Jstor

Another database I am looking at is Jstor.

It is supposed to be good for students writing extended essays, but what making me a bit reluctant is that most journals in the collection don’t give access to the latest materials through Jstor. Most journals will release material that is 2-5 years old and backwards only. It won’t necessarly mean that it is not fit for us anyway, but it is something to bear in mind when evaluating the database.

We can get a trial subscription of 2 weeks only (starting any monday) to check it out more thotoughly. So if you are interested in evaluating this database, please contact me!

Have a look at the collections available through Jstor.

Questia

Now I have looked up Questia a little bit more, and they focus on Social Studies and Humanities. They claim to be the largest online library in this field and they have both online books and journals. They have a newsletter to sign up for. I have done so, and it would be great if a few more people dis, so that we can evaluate this resource for possible subscription.

This database seems to be mainly for highschoolers and up.

You can also become a member of their group at Facebook.

Databases

Amongst a ton of other things, I am looking at databases that could be useful for the students/staff here. We are currently subscribing to EBSCOs full text database Academic search elite (and some more citation databases through EBSCO). I have a feeling that the level of the content there is a bit high though. From my collegue in Japan, I got the tips that Questia could be useful, especially for IB students.

I have emailed them to get more information about costs and what they offer.

I was also notified that schools tend to use Google Scholar as well. I have used Google Scholar in my old work, but mainl towards researchers and college students. But maybe it could be useful here as well.

But my main task regarding databases and information in general right now, is to get started with some user education.