Gale Databases on iPad

Update from yesterday's post:  It turns out that my issues with the Gale app yesterday were due to some connectivity problems I had on my home network.  Now that I'm here in the office, I was able to authenticate it - and it works beautifully!

The app is called Access My Library | College Edition, and it's available from the app store.  There is a clunky authentication process, but once you are authenticated, you see a map (not sure why), and option to choose to browse the databases, or the eBooks:

I like the way the databases show up - you get a selection of all Gale databases, and clicking on each one takes you directly to the website, which displays nicely on the iPad.

You can also show eBooks only, and they display in a similar fashion, with an option to filter by subject.

So, there you have it - an app for EBSCOHost and an app for Gale.  Will you use these in reference?  Will they be convenient - or is it easier to just search through our site on your iPad?  Please share your experiences as you move through the term.

iPad and Reference

Now that everyone has had time to play with your new iPads, it's time to start sharing!  I'm so excited to see how you all end up using this tool, both at work (in the classroom, with projects and professional development) and personally (is anyone else addicted to SongPop?).

I want to create a series of posts that describe MY favorite uses for the iPad, and I thought I'd start with letting you know about some functions that work directly with our resources.  This list is not all-inclusive, and I suspect it will change as mobile technology evolves.  Many of our resources will work best if accessed via the web, for example, as opposed to an app.  Furthermore, you may have discovered something that others haven't - please share it with us if you do.

Here are a few things for you to know:

EBSCOHost (available from the App store):  Once you've signed in and authenticated, this app will remain connected to the proxy for nine months so every time you visit, it remembers you (after nine months, you must re-authenticate).  The Home screen gives you a variety of options:  Your most recent searches, any searches you've saved, any articles you've saved, and a Help option.  Narrow your searches using the Settings button - choose which databases you want to search, turn on Full Text or Peer Reviewed filters, set your publication dates, and more.

Cool features of this app:  You can save PDFs directly to outside apps like Dropbox or iBooks with this app. You can also email articles.  

Challenges of this app:  This app is designed for the iPhone, though it will work on iPad as well.  Also, in order to authenticate, you will need to go to the web version of an EBSCO database through our site, log in, and then scroll to the bottom and click New! EBSCOHost iPhone and Android Applications.  It will prompt you to pop in an email address to which it will email you an authentication key.  It works best if you open this email directly from your iPad.

Films on Demand (Acess from our site):  Although there isn't a mobile version, Films on Demand plays nicely with iPad; the film clips play beautifully, just as they do on computers.

Apps I'm struggling with:  There is a Gale app available from the app store, but I can't get it to work properly.  In addition, there is an ebrary app - another one I'm struggling with.  Still, there will be some functions that for our purposes are best done in a browser.  If you discover something different, let the rest of us know.  Noah and James are exploring mobile applications for iPad as well as other devices for a poster session at the upcoming Learning Conference - so stay tuned for great things to come!

Check out these great apps that are useful for reference work:

WolframAlpha
Grammar Girl
EasyBib Free (For APA citations - books only)
Wikipedia Free
And check out some great suggested apps by subject (created by Goshen College).

 What apps have you discovered?  Share them with us in the comments below, or send them out via email.  Sean is also working on a platform for assessment.  Happy searching :)