Monday, March 15, 2010

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Book title: WWII reference library

Search for: atomic bomb, Hiroshima, or Nagasaki


I'm thinking I assume too much, because I just figured that there would be a chapter or section that talked solely about the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I checked the first two volumes with no luck, then the primary sources. I finally had to utilize the cumulative index to pinpoint where I could find info on this topic. I then backtracked to the main article in the second volume called "The defeat of Japan", then "The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki". A little cumbersome, but good experience to figure out how to get to the information, and a great resource for history projects.

I actually decided to use the zinc exercise for part 2 because my gut reaction to finding the answer to this was to go right to the medicine section and choose the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. When that did not pan out, I backed up to the basic search, tried 'foods with zinc', and still did not get results I wanted. So, I went with 'zinc' and the first artice from the Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health (which would not have been one I chose to search in) provided the information to answer this question and make me feel slightly guilty that I don't eat more meat. However, I do try to eat yogurt every day, so hopefully that will balance things out. The ReadSpeaker was very pleasant and conversational, not choppy and robotic like I've heard some other read features.

1 comment:

  1. Hi, Brenda! Research methods are as individual as researchers, and your examples prove it. :) I have learned that GVRL offers many ways to access articles, which is a good thing. You might like to try searching "atomic bomb" in the Basic Search box, searching across all titles. You get several resources containing what you want, including the one you found. I find the left sidebar on the results page useful to zone in on topics. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us, and happy researching!

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