ISearch and ISearch Local
Information
What is ISearch/ISearch Local?
With just one click, ISearch lets you explore multiple collections of magazines and journals, newspapers, reports, primary sources, encyclopedias, videos, and eBooks--reliable content that isn't available on the open web. If you are at a school that uses INFOhio's CAT or CAT Jr., you also have access to to your school library catalog through ISearch (a.k.a. ISearch Local - that's where the "local" comes in.)
- ISearch makes it easier for students to meet current K-12 standards and encourages them to use their school library’s reliable resources for research.
- ISearch supports college and career readiness.
- ISearch helps educators meet the learning needs of individual students, no matter what subject they teach.
ISearch saves students time on research projects because with a single search box they can search multiple kinds of high-quality, trustworthy resources.
ISearch saves educators time by helping them differentiate content. With one click, teachers can search multiple trusted resources that are organized into difficulty levels: basic and advanced.
Check out the Educator Guide to ISearch
Watch the ISearch for Students video on the page in the upper left hand corner.
Explore the information on each of the 7 tabs (Teaching with ISearch, Share ISearch with Colleagues, Share ISearch with Parents, FAQ, Best Practices, Customizing ISearch, Data)
Building/District ICoaches, check out the tab "Share ISearch with Colleagues". There's an example demonstration you could use during professional development days!
Where can I find ISearch?
You can find ISearch
- on INFOhio's student page.
- at the top of INFOhio's PreK-5, 6-8, 9-12, and All resource pages.
- as an icon in CAT or CAT Jr. (your INFOhio-automated school library catalog).
- on your school's library webpage as a button or widget (if you add it) ; )
Should I create an ISearch widget or button for the school/library website?
Make it easy for your students to search almost all of INFOhio's trusted electronic resources and your school library catalog with just one click using ISearch. Add an ISearch button or an ISearch widget to your school website, your school library website, and your learning management system.
Should you use a button or a widget?
- If your version of ISearch has a BookRiver that can show students featured items in your school library, create a button that will take students to your ISearch landing page. See Defiance Middle School's ISearch for an example of an ISearch landing page that has been enhanced with a BookRiver.
- If your version of ISearch does not use the BookRiver because you have a school library website that includes featured titles, create a widget that will allow students to search ISearch directly from your school website. See Claymont High School's library page for an example of an ISearch widget.
How to create an ISearch Button
- Get the URL for your school's unique version of ISearch from your school library staff or if you don't know it, just email helplibrary@mveca.org and ask for it : )..
- Download the ISearch logo from the INFOhio Toolkit.
- Add the image, hotlinked to your school's unique version of ISearch, to your school website and your learning management system.
- Need to know how to code a hotlinked image? Try this:
<a href="http://YOUR_UNIQUE_LIBRARY_ISEARCH_URL" target="_blank"><img src="url_where_you_store_images" alt="ISearchLogo" style="width: 400px; height: 96px;" /></a>
How to create an ISearch Widget
- Get the URL for your school's unique version of ISearch from your school library staff. (email helplibrary@mveca.org and ask us for it if you don't know yours)
- Download the ISearch logo from the INFOhio Toolkit.
- Code the widget using the following as a suggestion:
<img src="url_where_you_store_images" alt="ISearch Logo" width="200">
<form method="get" id="searchForm" action="http://YOUR_UNIQUE_LIBRARY_ISEARCH_URL/search/results">
<div class="input-group" style="">
<input class="form-control" placeholder="ISearch" name="qu" title="Search For:" id="q" maxlength="256" value="" accesskey="s" type="text">
<input name="te" value="" type="hidden">
<span class="input-group-btn">
<button class="btn btn-default" type="submit" id="searchButton" value="Isearch">Go!</button>
</span>
</div></form>
Visit the Claymont High School library page for an example of a properly coded ISearch widget.
For Library Staff or Teachers - Lessons that use ISearch
http://libguides.infohio.org/isearch/teach
We used the ISearch Bingo in the Spring User's Group Meeting just to show library staff how much faster it is to use ISearch to find research information instead of having to use separate resources! Half the group used the regular individual resources (World Book, Biography Reference Bank, Digital Video Collection, Points of View Reference Center, etc.) and the other half used ISearch. Who found the items they needed faster?? Those using ISearch!
Lynda Sidell
Software Support Specialist
Miami Valley Educational Computer Association
330 E Enon Rd
Yellow Springs, OH 45387
Phone: 937-767-1468 ext. 3108
Fax: 937-767-1793
Email: helplibrary@mveca.org
Website: www.mveca.org
Location: 330 E Enon Rd, Yellow Springs, OH, United States
Phone: 937-767-1468