Thursday, April 25, 2013

Science Online: Our Newest Science Database


Whether you're looking for science project ideas, or just like to keep up with the latest discoveries in science, we have a great online resource for you.  Science Online is an all-purpose resource for learning about every branch of science, from physics to biology.   As the image above shows, you can search for a particular topic by entering keywords in the search box.  If you would rather browse different topics, you can click Explore Subjects. This opens a dropdown menu, that lets you click on the branch of science you're interested in.


For example, clicking on "Biology" opens a page with sub-topics related to biology.  Searching this way is a great way to discover new topics you may not have known about.


You can also search based on the kind of resource you want.  In addition to encyclopedia-type articles, Science Online has biographies of scientists, and news articles.  If you prefer to learn with diagrams, images, and videos, there are also plenty of those.


Finally, if you are trying to think of a science project idea, Science Online has a wide range of suggested science experiments, each with detailed instructions.  Want to amaze your classmates by setting a ten dollar bill on fire without burning it up?  Science Online has the instructions.  To look for particular kinds of resources, click "Browse Science Resources", and then click on one of the options in the dropdown menu.


To get to Science Online, go to "Reference" on the right side the Terrebonne Parish Library website, at www.mytpl.org.  Then click "Databases by Name", and look in the "S" section, or "Databases by Subject", and look in the Science and Technology section.  If you are in a Terrebonne Parish Library, those links will take you straight into the Science Online.  If you are logging in from a computer in a non-library location, you'll be asked for your library card number.  No pin required!

And if you decide to light that ten dollar bill on fire, make sure to read all the instructions.  We librarians can't be responsible for experiments gone wrong!