SIRS DISCOVERER BY PROQUEST

Overview Sources and articles are selected for their educational content, reliability, relevance, interest, age- appropriateness, and level of readability. Coverage varies for each source, but SIRS Discoverer has years 1981 to the present represented in the database. There are over 1,900 magazines, newspapers, and government documents. Editors have also selected over 9,000 reliable and appropriate websites.

Homepage Clean look Graphics that appeal to younger users Split into 6 sections - Search - Browse Subject Tree - Web - Reference - Discoverer’s Top Pick - Database Features

Searching Users can access information by using subject heading, subject tree, and keyword searches. Results can be printed, saved, and ed. The user can search by reading level in the categories of easy, moderate, or challenging based on content, interest, and readability. Lexile Reading Levels are also given for each article.

Searching The search box is on the top of the homepage. The user can do a general keyword search or search by subject headings. They can be sorted by relevance or date. SIRS Discoverer offers an advanced search and search tips on how to improve the user’s search. A dictionary and thesaurus are also available for the user to access.

Advanced Search The advanced search automatically does Boolean searching with ‘and.’ Dropdown menus are featured with suggested fields already filled out. Reading and Lexile ranges can be used to locate relevant information.

Browse Subject Tree On the homepage, the user can browse various subjects to find relevant articles. The user clicks on the subject and a list of a variety of articles from various material types appear. After selecting the topic from the subject tree, the left side of the results page features additional topics and subtopics that the user can use to organize the information that comes up

Web By clicking on the Webpage section, the user is brought to another page. It searches the database and the web for age appropriate websites. It has abbreviated categories -Discover WebFind -Browse Tree Search -Section to go back to regular SIRS Discoverer -Top Pick - Database Features The search displays the web results first. The user can use the tabs to select other categories.

Reference The reference section lists four categories: -Current Events -Spotlight of the Month -World Almanac for Kids – uses Table of Contents or Keyword Search to locate information -Encyclopedia – brings to main encyclopedia page and searches that element alone

Top Pick Highlights different features that are currently trending in the country. Links to an article about the topic.

Database Features The box displays popular categories. Links to various topics or activities, such as Science Fair Explorer that lists experiments or Activities where you can select what you would like to do from a variety of topics. Most of these categories use the browse feature and a couple have a search box.

Evaluation The page is clean and is appealing for students by using small graphics in the Browse Tree Search. Their website claims that “Every SIRS article, primary source, website, and graphic has been carefully reviewed to ensure its relevancy, credibility, curricular applicability, standards alignment, and appropriateness to students which ensures trustworthy and practical articles” (ProQuest, 2012). The sources where the articles were originally published are clearly listed in each article.

Evaluation ProQuest is the publisher for the SIRS Discoverer database. It is a well known and reputable publisher that boasts authoritative information. With the six main categories, it is easy for the user to navigate through the pages. The tabs help the user locate the type of source would be most helpful. However, the long list of articles can be daunting for the users. If they do not use the tabs or advanced search they may become frustrating sorting through the articles individually. Reading levels are prevalent throughout using two types, Lexile scores and general categories labeled Easy, Moderate, and Challenging.

References Proquest. (2012). SIRS Discoverer. Retrieved from US/catalogs/databases/detail/sirs_discoverer.shtml