Pop Culture Universe — www.greenwood.com

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Linda Behen, Michelle Boule, Sophie Brookover, Deborah Costa, Montana Miller, Connie Mitchell, Angela M. Nelson, Sarah Peckham, Tiffini Travis, and Barry Trott

ISBN: 0-313-08890-X

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-08890-2

0 pages

Greenwood Press

Publication: 5/1/2008

Media Type: Database

Subjects:

Popular Culture » Popular Culture (General)

Reviews:

How Good Is It? This site combines the best aspects of web-based information (dynamic visual appeal, deep and broad content, and timeliness) with the best aspects of for-pay knowledge databases (stable, reliable information with a minimum of bias derived from authoritative sources). The result? A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (oh, yes, it's in there) ten!....Bottom Line: To paraphrase from the file itself, PCU is peachy, the bee's knees, swell, nifty, slick, mean, smooth, the most, cool, neat-o, groovy, far out, dyn-o-mite, rad, bitchin', mint, stupid fresh, dope, fly, en fuego, phat, off the hook, hot, awesome, and highly recommended for all libraries. It will serve every user with a pulse.
—Library Journal October 15, 2008
PCU's home page has a fun vibe that should attract users, especially if elements are changed frequently. There are a variety of graphics, colors, and fonts; mouse-over decade images and highlights (e.g., Rosie the Riveter, Nixon); the latest entries from the PCU Blog, with commentary, YouTube videos, and photos; and lists of most-viewed pages and top searches. Blog posts, which can be bookmarked, link to relevant content from within and outside the database....Given its nature, Pop Culture Universe has something for everyone and is appropriate for high-school, public, and undergraduate library collections.
—Booklist November 1, 2008
Rarely does a database come along promising not only to inform and keep us up to date but also to entertain and even inspire us.
—Library Journal June 1, 2008
"The Big Picture: Greenwood has taken one of the most-loved research assignments in high schools to an entirely new level with Pop Culture Universe. No longer will students have to fight over single copies of print reference titles to research a specific decade or the everyday events surrounding historical events. Through Pop Culture Universe, students have immediate access to more than 300 full-text volumes covering the last 100 years of American pop culture. Organized by decade, the database allows students to quickly locate the section they need; within are dozens of topics ranging from music and fashion to politics and religion. In addition to the instant appeal that this resource provides users (young or old), librarians and teachers can be assured that its contents are written by experts (as opposed to a Web site created by an adoring fan or an excerpt taken from last week's episode of TMZ). Additional resources include a Skills Center that assists students in understanding how to do research assignments, evaluate elements of media literacy, and compare America's history and culture to better understand how these elements affect the world today....For Students and Teachers: For teachers searching for ways to introduce students to periods in history, Pop Culture Universe brings culture, music, entertainment, language, and life into the classroom in a fresh new way. Through the use of subject lists, topic links, and special indexes that provide students with an immediate way to access items of interest, Pop Culture Universe itself becomes a digital form of entertainment (and, of course, information)....Pop Culture Universe provides lesson ideas, subject links, usage ideas, and unique topics that can easily be used to expand areas of history, science, literature, music, art, and government for both middle school and high school students....Report Card: Greenwood's Pop Culture Universe database is not only a fun way to learn about the history of some of our favorite people, places, and things, it's also a great way to learn about America's past and the influence that popular culture has had on our world today. While many librarians try to provide a wide variety of resources dealing with the history and culture of America throughout much of the 20th century, few can provide the wealth of resources that this database provides. Greenwood's Pop Culture Universe database deserves and A+ for making research about our history, culture, and lives much more fun to experience the second time around."
—School Library Journal 9/1/2008
"This database covering people and topics that have become known or important via the influence of mass media in Western culture has something for everyone. The home page has a fun vibe that should attract users."
—Booklist 1/1/2009
"Having this much fun with a library subscription database should not be legal. The content in Greenwood's Pop Culture Universe is mesmerizing and intriguing enough that students are sure to investigate interconnected topics. It will be a rich source for assisting students who are interested in determining research topics....Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general audience"
—CHOICE 3/1/2009

Description: New technology (iPods, gaming, gadgets) ... Internet memes and chatspeak ... movies, TV, radio ... music ... comics and graphic novels ... sports and pastimes ... fads, fashion, and fast food: pop culture brings us together as a people. And, no surprise, teachers and librarians increasingly use pop culture to engage students in reading, writing, and research. Built on hundreds of award-winning titles for all levels of researchers, PCU provides a safe haven for investigating topics that appeal to students—without the bias, advertising, suggestive content, or questionable authorship of commercial or fan sites.

Combining the best of traditional scholarship with the convenience of Web technology and the fun inherent in the subject, PCU advances the study of pop culture and pop history, promotes information literacy, integrates a subject of universal appeal into the classrooms of high schools and colleges, and enriches the school and public libraries that support them. In addition, the PCU Blog provides a venue for the opinions and insights of pop culture authors, editors, and students on the hot topics of the day.

Title Features:

Regular updates add brand-new content—at no extra cost
Nearly 400 volumes of reviewed, published material comprising thousands of articles, fully indexed by a team of librarians and subject specialists, as is full text of many of Greenwood Publishing Group's most recent reference works
"Decades Pages" offer one-stop, informative, at-a-glance overviews of pop culture from the 1920s to the present, including the movies, TV shows, awards, stars, fads, buzzwords, fashions, and news items that defined each decade
Classroom resources include lesson plans and professional reading to help teachers use pop culture in the classroom, as do audiovisual how-to guides and "help wizards" that will sharpen students' research and writing skills
Hundreds of photos illustrate all aspects of pop culture
Links take students to vetted websites are regularly monitored and updated

About the Author: Linda Behen is upper school librarian at The Seven Hills School, Cincinnati, OH. She is author of Libraries Unlimited's Using Pop Culture to Teach Information Literacy: Engaging a New Generation.

Michelle Boule is social sciences librarian at The University of Houston, Houston, TX.

Sophie Brookover is senior children's & teen librarian, Camden County Library, Voorhees, NJ, and founder of the Pop Goes the Library blog (http://www.popgoesthelibrary.com).

Deborah Costa is college library reference services coordinator, University of California at Los Angeles, CA.

Montana Miller is assistant professor of popular culture, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH.

Connie Mitchell is media specialist, Carmel High School, Indianapolis, IN.

Angela M. Nelson is department chair and associate professor of popular culture, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH.

Sarah Peckham is head librarian, Episcopal School, Baton Rouge, LA.

Tiffini Travis is director of information literacy at California State University, Long Beach, CA.

Barry Trott is adult services director, Williamsburg (VA) Regional Library. He is author of Libraries Unlimited's Partnering with Purpose.


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