Biography Research Tips

Why use a database instead of Google?  Google is a search engine. It will only give you what you ask for – its not smart and that which it gives you may or may not be reliable. Google is not policed by anyone. The websites it finds for you could have been created by ANYONE and they could have put any information on the site, true or not! Look at this website and see what you think. 

Well….  A database on the other hand has people who add information to it because they have been hired to do so. They are people who are experts in their field, people who have much knowledge about what they are writing. Usually, the contributors to online databases are professors, scientists and men and women who hold degrees, usually Phd’s in their field. You can count on this information to be reliable.

Reliability  Let’s look at some of the information from our earlier website.  Christopher Columbus was born in 1951 in Sydney, Australia. His home was on the sea and Christopher longed to become an explorer and sailor. However, as a young man, Christopher went to Portugal and got involved in the map making business with his brother, Bartholomew. This business made Columbus a rich man. His books of maps are still found today in every library in the world. WHAT  During this time, people were very interested in finding a sailing route around Africa to China, Japan and India. They believed they would find expensive jewels and riches. The experts believed that sailing east was the best route. Columbus, however, argued that sailing in the opposite direction would get them to these lands much faster. King John II of Portugal, along with the Kings of France and England thought Columbus was crazy and refused to help him make the voyage.  Columbus knew he had to make this idea of sailing, using a western route, more popular. So, he produced and appeared on infomercials SERIOUSLY which aired four times daily. Finally, the King and Queen of Spain called his toll-free number and agreed to help Columbus.

Well…what do you think  Voyages of Christopher Columbus: In 1942 he set sail with three ships, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria and about 90 men. The voyage was so much easier than sailing east. On October 12, 1942 Columbus landed on an island southeast of Florida. He claimed this island for Spain and named it the Indies, since he thought he had landed in India. He named the native people of the island Indians. The Indians were excited by the newcomers and their gadgets. They especially enjoyed using their cell phones and desktop computers. THIS IS CRAZY  Columbus returned to Spain in 1939 and was hailed as a hero. He was known as the first person to walk on American soil. A huge parade was held in his honor. He appeared on Larry King Live and became quite famous around the world.  Columbus made three more voyages to the lands of Hispaniola, Dominica, Trinidad, Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras and Panama. These trips were all documented by National Geographic and opened a whole new business of tourism for the country of Spain.  Columbus died in He is buried in Valladolid, Spain.

The truth  Though this looks like a reliable, well produced web site, it is actually full of misinformation. I am quite sure that Columbus never appeared on Larry King Live! Also, if you look at the authors of the website – you will see they have very interesting lives.

Does she seem like and expert?  Lauren Zucker, MD, is the AllAboutExplorers.com Staff Psychiatrist and Botanist. Known worldwide as the discoverer of the rare Australian Ligh-Ligh bush, which has arguably the sweetest fruit of any plant, she is better known in our offices for her delicious Lighberry jam. Lauren is also a voice-over actor, and her work has been heard in nearly 1.2 million radio and television promotional and public service announcements. For some reason, though, she refuses to record the greeting announcements for our office phone system. The webmaster (see above) recommends that you her and try to talk her into it. Lauren enjoys clear soft drinks, disco, and creating origami power tools. She has lived her entire life underground.

So What Does Reliable Look Like  In general, you will find the most reliable information from websites that end with.edu (educational organizations),.gov (government entities) and.org (generally non-profit or community groups). This is not to say that.com websites do not have factual information on them. It is up to you to look at several sources to verify the information you are finding is accurate. You should also be able to find author information on the site.

Let’s Validate  Let’s say I am interested in finding the birth and death dates for John Adams. I am going first to the online databases on the public library website, America the Beautiful and Biography Resource Center. Both of these databases give me the same information – born 1735 and died It is always important to make sure to check your facts, no matter where you get them, by comparing at least two resources.

Example  Adams-37967?part=7 Adams-37967?part=7  If you follow this link to biography information on John Adams, you will see that the article was written by a man named Joseph J. Ellis and that the information was taken from the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

Using the online databases  Click on the following screencast for a demonstration on how to use the online databases at the Jefferson County Public Library. 

Using other library resources  The following two links to screencasts will demonstrate how to use other library resources and the library catalog.  

Recommended databases  Daily Life Online (Formerly Greenwood Daily Life Online) Collects several related databases that allow you to explore everyday life past and present. Find out what people ate, wore, and used. Research topics such as food, fashion, holidays and teen life in America and around the world. Brings history up close by looking at people's everyday lives throughout the centuries. Includes the databases Daily Life Through History and Daily Life America as well as the complete contents of World Cultures Today. Licensed from Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Daily Life Online  Biography Resource Center A database of biographical information on more than one million people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. Includes approximately 300,000 biographies from Gale sources as well as full-text articles from nearly 275 periodicals. Licensed from Gale CENGAGE Learning. Biography Resource Center  America the Beautiful Each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and major territories are covered. Essays cover history, geography, economics, government, culture, and major cities. Special features include essays on U.S. presidents and major Native American tribes, timelines, educational games, an almanac and more than 1,000 Web links. Licensed from Grolier, Inc. GuideAmerica the Beautiful

More databases  American Indian History Online Contains detailed articles, historical documents, maps and charts, biographies, images, legends and timelines. Licensed from Facts On File. American Indian History Online  History Resource Center: U.S. A database for information on U.S. History topics. In addition to periodical articles and reference sources, the database includes multimedia, chronologies, primary sources and biographies of historical figures. You may also cross-search the companion database, History Resource Center: World to find additional information on a topic. Licensed from Gale CENGAGE Learning. History Resource Center: World A database focused on world history topics, from ancient times to the present day. In addition to periodical articles and reference sources, the database includes multimedia, chronologies, primary sources and biographies of historical figures. You may also cross-search the companion database, History Resource Center: U.S. to find additional information on a topic. Licensed from Gale CENGAGE Learning. Guide History Resource Center: U.S. History Resource Center: World

And more databases  Kids InfoBits Designed especially for students in kindergarten through grade five. Kids InfoBits meets the needs of young students with simple, quick access to curriculum-related information on current events, arts, sciences, health, people, government, sports, history and more. Licensed from Gale CENGAGE Learning Kids InfoBits  Pop Culture Universe A comprehensive database containing authoritative reference works about popular culture. Includes information about pop culture figures and icons, as well as topics such as fashion, media and technology, food and popular music. In addition to browsing these topics, you can also read overviews for each decade from the 1920s through the 2000s. Licensed from Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc Pop Culture Universe  World Book Online For Kids Contains articles and multimedia specifically for young students. You may search for articles or click on the pictures on the main page to begin exploring a range of topics. Licensed from World Book, IncWorld Book Online For Kids

Reliable Websites      

Rationale  Each of the websites being suggested will provide students with reliable facts about a variety of people across all walks of life.  The recommended online databases are specifically designed for conducting biography research and should provide students with a range of reliable information.

References  All of the databases referred to within this presentation are found within the Jefferson County Public Library website under research tools.  Any of the online databases or other reference materials referenced within the screencast would be legitimate sources for biography research.