Internet Resources: April 2022 Edition

Selected reviews of digital reference resources from the April issue of Choice.

Posted on April 7, 2022 in Internet Resources

---

Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS). Arctic Institute of North America Contact publisher for pricing.
http://www.aina.ucalgary.ca/astis/

Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS) is “a unique information resource—more a repository than a database—[offering] over 83,000 records that provide [freely available] record-level access to publications, including research and research projects, about the Canadian North,” wrote Jane C. Duffy for ccAdvisor. The site’s primary purpose “is to provide extensive access to records, including grey literature and ephemera, exclusively about all facets of northern Canadian Arctic science and industry information,” such as “earth and life sciences, engineering and technology, and mining and environmental sciences,” she added. The geographic scope spans the southernmost limit of discontinuous permafrost and adjacent marine areas including James Bay, Davis Strait, and the waters of the Arctic Archipelago, focusing extensively on Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. As Duffy also importantly pointed out, “many Canadian institutes, agencies, and government bodies have donated their holdings in this subject area to this unique resource; they are publicly unavailable anywhere else.”

The main page features a Simple Search interface, which “affords direct access [to] hyperlinks via personal and corporate author search terms, geographic terms, subject codes, geographic codes, and subject terms,” Duffy wrote. As she went on to say, “the ability to search by subject code via a drop-down list” will be valuable to researchers, especially the search by geographic code feature, which will be particularly useful for physical geographers and other Northern Canadian specialists.

“Trade and grey literature in the area of Canada’s North are underrepresented in larger science databases,” but “ASTIS fills this gap as a primary resource for Canadian Arctic information,” Duffy concluded. She added that the National Snow and Ice Database might be a useful supplementary tool for additional research and data specific to snow and ice. Ultimately, though, ASTIS is a unique database with no direct competitors. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty.

This review is a summary of a longer review by Jane C. Duffy, MacEwan University, originally published in ccAdvisor.org. Copyright © 2022 by The Charleston Company. —Abstracted from, ccAdvisor

---

Mastering APA Style Student Workbook. American Psychological Association, 2021. $39.99.
https://apastyle.apa.org/products/mastering-apa-style

This workbook (MAS7) is “designed to help all writers, including students, learn and apply APA Style to become better at writing with clarity, precision, and inclusivity.” The workbook can be used with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (PM7), the Concise Guide to APA Style (CG7), or the APA Style website, which provide invaluable information and assist users in mastering the workbook. Ebook bundles (MAS7+CG7, MAS7+PM7) provide direct links to relevant sections of the full-text ebook to assist users. In order for MAS7 to be available, the institution must adopt and implement VitalSource’s Acrobatiq courseware platform.

Organized by topic (Numbers and Statistics, Reference List, Writing Style and Grammar), the workbook provides information in module form. The modules present “the foundations of APA Style” on topics. For example, included in the Writing Style and Grammar module are sections on continuity and flow, transitions, noun strings, and tone. Users can quickly and easily locate needed information within a module and click to access it. Sections of the workbook give corresponding sections of the concise guide/manual to support users.

Users can set their own pace or work in a classroom setting to complete modules. A completion bar at the top of each page helps track progress through the module. Modules are not graded, but instructors can view class performance by using the dashboard. The workbook is very interactive, asking for responses in several formats, including multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, and creating citations. Response feedback is provided, including “that’s correct” or “try again.” Clear and precise learning objectives are provided for each module. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Two-year technical students and lower-division undergraduates through graduate students.

The Before You Continue segment, at the end of every module, allows users to evaluate their work. Evaluation statements provide five options, from “not at all on my own” to “on my own” to assist users in determining their skill level. Open questions are also part of the evaluation. This is an excellent companion to learning and using APA Style. —K. Evans, Indiana State University

---

Medical Services and Warfare, Module II. Adam Matthew Contact publisher for pricing.
https://www.medicalservicesandwarfare.amdigital.co.uk/

“Medical Services and Warfare (MSW) is a unique, interdisciplinary, and primary source-focused resource” that will support such disciplines as military history, public health, nursing history, disability and disease studies, and any programs that consider the progress and advancement of medicine and medical technology, wrote Michael DeNotto for ccAdvisor. “The site is made up of two different modules,” he added, Module I, which covers the period 1850–1927, and Module II (the module under review), which covers the period 1928–49, “beginning with the discovery and development of penicillin and also including [WW] II and the [postwar] aftermath.” Information has been sourced from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Archives and the United States National Library of Medicine, among other institutions, and content includes, for example, “material on the US Typhus Commission and the Armed Forces Epidemiology Board [and] World War II footage on the use of penicillin and blood transfusion technology.”

Similar to other Adam Matthew products, MSW’s home page is simple and visually appealing, featuring a rotating slideshow of historical images from the collection and a general search bar beneath it. “To the right of the search bar is a Quick Links section, which includes links to webpages for Selection Criteria, Handwritten Text Recognition, The Nightingale Papers, The Fleming Papers, and Search Directories,” DeNotto noted. Further, the Documents section allows users to browse by Conflict, Document Type, Library/Archive, and Module, and Research Tools provides a unique Wounded in Action section, which describes what the wounded experienced in specific conflicts.

Though somewhat of a niche resource, MSW is a high-quality product that is sure to aid scholars and students conducting relevant research. The closest competitor might be Gale’s Public Health Archives, DeNotto concluded, although he contended that there are no direct competitors because MSW is truly unique. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

This review is a summary of a longer review by Michael DeNotto, Hope College, originally published in ccAdvisor.org. Copyright © 2022 by The Charleston Company. —Abstracted from, ccAdvisor

---

Mindscape Commons. Coherent Digital, LLC Contact publisher for pricing.
https://mindscapecommons.net/

Mindscape Commons is the first online resource to provide “a platform for virtual reality (VR) content relating to the health sciences, counseling, psychology, and social work,” wrote Kevin McDonough for ccAdvisor. Content is split across four categories: exclusive, commercial, open access, and research projects, and the VR experiences are available as 180/360 videos, visible through a browser screen or a dedicated head mounted display (HMD). Particularly helpful is the exclusive content: Virtual Microcases and Interactive Simulations, which were created with input from practitioners. The Virtual Microcases are short cases with limited interactivity designed to help users encounter clients dealing with issues such as anger, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief and loss, sexual trauma, substance use, and suicidal thoughts, accompanied by instructor guides and questions for self-reflection. The Interactive Simulations are longer and more interactive, designed to help tailor therapy to the specific client’s characteristics. “Viewing content within HMDs is somewhat tricky,” McDonough noted, “but the feeling of immersion and realism rewards the effort … and the number of experiences is expected to grow.”

The home page features a central search bar, five featured experiences, and, further down, options to browse by subject, publisher, specific viewing devices, Virtual Microcases, or Interactive Simulations. “When viewing all titles[,] the left-hand navigation bar gives filtering options by subject, publishers, access type (membership, commercial, research project, and open access), release date, scenery type (e.g., 360 video, augmented reality, computer generated animation, etc.), target platform (Mac, Oculus Rift, etc.), immersion and interactivity factors, and demographics of the clients portrayed in the experiences,” McDonough added. As he concluded, Mindscape Commons is a unique offering. While Embodied Labs offers similar simulations, Mindscape is the only website that serves as a portal to a wide variety of VR experiences related to mental health. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

This review is a summary of a longer review by Kevin McDonough, Northern Michigan University, originally published in ccAdvisor.org. Copyright © 2022 by The Charleston Company.—Abstracted from, ccAdvisor

Related Posts