Pathfinders have been used by libraries and librarians since the 1970's to guide patrons to the resources needed to answer their research questions. With the advent of the Internet and other electronic resources, pathfinders are no longer limited to print directories. Instead, web-based pathfinders can be created to help patrons access information from a variety of sources within and beyond the library.
When used with student researchers, a carefully constructed pathfinder can guide students to quality resources, saving the time and frustration often encountered in Internet searching.
This page is designed to guide you to resources for constructing online pathfinders of your own.
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Articles |
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Directories |
EALR's |
Slide Show |
Bard, Therese Bissen. Student Assistants in the School Library Media Center. Libraries Unlimited: Englewood, CO. 1999.
Sutter, Lynne and Herman. Finding the Right Path: Researching Your Way to Discovery. Linworth Publishing: Worthington, Ohio. 1999.
Wilson, A. Paula. 100 Ready-to-Use Pathfinders for the Web: A Guidebook and CD-ROM. Neal-Schuman. 2004.
Yucht, Alice H. Flip It! An Information Skills Strategy for Student Researchers. Linworth Publishing: Worthington, OH. 1997.
Graves, Judith. "Offline Access to Online Searching." MultiMedia Schools. May-June 1998.
Kuntz, Kathy. "Pathfinders: Helping Students Find Paths to Information". Multimedia and Internet Schools. May June 2003. Available online: http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/may03/kuntz.shtml
O'Sullivan, Michael K., and Thomas J. Scott. "Pathfinders Go Online." Net Connect. Summer, 2000.
Shrock, Kathleen. "The 'New' Virtual Library: The Virtual Pathfinder." The Book Report. September/October 2002.
Wiltsee, Denise R. and Ella Marie Yates. "Savvy Selling Solutions for the School Media Center." Computers in Libraries. September, 1998.
Yucht, Alice. "Project Pathfinder Portal Pages."Library Talk. March/April 2001. Download the article in pdf format at http://www.linworth.com/librarytalk_article.html
The following sites include a variety of pathfinders. View them to gather ideas for content and format for your pathfinders.
- Infozone Pathfinders
- The Indianapolis Marion County Public Library provides an extensive list of well-organized, well-designed pathfinders for kids. Pathfinders are indexed by subject, as well as alphabetically. Cross references to related pathfinders are included. Book cover images add a great visual connection.
- Springfield Township Virtual High School
- You'll find high quality examples of high school pathfinders, as well as a pathfinder template at this site. Take time to visit all of Joyce Valenza's site. She provides exceptional resources for the LMS.
- Lakewood Public Library
- Class Assignment Pathfinders (Lakewood, Ohio) for elementary, middle and high school.
- Morton Grove Public Library Webrary
- Site defines the difference between a bibliography and pathfinder and provides links to both.
- Potamus Place Pathfinders
- From the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Library system. Includes several well-organized pathfinders for school projects.
- Travilah Web Walkabout
- Educational Resources which include pathfinders.
- Walter Johnson High School Research Pathfinders
- A treasure trove of pathfinders for high school students.
- Washington Library Media Association
- View pathfinders that have been created by WLMA members to support state classroom-based assessments and teacher/teacher- librarian collaboration. Learn more about this statewide effort at http://www.wlma.org/storage/cbas/grant.html#
- WENATCHEE SCHOOL DISTRICT PATHFINDERS
- The Library Media Web pages at these schools have information pathfinders to support state and local curriculum standards:
- John Newbery Elementary School
- Pioneer Middle School - New pathfinders have been added to support the state social studies CBA's.
- Winnipeg School District Pathfinders
- This district library media services site provides well-designed pathfinders on educational topics for resources available in their professional reference library.
- Pathfinder Template
- Basic template used by library media specialists in Wenatchee and presented at WLMA and NCCE Conferences 2000 and WLMA 2001. WLMA and NCCE members are welcome to use the template to develop their own information pathfinders.
- Since we do not hold the copyright for all of the icons and other graphics on our pathfinder pages, we cannot give you permission to copy them. Links to graphic sites are provided on this pathfinder to assist you in locating quality graphics.
- Pathfinders, Subject Guides and Thematic Resources
- An extensive resource about pathfinders and more, developed by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson. As always, these folks provide a thorough, well-organized resource. Don't miss their eduscapes.com site. It's a pathfinder developer's dream.
It's wise to keep graphics to a minimum on your pathfinder pages. Patrons will not want to wait for a long download. However, a few graphics can make the page more inviting. Visit these sites to gather some free images. Please read their use agreements.
- Discovery School Clip Art Gallery - Lots of school related clip art; mostly black and white, but some color images are available.
- Free Graphics.com - Provides links to several quality clip art sites.
- Free Graphic Maps - Maps, globes, flags and more.
- Graphixkingdom.com - Use the left column menu to access several free icons.
- Iconbazaar - Lots of free icons, lines, etc.
- List of graphics links on Kathy Schrock's Guide to Educators page
- MediaBuilder - Free backgrounds and high quality gifs.
- Pat's Web Graphics - Find thematic graphics with borders, backgrounds, and coordinating buttons. Also available on CD-ROM.
- Windy's Web Free Image Gallery - Nice border backgrounds are available at this site.
Search directories are a great way to identify web sites for school projects. They contain lists of sites selected by ... people!
- ALA/ALSC Great WebSites for Kids
- KidsClick
- Librarians' Index to the Internet
- Surfing the Net with Kids
- For an extensive list of directories (or subject indexes), go to Kid Safe Search Sites at SLDirectory.com.
Curious about search directories? The Library, University of California, Berkeley has a wonderful website for teaching/learning about searching the web.
Pathfinders provide the LMS with a great way to collaborate with classroom teachers and to remind them about the Information Literacy EALRs that are embedded in the subject areas of the Washington State EALRs. Check them out at this link:
Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements
National and state learning standards for major subject areas can be accessed through links provided by Education World.
If you'd like a few tips about constructing pathfinders, view the slide show presented by 3 Wenatchee library media specialists at the Washington State Library Media Conference 2000.
PATHFINDERS: Let Us Guide Your Way!
Return to Wenatchee School District Home Page
updated 11/07
E-mail contact J. Barnes,Teacher-Librarian or L. Riesterer, Teacher-Librarian