first time user's guide

Here are some valuable things to know before you start using the Gateway ...

What do I need to know to search effectively for educational resources in the Gateway?

The Gateway uses a new, advanced retrieval engine named Seamark from Siderean Software to help you find resources that meet your needs. The engine is built around a search technique called "faceted searching". Faceted searching combines the processes of searching for specific words and phrases somewhat as one does in Yahoo!^® and Google^® with browsing descriptions of resources based on what are called facets. The result is a powerful new interface that supports exploration as well as discovery of resources.

The key to this powerful new interface is the organization of the resources described in the Gateway around specific characteristics of the resources that educators find useful—we call those characteristics facets. From here on out, the names of facets in the Gateway information appear inside double angle brackets (« »)—e.g., «subject» denotes the subject facet.

Two ways to discover Resources: Search & browse

When you are ready to find useful educational resources, you can start the process of discovery in two different ways: (1) by using a simple Google^® like search using words and phrases that expresses some aspect of the resources you want to find; or (2) by browsing from a master list of the facets in the Gateway. It is important to know that it does not matter which of these two ways of starting a search you choose, the remainder of the search process is the same for both. Let's look at each way to start a search separately.

Initiating discovery by browsing

1.  Click on the Browse button opens the browsing facets.

Browsing facets are displayed as illustrated in the following screenshot.

2.  Each facet can be expanded by clicking on the Show arrow.

Clicking Show exposes the listing of terms to browse.  In the screen shot above, the «subject» facet has been expanded. The numbers beside each word or phrase represent the total number of resource descriptions (called GEM records) in the Gateway that have been assigned that word or phrase.

 3.  Clicking on a facet word or phrase pertinent to your information need will narrow the search results.    The following screen shot is the result of clicking on the word "arts" in the «subject» facet list.

The Gateway presents you with a listing of all those resource descriptions that contain the term "arts" in their «subject» facet.

In the right-hand column is a listing of the facets and terms found in the resource description listing. You can narrow your set of resource descriptions even further by selecting an additional facet term. In the following screen shot, we have selected the term "Lesson plans" from the «type » facet list thus reducing the set of resource descriptions to only those that are arts lesson plans.

4.  If necessary, the set of resource descriptions can be reduced even further by selecting additional facet terms until only those selected remain.

Initiating discovery by searching

A search of resources described in the Gateway can be started in two separate ways. The first--and simplest--is to type a search query into the text search box.  After entering your search terms, click on the Find Resources button (see arrow in illustration below).  The search engine will find all of the resources in the Gateway that contain your search terms.

By default, the Gateway will look for your terms in the <<full text>> facet of the GEM records.   You may also choose to confine your search to the <<title>>, <<description>> or <<keyword>> facet from the drop down menu next to the search terms box.

More information: Discovery by searching ...