Waffle Bytes

A new school year brings new opportunities to dig into the content and tools in MeL's eResources. We know it can be a lot of work to roll out a new library resource to students, parents, teachers and school administrators. To help, a range of support resources are available from each of MeL's eResource providers. This month, we're reviewing EBSCO’s knowledge base, EBSCO Connect. With a collection of lesson plans, tutorials, student guides and more, you are sure to find what you need. The best part? They’re free! Here are the Top 5 student and teacher support resources available in EBSCO Connect:   Lesson Plans Are you supporting teachers in your community with library material connections to curriculum? Look for dozens of lesson plans for a variety of subjects. To support students and teachers in high school check out the information literacy lesson plan  Spotting Fake News and Images on the Web . Scavenger Hunts Explore features, discover research top...

If you’re in the job-seeking market, brush up your resume or write a new one with LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator® available free at the Michigan electronic Library (Mel.org). Under  LearningExpress , click the Job & Career Accelerator Center. Select Tools to Get Hired, then launch the  Build Your Resume  career tool. The Resume Builder will help you create effective resumes in a step-by-step manner with expert advice, easy-to-follow instructions, and helpful resume samples. The Resume Builder helps you create new resumes from scratch or upload and edit an existing resume. The easy-to-follow format allows you to set up your resume profile once with your name and contact information, resume name, job category, description, job experience and current work situation, all saved for any additional resumes. When you create a new resume, you may select a first design or skip this step. Navigation takes you through the sections for a headline, job highlig...

From the MeL blog -  World Book Webquests, available through the World Book Kids digital database, teach responsible digital citizenship, strong research skills, and critical and analytical thought—all while making learning an adventure! Webquests are print-and-do activities that take learners on expeditions through World Book Kids. By following the step-by-step routes through the database, students learn by reading text, studying images, and hearing sound (including text read aloud to them). Along the way, students of all learning types practice basic database research skills. In the classroom or as part of library programming, a teacher or librarian simply needs to print out and distribute a WebQuest, and students can begin their self-directed exploration. New Webquests on topics ranging from sports to space are added often to ensure that the activity appeals to every student. Webquests approach every topic in ways that make the information approachable, digestible, an...

From Ann Rau, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Lansing Community College and the MeL Team: Academic Search Complete  is the fourth most popular MeL eResource with over a half million retrievals in the last three months. Have you checked it out since it went live on Oct 1?  Anne Rau of Lansing Community College writes: “My instructor says I have to get peer-reviewed and scholarly articles. Help!!!” This has to be one of the most frequently asked questions academic librarians hear from students. Here at the LCC Library, one of our go to databases for this is Academic Search Complete from EBSCO. It was added to the Michigan eLibrary this past fall. It covers a wide variety of subjects, so it can be used for almost any program of study. For Beginning and Experienced Searchers   What I especially like about Academic Search Complete is the one stop shopping to find scholarly/peer-reviewed/trade journal articles on so many di...

From Liz Breed of the MeL Team -  Supporting Michigan Libraries - November 1, 2018 Where Did the Teen Portal Go? With 23 eResources just for Teens, there is a wealth of content available for research, homework help and more! Accessing these eResources is made simpler by using the Subject search on the eResources page. Visit MeL.org and click on eResources in the navigation menu at the top of the page. Once you are there, click on the "All Subjects" drop down menu and scroll down until you see "Teens (23)". Scroll down to see the full list. Using the "All Subjects" search tool is the best way to find groups of related eResources and is similar to the portals that used to be part of MeL. This is part of our efforts to respond to the way that people were actually using the Teen portal according to Google Analytics statistics. Over half of visitors to the Teen portal homepage left almost immediately for the eResources page. Of t...

From the MeL Team: By now many have heard the good news that MeL carries   Consumer Reports (part of MasterFILE complete) . This well-loved resource is available on the eResources page under Popular eResources as well as in the alphabetical listing. You can also reach it by going into MasterFILE. Our subscription is the complete version of the magazine, includes the annual buying guide, and is not embargoed. The experience available via MeL.org is NOT the subscription interface known as ConsumerReports.org that many Michigan libraries pay for, and are accustomed to. Our interface offers a basic, browse-only environment with a link to a searchable version of the complete magazine.  We do have plans to develop a more visual interface, with a built-in search feature, to improve the delivery of the Consumer Reports magazine content. Look for it in upcoming months. For those who may not be familiar, the ConsumerReports.org subscription provides richer information, and ...

From the MeL Team: Britannica School has been available in MeL for several years and now additional access is available with  Britannica School Insights , a free Chrome browser extension. Support information literacy skill development and ensure your students can bring a trusted research companion along with them on their Web searches. Best suited for middle and high school students, Britannica School Insights brings fact-checked Britannica School content to the top of search engine results. When Britannica School has highly relevant results, the results will populate in the top right corner of your search page. Additional benefits include: Supporting digital literacy skills development by surfacing trusted resources in parallel with regular Web search results. Maximizing Britannica School usage with a free extension that supports student research. Surfacing unique relationships – like related events and people – and uncommon insights – like related topics and unknown...

From Christine Schneider of the MeL Team - Fake news. Hoax. Media bias. Misinformation. Media literacy is perhaps more important now than ever.  But do you have the resources you need to help students and patrons? The Michigan eLibrary is here to help! Just in time for the new school year, MeL and Gale have compiled the “ Fake News Frenzy: A Guide to Resources for Librarians and Teachers ." Resources include links to articles, videos, lesson plans, games, websites, and more. There are even recommended books with a link to  MeLCat  for each! Another great resource for combating fake news here in Michigan is Gale’s  Opposing Viewpoints in Context  (OViC). It is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. This database features continuously updated viewpoints, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics...