On the home page of the portal, students can select their school (as seen above) and enter their search parameters into the catalog search engine. I have searched for books on hibernation, as the Kindergarten and grade ones are starting a new unit.
After students have entered their search data, the catalog will show students the cataloging information, as well as an image of the book their are searching for. I clicked on the third result, "What is Hibernation by John Crossingham.
When a student selects a desired item, a detatiled record of the resource will appear in a pop-up window, and indicate if the resource is available. In this case "What is Hibernation" can be found in the non fiction section, under the call number 591.565 CRO.
I think this new system has opened the opportunity for user-independence in the library. Students can see what book they are looking for, before they leave the computer. This system also allows students to view a book summary. The student can decide, based on the provided summary, if this resource is in fact what they are looking for. This also allows the students to generate a list of resources at home, and search the library later. This feature is helpful, especially since students have limited access to computers in the school.
The library portal is not only the school search engine, but also the gateway to all the e-resources, the district has bought licenses for. Students simply return to the home page, using the house icon at the top of the page, and navigate to the E-Resources link.
Once students have accessed the E-Resources link, they have a large selection of options, including but not limited to World Book Online, Encyclopedia of British Columbia, EBSCO, and Passport to the Internet.
One issue with the E-Resources is that if students are accessing them from home, they do require the district password. This is easy enough to gain by talking to the school teacher librarian, but if in a hurry to finish an assignment, students may forget to get the password. If a student is accessing the resources at school, the network automatically will log them in from any computer in the school.
After using the search program last year, and the new portal, I think the new system is much more user friendly, and suited to our students. I have, however, heard some negative feedback regarding this at the secondary level. The high school students find the appearance and layout too elementary and demeaning. The high school students don't want to see Pete the Cat on the home page, they want to see resources that apply to them. As an elementary teacher librarian, this OPAC meets the needs of my student demographic.
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