Literary Reference Center

We continue to highlight our new online resources here at Search Smart by taking a look at Literary Reference Center.  Keep this database in mind as summer quickly changes into fall and those assignments for junior high, high school, and college level English courses begin.

Here's what's included in this terrific resource:

Full-text classic books, poetry and short stories in PDF format
Author biographies
Literary criticism
Plot summaries
Literary dictionary and encyclopedia


And check out our quick tutorial below!

Find Your Next Great Read- Sign Up for BookLetters!

Do you search all around looking for the latest and hottest book titles?  There's an easier way!  You can sign up for monthly book newsletters, delivered right to your email, through the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library. 

Go to the newsletter sign-up page and check out the robust list of newsletters offered.  There's something for everyone!  Check out some of the current newsletters under the New Arrivals at the Library heading on our homepage.   Here's the latest New Fiction list as an example.

Check out the video below for instructions on signing up!

Legal Forms Database a Powerful Tool

We are continuing to highlight our new database offerings here at Search Smart by taking a look at Gale Legal Forms.  Go to the library's homepage and scroll down to the Gale Legal Forms link, located below Resource Links on the right-hand side of the page, to access the site.  Enter your library card number when prompted.

The site is very robust, yet simple to use.  Tools like a legal terms dictionary, legal Q&A, law digest, attorney directory, and tax form links are available.  The legal forms themselves are obviously the key resource and the selection covers a wide range of legal topics.  Bankruptcy, Power of Attorney, Divorce, Wills & Estates, Real Estate, and more are included.  You can search for a specific form or browse the subject categories to find what you need.

Where do the forms come from?  According to the About page, "Forms available on Gale LegalForms include forms drafted by attorneys for a particular legal matter, forms from public records and participating companies and attorneys. "Official" forms for many states are also included."

We have created a short video tutorial, similar to those we have made available in the past, below.  Be sure to call the library at 419-447-3751 if you have any questions.

Find Your Next Great Read With NoveList Plus

We were very excited to highlight some new database offerings to you in our last post.  Throughout the next few weeks, we'll be going through our new offerings one at a time, starting with NoveList Plus.

NoveList is an exciting resource that we use all the time here at Tiffin-Seneca Public Library.  What is NoveList?  It's a tool you can use to find your next great read!  Simply enter a title or author and browse through the titles NoveList brings up.  You will notice that read-alikes are provided for each title and author, so if you are wondering titles/authors are similar to what you have already enjoyed, this is the place to go.  There are even read-alikes to your favorite series!

Are you part of a book group?  There are excellent resources for you, too!  Many titles include book group guides, which include a synopsis of the book and discussion questions.  Use the read-alikes to promote other titles your group may enjoy.

How do you access NoveList?  Simply go to the Ohio Web Library site and click on All EBSCOhost Databases.  You will see NoveList Plus listed.  Simply enter your library card number to enter the site.  It's that easy!

Let's take an in-depth look at NoveList in the video below.

New Online Resources Available for Free!!!

We have been highlighting some of our online resources here at Search Smart.  Hopefully, our online tutorials have been helping you search for high quality information for your school, business, or personal needs.  We are very excited to share some new online resources with you!  These can be accessed from the library's website.  Click on Research Help and then All EBSCOhost Databases to access these terrific resources.  You will need your library card number to sign in to these sites.  Here are our new offerings:

Literary Reference Center- Provides full-text classic works, literary criticism, citation assistance, research guides, and more for high school and college students studying literature.
NoveList Plus- This is the premier site to find your next great read!  Book discussion guides, reading lists and read-alikes for every author and title in the database are available.
NoveList K-8 Plus- Very similar to NoveList Plus, but this resource provides information on books for children and young adults.
Points of View- Are you wanting to see the latest information on an important debate going on in world?  Look no further!  Journal articles, radio/television transcripts, primary source documents, and more is available on the hottest topics.
Consumer Health Complete- Find full text books, fact sheets, reports, and more on medical treatments, diseases, alternative medicine, and drugs from Consumer Health Complete.
Science Reference Center- This is a terrific resource for any science student.  A full science dictionary is available, as well as tips on hundreds of science experiments.

From our homepage, check out Gale Legal Forms, found under Resource Links.  Sample forms for legal issues like real estate, divorce, power of attorney, and wills are just some of the forms you will find through this useful site.

We will provide videos on these great resources over the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

Freegal Allows Free and Legal Music Downloads

Did you know you have access to a terrific music collection through the library?  The Tiffin-Seneca Public Library offers Freegal, a music download service that's available 24/7!

Simply go to the library's website and click on  Freegal, located under Resource Links on the right-hand side of the page.  Enter your library card and pin numbers to enter the site.  You can then search by artist or song and download three free songs per week!  These transfer to Windows Media Player and iTunes.

Check out the video below for a quick tutorial on how to download music from Freegal!

Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is one of those websites I go to time and time again while conducting research.  If you are interested in public opinion on a variety of topics, you have to visit this website.

You'll notice an abundance of polls and articles on issues like U.S. Politics, Internet & Tech, Media & News, and more.  Each topic breaks down into a myriad of subtopics.  And, most importantly, the information is kept fresh.  For instance, while perusing the website today, I found the following polls and articles:

The New American Father
Nonprofit Journalism: Growing, But Fragile
Breadwinner Moms
One Third of American Adults Own a Tablet Computer
Most Say Disaster Spending Doesn't Require Offsetting Cuts

This is just a sampling of topics available from Pew Research Center.  There is even a question search to utilize if you are looking for a specific topic.

In case you are concerned or curious about Pew Research Center's stance on topics, here is the statement from the About Pew Research Center page:

"Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions."