WHY USE SIRS?

SIRS Discoverer is a database of full-text articles created to be fun and intuitive for the young researcher. Because it includes middle and elementary curriculum topics, SIRS easily integrates into classroom activities and used for school reports. Twelve hundred U.S. and international magazines, newspapers and U.S. government documents are carefully selected for their educational content, interest and readability. Some articles also include images. Coverage goes back to 1992 and is updated daily. This is an excellent resource for current information.

TO ACCESS SIRS FROM HOME:

1. Go to Brighton District Library's home page (http://brightonlibrary.info)
2. Click on Full-text Articles in top bar
3. Click on Brighton District Library (or where your library card is from) and then click on GO
4. Click on Access SIRS
5. Enter your library card number, WITH NO SPACES, in the box and click on Enter

TO ACCESS SIRS FROM THE BRIGHTON DISTRCIT LIBRARY:

1. Click on Magazine Indexes
2. Click on SIRS

SEARCHING A SIRS DATABASE:

From the First Screen

1. The first screen of SIRS allows you to do a
   

    

   Subject Tree Search (places every article under one or more of 15 categories, with appropriate subcategories). Use to browse a category for a possible research topic or to narrow down a general topic.
   Subject Headings Search (displays articles indexed by subject headings). Use when you have a specific research topic in mind and you want to use a subject index to quickly locate articles related to that topic.
   Keyword Search (locates articles based upon your own combination of key words and phrases) is usually the best place to start. You may use boolean operators and, or, and not. You may also use parenthesis to group items together.
• You can also look at other features such as:
  • Current Events (features articles selected to encourage research and awareness of current events)
  • Spotlight of the Month (features selected articles to encourage research and awareness of each month's highlighted topic)
  • World Almanac for Kids (facts and information on a variety of topics, including animals, the environment, history and the solar system)
  • Encyclopedia (Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia covers a wide variety of subjects, including science, technology, geography, government, history, nations of the world, arts & humanities, sports, pets, hobbies, and many biographies)
  • Country Facts - facts on more that 85 countries, with maps, flags, statistics, and history. Also has info on all U.S. and Canada.
  • How to Cite - shows how to make a biblography in various formats: Turabian, MLA, and APA

   

Keyword Searching (a good place to start if you want to do a topic search)

1. Keyword Search is usually a good place to start. Here are some search tips:

   TO FIND: all articles mentioning the terms girls and sports	TYPE: girls and sports
   TO FIND: all articles mentioning the terms dogs or cats	TYPE: dogs or cats
   TO FIND: all articles that talk about animals but NOT pet	TYPE: animal not pet
   TO FIND: all articles mentioning the terms farm, farmer, farming, and farmland	TYPE: farm*
   TO FIND: all articles mentioning the term space walk. NOTE: articles that have space or walk separately will not be returned.	TYPE: "space walk"

   
   
2. You can simultaneously search either or both the World Almanac and Encyclopedia
3. You can choose a reading level of easy, moderate, or challenging. You can also choose multiple reading levels.
4. Choose to either display articles by relevance or by date. For best results, sort by relevance when searching the World Almanac or Encyclopedia
5. You may limit or expand your search by clicking on the appropriate buttons at the top of the screen.

ONCE YOU ARE LOOKING AT A LIST OF ARTICLES:

1. There are several symbols to make things easier:
   
   
   
   
   
• Click on the READING LEVELS symbols to get short description of the article and citation at the appropriate reading level
  • Easy Reading level is 1st-4th grade
  • Moderate reading level is 5th-7th grade
  • Challenging reading level is 8th-12th grade
• Click on SUBJECTS or PICTURES symbols to get more information about the article
• a, f, and p can't be clicked on but are quick indicators of what the article is about
  
  • a means that this is a puzzle, riddle, science activity, craft, etc.
  • f means that this is a fictional article
  • p means that this is a biography or that a person is the subject of the article
2. Click on hyperlinked article title to see full-text of the article.
3. You may mark this record, e-mail it to yourself or someone else or print it.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON USING SIRS

1. Online Training Guide --- nice overview of SIRS and how to use it
2. SIRS Workbooks & Guides - in pdf format, can be photocopied and distributed to students as a guide to using SIRS.
• Primary School Edition - http://discoverer.sirs.com/primary.pdf
• Middle School Edition - http://discoverer.sirs.com/middle.pdf
• Research Strategies Overview - http://discoverer.sirs.com/discostrat.pdf
• Educator's Guide - http://discoverer.sirs.com/educator.pdf
3. Use the Help screens and Quick Tips