AccessScience Offers a Wealth
of Scientific Information at Your Fingertips
The IU Northwest Library recently added AccessScience to
its growing collection of full-text electronic databases. Updated
daily, AccessScience contains the web-based version
of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology which
features over 7,100 articles, 115,000 dictionary terms and hundreds
of research updates on a myriad of scientific topics. This web resource
also has over 2,000 detailed biographies of leading scientists including
Nobel Prize winners and provides weekly updates of recent scientific
discoveries in its Science & Technology In the News column.
To use AccessScience from IU Northwest campus computers ONLY,
go to www.AccessScience.com and
then click the Subscriber Log-in button at the top right side
of the screen to reach the main search page. The main search page allows
the user to do a simple keyword or definition search in the Quick
Search box or browse by topic using a pull-down subject menu. If
further assistance is needed, a Help button is located at the
top right corner of the main search page.
Favorite Web Sites: Northwest Indiana County and City Information
The web sites featured this month have been critically evaluated and selected
by the IU Northwest librarians as well as a group of academic and public librarians
across the United States who compile a yearly Best
Free Reference Web Sites List for the American
Library Association . Here is a list of selection
criteria initially created by the MARS Best Free Websites Task Force
to choose these sites. The Library hopes our readers will find these web
sites useful for locating reliable, accurate and authoritative information
on the Internet.
This well organized web site provides detailed community
analysis studies of over 100 cities in Northern Indiana. Cities from Northwest
Indiana range from Beverly Shores to Valparaiso. The site includes an easy
to use pull-down menu to select a particular community. Each report features
clickable links to the following topics:
• Community features
• Geographic/Demographic information
• Employment/Industry
• Government/Taxes
• Industrial Overview
• Directory of City and Economic Development officials
• City Government, Chambers of Commerce and/or County web sites, if available
Maintained by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley
School of Business through a partnership with the Indiana Department of Commerce,
STATS Indiana features a wealth of current statistical information on Indiana
counties and cities. This very navigable web site provides clickable tabs to
a myriad of statistics on Indiana's population, economy and workforce. This resource
also has easy access to the Census
2000 web site which includes the most up-to-date census data on Indiana regions,
counties and cities. The most unique feature of STATS Indiana is the Indiana
Profiles area which allows users to locate comprehensive statistical
data on specific counties and regions through user friendly pull-down menus.
Information can also be customized to create statistical profiles between various
counties based on population, age, race, households, education, poverty, health,
labor force, employment and earnings, taxes and building permits.
This is the place to go for quick access to U.S. demographic information. The
U.S. Census Bureau site continues to improve as more and more of the 2000 census
information becomes available. The "State & County Quick Facts" link helps
to easily locate information such as education and income levels of a given state.
The "Access Tools" section helps users navigate the census data. For example,
in "Access Tools" the "Census Tract Street Locator" allows the user to very quickly
identify the tract the user lives in by simply entering his/her address. The "American
Fact Finder" helps users to easily obtain particular information by state, county,
county subdivision, or even a general "place." In addition, the entire Census
site is keyword-searchable. Considering the difficulties of using census data
in the past, this site is a remarkable asset to those who need census information
quickly. (Summary used by permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
Scholar's Workstations Now Available in the Reference Department
Eight scholar's workstations were recently installed
in the newly re-modeled Reference Services Department. In addition to the online
book catalog, journal indexes, electronic reserves system (ERIS), online resources
and electronic journals, Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and a public
Internet browser ( i.e. Internet Explorer) have been installed on these machines.
Located along the west wall, these computers allow library users to do all or
most of their research projects in one spot.
Patrons must supply and save work to their own floppy/zip disk. The rules
for acceptable computing practices at the IU Northwest campus also apply to
these workstations. For specific details regarding this policy, go to the IU
Computer Users' Privileges and Responsibilities Web Site.
, Library News Web Editor |
