Citebite

Paste a chunk of text and the URL of the page containing the text and in return get a link that opens directly to your selection and highlights it. Click on the URL below to see an example, though this does not show how the URL itself. Try it out for a better idea.

http://www.citebite.com/m7a0f8u5wvcc

Goal-based Classification of Web Information Tasks

by Melanie Kellar and Carolyn Watters, and Michael Shepherd In Proceedings 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (2006)
Abstract: While researchers have been studying user activity on the Web since its inception, there remains a lack of understanding of the high level tasks in which users engage on the Web. We have recently conducted a field study in which participants were asked to annotate all web usage with a task description and categorization. Based on our analysis of participants recorded tasks during the field study, as well as previous research, we have developed a goal-based classification of information tasks which describes user activities on the Web. [pdf file]
Source: ASIST (via E-LIS)
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eSnips

In 2005, librarian, writer, teacher, and independent information profession, Mary Ellen Bates wrote a very positive review of eSnips, an online and web-based saving and sharing service.
Mary Ellen writes in her overview:
So, what is eSnips? At its most basic, it provides a free web-based file storage and sharing tool. You can upload up to 1 gigabyte of material — plain text, music, photos, screen shots, whatever. Since I travel a fair amount, I was first attracted to eSnips as a simple way to make a back-up copy of my essential files and presentations accessible from any PC. But what makes eSnips interesting is that, with its toolbar, you can “snip” any content you see on the web and have that material stored in your eSnips account as well...
Permalink : http://www.resourceshelf.com/2007/01/08/9699/

Environmental scan of use and users of digital resources: Humanities & Social Sciences

Why study users? An environmental scan of use and users of digital resources in humanities and social sciences undergraduate education by Diane Harley.
From the abstract:
This article presents an overview of a two-year study [1] that (1) mapped the universe of digital resources available to undergraduate educators in the humanities and social sciences (H/SS); and, (2) examined how a better understanding of the variation in use and users can benefit the integration of these resources into undergraduate teaching. Our results suggest that faculty use a vast array of online materials from both educational and “non-educational” sources, but many do not use digital resources for a host of reasons including the lack of direct relevance to their preferred pedagogical approaches, and insufficient time and classroom resources. Our discussions with digital resource providers confirmed that an understanding of the actual use of their resources in undergraduate settings is often murky
Diane Harley, Ph.D., the Principal Investigator of this project, is an anthropologist and senior researcher at the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) at the University of California, Berkeley. She directs the Higher Education in the Digital Age (HEDA) Project.
Source: First Monday
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Technology mediator: a new role for the reference librarian?

“The Arizona Health Sciences Library has collaborated with clinical faculty to develop a federated search engine that is useful for meeting real-time clinical information needs. This article proposes a technology mediation role for the reference librarian that was inspired by the project, and describes the collaborative model used for developing technology-mediated services for targeted users.”
Source: Biomedical Digital Libraries
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Search Engines; Internet Telephony, & Web Design

How Internet Search Engines Work
Describes how search engines find information, using software called robots (spiders) to gather words and notes and build an index. Discusses meta tags, ranking, and how an index may be built. Includes diagrams. From How Stuff Works.
URL: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/search-engine.htm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23135

Internet Telephony Magazine
Highlights from this publication covering VoIP (voice over Internet protocol, or Internet telephony). Features reviews, news, and analysis related to VoIP products, companies, and organizations. Includes related links.
URL: http://www.tmcnet.com/voip/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23138

Web Design References: Tools
Annotated collection of links to Web design tools, including HTML validators, link checkers, and tools for accessibility, color, CSS (cascading style sheets), information architecture, usability, and XML (extensible markup language). From Information Technology Systems and Services, University of Minnesota, Duluth.
URL TRUNCATED, SEE LII ITEM
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23137

Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview

Amanda Lenhart, Mary Madden
Pew Internet Survey
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/198/report_display.asp

A social networking site is an online place where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects him or her to other users. In the past five years, such sites have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users. More than half (55%) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites, according to a new national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The survey also finds that older teens, particularly girls, are more likely to use these sites. For girls, social networking sites are primarily places to reinforce pre-existing friendships; for boys, the networks also provide opportunities for flirting and making new friends.