CentralSearch, a resource we used to search several databases at once, has gone away.  We are preparing to launch a whole new tool called Summon.  Summon promises to bring a Google-like experience to searching library resources.  It will not replace the value of using the individual databases or the CLICnet catalog for specific things, but if you’re not sure where to start, Summon will be a good place to go.

In the meantime, what can you use now instead of CentralSearch?  Well, if you’re looking for articles on a topic and you’re not sure where to start, you can always use Academic Search Premier (ASP).  ASP offers articles from magazine and journals on many topics.  However, because it is so multi-disciplinary, it’s not the greatest place for in-depth research on a specific topic.  Use a subject guide to figure out the best sources for your topic, or send a text to a librarian.  Ask him/her where to start for info on your topic.

My last entry was about the Encyclopaedia Britannica and how, among other things, it has great country info and country comparisons.  Today I thought I’d highlight a resource devoted to country information, Europa World Plus.  This is a great resource for economic and political information on over 250 countries and territories.  Ukraine is this month’s Featured Country, which is only fitting seeing how much they’ve been through in the past few months.  You can see the voting results for president – both the Jan. 17, 2010 results as well as the recent February results.

Europa World Plus offers tons of economic info, so those of you totally into GDP, CPI, and GNI will get a kick out of this resource.  If it’s NGOs that float your boat, Europa World Plus has extensive information on national and international  organizations.  There’s a directory of media from around the world, in case you need to contact Derzhavna Teleradiomovna Kompaniya Ukrainy (Ukrainian State Television & Radio Company).

Britannica, also known as the Encyclopaedia Britannica, has a new site devoted to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.  This site is interactive, highlights notable events and athletes, includes the history of the Winter Olympics and uses the rich content of Britannica to further explore any related topic.

For example, this year’s logo is based on the inukshuk near English Bay, Vancouver.  Which Canadian territory uses an inukshuk in its flag?  If you used Britannica you would know.

While watching the Olympics I run across countries that I would never otherwise think about.  Like Latvia.  When I was a child my school took a field trip to the Festival of Nations.  The only thing I remember was that  in Latvian traditional costume, single women and girls get to wear crowns.  “All the single ladies (all the single ladies).  All the single ladies (all the single ladies). All the single ladies (all the single ladies). All the single ladies (all the single ladies).  Now put your crowns on”.

If you want to learn more about Latvia than what I just shared with you, then explore Britannica’s Country Snapshots or their Country Comparisons.  Both of these are full of data in easy-to-use sites and allow you to see how Latvia stacks up against its neighbors.  Don’t forget to check out the main article on Latvia – use the table of contents for the article on the left.

I don’t remember what my point was, but as long as you stay focused on what’s important – in Latvia single women wore crowns – then my work is done.

To celebrate Black History Month I thought I would highlight the  African American Studies Center.  This is a wonderful resource for history, womens’ studies, American studies, and several other disciplines.  It’s loaded with background information and images.  It’s got easy-to-find primary source documents, like the text to President Obama’s inauguration speech.  There are maps, timelines, statistics, and charts.  Yeah, yeah, statistics and charts.  Boring.  Here’s the good stuff;  Watch world-changing events like the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C and the Brown v Board of Education victory.  And since the Olympics start this week, how about a journey back to 1936 when Jesse Owens won the gold medal in Berlin.  USA! USA! USA!

While there aren’t tons of videos in this resource, it’s got a lot of images and excellent text for background information.  Like I said, it crosses several disciplines, so try to remember it next time you need background information, biographical information, charts, images, primary sources, maps, timelines or statistics.  Forego Wikipedia and get the good stuff from the African American Studies Center.