When students conduct research online, they usually head straight to Google.  Depending on their search needs, that may be the best place to go.  (I'll be discussing advanced Google Searches soon)   Frequently, however, they would be better off searching a database, and we have access to plenty of those!

On our home screen are a few of our subscription services, but today I want to touch on one of the hidden treasures of NC Wiseowl. As we go through the school year, I'll continue sharing NC Wiseowl resources with you.


Let's start with Grolier Online.  It's one of the links on the left-hand side of the page.  Here's what you find when you click the link: 

Along the left are links to specialized databases within Grolier, such as the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Americana, Lands and Peoples, and the New Book of Popular Science. Each of these has great features and I will be discussing them in more depth in future posts.  For now, I just want to make sure you know they exist and are available!

Also on this page, you will find current topics in the news, what happened today in history, an atlas, and teacher resources.  There is also a search engine which will search all of the databases in Grolier Online.  When your results come up, you will be able to tell which database they came from and narrow your selections based on that, or based on media type.  You will also find links to authoritative internet sources that are appropriate for students.  

When you have a few extra minutes, take some time and look around NC Wiseowl.  There are so many treasures buried there - let's start uncovering them!  (Screenshots of the Grolier Online Databases are scrolling below.)

I first learned about NoveList when I was in library school, and it remains one of my favorite resources.  It is a readers' advisory database, which basically means that it does for books what Pandora does for music.  (If you aren't using Pandora, you should be!)  NoveList Plus breaks books down into components such as tone, writing style, subject and location to help you find other books with similar components.   

Start by searching for a book you've already read and liked.  NoveList Plus will pull up a brief description of the book where you will find links to title read-alikes and author read-alikes.  There will also be a link to the author's other books (if any). For more detailed information, click on the book's title and you will be taken to a new page.  Along the side of the page, you will see hyperlinked read-alikes for that title.  Or, you can choose what aspects of the book appealed to you and NoveList Plus will look for other titles that contain the same components.  

NoveList Plus also maintains 'Best of' lists for easy browsing, 'If you like...' suggestions for popular titles, and multiple lists by genre or topic.  Genres are often broken down into subgenre.  For example, the romance for teens genre is broken down into contemporary, paranormal, fantasy and classic.

NoveList Plus is available free through NCLive to all North Carolina residents who have a library card. Click on the 'Books and Literature' link and then scroll down to click on NoveList Plus.  You will probably be asked to log in at this point.  Choose your home library from the drop-down menu.  You will need to contact your library for the password, but in our region, the password is your library card number.  

If you are a public school student or staff member, you can also access NoveList Plus through NCWiseowl.  Click on 'High School Zone' and look for the NoveList link along the left hand links list.

If you love to read, you will love NoveList, but even if you only read when you have to, NoveList can help you find a book you look forward to reading.