Update

Explora, EBSCO’s new interface, is now available through BadgerLink!

By June 30th, Explora will replace Searchasaurus, Kids Search and Student Research Center. The three new interfaces (Explora for Elementary Schools, Explora for Middle & High Schools, and Explora for Everyone) use the same great EBSCO databases you’ve come to enjoy, just displayed in a new and improved interface.

Read more about Explora.

Test Drive Explora

See what Explora has to offer! Until we have direct links, access Explora through the EBSCO All Resources List.

To start using Explora

1. Go to the EBSCO All Resources List. This list is also available on our All Resources page - under E.  
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select the Explora interface you want to view.

What’s in Explora?

Explora for Elementary Schools

Explora for Elementary Schools is the replacement for Searchasaurus and Kids Search and features colorful pictures and school subject categories for easy browsing. Explora for Elementary Schools includes:

• American Heritage® Children's Dictionary
• Book Collection Nonfiction: Elementary School Edition
• Book Collection Nonfiction: Middle School Edition
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• Health Source: Consumer Edition
• History Reference Center
• Middle Search Plus
• Newspaper Source Plus
• Primary Search
• Science Reference Center

Explora for Middle & High Schools

Explora for Middle and High Schools is the replacement for Kids Search and Student Research Center and features an easy to use interface and updated functionality like the cite button. Explora for Middle & High Schools includes:

• Academic Search Premier
• Book Collection Nonfiction: Middle School Edition
• Book Collection Nonfiction: High School Edition
• Consumer Health Complete
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• GreenFILE
• Health Source - Consumer Edition
• History Reference Center
• Literary Reference Center
• MAS Ultra: School Edition
• MasterFILE Premier
• Middle Search Plus
• Military & Government Collection
• Newspaper Source Plus
• Science Reference Center

Explora for Everyone

Explora for Everyone is a new interface for the general public that simultaneously searches 20 EBSCO databases for an easy one stop search. Explora for Everyone includes:

• Academic Search Premier
• Book Collection: Nonfiction: Elementary School Edition
• Book Collection: Nonfiction: High School Edition
• Book Collection: Nonfiction: Middle School Edition
• Business Source Premier
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Consumer Health Complete
• Education Research Complete
• ERIC
• GreenFILE
• Health Source: Consumer Edition
• History Reference Center
• Literary Reference Center
• MAS Ultra: School Edition
• MasterFILE Premier
• Middle Search Plus
• Military & Government Collection
• Newspaper Source Plus
• Professional Development Collection
• Science Reference Center

Introducing Explora

Transition

URLs

Training

It has been 18 months since our website redesign - wow how time flies! Based on both internal and external feedback, we’ve made a few changes to enhance user experience.

Revision of FAQs

• We updated our Frequently Asked Questions, removing questions that weren’t frequently asked and adding a couple that were. Did we miss something obvious? Let us know.

Revision of About BadgerLink page

• The About BadgerLink page was pretty text-heavy. We thought long and hard about why you use the resources and why BadgerLink is so important. All in a more visually appealing way. 

Listing of resources on format and subject pages

• BadgerLink has a lot of great resources, but our format and subject pages were a bit overwhelming. We re-evaluated and removed some of the options, with hopes you will have an easier time choosing the most appropriate resource. If we moved something that you used frequently, let us know.

Videos, Webinars, and Documentation page is now called Training

• The previous name was a really long way of saying Training.  

New Format Pages

• You can now find a page listing Primary Sources and Scholarly Journals in the "I want to find..." section of the BadgerLink Homepage.

The BadgerLink team is planning a few more updates to our website. Stay tuned for details!

Coming March 4, 2015, HeritageQuest Online (HQO) will be materially improved and enhanced with a much richer content set and a more powerful, intuitive interface! The product will have a more modern look and feel that will make it easier to use and help streamline the research process for genealogists.

Updates include:

• Complete 1790-1940 U.S. Federal Census with images and every-name indexes for all years
• Additional census records such as Mortality and Non-Population Schedules, Indian Census Rolls, and more
• Expanded collection of genealogy and local history books and city directories with an all-new user interface, thumbnail images and hit highlighting
• Complete Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land record collection (NARA M804)
• Freedman’s Bank Records with full-page register view
• Periodical Source Index Archive (PERSI), 1800-2009
• U.S. Serial Set Memorials, Petitions and Private Relief Actions
• All-new research aids
• Interactive census maps

New Browser Requirements

• HeritageQuest Online will be optimized to perform best on current versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or newer (we recommend IE 11+). This users the most up-to-date security, as well.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or older will no longer be supported. The new HeritageQuest Online may work in discontinued operating systems (such as Windows XP) and browsers, but we will not guarantee compatibility or make fixes.

If you have any questions, Contact Us! 

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Each year the BadgerLink team gathers statistical information on our resources and website, and 2014 proved to be another great year! As the usage numbers grow, you show the importance of our online resources.

Here's how the use of our resources stacked up:

Sessions have more than tripled since 2009

Sessions are unique visits to a site.

All providers track this metric.

Over 121 million searches performed in 2014

Searches are the number of queries performed within a resource. 

EBSCO, Encyclopedia Britannica, HeritageQuest Online, LitFINDER, and TeachingBooks track this metric.

Pageviews rebound to previous year levels

Pageviews are the number of page refreshes or link clicks to new pages in a resource.

AccessNewspaper Archive, Encyclopedia Britannica, Soundzabound, TeachingBooks, Wisconsin Media Lab, and Wisconsin Newspaper Association track this metric.

Here's a little about the use of the BadgerLink website:

Using Google Analytics we've noticed an increase in referral traffic from Wisconsin's school and library websites - AWESOME! Some top referrers this year (in alphabetical order):

• Arrowhead Union High School
• Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District
• Eau Claire Area School District
• Mead Public Library
• Milwaukee County Federated Library System
• School District of Marshfield
• Racine Unified School District
• Western Technical College

Thank you for supporting BadgerLink! In 2015, we will continue to support your educational and recreational information needs at www.badgerlink.net.

BadgerLink provides current full-text newspaper articles. One of our newspaper resources has changed names; News (AP, UPI etc.) is now called Newswires.

Newswires (formerly News (AP, UPI etc.) provides near real-time access to full-text, world-wide news from Associated Press, United Press International, PR Newswire, Xinhua, CNN Wire, and Business Wire on a continuous basis.

You can access Newswires when you search Newspaper Source Plus or by selecting Newswires on the Newspaper page.

If you have any questions, contact BadgerLink. 

Wisconsin Media Lab provides the Scholastic Reading programs which are adapted word for word from popular children`s literature, keeping a true-to-the-original integrity of the book, and helping children with reading comprehension and vocabulary-building skills. Additionally, a Teacher Guide is available for each video. This year, Wisconsin Media Lab is offering 11 of the stories with a read-along feature. By using the read-along feature, emerging readers and English language learners can experience literature in audio form, reinforce their literacy skills and focus on building fluency.

Scholastic Reading videos are brought to you by Wisconsin Media Lab, and easily accessible at www.BadgerLink.net and wimedialab.org! Access Wisconsin Media Lab from the following BadgerLink pages: All Resources, Multimedia, or For Elementary School Students.

Once in Wisconsin Media Lab, scroll down to English Language Arts and click on Scholastic Reading.

TeachingBooks.​net now has vocabulary lists—often organized by chapter—for the books that you're teaching.

Vocabulary lists include:

• Definitions
• Example sentences pulled from the book
• Audio pronunciations

Explore the 200+ books for which Vocabulary.​com has generously produced vocabulary lists, in partnership with TeachingBooks.​net.

Contact BadgerLink if you have any questions!

LearningExpress Library bookmarks are available for Wisconsin organizations. Materials are mailed or sent through library delivery at no charge to your organization!

To request materials, go to Request Bookmarks and Posters.  

LearningExpress Library provides a collection of web-based test preparation tools and skill-building materials perfect kids, teens, and adults! Some of the topics covered in LearningExpress Library are:

• Computer Software Skills
• College Preparation
• GED Preparation
• Entrance or Occupational Exams
• Vocational Skills
• Grammar
• Writing
• Math
• Public and Speaking

Get started on Learning Express!

BadgerLink users now have access to new songs in Volumes 7, 8, and 9 as well as new sound effect categories for Scary, Sports, and Transportation.

To access these collections, go to Soundzabound. You can find a link to Soundzabound on All Resources, Multimedia, Elementry School, Middle School, High School, and Higher Education pages.

Once in Soundzabound, use the left-hand navigation panel to browse available songs and sound effects.

Here are trainings on how to use Soundzabound.

 Contact BadgerLink if you have any questions!