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Example Pathfinder
The Oregon Trail: A Pathfinder
Here are some places to look for information on the Oregon Trail at the Multnomah County Library:
The Library Catalog
The library catalog lets you look for books, videos, CDs, etc. owned by the library.
- On the Web, go to www.multcolib.org
- Click on the Catalog link.
- Select the Keyword button. Then, in the box below, type the words Oregon Trail. In the next box, choose Children's Materials. Then click on the Search button.
- Now you have a list of the books for kids about your topic!
- Can you find the author, the title, and the call number for each item? (The call number tells you where to find the book on the shelf.)
- To find out more about one of the items, click on the title.
- On this screen there is more information about the book. Can you find the publisher and number of pages? In the middle of the screen is a list showing where each copy of the book is right now. Can you find a copy that is checked in? What branch is it at?
- Is there a picture of the book? If so, click on it to find additional information such as book reviews or a bigger picture of the book cover.
World Wide Web
The Multnomah County Library Homework Center is a great place to start research on the Web. To find information about the Oregon Trail on the Homework Center:
- Click on the words American History.
- Then click on the words The Oregon Trail.
Now you can see a list of websites with information about the Oregon Trail. For each site, you can see the name (click on it to go there), the URL, and a description of what kind of information you can find there.
Library Databases
The library has many online encyclopedia and magazine articles for students to use. You'll need a Multnomah County library card to use these resources. The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is a good place to find information about the Oregon Trail.
- Start at the Multnomah County Library Homework Center.
- Click on the Databases A-Z link at the side of the page.
- Scroll down the page to the G section and find Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.
- Click on the picture of the purple library card to the right of the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.
- Type in your Multnomah County Library card number.
- Type the words Oregon Trail in the search box and click on the Go button.
- You'll find a list of encyclopedia articles about the Oregon Trail!