Spotlight on Databases
What is Student Resource Center GOLD?
Student Resource Center GOLD is an Internet accessible database.
It contains a searchable collection of organized facts and information
and is made available through the TexShare databases. This database
collection is funded by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Student Resource Center GOLD benefits students by providing access
to the complete text of a multitude of information. This information
is gathered from various sources such as: encyclopedias, magazines,
newspapers, and primary documents. It also provides access to a
multimedia gallery of photographs, maps, video, and audio clips.
This database is designed to assist middle school and high school
students with homework and research. It includes a research guide
section that provides tips on evaluating information, as well as
a research tools section that covers everything from writing the
topic sentence to creating graphs. Additional special features include
a searchable timeline and access to collegiate, biographical and
geographical dictionaries.
What types of information are available?
There are eight different searchable areas in this database:
Geography & Cultures Search – Provides
topic, country, culture, and state overviews, biographies, and flag,
map, and seal images.
History Search – Provides biographies, primary
documents and era, event, and topic overviews.
Literature Search – Locate author biographies,
text of poems and plays, plot summaries and criticism.
Multimedia Gallery – Locate over 15,000
images, audio files, video files, maps, flags, and seals.
Person Search – Search for biographical
information by name, nationality, occupation, gender, birth year,
death year, birth place and place of death.
Science & Health Search – Provides biographies
and topic overviews in the fields of science and health.
Timeline Search – Scroll along the chronological
search bar, enter date ranges, or an event to locate over 21,000
significant events from prehistory to present.
Dictionary Search – Provides access to Merriam
Webster’s collegiate, geographical, and biographical dictionaries.
How do I search this database?
The home page’s “search term(s)” box defaults
to “Search by Subject.” You may also select “Search
by Keyword” or “Search by Full-Text” by clicking
on the drop down box. The “Help” link or the “Search
Tips” link on the home page will provide you with additional
information on effective searching.
Search results are organized material type and can be viewed by
clicking on their active tab. Some examples of active tabs are:
Reference, Newspapers, and Magazines & Journals. Each result
is identified by a geometric symbol to indicate content level. A
circle signifies basic content, a square signifies intermediate
content, and a triangle signifies advanced content.
Basic content level is usually appropriate for students up to the
eighth grade level. Intermediate content is appropriate for seventh
grade level up to undergraduates and for the general public. Finally,
advanced content is aimed at scholars or professionals. Each result
identifies the document’s title and its source. Don’t
forget that Research Tools in the Toolbox leads you to some information
about citing sources!
To view an individual result, click on the title. On the left hand
side of the document, you can see the options to print or email
the result. Multimedia files cannot be emailed due to copyright
infringement laws.
Access
Student Resource Center-Gold can be accessed within the
library. Also, if you have a Rita and Truett Smith library card
account, you can access it from home or anywhere you are using the
Internet.
Library Use
The library’s public computers provide access to Student Resource
Center GOLD. First select the TexShare Databases link. You may need
to use the up and down arrows to the right of the screen to locate
this link. Once you have opened the TexShare Databases webpage,
click on the “Enter Databases” link. The link for Student
Resource Center GOLD is located in the area named “General
Information.
Remote Access
Access this database from anywhere you have Internet access. From
the library’s homepage, click on “Services/Databases”.
You will find the “TexShare
Databases” link on the bottom of the “Services/Databases”
page. Call the library during normal business hours to obtain the
login and password information.
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