Posted by Jacque on 31st October 2006
Talking sense about fear, change, and the library profession, John N. Berry III, Editor-at-Large for Library Journal, noted in his October 15th missive that “as a profession, we have always given vehement lip service to innovation and creativity, to change and progress. So those who were and are new to our profession were and are always surprised in their first, second, or even third jobs to find deeply rooted resistance to new ideas and innovation. Those who made it to top spots, most of them after years of struggle against the same resistance to change, either forgot their frustrations on the way up or want newcomers to go through the same pain they did.”
Resistance is sometimes based on a shortage of resources — both time and money — and sometimes it is concern for criticism and difficult politics. Berry speculates, though, that more often, resistance to change is based on fear — fear of reactions from the public or governing bodies, or fear of obsolescence. We have certainly all heard various members of the public decree that libraries and librarians are no longer necessary given technological developments.
Berry sensibly reminds us that those in positions of authority should listen carefully to newer library professionals – those on the other side of the “Google Divide.” “After all, it is their future, so they should be given the autonomy and support to begin to design it right now.”
Posted in technology, libraries, technology trends | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 31st October 2006
According to an article by Jeffrey R. Young in the Chronicle of Higher Education today, a group of scholars at George Mason University have released a free Firefox Web-browser extension designed especially for other scholars. The project, which was originally called Firefox Scholar, is now called Zotero and is compatible only with Firefox 2.
“The goal is to bring search and organizational tools to humanities scholars who might not have the skill or interest to otherwise use them, by embedding them in the Web-browser software the scholars are already using”, says Daniel J. Cohen, an assistant professor of history and director of research projects at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
With Zotero users can import Web pages, and citation information from them, into a personal filing system, among other features. A written statement on the project’s Web site says the software “includes the best parts of older reference-manager software (like EndNote)—the ability to store full reference information in author, title, and publication fields and to export that as formatted references—and the best parts of modern software such as del.icio.us or iTunes, like the ability to sort, tag, and search in advanced ways.”
The Zotero site points to comments from others like Slaw.ca, a co-operative weblog about Canadian legal research and IT. They say that Zotero “enables you to split your screen and take extensive bibliographic notes much like those in EndNotes, RefWorks or other bibliographic software. You’re presented with three columns: the leftmost for your folders and subfolders, the central for basic information about items within those folders, and the rightmost for the items themselves. Items stored in Zotero can be labelled in a large number of ways — book, journal article… map, podcast… etc., with new labels being added as the product is developed.”
Posted in personal technology, technology, digital resources, education, Firefox | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 31st October 2006
Here’s a scary bit of information just in time for Halloween.
Found via Micro Persuasion, the Pew Internet and American Life project has published a study indicating that few of the approximately 113 million folks searching for health information on the Internet are checking their sources or the dates of the information.
Given how well blogs, message boards, social networks and Wikipedia rank in search results, it’s highly likely that individuals are being swayed by what’s published in these sources - even if its inaccurate.
The typical health information session starts at a search engine, includes multiple sites, and is undertaken on behalf of someone other than the person doing the search. Only one third of patients talked to their doctor about what they did find online.
Ten million American adults look online for health information on a typical day. Among the internet users who say their last search for health guidance had an impact on their subsequent behavior:
- 58% say the information they found in their last search affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition.
- 55% say the information changed their overall approach to maintaining their health or the health of someone they help take care of.
- 54% say the information led them to ask a doctor new questions or to get a second opinion from another doctor.
- 44% say the information changed the way they think about diet, exercise, or stress management.
- 39% say the information changed the way they cope with a chronic condition or manage pain.
- 35% say the information affected a decision about whether to see a doctor.
Posted in technology, digital resources, information literacy, education | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 28th October 2006
Want to view Wikipedia entries about the places you find on Google Earth? Try the download on Tim Alder’s site.
Here’s an example:
Posted in personal technology, technology, digital resources, technology trends, Google Earth, Wikipedia | 1 Comment »
Posted by Jacque on 27th October 2006
There’s one born every day, or so it seems…
The official launch of Vox — a blog service for the general public that had been in beta since earlier this year — has been announced by Six Apart. Vox claims 85,000 members currently.
The service is free, supported by commercial ads. Six Apart has several other blog platforms aimed at business and professional bloggers.
Posted in personal technology, social networking | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 26th October 2006
Starting today, you can have it all, sort of.
If you’re in the market for a new computer this holiday season, be sure to ask about the Express Upgrade to Windows Vista, being offered by participating PC manufacturers. If you buy a qualifying Windows Vista Capable PC between October 26, 2006 and March 15, 2007, you may be eligible for an Express Upgrade to Windows Vista.
Microsoft says, “Don’t wait to enjoy the benefits of owning a new PC. Buying a Premium Ready Windows Vista Capable PC means you can buy a great Windows XP computer today, with the confidence that it will easily upgrade to the Windows Vista edition of your choice. Express Upgrade to Windows Vista offers from participating PC manufacturers will ensure you can easily enjoy Windows XP today and Windows Vista when it’s available.”
There are different editions to choose from, which you need to consider and understand. Read Microsoft’s explanation and look for the Certified for Windows Vista logo. These products have met explicit standards of reliability and quality, and have been tested.
It is also worth taking a look at NotebookReview.com which explains that the amount of the Express Upgrade offer will depend on each individual PC maker. Microsoft says that most major manufacturers worldwide have confirmed plans to participate in the Express Upgrade.
Windows Vista is scheduled to be released to consumers in January 2007 and to businesses this December. The upgrade program is good from October 26, 2006 - March 15, 2007. “At least now you can buy a notebook and know that you won’t have to pay $200 to upgrade the OS later. In some ways this is the best of both worlds, you’ll have a copy of Windows XP and Windows Vista and if you don’t want to adopt Windows Vista right away due to fear of bugginess, you can at least get the free disk and upgrade on your own clock,” says NotebookReview.com.
Bottom line: know what edition you want/need and talk to the retailer before you buy to make sure you get the best deal for you.
Posted in personal technology, technology, Microsoft | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 25th October 2006
It’s no secret, the major web browsers have significantly enhanced new versions available (free) now.
Get Firefox 2 here, and,
Internet Explorer 7 here 
From today’s lifehacker blog, these words about Firefox 2 and some favorite tweaks: “The Firefox homepage calls the web browser ‘fully customizable to your online life’, and that’s not just marketing claptrap. Beyond the extensive options available in its menus and dialogs, there’s a lengthy set of advanced Firefox preferences that can customize the browser to your specific needs.” Read tweaks, tips and comments.
Also check out the “Download of the Day,” the Download Statusbar Firefox extension, of which the blog says “The Download Statusbar Firefox extension gives you a nice visual representation of your downloads at the bottom of your browser window, forgoing Firefox’s default download window.” The post includes comments.
Likewise, in “Bring killed tabs back from the dead (Firefox 2.0)” the October 25th, 2006, Slacker Manager lets us know that “if you accidentally close a tab you can bring it back from the netherworld by hitting Shift+Cmd+T (on a Mac) or Shift+Ctrl+T (on Windows).”
Not through playing? You might want to check out the new version of Yahoo! Bookmarks, described as “like an upscale Del.icio.us, allowing you to store, share, tag, and organize your bookmarks within an attractive interface. Currently in beta, the new version of the online bookmark service offers drag-and-drop organization, three ways to view your bookmarks, and user-friendly tagging features.”
There are lots of interesting comments about the merits/demerits of Yahoo! Bookmarks, the del.icio.us interface, and social aspects of bookmarking at this post.
Posted in personal technology, technology, social networking, technology trends, Microsoft, Firefox | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 25th October 2006
PC Magazine online version (11/6/06) contains a review of Microsoft Expression Web (beta), a free download that replaces FrontPage. Among the pros is that it has drag-and-drop XML support, more integrated CSS support, and the interface will be very familiar to FrontPage users, requiring little retraining.
Database, RSS, and some advanced features, however, are difficult to learn and there is no built-in support for automated PHP-page validation.
Still, the reviewer feels that Expression Web is “powerful, flexible, and highly polished. It will be strong Editors’ Choice contender in its final release.” A bit more “handholding” for beginners would be welcome. The full review is here.
Also reviewed in the 11/07/05 PC Magazine online and given 4 out of 5 “stars” was Windows Live Spaces. Reviewer Davis D. Janowski feels that the former MSN Spaces “offers a great alternative to the many other popular social-networking/blogging sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Xanga.”
The free service lets you build your own page including a blog, if you wish, by choosing from a variety of themes, layouts, and drag-and-drop modules. Up to 500 photos per month can be uploaded, sorted, and shared, and you can create an RSS feed.
You can apply formatting and insert Windows Live Local maps directly into blogs using another free application — Windows Live Writer. The only con the reviewer notes is that there are no “gee-whiz” features. The full review is here.
Posted in personal technology, technology, social networking, Microsoft | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 24th October 2006
Tom Peters asks the question, “If the majority in librarianship decides that the Wikipedia phenomenon is too chaotic, suspicious, or just plain too participatory, then we need to ask ourselves about the Library 2.0 movement: We can talk the talk, but can we walk the walk?” Here is a brief synopsis of this article, “Wikipedia Braves The Atlantic,” which appears in Smart Libraries Newsletter, Oct. 2006.
The article refers to another article in Atlantic Monthly, Sept. 2006, called The Hive. It asks, “Can thousands of Wikipedians be wrong? How an attempt to build an online encyclopedia touched off history’s biggest experiment in collaborative knowledge.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education asks, “Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?” (10/27/06)
“As questions about the accuracy of the anyone-can-edit encyclopedia persist, academics are split on whether to ignore it, or start contributing.”
Explaining some of the beginnings of Wikipedia is Brock Read’s Chronicle article, “Building an Encyclopedia, With or Without Scholars,” Oct. 27, 2006.
Want to join the debate? There will be a Chronicle live discussion, Thursday, October 26, at 3 p.m., U.S. Eastern time on ”Wikipedia: Beat It, Join It, or Ignore It?”
Posted in personal technology, technology, social networking, libraries, digital resources, information literacy, education, Wikipedia | No Comments »
Posted by Jacque on 20th October 2006
From Library Journal.com, author of “Your Space or MySpace?” Beth Evans, (netConnect — October 15, 2006) says that a decision was made that the best way for the Brooklyn College Library to reach students was to enter MySpace. Social networking is popular and powerful among students and young people. It offers libraries the possibilities of using social networking sites like MySpace to bring their services to that user group. At the time the article was written, BCL listed more than 1790 friends. Today it has 2040.
In two earlier postings on this blog, this and that, I wrote a bit about libraries in Internet social spaces.
Beth Evans says that libraries that make the jump into MySpace will encounter their users in ways never experienced before. “At the traditional reference desk, we meet our users briefly and learn little about them other than their question. We answer that request, see if any more help is needed, and then move on to our next encounter. Students in MySpace, on the other hand, are in a virtual playground. It takes a special kind of sophistication to assess their information needs in an environment that, while ideal for information exchange, is designed for casual interaction.
“When your library lives part of its life in MySpace, you must decide from the outset how you will handle student comments posted on your profile. Will you let each comment go by without a countercomment? Will you take this new and intriguing opportunity to comment back to students willing to engage you in playful conversation? At BCL, we choose to comment but cloak our replies in the reference interview framework.”
Once they find the library in MySpace, Evans predicts they will say, “You rock!”
Here’s a list of links to libraries in MySpace from the article:
Albany County Public Library
Brooklyn College Library
Goshen Public Library
Hennepin County Library
Lansing Public Library
Morrisville College Libraries
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Thomas Ford Memorial Library
University of Illinois Undergrad Library
University of Texas at Austin Library
Westmont Public Library
Posted in personal technology, technology, social networking, libraries, MySpace | No Comments »
