It’s famous Hoosier time!  Every spring, the fourth graders of Floyd County are required to do a Famous Hoosier project.  The first stop is usually to the children’s or teen department for biographies, such as the Who Was? series.  Next, a fourth grader might venture to the non-fiction section for a copy of Indiana Legends, or to the Indiana Room to make copies from the vertical files.  The New Albany-Floyd County Public Library also has access to EBSCO databases, which features articles from magazines and scholarly journals.  EBSCO databases can be especially helpful for famous Hoosiers who have only recently become famous.

For example, a search in the library catalog or through the vertical files yields no results for biographical information on Jaycie Phelps.  There is one brief paragraph about her in Indiana Legends.  How, then, can you find enough information about her to write a report?  By using EBSCO.  It is easy enough to do…

 

1.  When you search the catalog using the box on the library’s homepage, make sure “Search All Materials” is selected in the dropdown box.

 

2.  Your results list will include items the library owns, as well as EBSCO articles.  You can narrow these by publication date or apply other filters in the Refine Results box on the left.  (If you are working from home, you will need to click “Login for full access” on the yellow bar and enter your library card barcode number to be able to follow the next steps.)

 

3.  Select “HTML Full Text” or “PDF Full Text” to view the full article in different formats.

 

4.  Once in the article, you can download it or print it.

 

5.  You can also see how to properly cite the source.

EBSCO has articles on a wide variety of topics, not just famous Hoosiers!  It’s fairly easy to use, but if you have any trouble with it or are still unsure how it works, come and see us at the library and we’ll be happy to help you![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]