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BrainPOP, Jr. Access
The Discus Office has received questions regarding the access to BrainPOP, Jr. Some people are confused by the little 'Login' box at the top right of the BrainPOP Jr. page, which we understand. If the resource is being accessed in school or in a public or academic library, no login should be needed if your institution's current IP addresses are on file in the Discus Office. If the IP information is correct, your access should be seamless. Accessing BrainPOP, Jr. away from your institution may require the current Discus username and password, which was changed on August 1.
The way to tell if the Discus username and password are needed is to try to play one of the movies without typing in the username/password. If the movie plays, then everything else should work because you have been recognized as an authorized user and no additional action on your part is needed. The little box labeled 'Login' should change automatically to 'discus'. If all of this does not happen, you'll have to login using the current Discus login credentials.
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Mark Your Calendars for Discus Trainings
The training schedule is really taking shape so be sure to check it out on the Discus website. We are particularly excited about an onsite training at the State Library in Columbia scheduled for Thursday, October 15, for public and academic libraries and Friday, October 16 for school libraries. These sessions will provide face-to-face training and cover the latest changes and enhancements to the Discus databases. Topics to be covered include: New AP video content, Explora Search Interface, Google Drive for Gale resources, CultureGrams new design, new content in LearningExpress Library, and subject category updates in Credo Reference. The registration period is open and we encourage you to register early as seating is limited.
A second onsite training session entitled, "Effective Management of Discus Resources" is currently being finalized for December 9 and December 10 for public and academic libraries. This training is targeted specifically to the staff member(s) who manage the Discus resources at their institutions. Choose the day that is better for your schedule and join us in Columbia for these one-day sessions explaining database usage statistics and customizations. More information will be forthcoming, but we want to give you time to save the dates for this informative workshop. Every public and academic library is strongly encouraged to send a representative.
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Resource Updates to Know About
Enciclopedia Moderna Added to Discus Collection
The Discus Office is pleased to offer another Britannica resource called Enciclopedia Moderna. This Spanish language database is for older students and includes over 50,000 articles, 4,200 images, a dictionary, an atlas, and timelines. We're very excited about offering this resource to native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish.
Escolar
Do your native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish use Escolar? Escolar contains articles, multi-media, maps and more and is now broken into two levels of unique content - Primaria for elementary level learners and Secundaria for middle school level learners.
Science Reference Center Includes More Images
Science Reference Center is pleased to announce the inclusion of the Science Image Collection, a database of more than 280,000 high-quality science images from National Geographic, UPI, Getty, NASA and Nature Picture Library. This collection of images is a great addition if high-quality images of wild animals, landscapes, and plant species from around the world are needed.
CultureGrams Redesign and Infographics
CultureGrams has a new design and is available for mobile devices! CultureGrams, the resource for country reports, provides snapshots of the world's cultures and now includes country infographics illustrating demographic characteristics of an average citizen. Use it on your mobile device, in the classroom or library, or from home.
Credo Reference Update
The Credo Reference Academic Core and Public Core collections have recently been updated with additions, retired titles, and updated titles. Several of the new titles include:
- 100 Ideas that Changed Fashion
- 100 Ideas that Changed Film
- 100 Ideas that Changed Art
Ferguson's Career Guidance Center Includes New Videos
Ferguson's Career Guidance Center has been updated to include a new type of video: Career Q&A. Currently there are 36 videos with more planned for later this year. These can be found by going directly to the Career Q&A Videos pod on the lower right of the database homepage, or by clicking on the 'Explore Industries & Careers' dropdown in the top navigation. These videos include the main duties of the profession, how to get started, education requirements, advice, and much more.
Explora Interface Will Soon Replace Searchasaurus and the Student Research Centers
EBSCO's three versions of the new Explora interface -- Explora for Elementary Schools, Explora for Middle Schools, and Explora for High Schools -- will soon replace Searchasaurus and the Student Research Centers. We will continue to provide the interfaces simultaneously until the December holidays to give everyone time to familiarize themselves with the new look and feel. During the holidays we will remove Searchasaurus and the Student Research Centers from the Discus list of resources.
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Gale's 'In Context' Resources Now Integrated with Google Accounts
Two frequently-used resources in the Discus collection now work with Google Drive and Google Apps for Education to download, save, and share articles conveniently with others. The homepages of both Biography In Context and Opposing Viewpoints In Context have a blue Google sign-in button at the top. Use the button to sign in to your Google account. Once you've navigated to the desired content in the database, use the download link on the right; a small window opens that allows the content to be downloaded into Google Drive. Open your Google Drive following the download and you'll see a new folder titled with the name of the database; your downloaded content is stored in that folder.
This new functionality is available for all users, but it is especially applicable to schools that use Google Classroom, the new tool in Google Apps for Education. Sharing to Google Classroom is accomplished by using the green button at the top of the databases. Unlike the full-text content that is downloaded to Google Drive, persistent links to the content are shared via Google Classroom. Plans are in place to add this functionality in the near future to additional Gale resources in the Discus collection. Gale's news release provides further information about the Google collaboration.
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Discus Username and Password
Please remember that the 2015-16 Discus username and password is in effect until July 31, 2016. If you need the login credentials, contact the Discus Office at [email protected].
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Discus will be represented at these upcoming events!
October 12, Columbia
October 21-23, Columbia
November 6, Orangeburg
November 16-18, Columbia
January 29-30,
Kiawah Island
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