Internet Resources: July 2018 Edition

Posted on July 22, 2018 in Internet Resources

Selected reviews of digital reference resources from the July 2018 issue of CHOICE.

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Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database Company.
clcd.com

[Visited Apr’18] “The Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database [CLCD] offers a broad range of reviews allowing librarians to make informed collection development decisions,” writes Joshua Becker for ccAdvisor. The robust selection, coupled with monthly updates, makes this a valuable resource. Book covers make searching and exploration visually appealing. A great strength of this database is its thoughtful links to supplemental information. The ability to check one’s OPAC as well as WorldCat for locally held copies is a valuable feature. A degree of customization is available. Account administrators may add or remove various types of links to external content (Amazon, Google, etc.), if certain features are not seen as useful. Students with personal accounts are eligible for free, one-year access on graduation. It appears that the number of reviews is determined in large part by the popularity of the title, the age of the book, and the degree of critical acclaim. Books published prior to the 1990s rarely contain associated reviews. This also holds true for adapted and retold works. Titles published more recently (post-2000) are very well represented. Regrettably, CLCD does not generate citations for its content. Despite these shortcomings, the depth and breadth of CLCD’s content is noteworthy. This database provides a solid value and is strongly recommended. Librarians building a children’s/young adult collection are urged to use this tool when making collection development decisions. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. —J. Stoehr, CHOICE

MedlinePlus.
medlineplus.gov

[Visited Apr’18] MedlinePlus “meets the stringent quality control measures of the National Library of Medicine (NLM),” writes Beth Thomsett-Scott for ccAdvisor. In addition to content generated by the NLM and the National Institutes of Health(NIH), MedlinePlus includes “content from authoritative sources,” such as the American Cancer Society and the Alzheimer’s Association. Content is updated daily. MedlinePlus is designed for consumers, not experts. Topics, formats, and tools ensure users can find the information seamlessly. The site has three major sections: “Health Topics,” “Drugs & Supplements,” and “Videos & Tools.” The A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia is provided on the main page and “includes over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries.” The resource contains an “extensive library” of medical photographs and illustrations. This encyclopedia is extremely helpful. Other presented information includes definition, treatment, care, etc.—all helpful for learning how to handle a situation. The Merriam-Webster dictionary is also incorporated. Although there is no expectation, “it would be very helpful if the MedlinePlus content could be expanded to include lesser-known tropical and exotic diseases,” Thomsett-Scott writes. There are many misleading sites on the web. Having the NLM/NIH increase their audience to include users around the globe would help to ensure that everyone has access to the information. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. —J. Stoehr, CHOICE

Redlink. Redlink, 2018. The pricing for the Redlink Library Dashboard is clear-cut. There is a one-time setup fee, in addition to the annual subscription price. This includes unlimited accounts for library staff and an unlimited number of data sources that one can track in the dashboard. Library consortial discounts may be available too.
redlink.com

[Visited Apr’18] Redlink is an “impressive business intelligence tool that facilitates the assessment of a library’s electronic resource subscriptions,” writes Colleen Lougen for ccAdvisor. The Redlink Library Dashboard automatically collects and standardizes COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) and non-COUNTER usage statistics for a library’s subscribed ejournals, ebooks, and databases, and displays the information in a single, browser-based platform, allowing one to quickly identify what resources are being used and what resources are underused. Redlink Library Dashboard generates robust charts presenting valuable information, such as cost metrics, full text downloads, and discipline-level usage. It saves critical staff time and facilitates evidence-based collection assessment decisions. A trial with demo data was used to review the product. Libraries resort often to “homegrown methods” to collect and count usage statistics. This tends to be time-consuming and tedious. The ability to instantly view this information is exceptionally efficient, and potentially more accurate. The Library Dashboard is an “easy-to-use, web-based, and fully-hosted product” requiring no software. Redlink ensures security using state-of-the-art technologies. Redlink pulls all available information from the vendor’s usage reports site. In most cases, vendors update usage data on a monthly basis. In addition, database vendors usually only offer the last two years of usage data. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Professionals only. —J. Stoehr, CHOICE

Statista. Statista, Inc, 2018. The subscription price varies and is primarily based on FTE. Consortium pricing may be available. Some additional functionality can be purchased (such as customizing by uploading institutional content), but Statista subscriptions generally provide access to all content. Statista is available to academic libraries, public libraries, corporate information centers, and government institutions. Some free content is available in limited form to non-subscribers.
statista.com

[Visited Apr’18] “Statista is all about statistics,” writes Celia Ross for ccAdvisor. It is a web-based subscription database of statistics and other information related to industries like e-commerce, retail, construction, consumer goods, the toy industry, national and international politics, and more. In 2014, Library Journal named Statista “Best for Statistics” in its databases issue. It aggregates content from across secondary sources as well as public sources such as annual reports, surveys, and sites open to the public. A Global Consumer Survey covering over 700 brands and customized target groups was launched in 2017. It can be used to research online and offline behavior. Each statistic is presented in bar or table format and is downloadable. Subscribers can link back to original reports. Statista Dossier is available to provide related statistics on a topics compiled into an easy-to-download report. Dossiers differ from Topic Pages, which offer an introduction to a subject and provide top facts to get researchers started. Statista Industry Reports provide financial figures, SWOT analysis, and top companies involved in a given industry. Users researching large consumer-related companies find statistics culled from public documents, all of which can be downloaded. Each day, Statista offers multiple new infographics trending based on search terms. Content skews toward the US and Europe. Summing Up: Essential. All readership levels. —J. Stoehr, CHOICE

Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen Digital, 2018. Pricing: School Libraries (per building) is based on enrollment: Enrollment Price 500 or less $395 501-1,000 $595 1,001-3,000 $795 3,000 + $995 District pricing available upon request. Public library pricing is tiered based on cardholder numbers.
teenhealthandwellness.com

[Visited Apr’18] “Teen Health and Wellness really is for teens,” writes Dodie Ownes for ccAdvisor. The home page has graphics depicting diverse teen faces. The top article is always a teen story, a reminder the database is for and by teens. A new redesign resulted in easier scanning and a less text-heavy interface. It offers access to A-Z or Browse, Ask Dr. Jan, Tell Your Story, Cast Your Vote, In the News, and Get Informed featured videos. These points of entry allow teens with different learning styles to approach with comfort. Tell Your Story permits submitting personal stories. Sharing may empower teens to overcome difficulties. Ask Dr. Jan (a licensed psychologist with over 20 years of experience) receives questions online. Cast Your Vote is a poll that changes weekly and covers topics of public interest, ranging from airport security to tattoos. This call to action engages teens and encourages participation, as does the It’s Your Cause Video Challenge, part of the Get Informed video feature.

An important addition to the home page is Mobile Apps for free access to the Teen Hotline directory 24/7. The Hotline directory does not require a login, and includes over 80 crisis contacts in 15 areas, including depression, homelessness, and teen pregnancy. Apps can be used by validated users for access and use of the complete database. The variety of topics make Teen Health and Wellness a first choice for student research in the social sciences and an excellent tool for educators. As Owens points out, “The most important aspect of Teen Health and Wellness, however, is its ability to make it easy for teens to find information, on their own, on how to best maneuver the shifting and often difficult journey to adulthood.” Summing Up: Essential. All Readership Levels. —J. Stoehr, CHOICE

Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960–1975 and American Politics and Society from JFK to Watergate, 1960–1975. ProQuest, 2016. The History Vault modules are available for yearly subscription. Pricing is based on FTE and varies from module to module depending on the size of the collections in each. For an institution with a FTE of 15,000, the yearly subscription rate for Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy is $3,349. American Politics and Society from JFK to Watergate is available for the same yearly rate. For the best pricing options, including one-time purchase price and any possible annual service fees, speak to your local ProQuest sales rep.
proquest.com/products-services/historyvault.html

[Visited Apr’18] “ProQuest’s History Vault is a trip through time,” writes Jason Martin for ccAdvisor. It is an archive of digitized federal government records, private organizations’ records, and personal papers. “Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960–1975” and “American Politics and Society from JFK to Watergate, 1960–1975” are sister modules revealing two faces of a tumultuous era: American foreign and domestic policy. Whether together or apart, these modules provide researchers with “a fascinating look into American government decision making and the reaction of the American people to those decisions.” “Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy” focuses on the decisions made by the US government on Vietnam and the frontlines of the war. Over 40 collections make this module an invaluable resource. Some collections include “CIA Research Reports,” “Records of the US Marine Corp in the Vietnam War,” and “Transcripts and Files of the Paris Peace Talks.” Of note is the “Associated Press, Saigon Bureau Records,” which contains almost all wire reports from the AP between 1960 and 1972. “American Politics and Society from JFK to Watergate, 1960–1975” records events, decisions, and reactions in the US concerning civil rights, the economy, anti-war protests, and more. This module comprises over 40 collections including “President’s Commission on the Status of Women,” “FBI Files on the American Indian Movement and Wounded Knee,” and “The Johnson Administration’s Response to Anti-Vietnam War Activities.” All items are in a PDF file the user can download, print, or email. Larger PDF files are broken into 50-page chunks for quicker download time, with the option of opening the entire PDF file at once. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. —J. Stoehr,CHOICE

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