Re: GRANGER'S INDEX TO POETRY ON CD-ROM

[Diane Durbin <dianed@TENET.EDU>]

We have been using it on a SIRS network since November.  We find it very
useful.  There are many full text poems and quotes from others.  No, you
cannot indicate which poetry collections you have.  I read a number of
reviews before purchase.  The one that sticks in my mind was by a reviewer
who said he (or she?) was not a computer type, but a literature type.
That reviewer said that while he/she might have some minor quibbles with
some of the poetry that was picked for full text over some that was not
picked, in the main it was a very impressive product.  It is very easy and
fast for kids to use.  Neither our school library nor our public libraries
ever seem to have the ONE anthology the kids needed, if you can get
teachers to cooperate by taking a look at what is available and making
assignments accordingly, it can be extremely useful.  I'm sure no kid in
my library is every going to willingly look at the print version again.  I
must say that today I had a teacher get so hung up over how you should
cite both Granger's and (particularly) Discovering Authors that I wanted
to ask whether thinking about and understanding the essence of the
literary work or getting a bibliographic citation technically perfect was
the main reason for the assignment she had given.  It seems to me that for
the average high school student far too much emphasis is put on the
footnotes and the work cited and not enough on the more important aspects
of literature.  But that's another discussion .

On Thu, 10 Mar 1994, Jerry Blankestyn wrote:

> I am considering the purchase of the CD-ROM version of Granger's Index to
> Poetry.  If any of you are currently using it, I would be interested in your
> opinion.  Also, will the program allow me to indicate which poetry collections
> that are indexed are on the shelves of my library?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jerry Blankestyn
> Westerville South H.S.
> Westerville, Ohio