This pathfinder will help you to locate resources suitable for your research topic.  If you get stuck remember:
Your class teacher and  teacher librarian are here to help you !

If you are just commencing your topic or have not used a pathfinder before, start at the guide and follow the arrows. 

  If you are completing your research and need help with a particular resource, click on the relevant link.

R 912 ATK

Heinemann Primary Atlas

  World Atlas
  The world factbook 2001
Select Arctic and Antarctica from the country locator links

  World Wide Fund For Nature http://www.panda.org/kids/wildlife/idxpolmn.htm 
 

Locate some  keywords or synonyms. 

When using dictionaries be careful to select the most appropriate meaning, rather than the first meaning you find.   Wordsmyth uses the words in a variety of sentence structures to help you

R 428 WEB

Websters Dictionary of English Usage

  Wordsmyth Educational Dictionary-Thesaurus
  Online English dictionary, thesaurus and reference guide

  Encyclopedia.com 
 Try clicking on the "P" volume and locating "polar regions"

Macmillan encyclopedia of the environment
animal rights, the ozone hole and thoughts about establishing an Arctic Wildlife Refuge

Our world in danger
The threat of extinction for polar animals, disruption to th efood chain

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Non Fiction 

  Check the subject index  located next to the circulation terminal for ideas. 
 
 

take special note of the many different shelf locations for these resources.  This is because of their Dewey Decimal Classification .  Browse along the shelves in the non fiction area at these locations and see what other resources you can uncover

Look at each entry and find the shelf location.  This will tell you what type of resource it is and in which part of the library it is located (the call number)

Here is an example of one of the call numbers in non-fiction: J 591.99LOV
The 591 tells us that the book is in the 591's section,  where some books on animals are kept. 
The J tells us that the book is in the children's section. 
The LOV tells us that the authors surname begins with LOV

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Sutherland Library Computer Catalogue

  Searches may be conducted at Sutherland, branch libraries or online at:

Sutherland Library WebPac
 
 

  The online WebPac search procedure is identical to the OPAC at the library

For help select "user guide" from the side menu and scroll to the relevant section.

State Library of NSW

  An Inter-Library loan may be arranged by the librarian at Sutherland for resources held in many libraries such as this one.  There is a fee involved so you will need to speak with your local librarian. First use the WEBCAT so see if there is a suitable resource. 
 

The State Library WEBCAT
    Enter keywords and scroll through "video recordings"

Booking Electronic Resources
Computers are available in the State Reference Library and the Mitchell Library with access to a wide range of CD-Roms and databases, the Internet (except electronic mail) and catalogues. Bookings can be made for 30 minutes or one hour, per person per day. 

To book ahead, it is necessary to phone (02) 9273 1414. 

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Electric Library Australia

The term "periodical" is used to refer to a journal, magazine or newspaper publication which is published at regular intervals e.g monthly, weekly.
 

 To find articles in periodicals, you need to use a periodical
index.  Most of them are available electronically and called databases
 

  Follow the link from the Virtual Reference Library,  to "periodical Indexes", then Electric Library Australasia.

  Try the Search term "polar regions AND global warming" to locate some relevant newspaper articles:

After entering your search term you can select your source e.g newspaper, book or magazine, by clicking on the icon.

  Click on a title link to read the article

All periodicals to which Sutherland Library subscribes are listed in the library catalogue.  Search by the TITLE of the periodical NOT the title of the article e.g Independent on Sunday 

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World Magazine Bank
World Magazine Bank database is made up of indexing, abstracts, and full text  from over 230 English language publications from Australia and around the world. 
 
 
 

  If the articles are NOT full text you are told if Sutherland Library holds the magazine. If not held by the library, articles can be requested on inter-library loan. You will need to speak to the librarian at the help desk

   Antarctic Magazine

  If you find something you would like to read search the library catalogue under the title of the magazine, not the title of the article.  If the magazine is located in Stack, you will need to fill out a request form(located beside each computer terminal), then give it to the librarian who will retrieve it.  You can also "Limit Your Results" to "Journal titles held by Sutherland Shire Libraries "

  Connect to the Library WebPac.

  Select the link from the Virtual Reference Library,  to "periodical Indexes", then World Magazine Bank from home 
 

  Try "polar regions"

   Antarctic Magazine 
    Follow links to the contents page.  Articles available include:
Southerly prospect: Antarctic science meets new 
    challenges 
Human impacts in Antarctica: what are we doing?
Minimising the disturbance to Antarctic wildlife
Antarctic Treaty focusses on environment and liability
Antarctic Treaty to celebrate 40 years

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Infoquick

INFOQUICK provides an  index to articles about Australia and Australians, which have been published in the Sydney Morning Herald and associated publications such as: Sun Herald, Eastern Herald, Northern Herald and Good Weekend (from 1988 onwards).

good information on Antarctic issues due to Australia's involvement in waste management and research ventures
 

  Infoquick may be accessed either at home or at the library by selecting the link to the Virtual Reference Library, then  "periodical Indexes", then Infoquick.  No password is required.

  If you see an article that you think may be useful, copy down the title, date and page number and ask the librarian in the reference section upstairs to show you where to access the article on microfilm.

Use the searchword "Antarctica" 
Headline  : Protecting Australia's white wilderness. The winds of change are sweeping our last physical frontier, where frozen old beards and eager young summerers may need tourists to help fund their work 
"Australian AntarcticTerritory" and "Environmental impact" are shown as cross referenced subjects

The Internet
If you need to search for additional resources, try these search engines.

  Kids Click
Scroll down and click on "What does this page look like through a Librarian's Eyes?" to see all the subjects chnaged to their Dewey Classifications. Now try clicking on suitable links !   WOW !
 

Ithaki 4 KiDs
Ithaki.net is a metasearch engine.  This means it searches in other search engines, ranks the results and shows them to you on one page! You can also search for images.
 

Ask Jeeves For Kids 
You enter a question, and Ask Jeeves tries to point you to the right web page that provides an answer. 

Gateway to Antarctica 
the University' of Canterbury's Centre for Antarctic Studies.

Experiment with Boolean Logic:
Try:
antarctic AND arctic
polar regions AND human impact
antarctic OR arctic biodiversity

  Suggested Internet Links

Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment  This site uses a topic tree as an index e.g  global warming , sea level.  Two levels can be accesses by clicking on the Bart or Mr Burns icons.

The arctic circle - click on the introduction link for an appraisal of the ecological and social justice issues affecting the Arctic

The Antarctic Treaty  The Treaty now has been in place for 36 years and in this time it has served as an unprecedented example of international cooperation.

The Arctic Council was established on September 19th, 1996 in Ottawa, Canada. A high level intergovernmental forum, the Council provides a mechanism to address the common concerns and challenges faced by the Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic.

The Madrid Protocol We know from recent expeditions to Antarctica, notably by Greenpeace, that pollution and destruction which the Protocol was instituted to prevent continues today.

Environmental Code of Conduct for Australian Field Activities in Antarctica   One of the major goals of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is to protect the Antarctic environment. To do this, the AAD conducts research and develops and implements measures to ensure that human activities in Antarctica and the subantarctic do not cause unacceptable effects to the natural environment

Damage to the ecosystemConserving the living resources of the Antarctic means understanding relationships between the various species - that is, understanding entire ecosystems.

the Antarctic Ecosystem -Why are krill so important? It has become the keystone species in the Antarctic.

The Threat of Climate Change to Arctic Wildlife Interestingly, scientists consider the polar bear as the ideal "indicator" species of climatic warming and ecological change in the Arctic, given the bears' position atop the Arctic marine food chain.

kidsplanet endangered animals alphabetised list of listing diet, description and threats

Powerpoint presentation on pollution in the Arctic- use the arrow key to advance - the threat of POPs to the native population

United Nations Environment ProgramGEO 2000 comparing the Arctic and Antarctic Regions - bio diversity and social end economic background

United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency If you follow the games link you can take a quiz on all areas fantastic page for kids

GLACIER Antarctica and the part Antarctica plays in our global system of weather and climate and oceans and geology!

National Wildlife Federation Penguins facing threats from oil spills,overfishing and alien species

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Email

Ask Rosie, Sutherland Library's  email reference service. The Ask Rosie service allows you email a request for information to the reference staff at Sutherland Shire Libraries. Responce is within 2 working days
Use this service only if no other resources have answered your questions

The New South Polar Times

The New South Polar Times
You can email a question to the South Pole Times.  The list for the NSPT is called NSPT-SP. Subscribe online

The Arctic Forum
Sharing a common interest in the resources, peoples, and environmental issues of the Circumpolar North.  Discussion of Arctic Circle's three major themes: natural resources, history & culture; social equity and environmental justice. Select messages to read by date, or topic, or post a message

People

Often organisations or digital reference services provide contact with "experts" who may be able to help you
 
 

The Mad Scientist Network is one such organisation staffed and maintained by volunteer scientists and engineers from around the world. 
 
 

Question Status Form  Your question will not be answered by email, so read this page carefully

Some sample contacts;

Antarctic Education Services, PO Box 4111, Kingston, ACT 2604.  Tel./Fax +61-06-285-4148.  activities: Information service to schools adapted to the needs of children of a wide range of ages.

CSIRO, Division of Oceanography, Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Tasmania.  Tel. +61-02-32-5214.  Fax +61-02-32-5125.  E-mail Gary.Meyers@marine.csiro.au activities: Leads multi-disciplinary expeditions carrying  out research focusing chiefly on the role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in global change.

Antarctic Society of Australia, PO Box 243, Pymble, New South Wales  2073.  Tel. +61-2-44-5414.  Fax +61-2-449-8987. E-mail dgore@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au activities: to interest people in exploration and research in the Antarctic and  sub-Antarctic regions and in the prevention of exploitation of its living and mineral resources publications: Newsletter (1985-); Information Brochures (1993-)

Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)  Australia: GPO Box 51, Balmain,  2041 New South Wales 2041  E-mail antarctica@igc.org activities: Association of organizations concerned with environmental issues in these regions.  Members include Greenpeace and the Antarctica Project in addition to other environmental groups.

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