Homework Help

Student Guide from DiscoverySchool.com - http://school.discovery.com/students/
Get ideas for science fairs, help with your homework, puzzles and brainteasers, and take online tutorials on subjects like the Salem Witch trials.

High School Ace- http://highschoolace.com/ace/ace.cfm
A free interactive online learning center for high school students.  Includes homework help, quizzes on various topics

SparkNotes - http://www.sparknotes.com
Read plot summaries and study questions for classic works literature.  Also get help with homework in chemistry, physics, mathematics, astronomy, history and more.

Using the Internet

Librarian's Internet Index - http://www.lii.org
A helpful directory of quality websites selected by librarians.

The Internet Public Library - http://www.ipl.org
Another useful collection of websites arranged and selected by librarians.  Also offers a free "Ask a Librarian" service.

"Mastering the Web" - http://www.bsu.edu/library_tutorials/lib1/
An online tutorial by Ball State University librarians that will help you become a better Internet searcher and evaluator of websites.

.netTUTOR from Ohio State University - http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/les1/index.html
The Internet can be a maze of misinformation.  Take this online tutorial and improve your ability to evaluate the websites you find.

Quick Reference

RefDesk.com - http://www.refdesk.com
A large collection of websites that will help with any quick reference question.  Find ZIP codes, weather forecasts, word definitions, news headlines, biographies and more.

Infoplease.com - http://www.infoplease.com
Online versions of almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases

Britannica.com - http://www.britannica.com
The free version of Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Online Reference Shelf - http://www.bsu.edu/library/electronicresources/referenceshelf/
A collection of handy websites, arranged by subject, useful for answering any quick research question.  Assembled by Ball State University librarians.

Finding Articles Online

INSPIRE - http://squid.inspire.net/subject.html
Links to online resources provided to residents of the State of Indiana.  Find full text magazine articles, biographical information, encyclopedia articles, business and medical information and much more.  Requires you to sign up for a free INSPIRE password.

FindArticles.com - http://www.findarticles.com
A freely accessible database of full-text, popular magazines.  Search by keyword or browse by publication.

Magportal.com - http://www.magportal.com/
An online index to freely accessible magazine articles on many topics.

Bracken Library's Online Databases

Unlike the Internet, which requires you to hunt quite awhile for reliable, up-to-date information, the library's databases allow one to search vast amounts of authoritative information with a few keystrokes.  The library provides ‘in-house' access to over 150 online databases many of which provide full-text articles from scholarly and popular journals and magazines. 

The library's databases are arranged alphabetically by the title, and by broad subjects like Social Sciences, Humanities, Education and Science.  To access either of those lists of databases, please go to the library website (http://www.bsu.edu/library) and click on "Databases."  Off-campus access to these databases is restricted to Ball State University faculty, students and staff, but you're welcome to stop by the library and use the databases.

Some of the databases Bracken Library provides include:

Biography Resource Center:  Find biographies of many famous people. Includes websites, magazine articles and authoritative sources.

Academic Search Premier: A searchable index to over 4,500 different journals in many different academic disciplines, like history, chemistry, criminal justice, education, journalism and business. 

LexisNexis:  Search for articles from major U.S. and international newspapers, as well as transcripts from television and radio new sources.  LexisNexis also has a business, medial and legal research section.

Oxford Reference Online:  Access the online version of popular dictionaries and encyclopedias published by Oxford University.  Covers topics in science, language, literature, art, technology, business, nutrition, history and more.

How to Use the Online Databases

Searching Bracken Library's online databases is similar to using search engines like Google and Yahoo.  You should always break down your research topic into component parts and link them with Boolean operators such as AND, OR, NOT.  Here are examples of how Boolean operators work.  Capital letters are used only for the purposes of illustrating how the operators separate search terms. 

For articles on the effects of television violence on children, you would use AND:

television AND violence AND children

For articles about the East Asian country of Myanmar, which was until recently called Burma, you could use OR:

burma or myanmar

For articles about Mexico, but not the state of New Mexico, you could use NOT:

Mexico NOT new

If you are unsure how to use an online database, please stop by the reference desk on 1^st floor west.

Book Report Ideas

Better Book Reports - 25 Ideas! - http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson109.shtml
This collection from Education World will give you some innovative ideas for presenting a book report.

More Ideas Than You'll Ever Use for Book Reports - http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/reading/bookrepts1.html
Three different lists of book report ideas.

Science Fair Ideas

IPL Kidspace: Science Fair Project Resource Guide - http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide/
The Internet Public Library's excellent page of resources on science fair projects.  You'll get an explanation of the scientific method, help with choosing a topic, tips and tricks for writing a research paper and preparing your presentation.

The Ultimate Science Fair Resource - http://www.scifair.org/
Created by a computer science professor, this source will help you find ideas for science projects AND make that idea a reality.

Science Fair Theme Page - http://www.cln.org/themes/science_fair.html
Mostly a directory to other science fair idea websites.

Going to College?

Education from Usnews.com - http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/eduhome.htm
Home of U.S. News and World Report's well-known college rankings.  Also offers information on every aspect of the college selection process.

Campustours.com - http://www.campustours.com
Take a virtual tour of a college campus before your visit.  Also includes web cams, maps, photos and links to college websites.

Collegeboard.com - http://www.collegeboard.com
Prepare for college entrance exams.  Find and compare colleges.  Tips on applying for college and writing an effective entrance essay.

CollegeSource -  An online catalog to information on over 27,000 private, public, 2 and 4-year schools, international schools and more.  Only accessible from Bracken Library. 

Mapping Your Future - http://mapping-your-future.org
A guided tour for preparing for and entering college.

Careers

Occupational Outlook Handbook - http://www.bls.gov/oco/
An easy guide to careers in many different fields.  Find out the educational requirements of various careers, as well as salaries, working environment.

Dictionary of Occupational Titles - http://www.occupationalinfo.org/contents.html
Find standardized titles and job descriptions for many different jobs.

Students.gov - http://students.gov
Find information on education, careers and more. 

Essay Contests

Are you submitting an entry for an essay contest?  Stop by the Bracken Library Reference Desk for ideas on selecting topics for your essay.  The library provides many handy print and online research guides in covering many different academic areas.  Click here for some suggested sources: http://www.bsu.edu/library/electronicresources/researchguides/

If you are in Bracken Library, try searching Academic Search Premier and/or LexisNexis Academic to find articles on your topic.  You can also try the free article sources listed above.

CQ Researcher - Reference H35 .E3
An excellent source of current event-type information. Also available from the computers in Bracken Library. Go to the Databases page of the library website.

CardCat - Do a keyword search of CardCat, the library's online catalog, to find materials on your essay contest topic. Be sure to use the search tips outlined above under "Bracken Library's Online Databases."