes provides free literature summaries and analysis. All of the
ClassicNotes have been written and compiled by Harvard essayists. Find
detailed summaries, character information, and literature references.
IPL Online Literary Criticism Collection: http://www.ipl.org/ref/litcrit/
IPL stands for Internet Public Library and is the first public library of and
for the Internet community. One can look through the subject categories
listed, peruse information and access anything in their catalog.
Novel Guide’s Novel Analysis: http://www.novelguide.com/novelanalysis.html
NovelGuide.com is the premier free source for literary analysis on the
web. They provide an educational supplement for better understanding of
classic and contemporary literature.
FreeBooknotes: http://www.freebooknotes.com
This site dedicated to finding all of the sites with free book notes and free
study guides. This site includes many links to the above sites.
Discoveryschool.com: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/arts/artlit.html
This is Kathy Schrock’s guide to finding information on your book on the
web. Put in the title of your book and see where you can look to find
lesson plans, information sites, and much more.
CampusNut.com: http://www.campusnut.com/bookindex.cfm
It's a fairly new site with a growing number of book summaries. At this
time they have almost 50 books summarized by Harvard students and
English PhDs. These summaries include chapter by chapter analysis,
historical context, points to ponder, themes, etc.
Antistudy Free Book Notes: http://www.antistudy.com/title.php
AntiStudy.com is a search engine for free online literature notes and study
guides similar to CliffNotes (CliffsNotes) - including summaries and
literary analysis. AntiStudy searches SparkNotes, Barrons Book Notes,
PinkMonkey, NovelGuide, and other reputable book summaries sites for
Cliff Notes-like book notes, and gives you direct links to each individual
free study guide available on the book that you searched for. This way, you
can find any book summary or chapter summary you want. AntiStudy
currently has a database of free "cliff's notes" for over 500 novels, plays,
and poems.
Book Rags: http://bookrags.com
Click on “BookNotes”
BookRags has over 100 free book notes with: Plot Summary, Chapter
Summaries, Character Descriptions, Object/Place Descriptions, Quotes,
Author Biography, and Topic Tracking. The web site also offers 1,500 free
e-books including about 70 works by Shakespeare. Most of these can
either be read online or downloaded directly to a handheld dive, such as a
Palm Pilot, all completely for free.
Book Wolf:
http://www.Bookwolf.com/Welcome_to_Bookwolf1/welcome_to_bookwolf1.html
Summary Central: http://summarycentral.tripod.com/
SchoolBytes: http://schoolbytes.com/
Click on “Plotbytes”
School-Work org: http://www.schoolwork.org/books.html
Book Spot: http://www.bookspot.com/
The High School Hub: http://highschoolhub.org/hub/hub.cfm
Click on “English” and “Literature Study Guides”
WEBSITES FOR ONLINE TEXT AND QUOTES
http://online-literature.com
http://barleby.com
WEBSITES FOR CREATING BIBLIOGRAPHIES
http://easybib.com
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
SIDENOTE:
The Pottsgrove Library gets The Mercury and The Philadelphia Inquirer
delivered every day of the school week. You may pick up a copy for FREE at the
circulation desk. (We do not really archive our newspaper copies, but have been
putting one copy aside each day, but then have been throwing them away at the
end of each week.)
The magazines we are currently carrying are:
O (Oprah)
American Hunter
People
Star
Latiana
Forbes
Newsweek
TURNITIN.COM
The worldwide standard in online plagiarism prevention, Turnitin helps
educators and students take full advantage of the internet's educational
potential.
If a teacher needs help researching a student paper, please see the
library media specialist for assistance.
Danielle Moore
Pottsgrove High School
Jessie H. Rosenberry Library
DMOORE2@pgsd.org