NSDL

The National Science Digital Library (NSDL.org) is a digital library of exemplary resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as health and social studies. It provides collections and services, organized in support of science education at all levels, with materials ranging from journal articles and lesson plans to interactive games and illustrative animations.

Now you'll spend some time getting to know more about the NSDL as well as ways to search it and have an opportunity to practice your new skills.

First Time Users

Take some time to peruse the First Time Users section on the NSDL site.

Keyword searching

This is a keyword search much like you find in "Google." The difference is that instead of searching the entire web, you are searching through the NSDL. To access this feature:

1. Click on the "Search Options" button on the left column of the NSDL frontpage (access nsdl.org).
2. Type one or more search terms that can best describe the information you want to find (click on Search Techniques in the table of contents to learn more) into the search box.
3. Click on the "Search" button, as shown in the graphic.
4. If you get too many results, use additional words to focus the search. If you don't get enough results, try removing some words to broaden the search.

Searching by Collections

The National Science Digital Library (NSDL) is actually made up of several digital libraries or collections. If you are familiar with one or more digital libraries, you can access them directly and search for resources within them. To access this feature:

1. Click on the "Browse" button on the left column of the NSDL frontpage (access nsdl.org).
2. Click on the link "Alphabetical List of Collections."
3. Click on the first letter of the collection you want to browse, as shown in the graphic.

NSDL Search Tips

You can use the NSDL search tips to find out specific search information.

Practice

• Find two math and/or science resources in the NSDL.
• Find a handful of resources for your content area or grade level.