Friday, June 6, 2008
Keep your eye out!
I've taken a bit of a hiatus with postings to focus on a few other projects, but I'll be back posting again on a more regular basis. I came across a cool new evidence based medicine tool that I plan on experimenting with here shortly. Our friends at Dartmouth and Yale have created EBM Page Generator which allows you to make your own EBM page. Granted, I have not had a chance to experiment with this yet, but expect to see some posts soon on page development progress!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Cool New Currency Tool
One of my favorite travel blogs is About Eastern Europe Travel and Kerry Kubilius has a quick post on XE Universal Currency Converter. This tool provides up to date currency information (Universal Coordinated Time) and is extremely easy to use. Simply type in your desired amount, select the currency that amount is in (the top 10 currencies are listed first, the rest are listed in alphabetic order), then choose the currency you want to exchange it to and click Go. You will then see what the current rate is based on the amount you typed in. As of now, $100 US dollars is worth roughly $65 euros. A great feature of this converter is the number of currencies you can check (as many as 85 in the quick version and 180 in the full version). The currencies are also based on live, mid-market rates.
Monday, April 28, 2008
New Ways of Searching and Finding
Through the online Web2.0 course I'm taking, I came across an excellent travel resource: TripTouch. We are exploring mashups in the course and I have to say I'm impressed with what I've seen so far. TripTouch is a one stop shop for traveling. Not only can you find hotels and restaurants, but information on the current exchange rate, weather, is all available right on the homepage. By creating a profile, you can also share your travels with others - like an online, interactive travel journal. The coolest feature has to be the maps: you type in your travel destinations and a map is provided with flags of where you've been. Bryan and I meet many people during our travels and this could be a great way to stay in touch with new friends. The pages do not provide as detailed information as I would like (for example the restaurant information is not as detailed for some cities), but the merging of the different technologies (rss feeds, Google Maps, and so on) makes for a great resource!
Also part of our task was to give Rollyo a try. To say the least, I'm not impressed. Granted, the idea of picking your top web places to search and rolling them into your own search engine is an interesting concept; its was Rollyo itself I found annoying. Following along with the search instructions I came across a few pages related to privacy that I found interesting (such as Printers and Patron Privacy from the Librarian In Black - spooky what your printer remembers - and Big Brother Hits the Books from the Shifted Librarian, which struck me as an aggressive yet poignant take on the FBI's invasion of patron records); however, having sponsored links randomly thrown throughout the search list was irritating. I'm also a bit confused on how the results are put in order (relevance? date?) and that you are limited to seeing 10 results at a time. This may be a search tool I use for myself, but not something I'd encourage patron's to use.
Also part of our task was to give Rollyo a try. To say the least, I'm not impressed. Granted, the idea of picking your top web places to search and rolling them into your own search engine is an interesting concept; its was Rollyo itself I found annoying. Following along with the search instructions I came across a few pages related to privacy that I found interesting (such as Printers and Patron Privacy from the Librarian In Black - spooky what your printer remembers - and Big Brother Hits the Books from the Shifted Librarian, which struck me as an aggressive yet poignant take on the FBI's invasion of patron records); however, having sponsored links randomly thrown throughout the search list was irritating. I'm also a bit confused on how the results are put in order (relevance? date?) and that you are limited to seeing 10 results at a time. This may be a search tool I use for myself, but not something I'd encourage patron's to use.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Evolution of Library Tutorials?
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of YouTube and podcasting.
Overall, the concept is great: generate a video or audio file that either promotes a new service at the library or instructs someone on how to use a library resource, then make it freely available to anyone with an internet connection. This is an excellent, innovative way to reach users that find reading pages of instructional information (such as our help sheets) cumbersome or provide instruction to users who are not able to come to the library but still need help using our plethora of online resources.
This form of virtual communication offers a new and fun way of reaching not only members of our institution but others in the community as well. Though we are able to have our online tutorials freely available on the web, YouTube and iTunes are user friendly and may be less intimidating to use than our formal tutorials. They are resources that many are comfortable with and having our materials available in these formats may increase their use. This capablity alone inspires me to look into YouTube as our next tutorial medium.
What gives me a little pause is having to search for these materials. The thought of our patients trying to find reliable medical information on YouTube (or at podcast.net and Podcast Alley) is frightening. If someone knows exactly what they are looking for (or if a library posted the direct link to their video), YouTube can be helpful. Perhaps what we really need to do is better eduate our users about YouTube if we decide to create these and similar resources. With anyone being able to post anything and with the lack of search features (pointed out by my colleague Janice), YouTube is a resource that should be used with caution.
Overall, the concept is great: generate a video or audio file that either promotes a new service at the library or instructs someone on how to use a library resource, then make it freely available to anyone with an internet connection. This is an excellent, innovative way to reach users that find reading pages of instructional information (such as our help sheets) cumbersome or provide instruction to users who are not able to come to the library but still need help using our plethora of online resources.
This form of virtual communication offers a new and fun way of reaching not only members of our institution but others in the community as well. Though we are able to have our online tutorials freely available on the web, YouTube and iTunes are user friendly and may be less intimidating to use than our formal tutorials. They are resources that many are comfortable with and having our materials available in these formats may increase their use. This capablity alone inspires me to look into YouTube as our next tutorial medium.
What gives me a little pause is having to search for these materials. The thought of our patients trying to find reliable medical information on YouTube (or at podcast.net and Podcast Alley) is frightening. If someone knows exactly what they are looking for (or if a library posted the direct link to their video), YouTube can be helpful. Perhaps what we really need to do is better eduate our users about YouTube if we decide to create these and similar resources. With anyone being able to post anything and with the lack of search features (pointed out by my colleague Janice), YouTube is a resource that should be used with caution.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Globetrotting Librarian's Spring Football Adventure
This past weekend your Globetrotting Librarian made the first trip of the spring: South Bend Indiana and Chicago. Arguably one of my favorite travel spots is the University of Notre Dame and this weekend was the annual spring football game. The concept of a spring college football game new to you? Here's a few resources to get you caught up to speed:
Sayewich, N. (April 12, 2008)Spring ball provides a tradition like no other Sun Journal
2008 Notre Dame Football
In addition to watching the offense barely secure the win, we also strolled campus taking in a few of my favorite spots: the library (of course!) and the basilica.
After taking in Notre Dame we made the train trip to Chicago - no libraries here, just excellent susi and time spent with friends.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Impact of the Visual Library
Many times, pictures convey what words cannot. Johann Wolfgan von Goethe stated “a man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” Whether this image is of our favorite place and brings us feelings of inner peace, or of our first conference poster presentation bringing us a feeling of pride and satisfaction, pictures have a way of helping us to better understand ourselves (and allow others to better understand us).
There are a variety of ways that photo sharing can have a positive impact on libraries. Through photo sharing, we can highlight recent library renovation projects and show our users ways that we have improved and changed. We can provide better directions on how to find the library (beneficial for those of us who do better with landmarks than we do with street names). Not only does this technology allow us to show off what we’ve done and communicate with our patrons, it also humanizes our profession. By having our photos on our staff pages, patrons can put a name with a face and see that it is a person (not a search engine!!) that is helping them.
Photo sharing also benefits our colleagues by showing them what we have done well and how our success may help them reach their goals. Pictures also make it easier to find colleagues at conferences!
Pictures also have the power to:
~ Visually convey to administrators what we provide our patrons and our patron’s responses to those services
~ Alleviate library anxiety by demonstrating to future undergraduates the differences between their high school library and a university library before they even step foot in our buildings
Norman Vincent Peale once said “if you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conductive to your goal.” By having an image of what we want can help us achieve our goals. If we vision it, it becomes possible. If we share it, the vision continues to live.
There are a variety of ways that photo sharing can have a positive impact on libraries. Through photo sharing, we can highlight recent library renovation projects and show our users ways that we have improved and changed. We can provide better directions on how to find the library (beneficial for those of us who do better with landmarks than we do with street names). Not only does this technology allow us to show off what we’ve done and communicate with our patrons, it also humanizes our profession. By having our photos on our staff pages, patrons can put a name with a face and see that it is a person (not a search engine!!) that is helping them.
Photo sharing also benefits our colleagues by showing them what we have done well and how our success may help them reach their goals. Pictures also make it easier to find colleagues at conferences!
Pictures also have the power to:
~ Visually convey to administrators what we provide our patrons and our patron’s responses to those services
~ Alleviate library anxiety by demonstrating to future undergraduates the differences between their high school library and a university library before they even step foot in our buildings
Norman Vincent Peale once said “if you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conductive to your goal.” By having an image of what we want can help us achieve our goals. If we vision it, it becomes possible. If we share it, the vision continues to live.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
We Were There Too...
Sometimes, I forget how I felt being a graduate student and posed with an assignment that I did not understand. Memories of being in tears, confused, and not knowing who to talk to, afraid that my instructors would think I was lazy or not capable were all buried away. These flashbacks to grad school were prompted by a conversation I had with a fellow faculty member after a meeting yesterday. One of our students had come to her in tears because she was not able to find an article for her class assignment. She searched for hours and tried to remember the different training sessions she had attended, but just could not come up with relevant results. My first reaction was why didn’t she call and ask for help? There is so much I could have shown her. It then dawned on me that maybe there was a lot I could have shown her – but would it have been too much?
Our library offers a wealth of resources, tips, and tricks for finding information. The challenge is recognizing when we are offering so much that we throw someone (especially a new researcher or graduate student) into information overload and feed their library anxiety. CINAHL searching may be a breeze for me and I can list about half a dozen resources where to find more help, but this is not the case for many of our library users.
Library anxiety is not a new concept (a search for "Library Anxiety" in Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text returns results dating back to the late 1980's). I cannot image a librarian who’s goal is to scare library users away. We are here help and alleviate anxiety. In my attempts to combat this issue, I’m exploring the use of a wiki to consolidate the 50+ help pages we have and allow for easier use. Also, in conjunction to the lectures I conduct, I’m also going to continue offering group lab times and individualized consultations. And speaking of lectures, I’m going to start slowing things down and analyzing the content: what do my students need to know compared to what I want them to know?
There is always more to learn about library anxiety and student’s research behaviors and patterns. In addition to reading the literature and incorporating what we ourselves have learned, perhaps what we all need to do is remember back to our grad school days and how we felt as students. What helped us get through those times may better enable us to change our current practices.
Our library offers a wealth of resources, tips, and tricks for finding information. The challenge is recognizing when we are offering so much that we throw someone (especially a new researcher or graduate student) into information overload and feed their library anxiety. CINAHL searching may be a breeze for me and I can list about half a dozen resources where to find more help, but this is not the case for many of our library users.
Library anxiety is not a new concept (a search for "Library Anxiety" in Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text returns results dating back to the late 1980's). I cannot image a librarian who’s goal is to scare library users away. We are here help and alleviate anxiety. In my attempts to combat this issue, I’m exploring the use of a wiki to consolidate the 50+ help pages we have and allow for easier use. Also, in conjunction to the lectures I conduct, I’m also going to continue offering group lab times and individualized consultations. And speaking of lectures, I’m going to start slowing things down and analyzing the content: what do my students need to know compared to what I want them to know?
There is always more to learn about library anxiety and student’s research behaviors and patterns. In addition to reading the literature and incorporating what we ourselves have learned, perhaps what we all need to do is remember back to our grad school days and how we felt as students. What helped us get through those times may better enable us to change our current practices.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
