Define Destiny @ Your Library

Staff Development DayNovember 2, 2009

D.L. “Dusty” Dickens Elementary School Library Media Center

Christina A. Bentheim, M.Ed.

Library Media Specialist

AgendaMaterials Needed

Destiny Handouts Teacher Barcodes Computers with Internet Access Survey

Outcomes Participants will be able to effectively conduct basic and power searches, use TitlePeek,

construct and share resource lists, write and share reviews, recommend books to other patrons, find materials linked to Nevada standards, use WebPath Express, and be empowered to manage their accounts.

What is Destiny and Destiny Quest?

Create Destiny Quest Accounts

Basic Searches

Power Searches

Resource Lists

State Standards

WebPath Express

TitlePeek

Managing Your Account

I. What is Destiny and Destiny Quest?a. Destiny in the web-based catalog for all of CCSD’s library media centers.

i. The “less-interesting” side.b. Destiny Quest is the more visually-appealing interface of Destiny.

i. The fun, kid-friendly side.

II. Create Your Destiny Account

Open your Internet browser (Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer are recommended) and type in http://library.ccsd.net. Scroll down to Dickens Elementary School and click on the link.

When you’re in the right place, you will see a screen that looks like this with our school’s name in the top right-hand corner.

To create your brand-new account, click Create Account in the top right-hand corner of the screen. When the box pops up, type in your Last Name and your barcode as it is shown on your temporary library card. Click Next.

Create a user name and password that you will remember. It is recommended that you use your NOVELL log in so that it is easy for you to remember it. Confirm your password and type in your Interact email address. If you don’t know it, leave it blank. Click Save.

If everything worked correctly, you will see this page with your name in the top right-hand corner.

The next time you log in to Destiny/Destiny Quest, you will click Login and enter the user name and password you just set up.

III. How to Conduct a Basic BOOK Search in Destiny Quest

From the main district library page at http://library.ccsd.net, scroll down to Dickens Elementary School, and click once.

This is the Destiny Quest page. (Searching is available without being logged in. However, it is recommended you log in to have all of the options available to you.)

Enter your search terms in the box marked Find. You can see up to the first 10 results on the screen, as well as view the availability, type of material, and call number. (IN means it’s here. OUT means it will be back soon. ASK means we can get it for you from another library if you wish.)

For additional information about each title, simply roll your mouse over the book’s cover or click on the cover image. (NOTE: Some books will not have cover images due to publisher copyright permissions.)

After clicking on the cover image, you will see something similar to that shown below. If you want us to hold the book for you, click the Hold It button on your right. If you want to recommend the book to a student or another teacher, click the Recommend button. To see AR quiz information, click the Quiz Info tab. To see if the book won any awards, click the Awards tab. To check out reviews of the book, click reviews. (You may also add your own review, if you wish. It will be visible to all Destiny users in the district.)

To see what books are physically on the shelf near your current selection without getting out of your seat, feel free to use the Shelf Browse feature. Click on the Shelf Browse button underneath the cover image.

Refine your search results by clicking in the Narrow Your Search box on the left. To narrow down by AR level, click Accelerated Reader. To narrow down by Author, click Author, etc.

Click the tabs for additional info about the book.

To remove one of your narrowed search components (also called filters), just click on the X next to it as shown below.

Use the slider to select the range for materials you are seeking.

To save specific titles into a list that you can print out and bring to the LMC for easier check out, simply click on the image, hold down the mouse button, and drag it over to the My List section on your right. Let go of the mouse and the title will populate inside your list. These lists can be made public so that they appear on the main Destiny Quest page for all users. (More on how to create a new list later.)

After adding several books to your list, this is what it will look like. Click on the Print Options button to print it or to create a MLA citation list. Click on the Remove All button to remove all the books from your list. To access this information in the future, click on the My Info link at the top right-hand part of the page.

As you add titles to your list, you will see the number of titles increase. Click on Titles to see your list.

If you’re printing it for us to pull books for you in the Dickens LMC, please make sure to sort the list by CALL NUMBER/AUTHOR.

IIIa. How to Conduct a Basic WEBSITE Search in Destiny Quest

When at the Destiny Quest home page (after you are logged in), enter your search term in the Find box as discussed previously. Then when the results populate, click the globe icon on your left-hand side underneath the Destiny Quest logo. This opens your search into the WebPath Express portion of Destiny.

You can then narrow your search by grade level, topic, or even domain (.edu, .com, etc.).

After narrowing the search below to Elementary, it can be narrowed down even further. To remove any search filters, click on the X next to it.

Roll your mouse over each website icon for more information. If you think you will use the site, select the Add to List button. To view your list of websites, click on the Titles link.

To print your list, click the Print Options button. To remove all sites from your list, click the Remove All button. To toggle back to your list of books, click the Library Titles link. To access this information in the future, click on the My Info link at the top right-hand part of the page.

IIIb. How to Conduct a Basic Search in Destiny

As discussed previously, select the Dickens Elementary School Library Catalog from the main CCSD Library Services page at http://library.ccsd.net. When you arrive at the Destiny Quest home page, log in as usual, then click the Exit Destiny Quest link at the top right-hand side of the page.

You will then see a page that looks like this. Click on the Library Search link to your left. (If you click the Home tab, you will get the general Destiny home page where you can access the Dickens LMC website and databases.)

The basic search screen gives you your options in boxes underneath the search box—Subject, Title, Author, etc. First, type what you are looking for in the Find box, then click on one of the icons. Spelling counts, but if you aren’t sure of the spelling, type what you know and an asterisk. (For example, chry* when looking for Kevin Henkes’s Chrysanthemum.) To expand your search to other elementary schools or the entire district, change to the desired location in the drop down box. To search specific titles with AR information, select Accelerated Reader from the Reading Program drop down box. To search award winning books, select Literary Awards from the Awards drop down box. Then select your desired award from the next drop down box that appears.

After typing in sharks and searching using the Title button, this is what you see. There are two ways to view titles. First is to look at the Search Titles tab. A list appears with the title (or closest thing to it). This screen gives you the basics—title, author, call number, and whether the book in checked out or is in AND the cover art. The Browse Titles tab just a list of the actual titles. If you want to see more information on a book, click on the Details icon next to the title.

The next screen gives you more information—publisher, number of pages, summary, etc. The call number is in the box to the left under the cover art that looks like a spine label. Here you would write down the call number and title on a slip of paper and go find the book. You can also recommend this book to someone else by clicking the Recommend button or click the Hold It button and we’ll hold the book for you, if it’s available. Click the Reviews tab to write a review for the book and to read other reviews. Add the book to one of your lists by clicking the Add to this List button.

To go back to a previous screen, use the “breadcrumbs” instead of the back arrow.

IV. How to Conduct a Power Search in Destiny

From the main search screen in Destiny, click on the Power tab. Use the options to customize your search. If you come up empty, however, use less search options to get more choices.

After you click the Search button, results will be shown only within the parameters you’ve set.

V. How to Create New Lists

On the left-hand side of your Destiny screen, select Resource Lists. Click the Add List button on the right.

Create a name for your list. (Lists cannot have the same name as another list you’ve made. The name must be unique.) If you want to share this list with all Destiny account holders at Dickens (it will appear on the Destiny Quest home page), check the box next to the Make this List Public option. If you wish, you may add a brief description of your list. Click Save.

After you save your new list, you will see all the lists you have. (My Personal List is the default and is already created for you.) To edit a list, click on the paper/pencil icon to your right. To delete a list, click on the trash can icon. Click on the Public Lists tab to view other public lists in the system (created by others). To view the contents of a list, click the View button.

Click on the Library Materials tab to see the books in your list. Click on the Online Resources tab to see websites you have saved into your list. Click on the Citation button to get citation information for a single resource.

To email your list or to save it to your computer as text, select the appropriate option from the I Want To drop down box. To add a new list, click the Add List button.

VI. How to Search for Materials by State Standard

To search for materials by state standards, click on the Standards Search link to your left. Select Nevada in the first drop down box. Select Dickens Elementary School for the location unless you want to check the catalogs at other locations within CCSD. Type your search term in the Find box. Select the relevant subject. Select the grade level. Click the Search button. If you wish to browse the standards by subject instead of searching for a specific one, click the Browse tab.

Standards addressing your search term, subject, and grade level will be displayed. Click the Find It button next to the standard you wish to use to search for materials.

Book titles meeting the standards selected will be displayed. If nothing is displayed, use alternate search terms. You can add these books to lists, get additional details, hold them, make recommendations, write reviews, etc. (Refer to previous tutorials for help on these features.)

Click on the Web Sites tab to see web sites within WebPath Express that meet the standard you selected.

VII. How to Use WebPath Express

Not only does our catalog have our books and other materials listed, it also has thousands of websites which you can access through the catalog. Each month the featured websites will change. Any websites located can be sorted by grade levels. All have been selected for the quality of the content. However, classroom teachers should always preview sites prior to using them with students. To search specifically for websites within WebPath Express, click on the WebPathExpress link on the left-hand side of your screen. The page will look like the one below. Type in the subject of your search in the Find box and click the Search button.

Websites that meet your search criteria will be displayed. Adjust your search for grade bands by selecting your choice from the first drop down box. Add sites to a list by selecting the Add to this List link. View relevant book titles within our collection by selecting the Titles tab.

VIII. How to Use TitlePeek

For every book that has cover art displayed, TitlePeek is available. TitlePeek gives you more information about the book. It could be a list of characters, theme, book reviews, table of contents, or even the first chapter of the book. To activate TitlePeek, click on a book’s cover image. It will open to an alternate website where you can find additional information about the book. (If a book does not have a cover image, TitlePeek is not available for that selection.) For additional information, please see the separate TitlePeek handout.

VIII. Managing Your Account

To see what items you have checked out, to renew items, to check the status of items placed on hold, and to check if other Destiny users have recommended books to you, click the My Info tab at the top of the Destiny screen. To recommend a title you’ve currently got checked out, click on the person with the speaking bubble icon.

Type in the student’s or teacher’s names and click the Go button.

Select the patron you want to recommend the book to from the list.

Type your comments about the book in the box and click the Save button when you are finished. This recommendation will be just between you and the person you are recommending the book to. To write a review for a title, please refer to the previous tutorials for assistance.