By Ellen Fox
Beginning January 10, BCR will initiate a 60-day free trial of the SIRS databases. SIRS
Researcher , SIRS Government Reporter , SIRS Renaissance and SIRS Discoverer
will be available to BCR member libraries through the SIRS Knowledge Source
Interface.
SIRS Researcher is a general reference database with thousands of full-text articles
exploring social, scientific, health, historic, economic, business, political and global
issues. Articles from 1,500 domestic and international newspapers, magazines, journals
and U.S. government publications can be accessed.
SIRS Government Reporter provides access to current and historic government
documents; landmark and recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions; facts on federal
departments, agencies, elected leaders and more. Information can be obtained in the
following databases: U.S. Government Documents, U.S. Supreme Court, Historic
Documents, National Archives Documents, Congressional Committees, Congressional
Members, Federal Agencies, U.S. Justices and U.S. Presidents.
SIRS Renaissance provides information on eight main categories: Architecture and
Design; Culture; Film,
Radio, Television and Video; Music; Performing Arts; Philosophy and Religion; and
Visual Arts. SIRS Renaissance includes full-text articles and graphics from more than
700 domestic and international newspapers and magazines. Many articles are
accompanied by full-color graphics, including art reproductions, photographs,
illustrations and maps.
SIRS Discoverer provides young researchers with a wealth of information on topics of
high interest. Articles and graphics from more than 1,200 U.S. and international
magazines, newspapers and U.S. government documents are carefully selected for their
educational content, interest and level of readability. There are three editions of
Discoverer: one for grade levels one through six, one for grade levels five through nine
and one for grade levels one through nine, which is especially suitable for public
libraries.
After the BCR trial is completed, a discounted group purchase will enable BCR members
to access the databases at significant discounts. Just how great the discount will be
depends on the number of libraries signing up, so please tell your library colleagues
about BCR's SIRS group purchase.
The sign-up form for the trial will be located at: www.bcr.org/~randd/sirsform.html. Look
for pricing on BCR's Web site (www.bcr.org) in early January.
For more information, contact Ellen Fox at (303) 751-6277, (800) 397-1552 or by e-mail
at efox@bcr.org.
