MARVELous
Maine Invitational
Grand Finale!
Where in Maine can
you find:
A team of consultants who will lead you to a wondrous
place where you can find answers to a world of questions? Why the Maine State
Library of course! I accepted the invitation to participate in this creative
and fun way to become more familiar with a free resource which is often
forgotten, and greatly under used. Thank
you for the opportunity to learn along with fellow participants.
Where in Maine can
you find:
Information about blogging, http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs
The value of participating in a blogging community; and
help in making use of this social and educational tool?
The suggested blogging sites were Blogger and WordPress. I began this adventure without a
blog, but now I have two blogs. I used Blogger to create a blog for the
MARVELous Maine Invitational. I have since started a personal blog using
WordPress. Both were easy to set up and use. My plan for the future is to use blogs
to connect with patrons through our website. This could work for book
discussions, writers groups, our Tightwad Exchange group, and more. As social
networks continue to grow, more and more people use these tools to connect with
others.
I followed the advice of our consultants accepted this as
a fun assignment! “Think PLAY” is their suggestion. Preparing for using MARVEL
as our source, I viewed the three videos on the Maine State Library site. These
would be a great place for patrons to get a brief overview of this wealth of
information!
Where in Maine can
you find:
An online encyclopedia for all ages, accessible anytime
and anywhere there is internet connectivity? Why MARVEL! , Maine’s Virtual
Library, of course!
Britannica offers four online editions, preschool,
school, public library and academic. There is something for everyone. The
features include great audio and visual tools to accommodate different learning
styles. There are atlases, timelines, Google translator, eBooks and more. There
are options for storing your research to be shared with others who may be
working on a project with you. This would be a great tool for teens who might
be assigned as teams to do a report. Some areas of Maine have very diverse
language groups, here they could learn in their native language. Just amazing!
I will also enjoy exploring this site with my grandchildren, as they are just
full of questions!
Full text of Maine’s top five newspapers, as well as over
500 national and international newspapers?
Why MARVEL!
, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
Maine Newsstand and Newspapers is sure to be a
hit with our patrons. It is a friendly interface with a Google type search
feature. I have personal interest in the
film documentary by Ryan Cook, about Donn Fendler. It was great to be able to
read newspaper interviews from various reporters, giving a fuller picture of
this event.
The Obituary feature is a great resource.
I was also drawn to Maine Memory network, and Windows on
Maine, as I watched the tutorial.
Where in Maine can
you find:
Videos with instructions for knitting, craft projects to
do with children, instructions for pursuing your favorite hobby and magazines
for related activities?
Why MARVEL!
, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
Hobbies and Crafts reference Center was almost like playing on Pinterest. I
found some great videos on knitting, nicely done for the beginner.
My search for ‘baby gifts’ under the projects tab, lead
to lots of cute projects to make for my granddaughter due in April.
For those who collect for a hobby, there are several
topics for collectables, from antiques, firearms, and stamps, to toys. I
browsed the antique area for a while, looking for dealers. Maine Antique digest
is available. That seems like a reference some of our summer visitors might
enjoy. We often have people looking for information on coin collecting. This
data base provides another option for our patrons.
Where in Maine can
you find:
A list of your favorite author’s books, the series order,
read-a-likes and suggestions for book displays?
Why MARVEL!
, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
NoveList Plus is a resource I have become
familiar with for RA. While I did not discover anything new with this visit, a
refresher of the features is always nice. I use the summaries to describe books
for my book group reading list. It helps them to make their selections. Showing
patrons how they can find read-a–likes is something I do when the opportunity is
present. Just seeing the joy on their
faces as they learn how to use a new tool to fuel their reading passion is so
rewarding!
There is a section for professional Resources where one
can find suggestions for book displays each month, among many other aids to
help librarians improve RA skills.
Where in Maine can
you find:
information on business trends, regional businesses, and
investing tools?
Why MARVEL!
, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
Business Resources include Business Source Complete, EconLit, Regional
Business News, and Value Line. While
this area was the most challenging for me to explore, it widened my base of
knowledge, making me aware of resources I might not have thought about when
assisting patrons who are interested in business or investing. Maine has a lot
of entrepreneurs trying to make a living by owning their own business. Here are
some resources they can browse and search to explore their options.
Where in Maine can
you find:
The latest information on diseases, prevention, treatments,
drug interactions, alternative medicine and more?
Why MARVEL!
, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
HealthSource-Consumer Edition and MedlinePlus are
valuable research tools for maintaining good health, and being an active
participant in one’s personal health care. This is an area of MARVEL I have
referred patrons to many times. They often come to the library after being
given a specific diagnosis. Being a public library, not a medical library, we
have limited materials on specific illnesses. Rather than leaving them empty
handed, we can provide information with these two resources.
HealthSource – Consumer Edition is searchable and very
understandable for the average consumer. While detailed, the information is not
steeped in medical terminology. The references include magazines, pamphlets, and
reference books.
MedlinePlus is not part of MARVEL, but an internet
resource. This resource contains much of the same information as HealthSource –
Consumer Edition, but I find it to be more user friendly. It is accessible
without creating an account, which is helpful for those who have limited
computer skills.
Where in Maine can
you find:
Information about your ancestors, build a family tree,
view obituaries, military records, birth, marriage and death information?
Why MARVEL!
, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
Ancestry Library is a data base available at
your library only. It is a great Genealogy resource which is only available by
paid subscription. Access to this resource has recently been made available to Maine
libraries by visiting your library and accessing the MARVEL data base and
selecting Ancestry Library
for use within public libraries. I was pleased to learn that even photos
are available!
Where in Maine can
you find:
How to write a resume, cover letter, prepare for an
interview, brush up on math skills, prepare for exams, including CNA, CDL, even
U.S. citizenship?
Why MARVEL!, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
Learning Express is a fabulous tool for
learning all of the above mentioned! I was amazed at the topics covered, and
loved taking some of the tests! Our college prep books seem to walk off the
shelves so this is a great resource available at all times.
The economy has limited jobs for way too many applicants.
The information contained here could make the difference from an average resume
to an outstanding resume, giving one the best opportunity to have the employers
take a second look at you!
I use this resource often with our patrons and they just
love it.
Where in Maine can
you find:
Non-fiction eBooks to supplement your library collection,
information for students and teachers working on reports, crafts for children,
medication info for seniors?
Why MARVEL!, Maine’s Virtual Library, of course!
Using the EbscoHost databases and Ebsco eBooks one can search for
non-fiction books, lesson plans for teachers, popular topics, even information
on medications. I was surprised that the medications were not limited to the Health
resources.
Now that this adventure is coming to a close, I have
enjoyed exploring the deeper levels of MARVEL. Most of it was very enjoyable
and I had relative success. I love to learn and to explore. I have learned more
about what options are contained in MARVEL, and have more resources to provide
information to our patrons. Parts of the program were difficult to achieve the
results I was hoping for, but other areas surpassed my expectations with maps,
photos, timelines and videos.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate!
