K-5 Kids Use Databases to Learn About Agriculture

Abstract

This presentation addresses our future users by demonstrating a unique program brought to K-12 schools in the state of Delaware. The program, UDLib/SEARCH, can help media specialists and faculty in Delaware public elementary schools teach their children about agricultural research, so that pupils may gain an interest in the future of agriculture and a knowledge of its modern techniques and challenges. These students have the potential to be the university and industry researchers in the upcoming ten to fifteen years. UDLib/SEARCH, a partnership between the University of Delaware Library and the State of Delaware Department of Education, provides access to networked electronic resources and training for all Delaware public schools. UDLib/SEARCH databases include full-text online encyclopedias and full-text magazines/journals databases. Specific demonstrations will be given of appropriate searches, such as biotechnology and cloning, in the elementary school databases Britannica Elementary, Gale Kids' Info-Bits, and SIRS Discoverer. These searches, in turn, will be linked to specific Delaware state curricular standards in educational units related to agriculture, as well as to ongoing programs in the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.