Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Wrap-Up

I enjoyed using all the online resources that we covered in this Library Challenge.  It is amazing the wealth of information that is provided for us for FREE by the State Library!  We are very fortunate to have these online resources at our fingertips.  My biggest discovery probably was the additional features in SIRS Researcher and World Book Online that I was not aware of.  I just hadn't taken the time to look deeper in both of these resources, and I am so glad that this challenge lead me to find these features.  Also, the Camio resource is another great discovery for me as I was not aware of it and probably wouldn't have even looked at it since I thought it was just pictures of artwork.  Now I realize that not only my art teacher can use this resource, but also my social studies teachers can use it in their classrooms.

 I have links to several of these online resources already on my library homepage and they are used by our students in their research projects.  But, I feel they will be used even more by my teachers and students now because Jane from the State Library just recently did an inservice with my teachers and they were excited with what the online resources could provide for them.  Her inservice really helped re-enforce what I have already been trying to teach to both my teachers and students, and it ignited a new interest in these resources.  Hopefully, they all will realilze that just Googling everything is not always the best choice. 

Ancestry Library

1.  I searched for my maiden name on Ancestry Library, and I did not find me but found my grandmother who I was named after.  The record was of my grandmother's death.  I found a lot of people with the same last name as my maiden name, but they were mostly from Minnesota.  I then searched for my husband's name, and his name came up and also my married name came up.

2.  I searched for my mother's name and I found her.  It showed when she got married to my father (young--19!!!), and it also was possible to view the original copy of their marriage license.  I also searched for my grandmother, my mother's mom.  I found her death certificate and also the 1920 federal census that showed both of my grandparents and my mom and her sister.  Again, I would be able to view the original document.

3.  I searched for South Dakota under the "Photos and Maps" tab.  I then looked at the U. S. County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, for both of my grandparents' farms.  I couldn't find either one of them, but I am not sure of the year that they purchased their farms in Beadle county.  I also searched in the yearbook photos for different family members with no luck.  I also looked at the U. S. and World Atlases, but when I clicked on the results for South Dakota the image was not available.

4.  In Heritage Quest I tried several different searches for family members, my hometown, and my church in my hometown; and I did not have any luck finding any of them.

5.  In the Sanborn Maps I searched for Aberdeen, SD, and I found what I think is the Brown County Courthouse on a map dated July 1929 and it was updated map from 1960.  I also found Presentation College which then was named Presentation Sisters Convent and College.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Camio

1.  I did a search for Paul Revere in the Camio database.  The results list included 35 items.  The first on the list is a beautiful silver tea urn made by Revere in 1791.  It is amazing the detail that you are able to see in the picture of this urn.  The second one that comes that Revere actually made was a Federal Style tea service that Revere made for a Boston merchant and his wife.  It is beautiful!!!  I love how you can zoom in and see the details of the tea sieve. There are several more items listed that were made by Paul Revere.  Who knew that he was such a talented craftsman and artist!!!!

2.  In my next search I searched for "Sioux".  My results list totaled 63 items which included photographs, paintings, costumes and jewelry, quilts, and objects that they used.  The George Catlin paintings are beautiful and very detailed.  The painting entitled "Scalp Dance" was one I quickly looked at, but did not dwell on!  The thought of it made I stomach turn!  I especially enjoyed the pictures of the costumes, beading, and quilts since I am also a seamstress and quilter.  I have made the star quilt that the Native Americans are known for, so it is always interesting to see the color comibinations that they use.

3.  We are to look up our favorite artist, and I confess that I am not really into the study of art, but I do love Terry Redlin as we have several of his paintings in our home.  So, I searched for Terry Redlin and I got no results.  I imagine that is because his is a more local artist, but yet I feel he is worthy to have his art also listed. 

4.  I could see our art teacher using the Camio database when he is teaching about some of the famous painters or types of artwork.  Also, for those of us that do not get the opportunity to visit famous art museums, this would be a great resource to expose us to the great works of art.  Who knows--I might become more of an art expert and broaden my knowledge past our midwest painters!!!

5.  I searched for Sioux again and then added several of the items to a Favorites list and viewed it as a slide show.  I can see again that this feature would be very helpful to our art teacher and also our social studies teachers.  They could show artwork and way of life in a slide show as they teach certain units to their students.

Archive Grid

1.  When I searched for Sitting Bull on the Archive Grid, I learned that he was very opposed to the encroachment of the white men. He led the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors against U. S. soldiers in the battle of Little Bighorn.  Many people were killed in this battle.  He then moved his tribe to Canada where they resided until they surrendered to the U. S. forces.  He was part of the Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show, and died resisting arrest for doing the outlawed ritual Ghost Dance.

2.  I looked up "Carrington Civil War" since I know that I have a relative by that last name that was involved in the Civil War.  I don't remember what his first name was, so I thought I would take a shot with this general search.  I actually got 257 results with this search, which included several different Carringtons involved in the Civil War.  I looked at one of them that was about a William A. Carrington who was a medical officer in the Civil War.  The papers on him can be located through Duke University.  I am anxious to look at a book I have at home about our family history, and see what his first name actually was and if this might be the same ancestor in my family.