I was surprised, but I actually had a good time building my digital collection.  Now granted there were stressful moments, but over all I enjoyed it.  I think the main reason I had fun building my collection was I enjoyed going back and looking at all the photos I had taken.  Looking at the photos again brought back so many happy memories for me.  I was amazed that even my photos had that breath-taking quality for me as the scenic views I was photographing.  This was really the first time I had spent any length looking at my photos of Yellowstone, my most recent trip.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the photographs came out and how vivid the colors came through.  It brought back so many memories of the sights and smells of Yellowstone and the fun I had with my boyfriend and his parents.  I’m glad I chose to use my National Park photos to build my collection.  You can view my collection here: National Park Photo Collection.

Another database that has been a valuable resource to me in assisting students that have come in my library is MEDLINE.   We have several pre-nursing, med tech and rad tech students and they have found this a great source. MEDLINE provides authoritative medical information on medicine,nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. Created by the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE uses MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) indexing with tree, tree hierarchy, subheadings and explosion capabilities to search citations from over 4,800 current biomedical journals.

I love this collection!  It is a great resource for librarians for both collection development and reader’s advisory.  NoveList Plus is a collection of books with summaries, subject headings, as well as author read-alikes.  Also included are book discussion guides, recommended reads, award winners, and even offers newsletters you can receive in your email.  Information is divided in to catergories by age: Adult; Teens (13-18); Older Kids (9-12); Younger Kids (0-8).  There is also a section called “Working with Kids” which offers BookTalks, Grab and Go Booklists, Curricular Connections, Curriculam Standards, and Picture Book Extenders.  NoveList Plus also offers a section dedicated just to Reader’s Advisory.  This includes articles in getting started in RA, ways to improve RA services as well as ways to promote the library.  Pioneer Library System has this collection under their EBSCOHost Databases.

This is an awesome collection essential for those who do their own work on their house.  Check your local library for this database, you won’t be disappointed.  This site is a collection of all different kinds of information for home improvement.  You can browse projects from A-to-Z or by type, for example: plumbing; electrical; decorating; woodworking; and more.  On the side panel is a toolbox that includes: a glossary of terms; conversion charts; homeowner’s journal; and full video collection of how-to videos.

Home Improvement Reference Center