TEL Database Training - Social Studies
About the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL):
The Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) is a virtual library that you can access from your home pc, your school library computer lab, or your iPhone – anywhere with an internet connection. TEL provides access to over 400,000 electronic resources, including magazines, scholarly journals, podcasts, videos, e-books, test preparation materials, federal census records, Tennessee primary source materials, and more! - http://tntel.tnsos.org/about.htmhttp://tntel.tnsos.org/about.htmTEL has amazing resources. However, its size makes navigation tricky. Which is why we are offering individual training units, to make it more user friendly.
Tip # 1 - Do not use the "Search for Article" box in the center of the homepage.
What you'll learn to do instead:
- Use World Book and Student Resources in Context
- Find Specific Social Studies TEL Database options
- Utilize links on the Library Reference Page
Go to TEL by typing tntel.info tntel.info
First Up - WORLD BOOK
Just as the print version held a wealth of information, so does the digital option. There are multiple versions of World Book online; for most high school students the Advanced option is a good choice.
Click on the A ( the drafting compass) to select the advanced version
Here you will find a search box and news feed and research tools. I won't go into much else here except to say that every article has a built in MLA citation at the bottom of the page. Students can look up the type of simple, fact based information they might seek from Wikipedia, except here they have a reputable source and ready made citation. This is a great place to get basic info at the beginning of a project.The biggest trouble with World Book is the lack of a return to TEL button. This is a great chance to repeat the tntel.info address. It is a simple address so if students can learn it they will always have quick access to its resources.
Onto Student Resources in Context
Underneath that contrary "search for article" box you will find TEL shortcuts. the homework tab is open by default and there we find the Student Resources in Context button:Clicking here leads to a page with current events and a much more user friendly search box.
Here your students can enter a search query and find a variety of information sources. For example a search of "Diwali" returns encyclopedia , reference, magazine and newspaper articles.
Source types are clearly identified. Every article on here also presents a built in source citation. Student Resources in Context is a terrific second step in the research process. There are expanded returns from multiple types of sources, including audio and video.
Student Resources in Context does feature a return to my library button on the upper right corner. So click that and we can explore more of what TEL has to offer specific to Social Studies.
Select TEL Databases
Under that "Search for Articles" box you will find the best way to navigate the various database.Browse Resources by: School Grades | Subject | ALL TEL Databases | Advanced Search
Click on ALL TEL Databases
All TEL Databases
Academic OneFile (Gale)
Agriculture Collection (Gale)
Books and Authors (Gale)
Business, Economics, and Theory Collection (Gale)
Business Insights: Essentials (Gale)
Career Transitions (Gale)
Communications and Mass Media Collection (Gale)
Criminal Justice Collection (Gale)
Culinary Arts Collection (Gale)
Diversity Studies Collection (Gale)
Educator's Reference Complete (Gale)
Environmental Studies and Policy Collection (Gale)
Expanded Academic ASAP (Gale)
Fine Arts and Music Collection (Gale)
Gale Database Selection (Gale)
Gale Virtual Reference Library (e-books) (Gale)
Gardening, Landscape and Horticulture Collection (Gale)
Gender Studies (Gale)
General Business File ASAP (Gale)
General OneFile (Gale)
General Reference Center Gold (Gale)
Health and Wellness Resource Center (Gale)
Health Reference Center Academic (Gale)
HeritageQuest Online (ProQuest)
Home Improvement Collection (Gale)
Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure Collection (Gale)
Informe! (Gale)
InfoTrac Information Science and Library Issues Collection (Gale)
InfoTrac NewsStand (Gale)
InfoTrac Small Business Collection (Gale)
InfoTrac Vocations, Careers, and Technical Education Collection (Gale)
Insurance and Liability Collection (Gale)
Junior Edition (Gale)
Junior Edition - K12 (Gale)
Kids InfoBits (Gale)
Kids Page
Knoxville News Sentinel Newspaper (Gale)
LearningExpress Library (LearningExpress)
Literature Resource Center (Gale)
Military & Intelligence Database (Gale)
National Newspaper Index (Gale)
Nursing and Allied Health Collection (Gale)
Opposing Viewpoints in Context (Gale)
Pop Culture Collection (Gale)
Popular Magazines (Gale)
PowerSearch (Gale)
Powerspeak Languages (Gale) NEW!
Professional Collection (Gale)
Psychology Collection (Gale)
Religion & Philosophy Database (Gale)
Science Database (Gale)
Scribner's Writers Online (Gale)
Small Business Resource Center (Gale)
Southern Life (Gale)
Student Edition (Gale)
Student Edition - K12 (Gale)
Student Resources in Context (Gale)
Tennessee Records (Ancestry.com)
Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)
Tennessee's Landmark Documents
Tennesseean (ProQuest)
Twayne's Authors Online (Gale)
U.S. History Collection (Gale)
Volunteer Voices
War and Terrorism Collection (Gale)
World Book Encyclopedia
World History Collection (Gale)
There are specific collection on both US and World History as well as access to Pop Culture collections and Business and Economic resources. The Knoxville News Sentinel and the Nashville Tennessean are both available here.
(If you ever encounter a password prompt, the password for all TEL databases is elvis.)
Let's Check out one of the databases
Click on World HistoryYou can see that it is possible to limit your search to only full text article, peer reviewed articles and articles with images. Default selection is full text. If you are assigned academic journals as references, the peer reviewed option should also be checked.
A search of World War II offers over 3000 returns
The best search term is often very broad. That allows the researcher to limit the returns after the search, rather than turn up an empty return. Here you can see that it is possible to limit the returns by :
Limit Search by
Publication Titles:
- Air Power History (330)
- History Today (217)
- History: Review of N... (163)
- Journal of Women's H... (73)
- Canadian Journal of ... (71)
Publication Dates:
So with a bit of narrowing, the search return becomes more manageable and more precise. (Hint - brief articles are often a good fit for students. They are not overwhelming and typically make their point concisely.)
Each of the specific databases work this way and once again they all feature MLA source citations at the bottom of the page. The Gale databases feature a Return to My Library button on the top right of the page.
I would be remiss if I didn't show you the resources available on the Library Reference Page
Under this photo on the top right side of the Reference page are subject links
Clicking on the Social Studies tab leads to a wealth of resources.
Many of them are TEL databases with which you are now familiar. There are a host of other great links here to check out.
Social Studies
General Resources
Government & Economics
History & Geography
Primary Sources
Decades & Timelines
Greek and Roman
Holocaust Resources
Psychology
Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena (blocked at school)
Dream Interpretation
IQ Tests
Learning Styles
Personality Tests
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