Parents are often faced with the issue of how to best care for a sick child. After other avenues of help, such as medical professionals, have been explored, people sometimes turn to the internet for health information.
The most important thing to remember when searching for health related information on the internet is that you need to stay alert to the origins of what you find. When looking for authoritative health information it is a good idea to restrict your search initially to government sites. You can do this in Google from the “Advanced Search” page by entering .gov in the domain field. To restrict your search to Australian government websites simply use .gov.au
A search using the exact phrase “information for parents” and restricted to Australian government sites leads to a varied list of relevant topics relating to child health in the broadest sense, from communicable diseases to child protection orders. An alternative search which adds the search words “child” and “health” results in a more focused result.
One Australian government health site stands apart from the rest because of its features and searching capabilities. HealthInsite is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. It acts as a gateway to other websites which contain authoritative information on a broad range of contemporary health issues. Websites go through a stringent quality assessment process which involves a number of groups of professional people.
From the left hand navigation bar on the homepage, click on ‘A to Z Health Topics’ to gain access to a substantial listing of health topics arranged in alphabetical order. Go to the ‘Child Health’ section and you’ll be able to choose from a list of specialised subjects ranging from Dental health for children to Child Safety to an A-Z listing of Childhood conditions.
Don’t miss the ‘Life Stages’ link also in the left hand navigation bar which leads to a nifty visual timeline of health events related to different stages in our lives, including birth, childhood and adolescence.
Need help searching the web? Contact your local Citi library branch:
Citi Library Aitkenvale 4727 8312
Citi Library Flinders Mall 4727 9665
Citi Library Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au
Monday, September 15, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Citi Libraries online
If you are reading this column because you have the internet at home, then you might like to know about library services that you can use on your home internet. Many services are available to library members online. We love it when you visit us at the library but we know that sometimes it is quicker to do some things from home.
From the Citilibraries homepage (http://tinyurl.com/5vgktp), click ‘online catalogue search’ to find the library catalogue, which contains a listing of all items (books, DVDs, magazines etc) held by the three branches, Aitkenvale, Flinders Mall and Thuringowa. The mobile Neighbourhood and home services are also listed in this catalogue. You may have children who would prefer to use the Kids’ catalogue, which has easy-to-use navigation menus and contains only materials from the children’s sections of the library.
If you are not a member already, you can apply for membership online – just click the 'join online' option on the library catalogue page (http://tinyurl.com/5zu64v). After completing your online registration you will receive an online membership number. Current members will find their membership number on the back of their library card. Membership is free and available to all Townsville residents.
From the catalogue you can login to view your current details and place reserves and requests on items you wish to borrow. If you don’t find what you are looking for, here you may wish to place a request with us to obtain the item for you by purchase or interlibrary loan. You will find the online form on the catalogue page under Services.
Library membership will allow you access to online databases – look for the link on the left-hand menu on the online catalogue. Some of these are: Encyclopaedia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia, Access Science, Newsbank and Health and Wellness Resource Centre. For young people there is also Your Tutor, a free online tutoring service and resources such as Worldbook for Kids, Ziptales and Tumblebooks. Have a look, you may be surprised!
Need help searching the web? Contact your local Citi library branch:
Citi Library Aitkenvale 4727 8312
Citi Library Flinders Mall 4727 9665
Citi Library Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au
From the Citilibraries homepage (http://tinyurl.com/5vgktp), click ‘online catalogue search’ to find the library catalogue, which contains a listing of all items (books, DVDs, magazines etc) held by the three branches, Aitkenvale, Flinders Mall and Thuringowa. The mobile Neighbourhood and home services are also listed in this catalogue. You may have children who would prefer to use the Kids’ catalogue, which has easy-to-use navigation menus and contains only materials from the children’s sections of the library.
If you are not a member already, you can apply for membership online – just click the 'join online' option on the library catalogue page (http://tinyurl.com/5zu64v). After completing your online registration you will receive an online membership number. Current members will find their membership number on the back of their library card. Membership is free and available to all Townsville residents.
From the catalogue you can login to view your current details and place reserves and requests on items you wish to borrow. If you don’t find what you are looking for, here you may wish to place a request with us to obtain the item for you by purchase or interlibrary loan. You will find the online form on the catalogue page under Services.
Library membership will allow you access to online databases – look for the link on the left-hand menu on the online catalogue. Some of these are: Encyclopaedia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia, Access Science, Newsbank and Health and Wellness Resource Centre. For young people there is also Your Tutor, a free online tutoring service and resources such as Worldbook for Kids, Ziptales and Tumblebooks. Have a look, you may be surprised!
Need help searching the web? Contact your local Citi library branch:
Citi Library Aitkenvale 4727 8312
Citi Library Flinders Mall 4727 9665
Citi Library Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Ungoogling Kids
Have you searched the internet for hours to help a child with a school project and been presented with thousands of possible results by Google but still ‘couldn’t find anything on the ‘net?’ Citi Libraries could be the answer you’ve been waiting for.
Today, public libraries offer many enhanced services and so do their online catalogues. New technology means that in addition to identifying what books are in the library, online catalogues can also help to find excellent websites and display them with just a click or two. Think of the last topic your child needed help with and go to the CitiLibraries online catalogue at (http://catalogue.townsville.qld.gov.au/spydus.html)
Select an Advanced Search and type your project topic in the ‘Anywhere field – e.g. Antarctica. A little down the page, you’ll see a ‘Collections’ window. Scroll through that menu and click on “web links” then OK. When the results load, all the titles will show [website] beside it. Clicking on the title will load a page which briefly describes the contents of the website. If you think it’s relevant, simply select the website address (under the blue Electronic Access bar) and the website loads before your eyes.
Why can this be better than Google? The websites you’ll find in your CitiLibraries catalogue have been chosen by teachers and librarians especially for school students. In other words, the work of deciding whether a website contains accurate, relevant and up-to-date information has been done for you! A quick glance at the site will let you know if it is for primary or secondary school students.
Next time your child needs to research a project, ungoogle them and take them to the library … at home. Start your project research with the CitiLibraries online catalogue.
Need help searching the web? Contact your local Citi Library branch:
Citi Library Aitkenvale 4727 8312
Citi Library Flinders Mall 4727 9665
Citi Library Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au
Today, public libraries offer many enhanced services and so do their online catalogues. New technology means that in addition to identifying what books are in the library, online catalogues can also help to find excellent websites and display them with just a click or two. Think of the last topic your child needed help with and go to the CitiLibraries online catalogue at (http://catalogue.townsville.qld.gov.au/spydus.html)
Select an Advanced Search and type your project topic in the ‘Anywhere field – e.g. Antarctica. A little down the page, you’ll see a ‘Collections’ window. Scroll through that menu and click on “web links” then OK. When the results load, all the titles will show [website] beside it. Clicking on the title will load a page which briefly describes the contents of the website. If you think it’s relevant, simply select the website address (under the blue Electronic Access bar) and the website loads before your eyes.
Why can this be better than Google? The websites you’ll find in your CitiLibraries catalogue have been chosen by teachers and librarians especially for school students. In other words, the work of deciding whether a website contains accurate, relevant and up-to-date information has been done for you! A quick glance at the site will let you know if it is for primary or secondary school students.
Next time your child needs to research a project, ungoogle them and take them to the library … at home. Start your project research with the CitiLibraries online catalogue.
Need help searching the web? Contact your local Citi Library branch:
Citi Library Aitkenvale 4727 8312
Citi Library Flinders Mall 4727 9665
Citi Library Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
