23. CollegeSource Online

CollegeSource Online

Accessed via Los Angeles Public Library Databases

Summary

CollegeSource Online (CSO) is a database established by CollegeSource, Inc. that allows users to search for information about any college.  Students have free access to the database.  The website details that it provides access to “58,482 digital college catalogs, institution profiles, transcript keys, and other critical resources.”  Rated as the “Electronic Resource of the Month” for October 2009 by the Los Angeles Public Library, the CSO basic search gives users the option to look for colleges within the United States, outside of the country, or all schools.  The advanced search includes further limitations, including listing colleges alphabetically or searching by country, by specific criteria, or by geographic location.  Once users find a college of interest, the listing has a selection of icons next to it: a PDF of the school catalog, transcript key, profile, website, a map of the school’s location through Google Maps, and cross reference.  Not all of the icons are listed for every school, but there are quite a few locations that have most of the icons.  The database also has a list of resources, such as links for assessment testing and preparation, associations of education and library professionals, career resources, college guides and planning, financial aid resources, and state departments of education.

Critical Evaluation

The database provides a lot of information for people debating what colleges to send applications.  It has a simple and straightforward layout, making it extremely user-friendly.  The main page gives users the option to search for a college by name, giving those who already have an idea of what colleges they want to research an easy way to get the information.  I liked the options in the advanced search section, especially the criteria search that includes limitations such as enrollment range and tuition range among the more traditional options of state and degree offerings.  When there are multiple search results, I found the profile icon particularly useful because it lists several details about the location on one page, such as the contact information, degree levels, tuition and fees, financial aid programs, and calendar system, among others.  This provides users the opportunity to get a quick feel for the school and decide whether they want to invest more time researching it.  Especially considering the tremendous amount of colleges that may be found, the profile icon is a useful tool.  The addition of the resources section is an asset to the website because it gives potential college applicants one website to turn to for their college search needs.  Overall, the database is helpful for people looking to go to college and want to find out as much information about several different schools as they can.

Reader's Annotation

CollegeSource Online provides users information about colleges and universities around the world, as well as resources for college and career preparation.

Information About the Company

CollegeSource, Inc. is a small but dynamic company with a mission to serve institutions of higher education and the students who use education to become more employable, engaged citizens. Their current focus is college catalog and institution research tools, primarily in the area of transfer credit evaluation. CollegeSource, Inc. is about making the work of researching college catalogs faster, easier, and cheaper. The result is tremendous time savings for administrators and a better experience for transfer students.

As a team, they state that their mission is to:

• Exceed customer expectations
• Provide high quality, affordable products and services
• Foster an environment of integrity, trust, confidence,
  and long term relationships
• Inspire individual excellence and development
• Acknowledge individual and collective achievement
• Meet the changing needs of all stakeholders

 (information retrieved from CollegeSource, Inc.’s website: http://www.collegesource.com/who_we_are.asp)

Genre

N/A

Curriculum Ties

This database could be useful in a life skills or college preparatory class.

Booktalking Ideas

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Reading Level/Interest Age

Although all ages can access the site, high school students and individuals looking to go back to college will be interested in the database.

Challenge Issues

N/A

Why Include Database in Selection? 

In looking through the databases provided by the Los Angeles Public Library website, CSO stood out as especially useful for older teens.