120 Years of National Geographic
Daryl Grabarek, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 11/3/2009
In a school where I once worked there were decades of old National Geographics lined up on the open shelves—rows upon rows of those bright yellow bindings promising trips to faraway corners of the world. Staff and students would pull copies of the magazine, find a seat in a quiet corner, and pore over them. Not only were the articles of interest—real-time reporting on historical archaeological and anthropological discoveries and adventures—but the ads were fascinating as well, offering great visuals for reports. It’s our luck that libraries and classrooms can now own a run of the magazine going back to 1888, that takes up very little space.
The Complete National Geographic (DVD; Oct. 2009) offers a high-resolution digital reproduction of 120 years of the magazine on six discs. Articles are searchable by keyword, author, subject, illustrations, advertisements, and geographical area (in a geospatial browser). In addition to the full-text articles and images, access to the maps supplements distributed with the magazine are part of the set. Zoom in and out capabilities are built in, as is magnifigation. National Geographic and user-created recommended reading lists are up and running. Extras include photography tips, a “best moments of National Geographic section,” a history of the National Geographic society and magazine, and commentary by photographers on their award-winning images.
Think about it: you can send students to contemporary accounts of early 20th-century discoveries in Egypt, the creation of our national parks, and space exploration, as well as modern-day discoveries about the 1917 flu pandemic, Inca ice mummies, and much more, from your classroom computer. For more information and software specifications, visit the National Geographic Web site.
