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Leanna Hampton
60630
17 March 2015

Core Reference Collection

Subscription Electronic Databases

Classroom Video On Demand. (2015). New York, NY: Infobase Learning. [Electronic Edition]
Classroom Video is an online streaming database for high school students with over
9,000 titles in the core curriculum subject areas. The videos are high quality, unbiased,
authoritative, and current, as they add 1,000 new titles a year. The video sources are
documented and come from credible sources for education, news, and curriculum.
Newsreels, documentaries, literature films, and lesson-based videos are available. Each video
program is linked to content standards for Common Core and state and national content
standards. Assistive technologies include closed captioning and transcripts of content for
thousands of video segments and programs. The streaming videos can be viewed through a
computer or devices such as the iPad.
CultureGrams: World. (2015). Provo, UT: ProQuest. [Electronic Edition]
CultureGrams provides access to detailed entries on every country in the world. Each
country article includes history, customs, holidays, images, statistics, recipes, anthems, flags,
maps, and icons in a fully interactive and colorful interface designed for middle and high
school students. The World edition provides photos, videos, graphs, interviews, and
slideshows pertaining to each country. Users can skip the interactivity and opt for the full

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pdf, which includes the option to have the article read aloud, emailed, or printed. A citation
generator, teaching resources, and curriculum standards are also linked in each article.
ePrep. (2015). Princeton, NJ: ePrep. [Electronic Edition]
ePrep provides SAT, ACT, PSAT, and PLAN practice and tutorials for students.
Students are encouraged to print full length practice exams, take the exam, and then enter
their answers online. Students can look at any answer and watch a video clip of the solution.
Individualized test preparation is recommended based on the problem areas recognized in the
test results. Videos and tutorials offering extra practice in these areas can focus attention to
where it is needed most. Optional vocabulary practice and games help to make learning fun.
Students can set a date for their official test and the software will construct a training
calendar to help the student budget their practice time. Materials and video tutorials are
designed by master teachers in each subject area.
Facts on File: Science Online. (2015). New York, NY: Infobase Learning. [Electronic Edition]
Science Online not only provides encyclopedic articles and essays on science topics, but
it also contains over 800 closed captioned video clips and animations, labeled and printable
pdf diagrams of science concepts, timelines of science, news articles, biographies, and a
searchable index of science experiments, complete with lesson plans. Students can browse
popular topics in science or they can search and limit results based on format. Helpful tools
include the ability to link to related subjects, enlarge text, see citations for articles, and create
a user account to save entries to a folder. Science Online also provides a conversion
calculator for all types of measurement, a science dictionary, and a searchable index of
national, Common Core, and state science standards.

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Gale Artemis Literary Sources. (2015). New York: Gale. [Electronic Edition]
Gale Literature Resources, Literature Criticism Online, Lit Finder, and Something about
the Author have combined to make the new Artemis database. Unique tools like Term
Frequency allow students to see a graph of a words use in documents over time. Topic
Finder provides a visual diagram of the most common words that appear in the results of a
search term, and the words can be selected to change search results. Each search result
allows limiters to be applied that narrow the topic by literature criticism, biography, topic and
work overview, reviews and news, primary sources and literary works, and multimedia.
Some articles on the results list are in an ebook format that can be read within the database,
while others are text articles that can be printed, emailed, translated, and read aloud. Users
can create an account and save searches and articles.
Gale Biography in Context. (2015). New York: Gale. [Electronic Edition]
Biography in Context contains over 600,000 biographies and includes additional Gale
collections such as Contemporary Black Biography and American Men and Women. Each
interactive multimedia biography offers reference, magazine, and journal articles about the
subject. Images, videos, and related websites are also available. Students are able to search
by name, occupation, nationality, and birth or death place. Desired content level of basic,
intermediate, or advanced can also be selected by the user, with the ability to email, print,
save, cite, or read the article aloud. Lesson plans and Common Core curriculum alignments
are available to teachers.
Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. (2015). New York, NY: Gale. [Electronic Edition]
Middle and high school students will find Opposing Viewpoints useful for finding
information on all sides of contemporary issues, such as capital punishment, texting,

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pollution, and bullying. Students search by keyword or browse current issues. Each full text
article includes statistics, videos, audio clips, primary source documents, websites, images,
interactive maps and graphs, and newspaper and magazine articles. Pertinent court cases and
legislation relating to the topic are also included. Content can be limited by three difficulty
levels or by lexile reading level. Users can create an account to save searches and articles.
Articles options include the ability to email, print, read aloud, translate, cite, and bookmark.
Gale Virtual Reference Library K12. (2015). New York, NY: Gale. [Electronic Edition]
Access to thousands of ebook reference titles on an extensive range of topics from
religion, ethics, social issues, science, history, literature, biographies, and more. Ebooks are
read within the online GVRL environment, with searchable and linked content to access
individual portions of the ebook. Records for each title can be displayed in the OPAC,
linking users directly to the GVRL ebook from the catalog. Enhanced search features, such
as keyword and article title, increase access to given topics within the ebook. Citations for
articles are also provided.
Learning Express Library. (2014). New York, NY: Learning Express, LLC. [Electronic Edition]
Learning Express Library provides eBooks, units, lessons, exercises, quizzes, tests, and
tutorials focused on individual learners needs. High school students can select the School
Center in order to view tutorials on math, reading, science, social studies, statistics,
trigonometry, vocabulary, and grammar. Under the College Preparation Center, students can
utilize tutorials on the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP tests, as well as a tutorial for writing a
college admission essay. Each section offers guidance on how to use the tutorials and also
how to prepare for the test. After taking a test or quiz, students may view their answers and
see answer explanations. The Career Center provides tutorials about resume writing, job

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searches, and interviewing. A help page includes video clips about how to utilize the
resources. Students must create an account to access all tutorials.
Student Research Center. (2015). Birmingham, AL: EBSCO. [Electronic Edition]
Student Research Center is an EBSCO database designed for middle and high school
users. Searches returns results on all topics from encyclopedia, magazine, news, primary
source documents, books, reports, and multimedia sources. The database provides many
options for narrowing a search by full text, subject, date, reading level, and format. Subject
headings are linked in order to allow students to expand their search topic. Creating an
account allows the student to save searches and results. Article tools include, citations,
resources, further reading, lexile level, and a print, save, or email feature. The help page
offers extensive information about how to perform productive searches. It includes
information about advanced searching and how to improve search results.
World Book Advanced. (2015). Chicago, IL: World Book. [Electronic Edition]
High school students can access current information on any topic. The result formats
available include graphs, maps, videos, primary source documents, videos, research tools, an
atlas, and a dictionary. Advanced searches allow students to search by numerous options,
genres, formats, and reading levels. Students can browse popular topics, access pathfinders
for major areas of study, connect to information for further reading, and link to articles on
related content. WB Advanced offers article citations, special teacher resources, links from
articles to state content standards, and the ability to save articles after creating a user profile.
Articles contain a read-aloud feature and they can be translated to 30 other languages.

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World Book Timelines. (2014). Chicago, IL: World Book. [Electronic Edition]
Timelines is a highly dynamic and interactive learning tool that features content, text,
images, maps, and primary source videos and documents that can be arranged onto timelines.
Users can browse or search for timelines with or without a login, however, the content can
only be saved with a user account. Additional content or points on a timeline can be added
through searching encyclopedia content or they can be manually added by the user.
Timelines can be saved, printed, and manipulated between views. Double clicking a preset
data point will access multimedia content, including primary source documents or media.

Print Resources

The American Heritage Roget's thesaurus. (2013). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 907 p.
This thesaurus is designed for adults and is organized in traditional alphabetical format
with a concise definition for the entry followed by synonyms, antonyms, part of speech, and
example sentences for each synonym listed. It includes thousands of clearly indicated
informal words, such as regional or slang words, and the entries also offer colorful
alternatives that broaden the selection choices for each entry. Entries also offer related
cross-referenced words that can also be found in the thesaurus.
Berger, S. (2013). The best summer programs for teens 2014-2015: America's top classes,
camps, and courses for college-bound students. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press Inc. 309 p.
This book contains a directory for over 200 United States classes, camps, and courses in
areas such as the arts, math, science, computer science, technology, and foreign language.
The handbook also provides information about different types of programs including

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internships, paid positions, and study abroad opportunities. Information about college
planning and choosing a program precede the alphabetical state summer program directory.
Program lists features contain an address, phone, email, website, program type/subject area,
grade level, and description.
College Entrance Examination Board. (2014). College handbook 2015 (52nd ed.). New York:
College Board. 2321 p.
This handbook includes 2,200 colleges and universities and 1,700 community colleges
and technical schools in the United States. Entries include information about admission,
tuition, majors, activities, sports, and more. This annual directory is updated and verified
with each college. Chapters have information about selecting and applying for college, as
well as information about placement tests and an early action timetable. Over 40 indexes,
including an alphabetical index, help students find colleges based on criteria such as region,
sports offered, or religious affiliation. Special features for student minorities are included in
descriptions as well.
Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance (16th ed.). (2015). New York: Ferguson's. 5
volumes.
The Fergusons Encyclopedia of Careers is a Library Journal starred review, and it is
recommended by Booklist, School Library Journal, and American Reference Books Annual.
The 5 volume set covers 820 occupations in 120 different fields, and it includes
bibliographical references and indexes in each volume. Information about each career is
organized alphabetically, and includes facts about the career, projected trends, salary,
education, professional associations, and job duties. Online resources and websites, as well as
industry profiles of careers are included in sidebars throughout the encyclopedia.

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How to get money for college 2015: Go beyond federal aid: Get money from your school and
state (32nd ed.). (2014). Albany, NY: Petersons. 944 p.
Organized by state, this directory lists the financial aid awards, types of aid, and past aid
statistics for over 2,500 colleges. The book is organized alphabetically by state and
institution. Comparison data allows students to see the typical tuition costs and graduate debt.
Helpful information about applying for financial aid and filing for the FAFSA is included. In
addition to financial aid, the directory lists additional options, including grants, co-op
programs, tuition waivers, and payment plans, all of which are searchable via indexes at the
end of the book.
Jaansen, S. (Ed.). (2014). World Almanac and book of facts 2015. New York: World Almanac
Books. 1007 p.
The almanac contains thousands of facts, including information, trivia, and statistics for
the year 2014. It covers history, pop culture, politics, sports, and more with black and white
photos, text, graphs, charts, maps, and 16 pages of full-color photos. Controversial and
strange news stories, as well as a 2014 time capsule, are included for interest. Some topics
for the year include Sochi Winter Olympics, health care reform, election results, and top 10
news stories. The almanac is organized into 10 tabbed sections, with the first containing the
year in review. A large index section and a quick reference guide are at the end of the book.
National Geographic. (2014). National Geographic atlas of the world (10th ed.). Washington
D.C.: National Geographic Society. 153 p.
This full-color atlas includes physical, political, and thematic maps of the world, with
reference information, country flags, and facts related to each map. Topics include
globalization, health, human migration, economy, urban trends, climate, economy, and more.

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The atlas also features special sections for the oceans and space. A detailed geographical
index or gazetteer is included. The atlas is organized regionally and also includes a section of
alphabetical country information.
Websters new world college dictionary (5th ed.). (2014). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
1703 p.
This dictionary features thousands of additions and updates, including Americanisms and
the latest words used in popular culture and academia. A usage guide and style guide are
included in the introduction. The editors are lexicographers with advanced degrees and
subject expertise. Features include notes, synonyms, and examples for each entry. Select
entries include charts, graphs, biographical information, and illustrations. This edition also
includes a full-color world atlas.
World Book encyclopedia. (2015). Chicago, IL: World Book, Inc. 22 volumes.
World Book Encyclopedia is a color-illustrated, 22 volume alphabetical encyclopedia for
all ages. There are over 25,000 photographs, illustrations, and maps included. The last
volume contains an index and a section on how to use the encyclopedia, as well as a writing,
speaking, and research skills guide for students.

Free Educational Websites

Drexel University. (2012). ipl2. Retrieved from http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/

The Teens page of the new format of the Internet Public Library, ipl2, contains a vast
directory of linked resources on homework, research, and daily living topics. The guides
contain collections for school and homework help, writing research papers, reading and

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writing, poetry, finances, health, and technology. While the results are annotated hyperlinks,
and not particularly visually appealing, all the sites and directories on the page have been
vetted as authoritative educational material maintained by Drexel University and their partner
universities. Students will find helpful sources related to their topic by searching using the
keyword search bar at the top of the page.
Library of Congress. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/
The Library of Congress houses an online collection of primary source documents
ranging from photographs, historic newspapers, performing arts, veterans history, sound
recordings, film, maps, and manuscripts. The American Memory project provides topical
collections in US history on various subjects. Results provide film clips, photos, sheet music,
advertisements, and much more. The Veterans History Project features primary source
journals, diaries, photos, video clips, and more from all US wars, starting with WWI. All
primary source collections of the Library of Congress can be searched within each topic
through keyword, title, or author searches. Students can also navigate using the provided
options within separate pages of the collections. Teacher resources linked to standards are
available with some collections.
Math Planet. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.mathplanet.com/home
Math Planet is a site that provides free courses in math, including step-by-step videos of
problems on Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and SAT/ACT math. Students
can search for individual math topics or take complete courses by clicking on lessons.
Information is explained visually via text explanations, and also visually and aurally through
videos.

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National Archives. (2015). Docs Teach. Retrieved from http://docsteach.org/
The Docs Teach section of the National Archives provides access to thousands of
primary sources. Documents are categorized according to topics in the National History
Standards to make it easier to find material. Documents can also be searched via historical
era, format type, or keyword. Primary sources include charts, graphs, images, maps,
documents, audio recordings, and video clips. Two selected examples are a Fireside Chat
with FDR or a video reel of planes engaged in heavy bombing in World War II. Students can
link to the DocsTeach app on the iPad to explore the resources from a tablet. Teachers can
tailor the interactive tools and activities to meet the needs of their classroom and curriculum.
National Gallery. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/
The National Gallery website offers students rich opportunities to explore the world of
painting, artists, and art history. In the Paintings section, students can explore the Gallerys
entire collection of paintings, take a virtual tour of the museum, or delve into research and
stories about the latest art they received. The site features tutorials for students to learn about
art periods, styles, and painters. A glossary of art terms can be explored or students can
download the iPhone app to access the Gallerys information on their phone. Under the
Channel tab, students can watch videos or listen to podcasts of experts and museum
professionals discussing the painting and art history. The learning tab offers resources for
educators, including access to tutorials. In addition, students can use the search feature at the
top of the page to search the entire site by keyword.

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National Geographic. (2015). National Geographic Education. Retrieved from
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/st/?ar_a=4
High school students can use National Geographics Education page to get homework
help, browse current events in the world, research animals and the environment, and search
the encyclopedia. All searches on the website can be filtered by audience, grade, subject, and
resource type, including audio and video. Students can use an interactive map maker to
custom design a map by selecting country, region, and features, which can then be
downloaded and printed. Teachers can access extensive, step-by-step lesson plans and
activities, complete with handouts and interactive media.
NeoK12. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.neok12.com/
NeoK12 offers a compiled directory of educational YouTube videos, games, and quizzes
for K-12 students on core subject areas. Science topics include physical, life, earth, space,
human body, and geography. Also included are videos about social studies, history, math,
and English. All videos are available without a subscription; however, additional features
such as presentations and diagrams require a subscription.
United States Department of Labor. (2015). Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved from
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
Created by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, this site is the go-to searchable database of
career information for high school students. Students can access on occupation finder,
glossary, and index, or they can search by keyword or occupation group. A dropdown menu
of options can help students narrow their career search, or they can click on topics such as
highest paying or fastest growing jobs. Each entry provides a summary of statistics,

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information about general job duties, work environment, education, pay, outlook, similar
occupations, and links for more information.
Wolfram Alpha LLC. (2015). WorlframAlpha. Retrieved from
http://www.wolframalpha.com/examples/
Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine using data, statistics, and
algorithms to solve problems or retrieve information on any topic. Students should start at
the Examples page, which provides sample search topics. Students can enter questions about
math, chemistry, statistics, culture, finance, people, history, art, and more. Sample queries
include, names in 1920, quadratic formula, female world population, and Degas
dancers, to which facts, images, and graphs would visually represent the queried data. The
FAQ page provides directions to cite the retrieved information.

Rationale
This core reference collection was developed for a library at a prestigious high school in
a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, where the median annual household income is $150,000. Access to
technology, high speed internet at home, and personal devices are commonplace. The school is
committed to teaching information literacy and utilizing information technology in the
classroom. I decided to split the collection of 30 sources into thirds, with a selection of
subscription electronic databases, print reference materials, and free educational websites. The
budget is large for a school library. It is expected that the library will maintain a high quality
online reference collection, thus supporting the schools emphasis on technology literacy.
Despite the large budget, I have chosen to include free websites to supplement the paid
subscriptions when possible. Any money that is saved can be used for the general collection or

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technology for the media center. In addition to students using the databases at home or on their
personal devices at school, the online collection will be used on the librarys 20 computers, in the
classrooms, and in computer labs across the high school campus. When possible, I have
designed the core collection to be predominantly online, with a few print reference materials in
the library itself. The print resources provide access to ready reference topics and college/career
information.
As the physical needs and learning styles in the district are diverse, I took special care to
provide a variety of sources for informational audiovisual materials, both in the online databases
and the websites. A majority of students in the district are familiar with technology, and many
are focused on academics and pursuing AP or college classes while still in high school. This
necessitates a reference collection that is higher level and one that spends less time with
instructional guides or how-to-use this reference introductions. The dictionary, thesaurus,
atlas, and almanac are all college level materials. Additionally, I chose the advanced version of
World Book online since the results are identical to the student version, but the layout and
options are more advanced, such as offering primary source documents in the initial results list.
Conversely, I did choose EBSCOs Student Research Center, for middle and high
schoolers, instead of the full-fledged adult EBSCOhost database because I believe the student
resource offers a better information seeking experience as a whole. The interface is more user
friendly and visually appealing, and the search results can easily be limited at the beginning of a
search by format and desired resource type. Handy tabs also further filter results for students
after results are found. The only downside that I discovered was that the student resource did not
have the option to read the text aloud, while on identical articles, EBSCOhost did provide that
feature. All other tools and features appeared the same.

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Selecting high quality reference materials was a challenge until I found the correct
sources to use. In order to find excellent reference materials, I used the Harper (2011) text, and
reviews such as Booklist, School Library Journal, and Teacher Librarian. Finding jobbers
reference lists was much more difficult as most now require a login and school information for
sales purposes before being allowed to search materials. The core reference list available to the
public from Baker and Taylor was over 8 years out of date, and BWI Title Tales no longer exists.
I was able to obtain a username for both Mackin and Folletts Title Wave, and I used these to
find current reference materials and recommended lists.
My selections for the online databases are based on the text and class materials, but are
also predominantly the sources I have used with teens for four years in a homework help center.
I included several sources that I have not had experience with, but after spending time in lecture
and on exercises that expressed the importance of high quality videos for learning, I added
Classroom Video On Demand. After sampling the content, I feel confident recommending these
high school and college level academic videos to teachers and students because I can guarantee
their content and connection to the standards. I also included NeoK12, a free educational video
site, because it has very well organized videos about all the academic subjects, including high
school math. Whenever possible, I concentrated my effort on finding databases and websites that
excelled in providing audiovisual content with accessibility features such as closed captioning,
transcripts, or text-to-speech. I desire to design a collection that gives all students, no matter
their learning styles or skills, a level playing field when utilizing informational materials.
Making sure that students would not need to log in to access information was one of the
conditions I used when deciding which free websites to include in the collection. Many of the
online databases I chose give the option to create profiles and save information, therefore, I

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decided that I would like the free websites to be accessible to everyone without a username.
Unfortunately, Khan Academy, which I have used with great success with high school math
homework, now requires a log in to access the information. I found Math Planet to be a viable
alternative, and it also includes videos of a professor explaining how to do the sample problems
on a white board, much like Khan Academy. Unfortunately, Math Planet content only goes up to
Algebra 2 and SAT/ACT, therefore it does not help students in the upper level math courses.
Considering the cost of electronic database subscriptions and print reference sources is
very important in order to stay within budget. However, I decided to purchase both the online
World Book Encyclopedia and the print edition, despite the high cost. I feel that the online
edition is a go-to source for quick information for students, teachers, and librarians. I also chose
the print edition because a library should never be without a means to help a student in person if
there is a technology failure. I also find that even after explaining to a student that an online
article from a database is considered print material retrieved online, sometimes students are more
comfortable photocopying their information from the print volume.
One of my biggest struggles with the collection was deciding whether to include Project
Gutenberg, LibriVox, and a little known site, called Loud Lit. Both Project Gutenberg and
LibriVox offer free downloadable or browser-ready novels and nonfiction, with Gutenberg
offering ebooks and LibriVox offering user-read audio books. Both sites also include nonfiction
in subjects like history, science, and economics, and most are in the public domain since they
were published before 1920. However, it is impossible for the sites to guarantee copyright
compliance in the United States, therefore I did not include them in this list. Loud Lit is a free
site that offers just a few classic titles, but the user can read the text on the screen as the book is
professionally narrated. Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Nathaniel

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Hawthornes The Scarlett Letter, and Jane Austens Emma, are a few of the titles offered. The
unique aspect of a student being able to see and hear a text online, without a CD or special app,
was very exciting in that it provides access for different learning styles and students with special
needs. I would make sure that literature teachers and special education teachers were aware of
these options to increase accessibility for some students.
In the collection, I included four print sources related to college, including a college
handbook, a book about summer programs for college-bound teens, a directory of college
scholarships and aid, and an encyclopedia of careers. With the schools emphasis on college and
careers, I decided it would be helpful to have reference materials on hand in the library that
students could browse, whether for personal growth or an assignment. These books assemble
difficult-to-find information in one place, and the benefit of having them in the print reference
collection is that the librarian will usually be present to help answer questions during a
potentially stressful or confusing information seeking process. Students who prefer to browse
online can access the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is linked as a free educational
website.
The assembled list of reference sources balances cost with utility, and breadth with depth.
The core reference collection challenges students academically, and also provides the necessary
tools to be supportive and intuitive during information seeking. Using the schools goals and the
students needs, I have designed a reference collection that is as effective when used within the
building as it is when used online.

References
Harper, M. (2011). Reference sources and services for youth. New York: Neal-Schuman.