Califa: Product Reviews / Editorial Oceano

EDITORIAL OCEANO REVIEW

Product Description:

The Océano Digital Database group under review contains 5 distinct databases, each designed for a different audience. It is a good general reference collection and each database has different features and different strengths and weaknesses.

Saber - a resource center that contains full-text articles from a variety of sources, including: literary classics, dictionaries, primary sources, reference works, newspapers, and magazines. It offers the ability to search using a simple search box, an advanced search screen, or a folder structure. The database contains Study Resources (Biographies, Historical Timeline, Literature Library, Dictionaries, Links to other online resources), and Visual Resources (Image Gallery, Map Center, Anatomical Atlas, Interactive Simulations). There are many ways to retrieve the same information. This is a plus for people who are not used to database searches. There are search methods for those who want a simple Google-type interface, as well as for people who wish to prefer advanced searches or conventional library catalog searches.

Sample Searches:
- I tried Biographies in the Study Resources section. When I typed the key words Vicente Fox in the simple search box I retrieved 300 documents in which the words Vicente and Fox appeared. The first two were biographical articles about the former Mexican president. He was mentioned in the third article. The fourth included a reference to him by last name. The Extended Search link (that appeared next to the simple search box) allowed me to refine the search (in this case by entering the words as a name, and restricting the nationality to Mexico), and I retrieved only the two biographical articles about Vicente Fox.

- I searched for Vicente Fox as a Subject Search under the category sciencias sociales y humanas and got 1367 hits. The citations that appear are conveniently labeled by type of document. Above the list of citations is a box containing the document type icons and what they stand for. There were 1341 periodical articles that mentioned Fox (with the references to him conveniently highlighted in the text of the document), and the 2 biographies mentioned above, as well as the 2 biographies of other public figures in which Vicente Fox is mentioned. When I searched in the “ciencias naturales” subject folder I retrieved 14 documents, all of which were periodical articles.

Universitas - This database is designed for college students. It contains scholarly resources from universities and other publishers around the world. This is a comprehensive educational database with a variety of sources. The database favors classical Spanish works, which would be excellent for Spanish Literature students and Spanish language learners who want something more to read. In addition, I found the complete (translated) texts of a few plays by William Shakespeare, some poetry by Keats, a chapter from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and many selections from literary dictionaries. Universitas serves as an anthology of Spanish-language resources and an overview of great literary works from all nations. The interface of the OCENET Universitas database is designed for the student or scholar. It mainly uses text instead of images. There is a simple search box at the top of the page, as well as a list of other search options. They are divided as follows: Basic Search, Image Gallery (which contains close to 10,000 images), Advanced Search, Map Center, Subject Search, Anatomical Atlas, Periodical Publications, Literature Library, Biographies, Dictionaries, Timeline, and Links.

Sample Searches:
Search term: Botticelli - 154 documents; the icons to the left of the title of the search result describe what type of information is contained in the entry. There is a key at the top of the results page to define the icons. I restricted the search using the "Browse Subjects" feature. When I selected Arte y Cultura the database returned 137 results. I clicked on the "images" icon and filtered the results to reveal 23 images. The search interface is easy to use and offers opportunities to refine results after a simple keyword search, or select the search parameters in advance.

Using the same basic search, I refined the results by clicking on the reference button (rf). There were 78 hits. Most of the documents came from art galleries or museums, either describing the museums holdings, or offering descriptions/analyses of individual works by Botticelli.

The Map Center - it begins with a map of the world. Clicking on a continent produces a list of available political maps of countries on that continent. After selecting South America on the map, and then Bolivia este, on the results list, I saw a map of Eastern Bolivia followed by a short list of related information (these subcategories were geographical features of the region). Each link led me to articles about the sub-category.

The Anatomical Atlas - offers folders labeled by body systems and subdivided by parts of the human body. There are clear diagrams followed by related textual information.

The Literature Library - contains literary works. It is an adequate source for works written prior to the 20th century (for example, 15 by or about Cervantes, none by Juan Rulfo; 2 works of or about Mark Twain, no hits for Faulkner). It also appears to be richer in works by Spanish authors than those of any other country. There is, however, better coverage of authors of many nationalities in the Biography section of the database.

Administración de Empresas - A general business reference database, Administración de Empresas (Business Administration) is designed for business students and businesspeople from Spanish-speaking countries. The how-to section compiles useful sections of business information that read like textbooks about marketing, sales, human resources, finance, and more. There is good coverage of the business climates and economies of many countries. I only hope that the information is updated regularly. This is a rich and interesting business reference center. A business student or a Spanish-speaking adult who needs to learn about business principles and practices would find this database invaluable.

Medicina y Salud - Contains information about Health, Nursing and Medicine. It is a general reference source for patients, students, and professionals. The most interesting features are the English-Spanish glossary, which would give a Spanish-speaker a tool to help him communicate health terminology with an English-speaking medical professional, and the medical dictionaries, which would allow Spanish speakers to research health information topics in their primary language. The range of topics in the Health Education section is limited, but the Nursing information in the Protocols section is more comprehensive. The anatomical atlas is also a useful tool, with easy access to diagrams of the human body. Below each diagram there are links to related reference materials.

Escolar - This database is designed for students younger than college age, but it is not suitable for early elementary school students. The colorful interface is appealing and it contains the same variety of access points as the other databases. The Study Resources section contains an interesting set of activities in many disciplines. This would be a useful resource for finding science experiments and classroom activities. The reference content is mainly drawn from European and Latin American encyclopedias. Primary sources are limited to the constitutions of many Ibero-American nations and the United States. The Literary database contains a smattering of works by many authors, but it is not a comprehensive literature library. I would turn to Universitas for a richer set of resources. I’m not sure of the purpose of the self-assessment section; it contains tests on a variety of subjects, but it is not clear why anyone would test himself, what curricular needs it serves, or what bodies of knowledge are required in order to perform well. I tried the law and institutions test and found that many questions pertained to Spanish law and government; this would be of limited usefulness to any student outside of Spain. Tests relating to science and other universal subjects would not be a problem. The Study Resources area would be useful to students who need to read about study skills in the Spanish language. There is an instructional section on note-taking that includes a description of the Cornell method. There are also articles about different styles of writing. There is only brief mention of bibliographic formats. Some of the information in this section of the database, like articles about teaching and learning methods, may only be of interest to teachers.

Critical Review:

Search interface:

Scores: 4, 4
Average: 4

Overall, the reviewers felt that the search interface was intuitive and easy to use.

All of the databases provide many avenues for retrieval of information. There are search methods for those who want a simple Google-type interface, advanced search screens for searchers who want to define their queries in advance, and conventional library catalog searches (author, subject, title). It is easy to refine search results. A user can also browse by using folder icons; using the folder icons will help a user to better understand the organization and structure of the database.

Considering the variety of access points and result refinements available, people with a range of different searching skills would find the database accessible with no training. It is easy to display a list of the source materials in each database by clicking on the Contents icon at the top of the page. However, unlike some databases, one may not browse the individual periodical titles from the periodical list, and there is no mention of the date range of the periodicals. Overall, navigation was very easy and intuitive. Very easy- to-use interface. The fact that the search interfaces remain relatively the same from database to database allows for a continuity and easy of searching. I was able to navigate easily, narrow results, revise searches, etc. I also thought the searching options were excellent—for example, you could search by theme, search related articles, etc.

Quality of information and sources provided:

Scores: 3.5, 3
Average: 3.25

The reviewers were pleased with the information provided.

The information I found was what I expected to find. It was easy to figure out which results were articles, reference works, images, etc. The only database I found fault with, however, was with the Escolar database. I tried searching for popular or historical biographies and came up with very few. It doesn’t include information on some of the people kids have to write reports on.

I find OCENET to be an interesting compilation of a variety of sources from many countries. OCENET does not have an extensive list of periodicals, but a researcher can still find a lot of information on a wide range of topics. I like the fact that the database only offers full text resources. Users will not encounter the frustration of finding citations for texts that they cannot gain access to. I only wish that the database provided complete bibliographic citations of its articles (like Encyclopedia Britannica Online).

There is not a great variety in periodical coverage. It also appears as if the database is not updated as often as others that I have used. The most recent hit in my search for Hugo Chavez was from July 2007. The query Mexico also returned articles no later than July 2007. There is, however, a great deal of encyclopedic information, good access to dictionaries, useful image and map collections, and a wealth of literary and biographical information.

Help and User Support:

Scores: 4, 3
Average: 3.5

Help was seen as adequate and easy enough to find.

The two avenues for receiving help with the database are the clearly labeled HELP and CONTACTS buttons. The HELP pages offers brief explanations of the search features of the databases, search tips, results management, and short descriptions of the different content offerings. It provides enough information for new users who need a little guidance. The CONTACTS page contains a link to an email address, and the address and phone number of the publisher’s Doral, Florida office. This is the only apparent way for the subscriber to receive answers to questions. The corporate site offers a contact form (at http://www.oceano.com/oceano/oceano.html)

The online help was easy to get to and to figure out. I wasn’t sure what the "terminos" icon was for and the online help provided the answer. The whole interface is fairly easy to figure out.

Accessibility of service:

Scores: 3,4
Average: 3.5

Cost:

Scores: NA
Average: NA

Overall assessment:
Scores: 4, 3.6
Average: 3.8

I think this resource is very useful for Spanish speaking customers. There are very few sources out there which provide this type of information. The databases are varied enough to provide a wide range of information and easy to use.

This is a well-designed database that offers access to a world of vetted information not usually available to speakers of Spanish in the United States. While it is not as comprehensive as other databases with which I am familiar, I think it would be a useful addition to a public library collection and has features that would serve most Spanish speakers and students of the Spanish language.