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GSDL logo. Click to return to the GSDL home page. Member log-in and registration Gender and Science Digital Library home page About the Gender and Science Digital Library Search the GSDL Contribute resources or become a peer reviewer Links to other NSDL libraries and related sites Answers to some commonly asked questions Learn how to use the GSDL See the most recently added resources

 


Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is a Digital Library?
      A digital library is a highly organized collection of electronic resources. Digital libraries share one important characteristic with search engines i.e. they can both be accessed online. However, while search engines cover a wide range of subject areas, digital libraries are more narrowly focused around one or a specific group of disciplines. Unlike search engines, digital libraries attach content-specific and highly descriptive metadata (descriptors/keywords) to describe each item in the collection. When a user conducts a search in the digital library it is this metadata that is searched. Search engines, on the other hand, search "blindly" on an item's content and the results obtained may only indicate that a particular search terms appears somewhere in the item, and not whether the overall content of the item is relevant to the search. Therefore, searches in a digital library produce more useful results, save users' time and effort in searching, and users can access the information found instantly.
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  • What is the GSDL?
      The Gender & Science Digital Library (GSDL) is a collaborative project between the Gender & Diversities Institute at EDC and the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse at Ohio State University, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The GSDL is an interactive collection of high-quality, gender-equitable science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) resources for K-12, higher education (community college and university), women's studies, teacher preparation programs, and informal learning environments.
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  • What is the National STEM Digital Library?
      The National STEM Digital Library (NSDL) is an NSF-funded initiative to establish an international network of learning environments and resources for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. This program is aimed at meeting the needs of students and teachers at all levels--K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learning--for individual and collaborative use, in formal and informal settings. For more information on the NSDL, visit http://www.nsdl.nsf.gov/indexm.html.
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  • How can the GSDL be of value to students, researchers, or educators?
      The GSDL will assist educators and researchers in promoting and implementing gender-equitable STEM education in both formal and informal settings, to both male and female students, and assisting in increasing female involvement in the sciences. It will also provide resources for researchers and others working to understand the link between gender and science- how gender influences the development of science and the role of women within science. While focusing on gender equitable STEM resources as the core of its content, the GSDL will also develop a number of related categories such as gender fair science curriculum, teacher guides for integrating gender equitable instruction into existing curricula, resources on women in science, and strategies to bridge gender and racial divides in the sciences.
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  • What kinds of resources are available through the GSDL?
      The GSDL collection will focus primarily on original source and classroom materials for the K-16 classroom in both formal and informal settings such as - curriculum, lesson plans and classroom activities, research & course materials for undergraduate/graduate courses, teacher guides for equitable science instruction, professional development and pre-service resources, global research on gender issues in science, evaluation and assessment tools, software applets, video and audio segments.

      The collection will comprise only of electronic or digital resources, which means that they can be viewed on a computer or over a computer network. Examples of electronic resources include text documents that can be viewed in an HTML or PDF format, sound clips that can be listened to with an audio player like Real Player, and video clips that can be accessed using multimedia programs like QuickTime.
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  • Where will these resources come from?
      Sources of materials are wide-ranging, beginning with both EDC and ENC's collections, as well those of organizations such as Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN), the Society for Women Engineers (SWE), the National Council for Teachers in Mathematics (NCTM), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Library of Congress, and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and many other high-quality, gender and STEM on-line, resources. The GSDL also solicits submissions from a variety of sources, including visitors to the site. These resources will only be included in the collection after they have been thoroughly evaluated by external reviewers and found to meet the criteria for inclusion. For more details on our collection development policy, click here.
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  • How will users know if the resources are of high quality?
      The resources within the collection are reviewed by external reviewers, who are individuals with evaluation expertise in gender equity or gender issues, expertise in STEM disciplines (content accuracy), curriculum adaptation and teaching of STEM disciplines (pedagogy and effectiveness), and media design & instructional effectiveness. Their reviews of GSDL items are performed within strict review guidelines. For more details on our review process and criteria, click here.
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  • What disciplines are covered?
      Disciplines covered by the GSDL are science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for K-12, higher education, women's studies, teacher preparation programs, and informal learning environments.
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  • How can I get involved?
      The project is actively seeking contributions in a variety of areas including digital content submissions, reviewers, focus group participation, collaboration links and overall promotion of the existence and benefits of the collection. If you would like to get involved with our work or contribute to the GSDL collection, please visit the contribute page of this web site for more information or contact us at gsdl@edc.org.
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  • How can I search for resources?
      Please, refer to the Help page for information on how to conduct both basic and advanced searches. Advanced Searching is highly recommended for the most control over your search process.
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