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InfoPlease.com:An Alternative to Wikipedia
A Brief History
InfoPlease started life as a radio quiz show, similar to NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! From 1938-1952, listeners would write in questions to be asked to a panel of regular experts, as well as guest experts.
− Notable guests included Alfred Hitchcock, Carl Sandburg, and Orson Welles.
In 1947, InfoPlease began publishing a print almanac, compiling the questions asked on the show, as well as new ones.
− It is still published to this day, in conjunction with Time Magazine.
InfoPlease.com
With the advent and widespread popularity of the internet, InfoPlease launched an online version of their almanacs in 1998.
This is what we will be focusing on today.
InfoPlease vs. Wikipedia
Both websites perform just about the same function: offering the user a summary of a given topic
Which is better?
− Simply put, one is not necessarily better than the other.
− HOWEVER: InfoPlease is a division of Pearson Education, an
educational resource company. InfoPlease does NOT contain user-generated
content. InfoPlease has access to Pearson's databases as well
as a database of their own almanacs/radio shows.
How to Use InfoPlease.com
InfoPlease.com is one of the best websites to use in order to quick, straightforward information on:
− History
− Government
− Famous People
− The Sciences
− Homework Help
− Unit Conversion
InfoPlease.com also can be used in lieu of a traditional dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia.
How to Access InfoPlease.com
This resource can be accessed by anyone, provided you have a working Internet connection.
Ways to find InfoPlease:− Using a basic Google search, type in “InfoPlease”
− Enter the URL: http://www.infoplease.com (working link)
Scope of InfoPlease.com(click on sections to navigate to the corresponding page)
World Atlas Dictionary Thesaurus Encyclopedia
History & Government Health & Science People (Biographies) Homework Help Conversion Calculator
We will now go through some of these sections, to familiarize you with the format and content of InfoPlease.com. The title of
each slide will link to the relevant page.
You can view a country by continent. We'll be looking for Guatemala's entry. Start by clicking on “Central America.”
To view the specific entry, click on Guatemala on the map.
OR click on Guatemala on the list of countries, located below the map.
This is what a specific country's page looks like. It shows you a map of the country, filled with major cities and geographic landmarks.
From here you can access the country's corresponding almanac entry....
...encyclopedia entry...
...and other relevant links, for further information about the country.
Dictionary This functions much like any other online
dictionary. Let's search a word.
Here you will find the definition of the word that has been searched.
The dictionary page also links to the thesaurus feature of the website.
Thesaurus Here you will find synonyms for the word that has
been searched.
You can also search for synonyms by entering a word in the search box.
Note that you can browse entries by subject. Clicking the plus sign (+) next to the subject...
...gives you a drop-down menu with more specific subjects to choose from.
Let's search for something. For this example, we'll be searching for the author James Joyce.
Here is the search result screen. We'll be going to the first entry.
This is what a typical encyclopedia article looks like. It gives you brief information about the topic you searched for. Note the different sections.
Let's take a look at the “Bibliography” section
Here you will find the sources of information used for the entry, as well as additional resources about the topic.
Homework Help Here is the Homework Help page. It is broken into
both specific subjects...
...as well skills sections.
There is also a search function, if you'd like to look for a specific topic or subject.
Also note the other useful tools located in the Homework Help section.
If you scroll down on the page...
...you will find some more useful features: being able to search for events by a particular year, day, and look for notable birthdays.
Let's take a look at one of these features: searching by a particular year. In this example, we will be searching for the year “1967.”
This will give you a list of notable world events...
...events that occurred specifically in the United States...
...notable events in the world of entertainment, as well as many more.
...and look at a subject page. In this case, History.
Here you will find potential problem areas, that have been broken down into more specific subjects.
Note that you can easily navigate to other subjects, on the right-hand side of the page.
As an example, let's check out the “U.S. Presidents” page.
Here you will find links to relevant encyclopedia, almanac, and biographical pages on InfoPlease.com
Searching on InfoPlease.com Finally, we will look at how to search for something. Enter a keyword into
the search box on the main page. We will be using the example of James Joyce again here.
This is what the search result screen looks like. Note the different types of entries, highlighted in green.
If you scroll down on the search result screen...
...you can limit your results to a specific type of entry (almanac, encyclopedia, biography).
Now that you're familiar with the website, and how to navigate and use some of its functions, take the rest of the time to explore the areas we were not able to cover.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either myself or any librarian, we will be glad to help you!
Jim Cascino
fakeaddress@email.com
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