Monday, November 23, 2009

Wikis and research

The EHS librarians have been working with Mr. Miller's elective course "Fictional worlds" students. The students have been researching Utopian societies: past, failed, or thriving. The end product produced an annotated bibliography and presentation. A mini research paper without the final product of written words on paper. The written work was understanding and creating an annotated bibliography on their subject. To help the students with research the library created a wiki (webpage) for the class with the assignment and links to possible topics that included searching the library catalog, the library subscription databases, and also some credible websites. This was all embedded in the visual search section of our catalog.

The librarians continue to refine ways to create virtual reference for the students.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Ben & Gertrude Caldwell Tennessee History Collection

Ever wonder what it was like to live in Nashville during the 1900s?

Did you know that present day North Eastern Tennessee was once part of the lost state of Franklin?

Curious about the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Tennessee?

Interested in the perils of the Natchez Trace in the 1880s?

Want to know more about the treatment of African Americans in Tennessee in the 1860s?


…Then Check out the Tennessee History Collection!

The Ben & Gertrude Caldwell Collection


Tennessee History Collection
The Tennessee History Collection was established through a donation from Ben & Gertrude Caldwell. It is a special collection, composed of a wide variety of materials all related to the state of Tennessee. The books range in age from the 1900s to the 1990s. Included in the collection are biographies of famed Tennesseans such as Daniel Boone and Andrew Jackson, books devoted to the histories of specific counties of Tennessee, as well as Civil War works tied directly to the state. Government published titles such as A History of The Tennessee Supreme Court and the Charter of the city of Nashville, Tennessee are also housed in the collection.

Many books in the Tennessee History are fragile and require extra attention and care. Come in to the EHS library to explore this historic collection and learn something new about Tennessee!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Ning

Where is the time flying-- we are already closer to the end of January than the beginning and we just returned to school! The EHS Freshman English teachers with the EHS librarians are exploring ways to bring life back into the research process. Shortly, the freshmen will be introduced to an i-search paper by way of a Ning. Other forms were considered, like using a wiki or a Blog, in the end a Ning was chosen to be the test pilot. A Ning has the same feel and parts as Facebook-- but with more controls by the administrator (me) -- The company that runs the Ning also removed all advertising banners because this would be for a class. I'm sure we'll learn as we go and will occasionally report on the progress.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Happy New Year

Happy 2009!

A new semester and year has begun. The second cornerstone (class of '09) of the high school is about to begin the descent towards graduation. Where did the time go?

A few new acquisitions arrived over break and are now ready to borrow. Some of these titles should interest the faculty that are going to Africa this summer. Remember both libraries are available to borrow from if you are part of the Ensworth community.