MARVEL!, a part of Maine InfoNet, is a large, rich collection of research databases.
For information about Maine InfoNet
MARVEL! – Maine’s Virtual Library - is a series of collections of published material owned by commercial enterprises that offer access to magazines, newspapers, manuscripts etc. online. Formerly the province of professional information searchers, and very expensive, these resources are gathered together by the State of Maine and presented, as a service to its citizens, together as Marvel!
They provide every resident of Maine with access to a collection of full text and abstracts from magazines, newspapers and reference books that are credible, reputable resources. MARVEL! also provides students, business people, public library patrons, and higher education students and educators the ability to search a number of resources at one time for needed information. The print value of the resources provided in these databases would be in excess of $500,000 per library and it is available to you 24 hours a day!
Since free information can be found on the Internet, why is the state paying for MARVEL!?
MARVEL! provides content that is more reliable and relevant than what is available for free via many Internet sites. The vast majority of the journals available through MARVEL! are not available for free on the Web or in any other electronic format. Consumer Reports, Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report are just a few of the hundreds of popular magazines included. Many of these journals are necessities for most libraries; however, escalating costs and shrinking budgets make it impossible to subscribe to everything a library would like and needs to meet patrons’ needs.
SEARCHING ON MARVEL! – A THOUGHT OR TWO…
Over the course of almost thirty years, information searching professionals had developed complicated systems of searching which were familiar to them. MARVEL! presents a slightly more friendly interface, but the system can be difficult to use in the beginning.
The difficulty is less in searching – many help screens and searching tips are provided – the confusion is the bewildering number of seemingly opaque titles of the databases that are available.
A complete listing of even one database is beyond the scope of this tutorial. We hope to offer here a small enticement of what can be found in MARVEL! and one or two tools for using it.
To really understand MARVEL!, one must go online and spend several hours exploring.
Start by just looking around and clicking on likely links.
Follow that by trying to look up something of interest to you. Then read a tutorial or two. Try your search again.
If you are interested in using the Internet for online reference, the time you spend will be worth it. MARVEL! is a cornucopia of rich material. Its resources cannot be found by just searching Google.
To see some of the marvels that can be found in MARVEL!
If you want to jump right in and go directly to MARVEL!
We have a new aid to understanding Marvel, thanks to The Maine Regional Library System. They have produced a delicious DVD tutorial, filmed
in Southwest Harbor’s very own library, about how to use Marvel.
The DVD is enlivened by Tim Sample…learning to search the Marvel database. Tim did his homework before the filming and came to the production, educated and ready to learn – not something just any old actor would do.
Stop by the Library to see the DVD and, if you look carefully, you will see
a “cameo appearance” by library board member, Ralph Stanley!
HOW TO USE MARVEL!
- Go to the MARVEL! page on the web.
- Choose a database to explore or search.
- Click on it.
If you are connecting from a library on the Maine State Library Network, you will have direct access to the databases.
If you are connecting from another computer (e.g., from home), make sure your browser is set to accept cookies and then complete the short form required for Remote Access Service:
Your name.
Your library affiliation – The Southwest Harbor Public Library.
Your zip code.
- Now you will be able to log in just as you would in Minerva with your User Name and Barcode.
If your browser is not set to accept cookies, you will not be able to log in. One of our patrons’ browser is set to accept cookies, but the site does not think so. She switches to FireFox for her search and it works – it even remembers her barcode.
If you are an advanced computer user, teach your browser to remember your barcode.
If this seems complicated to you, make a Word doc with your barcode in it. When you need the barcode copy & paste it from that doc into the form on MARVEL!
Each database has a Help link and sometimes Search Tips – several have guided tutorials. They are good. Use them!
If you seem stuck in a database, use the back button on your browser.
The reference librarians who staff these E-Ref lines can help you and often can show you how to use these databases while you watch on your computer. This service can be found by going to the URSUS PAGE and clicking on the Ask a Librarian link.
After you log in, it is helpful to click on the MORE SEARCH OPTIONS button.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO TRY:
CLICK ON SOCIAL SCIENCES
THEN - CLICK ONMAINE NEWSTAND
THEN - CLICK PUBLICATIONS
You will be able to browse in:
Bangor Daily News; Bangor, Me. -Full Text: 1992 – current
Kennebec Journal; Augusta, Me. -Full Text: 1993 – 1997
Maine Times; Portland, Me. -Full Text: 1994 – 2002
Morning Sentinel; Waterville, Me. -Full Text: 1993 – 1997
Portland Press Herald; Portland, Me. -Full Text: 1995 – current
CLICK ON SOCIAL SCIENCES
THEN - CLICK ON MASTERFILE PREMIER
THEN - CLICK PUBLICATIONS
Browse PUBLICATIONS to find:
HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
Bibliographic Records: 02/01/1985 to present
Full Text: 06/01/1999 to present
CLICK ON SOCIAL SCIENCES
THEN - CLICK ON POLITICS " GOVERNMENT
THEN - CLICK ON ProQuest Newspapers
To see, among many other things:
The Atlanta Constitution
(pre-1997 - Fulltext)
Full text: 1995 – 1996
The Atlanta Constitution
Full text: 1990 – 2001
The Atlanta Journal
pre-1997 Fulltext)
Full text: 1995 – 1996
Full text: 1996 - 2001
The Atlanta Journal - Constitution
Full text: 2001 – current
Bangor Daily News
Full text: 1992 – current
BBC – There is a long list of available items from the BBC
Boston Globe
Full text: 1987 - current
Chicago Sun – Times
Full text: 1985 – current
Chicago Tribune
Full text: 1996 - current
The Christian Science Monitor
Full text: 1988 - current
Detroit News
(pre-1997 Fulltext)
Evening Standard; London (UK)
Full text: 1998 – current
Financial Times; London (UK>
Full text: 1996 - current
Hartford Courant
Full text: 1992 – current
Knight Ridder Tribune News Service
Full text: 2001 – current
Los Angeles Times
Full text: 1996 - current
Maine Times
Full text: 1994 – 2002
Michigan Chronicle
Full text: 1994 – current
New York Times; Late Edition (East Coast)
Full text: 1995 – current
New York Times Book Review; New York
Full text: 1997 – current
New York Times Magazine; New York
Full text: 1997 – current
Oakland Press; Pontiac, Michigan
Full text: 1991 – 1997
San Francisco Chronicle
Full text: 1996 - current
Sunday Times; London (UK)
Full text: 1996 – current
The Times; London (UK)
Full text: 1992 – current
USA TODAY
Full text: 1997 – current
The Village Voice; New York
Full text: 1991 – current
The Washington Post
Full text: 1996 – current
EBSCO and ProQuest are two examples of the commercial collections that comprise Marvel. Each of them is made up of many smaller collections.
To go to the Ebsco Tutorial Page
Click on Basic Searching for Public Libraries to view the tutorial.
And this is only the beginning…