REVIEWS

"I wish I had this book one year ago when I embarked on a career shift from elementary to high school. I thought I knew how to use electronic resources, but this book opened my eyes to new ways to 'fine tune' a student's search. Examples of real student queries are outlined using specific online services: NewsBank, Proquest and SIRS. Straightforward explanations guide students to choose keywords successfully and combine them with Boolean operators. In-depth evaluation tips for Internet sites challenge students to think critically about web documents. Though the sections which first caught my attention focused on electronic research, the book's value is not limited to one type of resource.

Chapters address basic research skills for reference books and theme studies for multiple resources. Fact finding sections suggest specific titles and Web addresses for locating words, concepts, events, places, people, criticism, and maps--just to name a few. This resource book can be read in any order. I began with chapter 7 and was amazed at the tips and bits of information I did not know about resources I use often--even daily--during the school year. I will be a more valuable resource for my students after reading this book.

While my daughter was registering for freshmen classes at Indiana University, I slipped over to their Library School to compare Ercegovac's book to others on secondary library skills. She definitely fills a niche for finding facts--where to go and how to use the resources when you get there. Other books address pre-search needs such as research models and graphic organizers (Information Literacy Toolkit grades 7 & Up, by Ryan and Capra, ALA, 2001) or collaborative planning and developing topics (Practical Steps to the Research Process for High School by Stanley, Libraries Unlimited, 2002.) Teaching Information Literacy Skills, by Iannuzzi, Mangrum and Strichart (Allyn & Bacon, 1999) provides reproducible activities to teach skills and evaluate sources but does not describe specific titles and sites the way Ercegovac does. Her book is the 'nuts and bolts' of student searching. If you are building an online research site or pathfinder to guide your students to locate information, if you want to expand students' understanding of search techniques, if you have teachers who need to understand the importance of information literacy skills and bring their students to the library, this book is for you. Highly recommended."

--Kathy Lehram, Library Media Specialist, Thomas Dale High School, Chesterfield County, Virginia. From VEMA Reviews, with permission from Linworth Publishing.