TeachingBooks.Net

A great new resource for any assignment involving children's or young adult books is TeachingBooks.net.  This is a new TexShare database that is available to academic, school, and public libraries in the state of Texas that participate in the TexShare program.

From the home page, you can search for resources for books by title, grade level, core curricular area, genre, or cultural area.  In the example below, I searched for books in the math curricular area, and then used the limiters in the left-hand column to further narrow my results by grade level (in this example, grades 1-5):

The results show the types of resources available  Author resources include audio name pronunciation guides, interviews (some audio, some video), and links to the author’s or illustrator’s websites or blogs, Book resources include lesson plans (some of which have the relevant TEKS), award information, book trailers (videos), and readings (such as excerpts read by the author, or from audiobook versions).

The page for a book has even more resources, such as links to other books in the same genres or subject areas.  Text complexity measures may include Lexile levels and ATOS (Accelerated Reader) reading levels.

If you create an Educator Login, you can create custom book lists to save and share, such as these (if you are off-campus, you'll be prompted for your NTNET user name and password):

Children's and Young Adult Books on Immigration in the Dick Smith Library

KidCitizen Engagement: Books about Community, Conflict Resolution and Voting

Library Database: WorldCat

Did you know that the library has access to several databases on a wide variety of topics? With so many choices, the A-Z database list may seem intimidating. 

Here's a quick look at one of the databases which is helpful and easy to use: WorldCat.

Let's start with what you can do with WorldCat (and no, it's not a database of cats; however, you could find an abundance of resources on cats and wild cats if you're curious).

WorldCat is "the world's most comprehensive database of library materials" which means you can look up any item to see libraries who possess it within their holdings. This is extremely useful for people who use TexShare as they can find a local library to check out materials from when they are not near a Tarleton library or if a Tarleton library does not have an item they are seeking.

Here's a look at WorldCat's Advanced Search. From this search page, you can look up an item by title, author, material type, ISBN, ISSN, etc. You also have other choices such as limiting the results to year, item type, language, number of libraries, and more.

Here's an example of a search for a book by title. The title, Zelda: a Biography, is one that we have in the Tarleton Libraries' holdings. 

When you select search, WorldCat will automatically select Tarleton Libraries as your default library so you should see Tarleton Libraries displayed within the availability results first.

WorldCat is a helpful tool to use especially if you know the exact item that you're seeking. If you are a frequent TexShare user, I believe that you should become familiar with this database as it could save you a trip or help you locate an item faster.

If you have any questions about WorldCat or how to use it, contact the Reference Department: 

(254)968-9249 or reference@tarleton.edu

Sign Up TODAY for a TexShare Card

The TexShare card program is a reciprocal borrowing program across the state of Texas. You can take your TexShare Card to any participating library and check out materials at no cost.

Current Tarleton students, faculty, and staff may request a free TexShare card at the circulation desk in Stephenville or by using the online request form.

With a TexShare Card, you can:

• Expand your access to more resources
• Excel in learning
• Extend your borrowing privileges to hundreds of Texas libraries
• Encourage more reciprocal borrowing agreements between institutions

Do you have a TexShare Card?

If you don’t, you might consider applying for one. It’s easy and free!

The TexShare card program is a reciprocal borrowing program across the state of Texas. Participating institutions include many public, academic, and special libraries.

As a current Tarleton student, faculty, or staff member you are eligible each semester to receive a TexShare card. The card allows you to visit any participating TexShare library and borrow materials free of charge. You can request your TexShare card at the Dick Smith Library Circulation Desk or online: http://www.tarleton.edu/library/TexShare.html

Once you have received your card, you are ready to check out. Remember to bring your TexShare card and photo ID when visiting libraries.

Materials borrowed on a TexShare card are subject to the lending library's policies and must be returned in person or by first-class mail.

TexShare provides a list of participating libraries on their web site. Use the Library of Texas to search for books and articles from libraries located in Texas. The Library of Texas lets you pick the library collections you search, helping you locate items near you.