38. Greenwood Daily Life Online Through History (Database)

Greenwood Daily Life Online Through History

Accessed via Los Angeles Public Library Databases

Summary

Greenwood Daily Life Online Through History is a database designed by ABC-CLIO that provides users with the opportunity to explore what life was like dating back from 10,000 BCE up to the present.  When clicking on the “Eras” tab, users find that history is broken up into six time periods: Ancient World, Medieval World, Renaissance, the 17^th and 18^th centuries, Revolutionary and Industrial Times, and the Modern World.  Under each category, there are lists of several different regions, as well.  After selecting a region, users can read through an overview of the culture and then decide if they want to learn more by clicking on one of the subjects.  Users can also look at images or read documents relating to the culture.  If they want to read analysis about a civilization, users may select the “Analyze” tab at the top and choose from several different options.  Finally, there is an advanced search option in which users can limit a search by category, era, region, and subject.  The database is also connected with The African American Experience and The Latino American Experience databases; the advanced search gives the user the option to search across all of these databases.  Overall, Greenwood Daily Life Online Through History gives students and others interested the opportunity to examine the similarities and differences they have with past civilizations.

Critical Evaluation

The database is extremely unique, giving users a glimpse into the daily lives of people from years past.  I feel that Greenwood Daily Life Online Throughout History will appeal to students seeking a more tangible view of history.  Rather than focusing on the events and memorizing dates, the database allows users to investigate different parts of civilization members’ lives.  While there are certainly more bland topics such as “Economic Life,” there are plenty of topics to which students can relate.  Not only can students find out about the education of the time, but they can also discover what types of entertainment people preferred and what sports and games were practiced.  Because many students want to learn about things that relate to their own lives, being able to see the activities of centuries past and how closely they may resemble sports and games that they currently play may help establish an interest about a particular time period.  From there, students may choose to explore the database further, learning about other aspects of the civilization, as well.  In this way, the database can serve as an example of how to introduce students to events and people in history by creating a connection between students’ lives and the lives of others that came before them. 

Reader's Annotation

Greenwood Daily Life Online Through History gives students and others interested the opportunity to examine the similarities and differences they have with civilizations ranging from the Ancient World up through to the present.

Information About the Company

ABC-CLIO is an award-winning publisher of reference, contemporary thought, and professional development content, created to help students, educators, librarians, and general readers of all ages wrestle with complex challenges. Throughout history, they have invested resources in the development of new content genres, giving their diverse customer and reader communities the opportunity to explore deep factual treatments of the topics that matter, and delivering the most current scholarship and perspectives on those topics.

The editorial staff compiles some of the reference content on their databases, while other reference material is gathered from recognized scholars and writers in various fields. Objectivity and balance are always of the utmost importance to their staff, both in writing pieces and editing work submitted by contributors. They are guided by editorial boards and advisers, as well as their own editorial policies and fact-checking procedures. (information from company’s website: http://dailylife.abc-clio.com.ezproxy.lapl.org/Home/About)

Genre

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Curriculum Ties

This database could be helpful in a history class.

Booktalking Ideas

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Reading Level/Interest Age

This database is suitable for any age, but may be especially relatable to students from elementary school to high school.

Challenge Issues

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Why Include Database in Selection? 

The database was rated the “Electronic Resource of the Month” for November 2009 by the Los Angeles Public Library and the idea of being able to delve deeper into the lives of people throughout history intrigued me.