Sutherland's Library Online

In conjunction with Freedom to Read week, February 20-26, there are displays in the library highlighting books that have been either banned or challenged as inappropriate reading material in other parts of Canada and the World.

So… what do J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, Judy Blume, William Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Shel Siverstein have in common? Aside from producing some of the most loved, greatest or memorable literature in the English language, they, along with countless other writers from all over the world, have had their work challenged or banned. Some have undergone repeated challenges, and their books continue to be challenged to this day.

Being informed about the practice of challenging and banning reading material, and being reminded that you should have the freedom to read whatever you choose, is what Freedom to Read week celebrates.

Find out more about Freedom to Read Week on the website.

Become an effective internet researcher by improving your keyword searching.    Boolean Searching on the Internet explains the advantages of using ‘and‘, ‘or‘, or ‘not‘ to link your search terms.

From the Online Learning Center, in a nut shell:

AND is a connector that requires both words to be present in each record of the results.

Use AND to narrow your search, for example:

Search Term -  Hits

• Television – 999 hits
• Violence – 876 hits
• Television and violence – 123 hits

The words ‘television’ and ‘violence’ will both be present in each record.

***************************************

OR is a connector that allows either word to be present in each record of the result.

Use OR to expand your search, for example:

Search Term – Hits

• Adolescents – 97 hits
• Teenagers – 75 hits
• Adolescents or teenagers – 172 hits

Either ‘adolecents’ or ‘teenagers’ (or both) will be present in each record.

***************************************

NOT is a connector that requires the first word be present in each record in the results,

but only if the record does not contain the second word, for example:

Search Term – Hits

• High school – 423 hits
• Elementary – 652 hits
• High school not elementary – 275 hits

Each record contains the words ‘ high school’, but not the word ‘elementary’.

***************************************

Practice the 10 Hit Rule

If you have not found the information you were searching for in the first ten hits,

do not go to the next 999,999 pages.

Change your search terms!

The search engine comes back with the best results

in the first ten hits for the search terms you used.

It’s all up to you!

Sharpen Your Internet Searching Skills!

November 11 is Remembrance Day – a day for us to remember those who have fought and those who have died so that we may live and enjoy the rights and freedoms we do today.

On display in the library are books, both non fiction and fiction, poetry and true stories, about war and remembrance.

Veteran’s Affairs has compiled info about John McCrae and his famous poem In Flander’s Fields.  We have a few illustrated books about the poppy, as well as those about the poem, such as A Poppy is to Remember.

CBC News has compiled a good synopsis, with appropriate background links, about Remembrance Day.

If you haven’t seen Terry Kelly’s A Pittance of Time, take a look – it’s worth the five minutes.   His song is based on an incident he witnessed at a Dartmouth drugstore, a sad story but one he turned into a great song.

This picture is of the war memorial in Ottawa – a must see along with the Canadian War Museum, on a visit to the capital.

Does Google becoming overwhelming?    Can you trust the sites you find?

Here are two research tips:

First, start with a reliable source like World Book Online or the Canadian Encyclopedia.   Click on Research Databases.  Access the log in codes with Sutherland’s mascot.

Second, why not start with sites reviewed by educators.  Here are two  favorites:

Internet Public Library:  Information You Can Trust

Awesome Library