This year NISD was selected to be part of the 2009 Texas Capitol School House project in Austin!  Blattman Elementary and Michael Elementary represented NISD students by presenting legislators and TEA representatives projects using state-funded online databases for their research.  They visited the senate floor and offices of Leticia Van de Putte and Mike Villarreal.

Shown are NISD students and district representatives receiving their certificates

From Left: Jana Knezek, Lisa Moran, David Peterson, Jiaira Camacho, Caren Valenciano, Laura Dessens, Stephen Kofos, John-Thomas DoPorto Daniel Oliva, Anna Cajiga-Pena, Kathleen Brown, John William Moran, Mary Burns Michael, and Graciela Villareal

NISD students with State Representative Menedez 

From Left: Stephen Kofos, Daniel Oliva, Caren Valenciano, Anna Cajiga-Pena, John-Thomas DoPorto, David Peterson, Laura Dessens, and Jiaira Camacho with Representative Mendendez

Within the district no passwords are required for most of the databases.  For “at home” use all require logins and passwords, which can be obtained from each campus librarian.  If you are a district employee not connected to a specific campus, contact Library Services (397-8190).  Many campuses have additional subscriptions to meet specific campus needs but those will not be highlighted here. 

Anna Margaret Skinner, librarian at Warren High School, reports that several Warren teachers are using the EBSCOHost Professional Development Collection for their course work in graduate school.  Online databases are available 24 hours a day, making them an invaluable tool for finding information on many topics, including book reviews and articles on current educational trends.

 

   A federated search allows you to enter one search term and it simultaneously looks in multiple databases.  After a lengthy process a committee of NISD librarians led by Library Services staff  selected a federated search tool to assist students, staff, and parents in locating information.  Powered by WebFeat, the federated search results can be sorted in several ways and can be restricted to full-text articles. 

NISD has three general federated search profiles: 

• Elementary, which searches 15 databases
• Middle School, which searches 37 databases
• Professional, which searches 50 databases
• Each high school will have its own profile coming soon

Enjoy exploring the research possibilities enhanced by the new federated search tool!