CNet posted these five suggested fixes for the new version due out today.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Monday, May 26, 2008
Faviki: Step Closer to Controlled Vocabulary?
This social bookmarking tool has structured tagging. Seems like a move towards what cataloging librarians have been doing for years: creating subject headings.
Description from their homepage:
"Faviki is a social bookmarking tool which allows you to tag webpages you want to remember with Wikipedia terms. This means that everybody uses the same names for tags from the world's largest collection of knowledge.
Thanks to DBpedia, which extracts structured information from Wikipedia and represents it in a flexible data model, these tags are reference to objects which are categorized automatically, keeping your and your friend's bookmarks and interests well organized."
Description from their homepage:
"Faviki is a social bookmarking tool which allows you to tag webpages you want to remember with Wikipedia terms. This means that everybody uses the same names for tags from the world's largest collection of knowledge.
Thanks to DBpedia, which extracts structured information from Wikipedia and represents it in a flexible data model, these tags are reference to objects which are categorized automatically, keeping your and your friend's bookmarks and interests well organized."
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
New Research Says "Google Generation" a Myth
A new report, commissioned by JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and the British Library, counters the common assumption that the ‘Google Generation’ – young people born or brought up in the Internet age – is the most adept at using the web. The report by the CIBER research team at University College London claims that, although young people demonstrate an ease and familiarity with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web. The report ‘Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future’ also shows that research-behaviour traits that are commonly associated with younger users – impatience in search and navigation, and zero tolerance for any delay in satisfying their information needs – are now the norm for all age-groups, from younger pupils and undergraduates through to professors.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
PBS FrontLine: Growing Up Online
This program investigates the private worlds that kids are creating online and the risks, realities, and misconceptions of teenage self-expression on the Web. Watch the entire program online.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Take a Seat!
This is just TOO AMAZING!! Haven't you always wanted to be able to take a seat with you to the stacks? Leave it to a Dutch designer to come up with a solution:
Monday, October 22, 2007
Flip Video - Ultra Series
Flip Video - Ultra Series
You'll "Flip" over this cool new camcorder. It looks like it will be so easy to use. I just ordered a pink ultra. Can't wait to start taking videos of my cats.
I'm suggesting that the library get several for students to use and then have a contest for National Library Week. "How I use the library" would be the theme of videos created by students and uploaded to YouTube. A good way to promote the use of the cameras and the library at the same time!
You'll "Flip" over this cool new camcorder. It looks like it will be so easy to use. I just ordered a pink ultra. Can't wait to start taking videos of my cats.
I'm suggesting that the library get several for students to use and then have a contest for National Library Week. "How I use the library" would be the theme of videos created by students and uploaded to YouTube. A good way to promote the use of the cameras and the library at the same time!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Friends:Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services: The OneAfter909: Penn State Facebook Library App
Friends:Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services: The OneAfter909: Penn State Facebook Library App
Penn State has released a Facebook OPAC app. This is a great way to get students into the catalog by giving them easy access through Facebook. Screenshots included.
Penn State has released a Facebook OPAC app. This is a great way to get students into the catalog by giving them easy access through Facebook. Screenshots included.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Dictionary of the Future (TED Conference 2007 Video)
Erin McKean an editor of one of the "Big Five" dictionaries talks about the future of dictionaries.
Friday, September 07, 2007
More Thoughts on Wikipedia
I've been thinking about Wikipedia and how publishing is changing. In the past, in order to get published you had to go through a lengthy editorial process. New publishing technologies allow anyone to publish, bypassing the traditional methods. I can't help but wonder, how many qualified experts were put off by the time it would take for them to get published? Has Web 2.0 enabled "invisible experts" to come out of the woodwork? Authorities who were previously silent because of the cost of publishing, can now easily be heard.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Using Tech to "Deselect"
I just finished up a part-time summer job at a local university library. I was involved with a "deselection" or weeding project there. I noticed that books were more popular (had more circulation) there than they are at the tech college.
Reasons for this could be:
While I noticed that majority of newer titles currently on the shelf had good circ (signed out within the last 7 years), I also noticed that those newer titles that had no circulation within that time period seemed to be good purchases, had attractive covers, and were cataloged in an area where they could be easily found. Why didn't they get checked out?
I think it's high time we cut back on our book purchases and start cataloging quality websites in earnest. Can we track usage of these sites once they are cataloged to see if our efforts are working?
Reasons for this could be:
- Tech students get their info electronically
- Liberal arts classes are more likely to use text resources
- Broadcasting & communication
- Marriage & Family
- Sex (of course--this is popular in any format it seems)
While I noticed that majority of newer titles currently on the shelf had good circ (signed out within the last 7 years), I also noticed that those newer titles that had no circulation within that time period seemed to be good purchases, had attractive covers, and were cataloged in an area where they could be easily found. Why didn't they get checked out?
I think it's high time we cut back on our book purchases and start cataloging quality websites in earnest. Can we track usage of these sites once they are cataloged to see if our efforts are working?
Saturday, July 21, 2007
BibMe! Great Citation Tool!
The folks at BibMe have created a great FREE, yes, that's right--FREE online citation tool. It has an autofill feature that imports info from Amazon, Yahoo! News, FindArticles, and CiteULike. Now if they could only add WorldCat, IMBD, and Hollywood.com...
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Got a Wii!!!
Got a Wii a few days ago and have been using it for "working out." I found an article on using the Wii in an academic library during finals. If we could do this, I think I'd call it "Wiilease Your Stress Night."
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
NYT Article on Wikipedia's Editors
All the News that's Fit to Print Out profiles some of the editors of Wikipedia:
- Antioch grad who works at a library circulation desk
- junior high student who edits after he finishes his homework
- Iraq War veteran
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Jay Cross on Informal Learning
What is said here could be used in any workplace setting. We are looking at a revolution in the way we learn AND the way we work together. Great piece!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
C|Net's 100 Best Webware Apps
C|Net just came out with this list of the 100 best webware apps. Some are familiar, like FireFox, Opera, IE, Google's Reader for RSS feeds, Netvibes, Safari, StumbleUpon, MyYahoo, GMail, LiveMessenger, Trillian, Meebo, FaceBook, Friendster, Digg, MySpace, ChaCha, LinkedIn, etc.
But I'm new to: OpenID, DeviantArt (sounds scary!), Me.dium, Pando, AllPeers, Wikia, and many others.
All apps are divided into 10 categories (kind of like the Dewey Decimal system...):
But I'm new to: OpenID, DeviantArt (sounds scary!), Me.dium, Pando, AllPeers, Wikia, and many others.
All apps are divided into 10 categories (kind of like the Dewey Decimal system...):
- Browsing
- Communications
- Community
- Data
- Entertainment
- Media
- Mobile
- Productivity & Commerce
- Publishing
- Reference
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Proof that More than One Search Engine is a "Good Thing"
"Try more than one search engine for different results." That's the line I give to my Internet searching classes. Here's a study funded by Dogpile.com in collaboration with U of Pitt and Penn State: Different Search Engines, Different Results: A Research Study by Dogpile.com
New Way to Promote Books Using Web 2.0 Technology
TurnHere and Simon & Schuster are teaming up to create a new Website called BookVideos.tv: the Story Behind the Story.
Here's the description from the Website:
"BookVideos.tv offers compelling video stories that give readers insights into some of the world’s best authors. The social media video site offers the back story about the lives, personalities and the inspirations of these engaging writers. We created Bookvideos.tv to give readers the real story behind the story. It is the place where your favorite books and authors come to life, and it’s also where you can engage with the literary community on a whole new level. Using the site’s variety of social media tools, you can embed an author video on your own Web site or blog, email it to a friend, or share with your book club. You can also subscribe to the videos using RSS, add them to del.icio.us, or Digg your favorite new title. Readers are encouraged to come back often as new videos are added on a regular basis."
Here's the description from the Website:
"BookVideos.tv offers compelling video stories that give readers insights into some of the world’s best authors. The social media video site offers the back story about the lives, personalities and the inspirations of these engaging writers. We created Bookvideos.tv to give readers the real story behind the story. It is the place where your favorite books and authors come to life, and it’s also where you can engage with the literary community on a whole new level. Using the site’s variety of social media tools, you can embed an author video on your own Web site or blog, email it to a friend, or share with your book club. You can also subscribe to the videos using RSS, add them to del.icio.us, or Digg your favorite new title. Readers are encouraged to come back often as new videos are added on a regular basis."
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Brain and a Book (Lang article from Chronicle of Higher Ed)
Lang reminds us that we all need to get periodically "unplugged" to reconnect with our "real" environment in this article from Chronicle of Higher Education.
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