American Journey: History in your Hands

Women in America is only one CD ROM in the American Journey series. It covers various phases of American women from the 1500's to the 1990's. It can supplement a curriculum with its documents, pictures, and essays. There are also audio clips and images. Parts of the program can be incorporated into student presentations. Runs only in DOS 5.0 or higher. (Reviewed 1994 edition.)

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Content

 This disc is designed to supplement an established curriculum. It is a good reference tool for students to have when researching various aspects of women throughout American history. It includes information about some women that is difficult to find in other formats. The offering of audio clips and images keep the user involved. A good monitor allows the images to project clearly. A map disc is offered separately. The disc reviewed had no accompanying instructions or information.

Search Options:

This option can be reached from the Main Menu. It allows the user to view primary sources by time period or geographical area. Searching can be done by Full Text (search on any word) or by Index Terms (searching index terms and document types). There is a Time Line option that allows viewing of documents and pictures by time period. An alphabetical list allows viewing of lists of pictures, documents, and audio clips. A browsing option is also included.

Picture Album:

The Picture Album lets you browse through a sampler of 100 pictures. There is a See List option that allows the viewer to choose from the full list of all the pictures on the disc. To see a full size picture with accompanying information, press the view button. If you go to the citation button, pertinent facts about the picture can be viewed.

Historical Overview:

This section offers essays of historical background for the subjects on the disc.

Key Topics:

This is a list of key topics on the major themes covered on the disc. These can be read by selecting either the title or the picture next to it. Examples of topics include "Role of women in building a new nation", "Women under slavery", and "Women and Suffrage". Each area has a lengthy overview with links to certain people highlighted.

About this Disc:

Offers information about the time lines, essays, documents, and picture captions. It also links to related items that include important paintings, music, legislation and memoirs. There is also a reference to books, videos, museums, recordings, quotes and illustrations.

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Ease of Use

 Although this disc did not have an accompanying instruction booklet, once the disc was installed, it was fairly easy to navigate. The Main Menu has five options: Search Option, Picture Album, Historical Overview, Key Topics, and About this Disc. There is also a Help button and an Exit button on this screen. The main screen of each option has a button bar to allow the user to view related items, search, go to the main menu, go back to the previous screen, bookmark, print/export, or get help.

The print option is the one drawback to this disc. When installing, the user is asked to set this option to one of these: print, export, print & export, or neither. This allows the print/export button to be available in certain areas. This means the complete item being viewed can be printed or exported to a file. What it actually does is print the entire chapter overview. Pictures will only print on a laser printer or must be exported and then imported to a word processor. Then they will only print on a desk or bubble jet printer.

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Educational Value

 The material in this CD ROM offers valuable information that students doing research can use. Since most of the information included is historical, this disc will be valid for a long period of time. Except for the printing problems, the program is easy to use. It is geared toward high school but can be used as a supplement source for undergraduates also.

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Installation Requirements

Mouse use is compatible but slow.

Published by Research Publications International, 12 Lunar Drive, Woodbridge, CT 06525. 1994.

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Other Reviews

CHOICE, December, 1995. p. 601.

TECHNOLOGY CONNECTION, September, 1995. p. 66-67.

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Reviewed by Sandra Joiner, a graduate student at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Texas at Austin. She taught third grade for twelve years and works in the school library media center at Center Point, Texas. Her hobbies include sewing and reading. Her husband is a public school administrator; she has a grown son and daughter, both college graduates.

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July 5, 1996