The Record: 2007 August 27
Searching for journal, magazine and newspaper articles used to involve flipping through fat index books and hoping your library carried the periodical in question.
If you wanted an encyclopedia, you had to take the right volume off the shelf. If you wanted to know what a novel was about, you had to read the book, or at least the dust jacket.
Things have changed, and now it's easier for kids at local schools to search for quality online resources.
The Waterloo Region District School Board is launching its new virtual library, which offers much more information than ever before, thanks to new funding from the province.
"This year we're spending less than half on online database licencing than we did last year and we're getting 10 times the resources," said library consultant Anita Brooks Kirkland.
Although the virtual library has been online since January, with mostly secondary students using it, significant improvements have been made over the summer and once school starts, there will be a new push to get elementary students involved.
Some of the materials are geared toward young children, with lots of pictures and easy-to-read information. For older students, there are resources as sophisticated as peer-reviewed academic journals.
Because of the variety, all students can access useful information whether they're reading significantly ahead or behind their grade level, said MacGregor Public School teacher Mary Sue Meredith, who has used the virtual library with her Grade 8 students.
Importantly, the information is all good quality, unlike much of what turns up by Googling, said Brooks Kirkland.
Also, it's "one-stop shopping" for elementary students, high school students and teachers looking for professional resources, she said.
Students and teachers will be able to access the virtual library at school or from home using a password they'll learn at school.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board is putting together a similar virtual library accessible at school or home with a password. Although staff are still working on a new interface, it should be ready by the beginning of the school year, said resource librarian Elaine Zink.
Some of the electronic journals and other resources are already available through the board's website, but it hasn't all been in one place, said Zink.
There are also now more online resources available to the general public. The Ontario government has licensed a number of electronic databases for anyone's use.
For more information, go to any public library or visit www.knowledgeontario.ca.
