May 14, 2010
Hi,
You may recall the late April announcement that Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) will be added to our statewide suite of Gale databases. As of today, OVRC is available on OSLIS.
What
is it?
Opposing Viewpoints
is a popular Gale database that pulls together background information and pros
& cons viewpoints about current social issues. It’s an especially useful
tool for middle schoolers through college students as they do research.
Access
There are two ways to
access this database on OSLIS. One is to go to the secondary student Find Information page.
OVRC is featured in the center of the top row. Or, when you are logged into any
statewide Gale database, click on Change Databases, a choice in the toolbar at
the top of the screen. Clicking on Change Databases takes you to the Gale
common menu, and Opposing Viewpoints is the 6th choice in the list.
We did not highlight OVRC on the elementary Find Information page, but you can
access it, and any statewide Gale database, through the Change Databases link as
just described. See the attachment for specific directions and screenshots.
Think
Interface
If you have used OVRC
before, you know that the interface is like the one used in Student Resource
Center Gold. By early June, Gale plans to unveil Think, a new interface for
OVRC. It will be a portal page that features a quick overview of a topic,
related multimedia, links to “editorially reviewed” websites, and more. Content
that used to be available in tabs at the top of the page will appear in buckets
at the bottom of the page. Extra features like ReadSpeaker and translation will
still be available. Eventually, SRC Gold will change to the Think interface,
too.
Training
You will have several
opportunities to participate in a 1-hour Gale webinar to learn more about
Opposing Viewpoints. Because of the upcoming transition to a new interface and
because many folks will soon be on vacation, we pushed back the training
timeline. We’ll offer two sessions in June and multiple sessions in August and
late September or early October. These are the webinar dates so far: June 16
& 17 and August 24 & 26. The times and the September or October dates
have not been confirmed yet. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more
information. If you want to get familiar with the current interface, explore
the resources that Gale added to our support site. You can’t miss the big
OVRC bubble on the top right.
If your library or district already subscribes to Opposing Viewpoints, you are eligible for a credit to apply toward the purchase of new databases and/or eBooks. Within the next few weeks, Lindsay Smith, the in-office counterpart to Jeff Jensen (who no longer works for Gale), should be contacting those who are due a credit. Or, you are welcome to contact her: Lindsay.smith@cengage.com or 800-877-4253 ext 8374.
If you have questions, please ask. Have a great weekend.
Thanks,Jen
Jennifer
Maurer
School Library
Consultant
Library
Development
Oregon State
Library
250 Winter Street
NE
Salem, OR 97301-3950
503-378-5011
jennifer.maurer@state.or.us