ICTLIG Western Cape Blog

Videos on Social Media and Web 2.0 "In Plain English"

2011-08-11T18:09:00.000+02:00

CommonCraft has a library of brief videos in plain English. Here are some of the titles available on Youtube:

Blogs in Plain English

Google Docs in Plain English

Google Reader in Plain English

Podcasting - Plain English

RSS in Plain English

Social Media in Plain English

Twitter in Plain English

Twitter Search in Plain English

Web Search Strategies in Plain English

Wikis in Plain English

World Wide Web in Plain English

Season's Greetings: Peace on earth, goodwill to all

2010-12-21T10:06:00.001+02:00

On behalf of the Committee of ICTLIG (Western Cape) I extend Seasonal Greetings and best wishes for the New Year.

Links to posts on this web site

2010-12-21T10:03:00.000+02:00

I'm happy for links to be made to professional librarianship/ information science or educational web sites. I will delete unsuitable links as spam.

CeliaWalter
Blog Administrator

Treasuring Twitter: The Why and How of Preserving Tweets By Marieke Guy

2010-10-21T15:29:00.000+02:00

...Tweets, text-based posts of up to 140 characters, were initially seen as ephemera. Nobody needs to keep a record of what people have been having for dinner or what book they are reading. However, when those tweets become useful in a way that we didn't initially anticipate, then maybe there is a case for their preservation...

From FUMSI

Permalink to article: http://web.fumsi.com/go/am/60204

Contents

Won't tweets be there forever?

Why Preserve Tweets?

What do you preserve and how?

Future gazing

Other resources

MORE IS DIFFERENT, a joint LISLIG/ICTLIG presentation

2010-10-20T16:49:00.000+02:00

MORE IS DIFFERENT: Taking the scholarly search experience to a new level
by Jenny Walker (Consultant)

In the current LIS environment with the exponential growth in different formats of library material especially electronic and digital, library users seek a single search box to discover all their library collections, including local print collections and important content of all types of both a regional and global nature.

Federated searches first introduced in the early 2000’s went a long way towards achieving this, but Google has raised user expectations to new heights. Library users today expect instantaneous presentation of a single relevance-ranked results list, tightly integrated into their workspace.

Join us to hear Jenny talk about the rapid evolution of library discovery tools and services in the past 10 years, with a focus on the recent centralized approach to library Discovery demonstrating how ‘More is Different’ and how this new approach positively impacts the user’s search experience.

Jenny Walker is an independent industry consultant who previously held positions such as Executive Vice-President marketing at Credo Reference, Vice-President marketing at Ex Libris, and Director of Technology, Product Management at SilverPlatter.

DATE/TIME
Thursday, 4 November 2010
14:00 for 14:30
(refreshments will be served from 14:00)

VENUE
SA Astronomical Observatory, Auditorium
Observatory Road, Observatory
(next to the River Club)

COST
R30 for LIASA members and R60 for non-members.

RSVP
Margie Struthers at mstruthers@ccr.uct.ac.za or (021) 689-1005 by Tuesday, 2 November 2010.
If you are a LIASA member please provide your membership number.

Twitter in and for Public Libraries

2010-10-13T11:03:00.000+02:00

A Guide to Twitter in Libraries

What is it

Twitter is a free communication and social networking tool which allows you to convey short messages of up to 140 characters to your circle of friends via the Twitter website, SMS, email, IM, or other Twitter client. Messages appear not only within your profile on Twitter, but are sent to your community of followers who have signed up to receive your updates.

How to Use it

Check out some of these great how-to guides which will have you twittering in no time.

How Libraries are Using it

From : iLibrarian blog This article appeared in 2007

100 Tips, Tools, and Resources for Librarians on Twitter

Resources for Learning Twitter

Ways to Use Twitter in the Library

Librarians Talk About Twitter

Librarians Twittering

Tools to Enhance Your Twitter Experience

Educational Twitter Tools

Find Twitter Apps

Advice to Help Improve Your Twitter Experience

From : Learn-gasm blog This article was published in 2009

WCHELIG/ICTLIG Mini-Symposium, 17th November 2009

2009-11-11T09:49:00.000+02:00

Date: Tuesday 17 November

Time: 9.30am for 10 am

Venue: Conference Rooms, New Library Building, CPUT (Bellville campus)

Cost: R20

You are cordially invited to the WCHELIG/ICTLIG Mini-Symposium during which presentations on the Mobile Space, and on Working with First Year Students will be made

Please RSVP to Timothy Kolo at timothy.kolo@mrc.ac.za
or phone 021 938 0527 by Monday 16th November 2009.

Four presentations are being made that morning:-

Nikki Crowster (CALICO) will be talking about the impact of mobile technology insinuating itself into our personal, professional and virtual lives, putting into context the impact on academic libraries,

while Mdu Ncongwane (UNISA) will be talking about how the UNISA Library Catalogue went mobile.

Mark Frier (CPUT) will talk about information literacy and first year engineering students,

while Celia Walter (UCT Libraries) shares her experiences with first year Psychology students.

The first three of these presentations were given at the LIASA Conference, as well as from the Internet Librarian Conference (London). It will be a good opportunity to network and share what is happening in our libraries. And of course, to celebrate the end of a very full academic year.

There will also be an opportunity to join or renew your membership at the Early Bird Rate of R275,00.

Kind regards

Ingrid Thomson (Chair: WCHELIG) and Nikki Crowster (Chair: ICTLIG)

Resurrected ICTLIG, Western Cape, blog

2009-11-11T09:46:00.000+02:00

After a long, long silence, the blog is up again.

Looking forward to hearing from ICTLIG members and receiving news and other contributions to post on the blog.
Celia Walter

Undelete Plus 2.92

2007-09-30T06:37:00.000+02:00

Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes they can even be corrected. Undelete Plus 2.92. is a way to help out in these situations, as it allows users to retrieve accidentally deleted files. Files can be removed from the recycle bin, a network drive, and from a DOS window. Visitors can also look at the application's homepage to see screenshots and take a look at their FAQ section. This version is compatible will computers running Windows 95 and newer. [KMG] The Scout Report
http://undelete-plus.com/

Keeping Up with I.T.

2007-09-10T10:30:00.000+02:00

Keeping Up with I.T.

From the National Library of Australia:
https://wiki.nla.gov.au//display/AGLIN2/Keeping+Up+with+IT#KeepingUpwithIT-KeepingUpwithI.T.

Library Technology Guides

2007-08-28T04:39:00.000+02:00

The Library Technology Guides website aims to provide comprehensive and objective information related to the field of library automation.
http://www.librarytechnology.org/

iLibrarian

2007-08-28T04:35:00.000+02:00

http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/
News and resources on Library 2.0 and the information revolution.

Factbites

2007-08-28T04:31:00.000+02:00

http://www.factbites.com/

... Factbites presents the user with full, meaningful sentences from every site in the search results. This means that you can often gain a great deal of factual information on a topic without ever having to leave the search page! When users do select a page, they can have much more confidence that the page deals directly and informatively with their topic."

From The Internet Resources Newsletter, September 2007

Infomania: Why we can’t afford to ignore it any longer

2007-08-28T04:29:00.000+02:00

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue12_8/zeldes/index.html

An article in First Monday, about email overload, etc.

Keeping Up with I.T.

2007-08-28T04:26:00.000+02:00

https://wiki.nla.gov.au//display/AGLIN2/Keeping+Up+with+IT

Useful list of resources from the National Library of Australia.

Website usability, Conversion (measures) & RSS

2007-07-30T11:25:00.000+02:00

Jakob Nielsen's http://www.useit.com/ is dedicated to website usability, by this renowned expert on the subject. The site includes statistics, reports, guidance and trends. Excellent for all levels of expertise in this field.

OnlineConversion.com http://www.onlineconversion.com/ is a very comprehensive conversion resource that converts currency, speeds, weights, lengths, volumes, times, clothing sizes and a lot more, including measurements in astronomy!

"RSS Update: It's RSS, Jim, but Not as We Know It" By Roddy MacLeod

http://www.freepint.com/issues/260707.pdf

From FreePint Newsletter No.234

LIASA ICTLIG AGM, 26/07/2007

2007-07-16T04:30:00.000+02:00

LIASA

Information and Communication Technology in Libraries

Interest Group (ICTLIG)

invites
interested persons to attend its Annual General Meeting.

Date: Thursday, 26 July 2007
Venue: Ulwazi Training Room, Knowledge Commons, UCT Libraries

Time: 09:00 for 09:30 to 12:00

*Agenda*

09:00 Arrival and coffee*

09:30 Guest Speaker: Prof. Peter G. Underwood who will speak on the
"The Deep Web".

10:00 Guest Speaker: Ms. Ncumisa Mfazo who will speak on the
"Challenges Technologically-poor libraries".

10:30 Tea

10:45 Business meeting:

Welcome and apologies

Minutes of 2006 AGM

Chair's report for 2006/2007

Treasurer's Report

Other Business

Draw for spot prizes

12:00 Closure

Directions

Links to:

Directions to Upper Campus, UCT

Route Map to Upper Campus, UCT

Map of Upper Campus, UCT

(NB. The Main Library Entrance is in block C7 of the map

in the Molly Blackburn Gathering Hall.)

The Knowledge Commons is to the right of Library Foyer,

after you have signed in and passed through the turnstile.

Parking will be available as the students are on vacation.

*Catering will be Halaal

RSVP by Monday - 23rd July 2007

to
Nuroo Ismail (Miss)
Email: nuroo.ismail@gmail.com
Phone: 021-650 5305

Getting Started With Excel

2007-06-12T01:21:00.000+02:00

Excel is a very common spreadsheet application, and developing mastery of this powerful tool can be a bit difficult for those who might be less experienced with its various features and analytical tools...

http://www.studyfinance.com/lessons/excel/index.mv

This rather useful Excel tutorial is part of the StudyFinance.com website, which was developed by Professor Sharon Garrison of the University of Arizona. The tutorial is divided into eight sections, which include “Entering and Editing Data”, "Formatting the Worksheet", and "Creating a Chart". Each section contains several short paragraphs of text, complemented effectively with a few helpful graphics. The tutorial is rounded out by several problem assignments that will make sure students have mastered some of the basic features of Excel. [KMG]The Scout Report

Web search - Use Simulator for Google Search

2007-06-12T01:17:00.000+02:00

From Freepint:
...a new learning resource for Web search - Use Simulator for Google Search, which I've just deployed on the Web. http://www.usesimulator.com/google/fd/index.html

...Use Simulator uses interactive visuals of Google's interface and other means, afforded by the hypertext, to replace verbal information as much as possible. As a result, finding answers requires much less reading and leafing than with paper manual or online help. For instance, if you have a question about an element of the Image Search results page, you can actually navigate through Google screens in Use Simulator to a sample Image Search results page, hover your cursor over the element in question and you'll get your answer.

As for the content, Use Simulator documents [cover] all published Google search techniques as well as reference data on all Google search and results screens. New content can be added easily. Feedback is more than welcome, I'm begging you for it!

Here are a few of my questions.

Is it more convenient than a traditional reference source?

If yes, in what way?

Did you have any difficulties? Would you go back to it? Also, any particular comments, suggested improvements, additions...

There are communication boxes almost everywhere, so you can dispatch a message the moment an idea occurs. The resource is free, linking in is encouraged if your users may benefit from it.

Thank you,

Genn

ICTLIG Meeting on 16th May 2007 Some photos

2007-06-03T03:45:00.000+02:00

Tea time in the Edulis Library Courtyard. The first speaker, Geoff Hoy, is in the background. There is a glimpse of the scrumptious refreshments.

RSS Specifications

2007-05-31T02:57:00.000+02:00

This site is a comprehensive rss reference detailing everything you need to know about RSS.
RSS is defined as Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. RSS files are formed as XML files and are designed to provide content summaries of news, blogs, forums or website content.
Users select the rss feeds (content) they wish to subscribe. The feeds are generally simple headlines and brief descriptions if the user is interested they can click to see additional information.

http://www.rss-specifications.com/

Newsletter software

2007-05-26T11:57:00.000+02:00

eNewsletter Manager Free Edition 2.3.20
http://www.e-undertown.com/en/software.asp
Electronic newsletters cover every subject from gender studies to smart growth, and those persons who publish them will appreciate these handy application. This version of eNewsletter manager gives users the ability to manage up to three newsletter databases, create alternate HTML and text message versions, and also to send personalized email messages to recipients. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, and Vista. [KMG] From The Scout Report

Technology Resources from WebJunction

2007-05-22T06:35:00.000+02:00

Computer Basic Support
Computer Security
Computer Networking
Computer Accessibility
Software
Hardware
Internet Tools
Public Access Computing
Technology Planning
Buying Technology

Web Junction link: http://webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=325

Sustaining Public Access Computing: Technology Competencies

2007-05-22T06:20:00.000+02:00

By Betha Gutsche, Editor

The technology comptencies are divided into two sections: Patron Assistance and System Administration. [To read this file you need Adobe Acrobat] When the pdf opens, click the Bookmarks tab on the left for a Table of Contents.
http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=15575

The Ultimate Guide to the Invisible Web

2007-05-22T06:01:00.000+02:00

http://oedb.org/library/college-basics/invisible-web

Newbie's Guide to Flickr By Josh Lowensohn

2007-05-22T05:56:00.000+02:00

Flickr is a popular photo-sharing and hosting service with advanced and powerful features. It supports an active and engaged community where people share and explore each other's photos. You can share and host hundreds of your own pictures on Flickr without paying a dime. There's also a pro service that gets you unlimited storage and sharing for about $2 a month, making it one of the cheapest hosting sites around (more on that later).
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9703620-2.html?tag=blog

Sometimes Google Isn’t Enough [Powerpoint]

2007-05-20T05:48:00.000+02:00

When Google Isn’t Enough
A Powerpoint Presentation on the Deep or Invisible Web on "uncovering information sources search engines can’t see"

The Web and Libraries

2007-05-10T10:58:00.000+02:00

"The Importance of the Web To Libraries”

ICTLIG (Western Cape)

invites you to a morning of talks and discussion on

on 16th May 2007 @ EDULIS Library, 15 Kruskal Avenue, BELLVILLE.

Attendance fee: R10.00 LIASA members; R 20.00 non-members.

Please pay when you arrive at the function.

RSVP by 14th May 2007 to Miss Nuroo Hoosain-Ismail
Email: Nuroo.Hoosain-Ismail@uct.ac.za Phone 021-650 5305

Programme :

08h00-08h30 Tea*

08h30-08h45 Membership drive

09h00-09h15 Opening and introduction : Warren Hansen (Chair of ICTLIG, Western Cape)

09h15-10h00 SA without connectivity : Geoff Hoy (TENET)

10h00-10h30 Tea*

10h30-11h15 Handheld devices: Duncan Greaves (TENET)

11h15-11h20 Beyond Google: The Deep Web; and Keeping Up to Date: Blogging and RSS Feeds : Celia Walter (Blogger and a Subject Librarian, UCT)

11h20-12h45 Questions & Discussion related to the talks

12h45 Closing: Draw for Prizes

* Catering will be Halaal

The Web and Libraries

2007-05-10T02:25:00.000+02:00

The Importance of The Web to Libraries
a morning of talks and discussion on 16th May 2007

For more information about the programme, and for directions to the Edulis Library, Bellville, please follow this link to my UCT Blog
http://blogs.uct.ac.za/blog/celias/2007/05/10/the_web_and_libraries

as I am having difficulty setting up this page. Celia

Introduction to social search

2007-04-15T02:13:00.000+02:00

What is social search and why is it such a big deal? Chris Sherman defines it as ”Internet wayfinding tools informed by human judgment” and he thinks these tools are responses to the fact that algorithmic search has plateaued...

PC Security: Tutorials, tips, and classes

2007-04-14T00:46:00.000+02:00

CNET Learning Hub: PC Security: Tutorials, tips, and classes with CNET experts

Course:
PC Protection 101

Tips:

Blogger's Code?

2007-04-14T00:35:00.000+02:00

Roundup of news from The Scout Report:

Web pioneers say code of conduct needed to clean up manners online
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=547872007

Bloggers disinclined toward suggestion of Net civility
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/10/BUGH4P5G1S1.DTL

Bloggers code of conduct
http://blogging.wikia.com/wiki/BCC

Blog 100
http://news.com.com/2310-10784_3-0.html

BuzzMachine
http://www.buzzmachine.com/

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Legal Guide for Bloggers
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

Internet Scout Project Weblog
http://scout.wisc.edu/Weblog/

The modern blog evolved from the online diary, and reasonable estimates of the number of blogs approximate that there are over 60 million blogs. While most of the discourse and commentary on blogs remains civil, there have been a number of recent events that have caused some to wonder whether there should be an official blogging code of conduct. This past Sunday, Tim O'Reilly who is both a conference promoter and a primary figure in the Web 2.0 world posted some initial suggestions for just such a code. Of course, shortly after Reilly posted these suggestions, there was a veritable snowstorm of responses posted within the blogosphere, some of which were quite vitriolic, and others which were a bit more detached, but still upset. Jeff Jarvis, a professor at City University (and an active blogger), responded after hearing about this proposal by stating "I'm rather resentful of someone who has the temerity to tell me how they think I should behave." Some of Reilly's initial suggestions included banning anonymous comments, and he also called on bloggers to not post material that harasses others or is knowingly false. Not surprisingly, Reilly's own blog was quickly filled with a variety of comments, including one user who quoted Benjamin Franklin and another who referenced the Council of Nicea and its attempt to reform the Christian church in the 4th century. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to an insightful piece about this proposed code of conduct offered in this Tuesday's online edition of the Scotsman. On a related note, the second link leads to a fine piece by the San Francisco Chronicle's Verne Kopytoff on the reaction of bloggers to this proposed code. The third link whisks users away to the proposed code of conduct, which is referenced as a "starting point for discussion" on the whole matter. Given the sheer number of blogs, the fourth link will be most welcome. It is a listing of the top 100 blogs as determined by CNET News.com, complete with a smattering of recent posts. The fifth link leads to the very compelling blog of Jeff Jarvis, who is the director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism. The sixth link is definitely worth a visit, as it contains a number of helpful sections on the legal liability of bloggers, and a FAQ on both intellectual property and defamation. Finally, the last link leads to our very own blog here at the Internet Scout Project. [KMG]

State of the Blogosphere, April 2007

2007-04-14T00:31:00.000+02:00

State of the Blogosphere/State of the Live Web, April 2007
(Technorati/David Sifrey)
Technorati is known widely for its quarterly State of the Blogosphere reports, analyzing the trends around blogs and blogging. With this report, we expand on this tradition by introducing information and analysis relating to the broader range of social media on the Web - what we and many others call the Live Web (another good definition). Technorati continues to grow well beyond its roots at the leading blog search engine; increasingly, we are the main aggregation point for all forms of social media on the Web, including blogs, of course, but also video, photos, audio such as podcasts and much more.
What makes this possible is the rise in the use of tags across all forms of social media and the increasing implementation of tags by the publishing platforms supporting each form of media. Increasingly, tags have become a lingua franca of Live Web, helping to categorize social media while also indicating where people’s attention might be at any given moment. But because each form of media is published from unique platforms with their own established communities, the audience found itself hopping from platform to platform to get a sense of what might be hot at any given moment. Which is why our social media aggregation service - made manifest on our tagged media pages - is growing at a torrid pace.
Permalink The Docuticker

Free access to online resources, 15th - 21st April, 2007

2007-04-14T00:27:00.000+02:00

Libraries Unlimited is offering free access for one week to the American Reference Book Annual (ARBA) and several other electronic products including:
+ The Readers' Advisor Online
+ The African American Experience
+ The Latino American Experience
+ The Greenwood Digital Collection
+ World Cultures Today
+ Children's Magazine Guide
+ Several Others Listed Here

The Resourceshelf

American Reference Book Annual (ARBA) Review

2007-04-14T00:25:00.000+02:00

From The Resourceshelf
We Recently Posted a Link to Peter Jasco’s New Review (Positive) of the ARBA Database

Game On: Games in Libraries

2007-03-29T03:44:00.000+02:00

Information and Knowledge Auditing and Mapping

2007-03-13T04:12:00.000+02:00

The Fifth Updated Knowledge and Information Auditing and Mapping Short Course
Will be presented by Knowledge Leadership Associates

When and Where:
Cape Town: 16 – 18 April 2007: Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce, 19 Louis Gradner Street, Foreshore, Cape Town
Midrand: 23 – 25 April: Eskom Convention Centre, Midrand, Gauteng.

Course fees: R4750 per delegate. (VAT not applicable) 7.5% discount if more than one delegate from the same organisation attend.

This course is a response to the consistent demand for knowledge and skills in planning and executing knowledge and information audits (assessments) and maps to improve the utilization of organisational information and knowledge resources and assets for business performance.

Who should attend: Managers, practitioners, trainers and consultants in knowledge and information management, including records, document, content, knowledge centre, library, systems, intranet and portal managers or editors, systems development and information security, strategic planning, organisational development, and change management.

Why you should attend: Leaders in business and government agree that the ability to exploit knowledge and information as key productive resources is a critical organisational success factor in the knowledge economy. Therefore, information and knowledge policies and strategies should be closely aligned to enterprise strategy in both private and public sector organisations. Knowledge and information auditing and mapping – in other words, the critical and systematic assessment and representation of organizational knowledge and information assets and resources, processes, stocks and flows in relation to the requirements of the enterprise strategy - should be the starting point of any information and/or knowledge management initiative. This is necessary to support the strategic objectives of the organisation and to implement policies to ensure ethical and legal compliance in utilising and exploiting knowledge and information.

What you will learn: The course aims to equip participants with the frameworks, tools and techniques necessary to participate effectively in organisational knowledge and information auditing and mapping initiatives.

Our learning approach: We will progress from an outline of the basic issues to a deeper understanding of the processes and techniques. We will use an interactive workshop format to focus on management issues and method rather than technologies. Previous knowledge and experience of the information/knowledge auditing should be useful but is not a requirement. This is not a master class for chief information officers.

Main Learning facilitators: Dr Ben Fouché, Principal, Knowledge Leadership Associates and Dr Gretchen Smith, Senior lecturer in knowledge management, University of Cape Town. They will be assisted by expert guest lecturers from different organisations who will share their knowledge and experience

For further information on the course, presenters, venues, accommodation and online registration see http://www.knowlead.co.za/course/audit/ or contact Ben Fouché - see contact particulars below

Dr Ben Fouché (Principal)
Post: Greenways 4300, Beach Road, Strand 7140 South Africa

Tel: +27(0)21 854 5480 Mobile: +27(0)83 291 6671 Fax: 088 021 854 5480
Email: bf@knowlead.co.za Web: http://www.knowlead.co.za

Reg CK97/21344/23

Citebite

2007-01-11T10:14:00.000+02:00

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

2007-01-11T10:08:00.000+02:00

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)
Permalink Resourceshelf

eSnips

2007-01-11T10:03:00.000+02:00

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

2007-01-11T09:59:00.000+02:00

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
Permalink Resourceshelf

Technology mediator: a new role for the reference librarian?

2007-01-11T09:51:00.000+02:00

“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
Permalink Resourceshelf

Search Engines; Internet Telephony, & Web Design

2007-01-11T09:47:00.000+02:00

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

2007-01-11T09:41:00.000+02:00

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.

Bridging language divides using a cellphone

2006-12-22T11:35:00.000+02:00

Mail & Guardian, 22 Dec 2006 08:51.
Sumayya Ismail Johannesburg, South Africa

...According to Thabo Olivier, the creator of a new multilingual software programme for cellphones...

By using the software to choose a base language (such as English) and another language (in this case Sesotho), the perplexed tourist can scroll through the programme's list of sentences. Choosing "I am lost", for instance, he would find its Sesotho translation, "Ke Lahlehile", with an accompanying voice recording...

Integration of IT Departments and Libraries

2006-12-21T10:43:00.000+02:00

FreePint TIPS ARTICLE
"Convergence Counselling:Integration of IT Departments and Libraries" By Allan Foster

IT departments and LIS departments are increasingly becoming the same thing. Integrating the two services have drawbacks and benefits; Allan Foster examines.

WHAT'S INSIDE: 'Several universities also have converged because of the actual or imagined weaknesses in the management of the individual
services.'

Read the full article (free)
http://www.freepint.com/issues/211206.htm

119 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources

2006-12-21T10:21:00.000+02:00

Research Beyond Google: 119 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources
Source: OEDb, the Online Education Database.
http://oedb.org/library/college-basics/research-beyond-google
Source: OEDb, the Online Education Database.

Topics Covered in this Article:
Deep Web Search Engines; Art; Books Online; Business; Consumer; Economic and Job Data; Finance and Investing; General Research; Government Data; International Law and Politics; Library of Congress; Medical and Health; Science; Transportation

Five Years of Information Architecture

2006-12-21T10:18:00.000+02:00

FreePint FEATURE ARTICLE
"2001 to 2006: Five Years of Information Architecture" By Karen Loasby

Karen Loasby looks back at the last five years in information architecture: it still may be an unfamiliar term to some, but it's now
a bustling field.

WHAT'S INSIDE: 'In 2001, most IA literature considered 'search' and 'browse' to be entirely separate concepts and that to 'browse' was inevitably through a hierarchical structure.'

Read the full article (free)
http://www.freepint.com/issues/211206.htm

TechEssence.Info: The essence of technology for library decision-makers

2006-12-18T11:40:00.000+02:00

You're busy. You don't have time for a lot of jargon, techie posturing, or attitudes. You've come to the right place. We don't put you down, we don't talk down to you, we just give it to you straight. Come here for accurate, understandable explanations of important information technologies for libraries. Go elsewhere for the hype.

http://techessence.info/

Application Program Interface

2006-12-18T11:36:00.000+02:00

If It Doesn't Have an API, It's Not Worth Having
In a soon-to-appear Library Journal column, I discuss strategies for an uncertain future. One of those strategies is the topic of this blog posting, since I wanted to both throw this out there for discussion as well as to discuss it more thoroughly than I can in an 800-word column.

Posted in Digital Libraries Tools Roy Tennant's blog login or register to post comments by Roy Tennant on Wed, 2006-12-13 18:08.

Information Economy Report 2006 [UNCTAD]

2006-12-14T13:25:00.000+02:00

Permanent Link: Information Economy Report 2006
Posted on UN Pulse 16th November, 2006
The Information Economy Report 2006 : the Development Perspective, released today by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), concludes that the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries still needs government intervention in areas where high costs may deter private providers. The Report focuses on trends in ICT and on national and international policy options for improving its impact in developing countries as well as providing unique data on the adoption of ICT by enterprises in developing countries and for the design and assessment of pro-poor e-strategies.
See the overview or download the full report. Learn more about the UN's work in the area of Trade and Development.

RSS feeds from UN bodies

2006-12-14T13:24:00.000+02:00

Permanent Link: RSS feeds from UN bodies
The number of RSS feeds from UN bodies is growing. We have compiled a list of feeds from various bodies.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) news: http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/
FAO Rural Finance Learning Centre:
http://www.ruralfinance.org/
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) news: http://www.iaea.org/iaeaorg.xml
International Labour Organization (ILO) news: http://www.ilo.org/dyn/ilosite/ilonews.RssDescription?p_lang=EN
Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN): http://www.irinnews.org/Although there is no RSS/XML button, a feed reader or aggregator should recognize the RSS feeds available, including Regional News from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, or Thematic News about Children; Democracy & Governance; Early warning; Economy; Education; Environment; Food Security; Gender Issues; Health & Nutrition; HIV/AIDS; Human Rights; Natural Disasters; Peace & Security; and Refugees/IDPs.
Relief Web: http://reliefweb.int/rw/hlp.nsf/db900ByKey/Subscribe?OpenDocumentRelief Web offers a multitude of feeds. The main categories include: Headlines, OCHA Situation Reports, Vacanices, Training Updates, Maps, and Updates by Country.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) news: http://www.unhcr.org/
UNICEF news and photo essays: http://www.unicef.org/rss/index.html
UNICEF podcast: http://www.unicef.org/videoaudio/video_podcast.html
UN Population Fund (UNFPA): http://www.unfpa.org/rss/index.htm
UNFPA offers two feeds: News and Publications.
UN Radio: http://radio.un.org/rss.aspSpecific feeds are available for the following topics: Main Headlines; Peace and security; Economic development; Humanitarian aid; Environnment; Human rights; General Assembly; UN affairs, SG; Women, children, population; Law, crime; Health; Culture & Education; and Security Council.
World Bank: Private Sector Development: http://psdblog.worldbank.org/psdblog/
World Bank: Poverty and Growth:
http://pgpblog.worldbank.org/
World Bank: Innovations in Emerging Markets: http://ifcblog.ifc.org/
World Food Programme (WFP) news: http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=999
WFP feeds include: News, Press Releases, Photo Galleries, Emergency Reports and Videos.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) news: http://www.wipo.int/news/en/newsfeed.jspWIPO offers several feeds including: Conferences & meetings; News; Press releases; Vacancies; Treaties; and Domain Name Decisions.
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has a new Tourism Emergency Response Network with news feeds: http://www.ternalert.org/news/rss/

ITU Telecom World 2006: 'Living the Digital World'

2006-12-14T13:23:00.000+02:00

Permanent Link: ITU Telecom World 2006
Take a look at the interactive map of world telecommunication indicators or learn about the Connect the World initiative.
Bringing together the world's leading ICT companies, decision-makers, organisations and governments, ITU Telecom World 2006: 'Living the Digital World' begins today in Hong Kong and continues to 8 December.
Find out more about the ITU and the UN system's work in information communications technology.
Posted on UN Pulse 4th December 2006

Welciome to Searchengineland!

2006-12-14T13:22:00.000+02:00

http://searchengineland.com/
From About Searchengineland
...we cover ways people search for information, primarily through online search engines but also through the growing other methods of seeking knowledge and answers.
That coverage includes the way sites are found on search engines, either through natural search engine optimization methods or through search advertising opportunities. The combination of these two areas is search engine marketing, and it's a key focus for us here.
Key focus, but not the only focus. We don't intend to lose sight of the fact that there's a huge audience that wants to know how to search better. Our coverage remit is to cover the tools and tips that will help you search better, as well as watching over search marketing issues...

Forbes.com Special Report: Books and the future of publishing

2006-12-14T13:19:00.000+02:00

LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/23038
Source: LII.ORG
This December 2006 special report on "books and the future of publishing" features a series of articles looking at trends in publishing, the effect of the Internet on print books, book burning, plagiarism, film adaptations, top-earning authors, and related topics. Also includes a "To me, books are..." feature with answers from authors such as Margaret Atwood, Amy Sedaris, and Lemony Snicket. From the website for Forbes magazine.

Pew on the Read Write Web

2006-10-30T12:27:00.000+02:00

Pew on the Read Write Web
Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

A recent Pew reports gathers some new data and previous publications for a scan of the current state of Web .2.0:

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/189/source/rss/report_display.asp

“Web 2.0” has become a catch-all buzzword that people use to describe a wide range of online activities and applications, some of which the Pew Internet & American Life Project has been tracking for years. As researchers, we instinctively reach for our spreadsheets to see if there is evidence to inform the hype about any online trend. This article provides a short history of the phrase, along with new traffic data from Hitwise to help frame the discussion.This would be a useful addition to your Internet Librarian conference notes for discussions in the Emerging Tech Committee, Innovation Work Group, or staff meeting.

Karen Coombs on Strategic Planning for a 2.0 World

2006-10-30T12:21:00.000+02:00

Karen Coombs on Strategic Planning for a 2.0 World
In Library 2.0/Web 2.0
Planning for Now and Then, By Karen Coombs, LJ netConnect — October 15, 2006:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6375463.html

The growth of the read/write web has also influenced strategic directions. New technologies enable anyone to create and publish content to the web. Initially, users mostly published text. However, digital cameras, video cameras, GarageBand, Flickr, YouTube, and a host of other software allow ordinary people to create a variety of content and post it to the web. This dramatically changes the types of software that libraries need to support their computing facilities. For example, the University of Minnesota has made web log software available to faculty, staff, and students. In academic libraries, this technology makes it easier for faculty to self-publish and self-archive their materials, everything from books and articles to data sets and lectures. Libraries can help promote better scholarly communication by facilitating this process—providing systems and space to store content and education for faculty on how to produce and self-publish materials.

2006-10-30T12:17:00.000+02:00

An Introduction to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
From The Resourceshelf

An Introduction to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)JISC Techwatch by Jane Dudman; 31 pages; PDF.
Voice over IP (VoIP) is a telecommunications technology that transmits and delivers voice calls using the packet-based IP protocols and network technologies associated with the Internet. The technology has been considerably developed and refined in recent years and is gaining widespread public recognition and adoption through consumer solutions such as Skype and BT’s strategy of moving to an IP-based network. This adoption is beginning to spread into the F&HE domains with a number of institutions implementing VoIP and through work being undertaken by UKERNA. The technology offers opportunities for the development of new applications and educational services particularly through the potential for converging voice with other media and data.
This JISC TechWatch report examines VoIP, its technologies, standards and issues, and, in particular, focuses on potential applications and uses in F&HE through development of new converged services to help facilitate distance and collaborative learning and assist those with disabilities.
Source: JISC TechWatch

The hybrid library: from the users’ perspective

2006-10-30T12:13:00.000+02:00

The hybrid library: from the users’'perspective
A Danish report exploring user perspectives on the hybrid library is now available in English.

A breakout session on this topic will be presented at the December CNI meeting in Washington, DC, and it will include a discussion of this report.69 pages; PDF.

From the introduction:
The purpose of this project is to gather information on how the needs of the core users are fulfilled by research libraries through use of physical materials, electronic materials, and the library employees in the physical library. The investigation was meant to reveal how the users utilize these resources nowadays, and, on the basis of the qualitative data, suggest how the hybrid research library of the future can improve its services.The investigation focused on three key aspects of the hybrid library:

1. How the library’s web interface can be improved.

2. What role the library’s employees will have in the future.

3. What role the physical library should play.The project’s primary method is a field study, wherein the guiding idea has been to collect knowledge about the users’ information-searching in their customary environment.

Source: The National Library [Denmark] and Copenhagen University Library

ResourceShelf’s Guide to Wireless “Mainstream” Media Sources (#2)

2006-10-30T12:10:00.000+02:00

ResourceShelf’s Guide to Wireless "Mainstream" Media Sources (#2)
By resourceshelf on Wireless Web and Search
We posted Volume 1 last week at this url. Thanks for your interest and wonderful response.
Today, Volume Two. This time we’ve added a few “related news” sources.
+ allAfrica
+ Alabama Live (Mobile Press Register)
+ The Australian
+ CNN Money (Business 2.0, Money, Fortune)
+ CTV (Canada)
+ Christian Science Monitor
+ Dallas Morning News
+ NFL (National Football League)Mobile web automatically detected
+ National Weather Service
+ New York Post
+ San Diego Union-Tribune
+ Sportsline (CBS)
+ Sydney Morning Herald
+ Time Magazine Time (European Edition) Asia Edition
+ U.S. State Department Washington File
+ The Weather Channel
See Also: Other ResourceShelf Special Compilations:
+ A Few Favorite Mobile Sites
+ Real or Near Real-Time Databases
+ Art Museum Databases
Posted on: Fri, Oct 20 2006 5:19 PM
Updated: Sat, Oct 21 2006 11:43 AM

E-volution of Information Technology in Cultural Heritage Conference

2006-10-29T14:51:00.000+02:00

UNESCO World Heritage
Permanent Link: UNESCO World Heritage
"A week-long conference on the E-volution of Information Technology in Cultural Heritage takes place in Cyprus from Monday, 30 October. The conference focuses on the exchange of knowledge in the areas of cultural heritage and information technology, especially e-documentation and computer graphics.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to protect and preserve the world's cultural and natural heritage considered to be of outstanding value to humanity; to this end UNESCO adopted the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972. View the sites on the interactive map, or by country on the World Heritage List or check the sites on the World Heritage in Danger List"
From UN Pulse

The RESEARCHING LIBRARIAN

2006-10-27T08:34:00.000+02:00

The RESEARCHING LIBRARIAN: WEB RESOURCHES HELPFUL FOR LIBRARIANS DOING RESEARCH
Created for the new or experienced librarian needing to perform research, this site includes links to citation and full-text databases, funding information, online journals, statistics and statisticalmethods, useful tools, current awareness links, and a discussion board.Searchable.

URL: http://www.researchinglibrarian.com/

INTERNET LIBRARIAN 2006: Patron Outreach

2006-10-25T13:26:00.000+02:00

IL 2006: Reaching out to Patrons: Online Outreach
By Sarah Houghton-Jan

IL 2006: Reaching out to Patrons: Online Outreach
Sarah Houghton-Jan (that's me!)

IL2006

From:
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2006/10/il_2006_reachin.html

INTERNET LIBRARIAN 2006: OPAC -Improving User Experiences

2006-10-25T13:24:00.000+02:00

IL 2006: OPAC Tips and Tricks for Improving User Experiences
By Sarah Houghton-Jan

IL 2006: OPAC Tips and Tricks for Improving User Experiences
Glenn Peterson and Nanette Donohue

IL2006

From:
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2006/10/il_2006_opac_ti.html

INTERNET LIBRARIAN 2006: FLICKR & Libraries

2006-10-25T13:21:00.000+02:00

IL 2006: Flickr & Libraries
By Sarah Houghton-Jan

IL 2006: Flickr & Libraries
Michael Porter and Michael Sauers (and three virtual guests)

IL2006

From:
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2006/10/il_2006_flickr_.html

INTERNET LIBRARIAN 2006: Podcasting & Vidcasting

2006-10-25T13:18:00.000+02:00

IL 2006: Podcasting & Vidcasting
By Sarah Houghton-Jan

IL 2006: Podcasting & Vidcasting (a two-part session)
Greg Schwartz, Jeff Humphrey, David Free, Sean Cordes, and David King

IL2006

From: http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2006/10/il_2006_podcast.html

INTERNET L IBRARIAN 2006: MySpace & Facebook

2006-10-25T13:15:00.000+02:00

IL 2006: MySpace & Facebook
By Sarah Houghton-Jan

IL 2006: MySpace & Facebook
Aaron Schmidt and Cliff Landis

IL2006

From: http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/2006/10/il_2006_myspace.html

INTERNET LIBRARIAN 2006: RSS & JAVASCRIPT COOKBOOK

2006-10-25T13:11:00.000+02:00

IL 2006: The RSS & Javascript Cookbook: Creating One Stop
By Sarah Houghton-Jan

IL 2006: The RSS & Javascript Cookbook: Creating One Stop
Paul Pival and Meredith Farkas

IL2006

This was an immensely useful presentation. For me, a light-coder (just like Meredith and Paul), who is looking at a massive website redesign, I felt inspired and empowered to do some of the things I had in my head, but didn't quite know how to do. Free tools are great, and librarians who show other librarians useful free tools are even better. Thank you Paul & Meredith!

From: http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/

INTERNET LIBRARIAN INTERNATIONAL 2006: L2.

2006-10-25T13:04:00.000+02:00

Internet Librarian International 2006: L2 Track
In Internet Librarian International 2006
Internet Librarian International 2006: London, England

Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

It was standing room only in this mornings Web 2.0/Library 2.0 Session featuring Phil Bradley, Brian Kelly, and Paul Miller. I moderated the lively hour of L2 discussion and insights. My favorite slide was Phil Bradley's, in response to all the discussion about semantics and buzzwords. It simply said: "I don't care" I LOLed and Phil proceeded to detail how the web and how libraries are changing, as did the other esteemed folks.

Jenny blogged the entire session here: http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2006/10/16/20061016_ili_setting_the_stage_for_20.htmlMore later... must sleep. We have another full day of conference tomorrow!

IFLA helps launch information network for African librarians

2006-10-25T13:00:00.000+02:00

Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
“Librarians from across Africa have launched an information exchange network to promote access to, and more effective use of, government information for democratic and economic development on the continent, following a workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia…. Papers and presentationsfrom the workshop can be viewed here.”
http://www.uneca.org/disd/events/2006/wsis-library/main.html

Thanks, Sally. CW.

Power of Video Games for Learning

2006-10-20T16:16:00.000+02:00

Harnessing the power of video games for learning (PDF; 1.4 MB)
Source: Federation of American Scientists (National Summit on Educational Games)
http://fas.org/gamesummit/Resources/Summit%20on%20Educational%20Games.pdf

Permalink: TheDocuticker

Flickr

2006-10-20T16:12:00.000+02:00

Flickr Explained for Librarians
Posted on Thu, Oct 19 2006 1:25 PM on The Shifted Librarian blog.

Internet Evolution: Riding the Waves of "Web 2.0"

2006-10-20T15:54:00.000+02:00

This October 2006 report looks at "Web 2.0," a "catch-all buzzword that people use to describe a wide range of online activities and applications." It provides an overview of Web 2.0 and some of the concepts (such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts) that have been associated with the trend, and statistics showing the rise of services such as Photobucket, Wikipedia, and MySpace.
From the Pew Internet & American Life project.
URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/189/report_display.asp
LII [Permalink] Item: https://blogs.uct.ac.za/horde/util/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Flii.org%2Fcs%2Flii%2Fview%2Fitem%2F22764&Horde=407526a0a007daa2ce3823b5de04463b

Reinventing Ourselves as Internet Librarians

2006-10-19T16:15:00.000+02:00

Greg Notess "Reinventing Ourselves as Internet Librarians"
From The Shifted Librarian

Real-world Information Delivery

2006-10-19T16:10:00.000+02:00

Graham Spooner showed a comic he made with the Comic Strip Generator :-) http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/
Barbara Peacock, Nedbank (South Africa)
Centralised Information
Andrew Lewis Shock, Horror, Computer Games are good for public libraries
http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/onlinelibrary.htm & http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/library_policies.htm

From The Shifted Librarian

Wikis and Social Software

2006-10-19T16:08:00.000+02:00

From The Shifted Librarian:

Setting the Stage for 2.0.

2006-10-19T15:59:00.000+02:00

Setting the Stage for 2.0

Phil Bradley: wants things to make his life and his job easier, doesn't care what you call it.
Paul Miller "Bringing Libraries to Searchers"
Brian Kelly “ Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 : Addressing Institutional Barriers"

From The Shifted Librarian

Disappearing web pages: responsibilities

2006-10-19T15:45:00.000+02:00

Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006From: Don Osborn dzo@bisharat.net

When I was in Niger and in China I made a great deal ofuse of the internet for research for articles for reference (writing, courses). This is a little risky because things get moved and sites disappear. But usually one can track down online material, or at worstlook it up on the Wayback Machine http://www.archive.org

Recently, however, I ran into difficulties on the UNIFEM site, a public information site, and a scholar's personal site. None of the material I referenced from any of these three was to be found anywhere despite all sorts of search angles, nor was it available in Wayback. Wayback is a great resource (learned about it on H-West-Africa a few years ago), but it doesn't archive everything and it's hard to imagine how it will keep up with webpage production. Nor does it archive certain file types - no PDFs, for example.

I'm not sure how widespread a problem this is, but I'm surprised that organizations presenting substantive information online would not take steps to assure that that continues to be available in one form or another. Even an individual scholar would also, I think, want to assure that what they have gone to the trouble to post online retains its value by remaining somewhere other scholars can continue to access it.

It occurs that in the case of organizations, various site reorganizations often lead to things being discarded because they are considered out of date, or because the folks doing the reorganizing have entirely different agendae (and don't appreciate how info in a location may become a resource to some number of users). This may have been the case with the UNIFEM site, which went to its own URL from a subdomain ofUNDP. As I searched in vain for the article I had used online, I found four other webpages (2 HTML & 2 PDF) whose creators had also thought enough of it to post a reference and link - all of which are now as useless as my reference.

As for scholars with personal sites who move on or publish what they had weblished, they may not appreciate that material they have posted online may betaken seriously and referenced for other work. There are many ways to manage content as situations change. In the case of online drafts that are superseded by published articles one cannot or prefers not to retain online, deleting and forgetting about it is not ideal (at least replace removed content with an explanation and forwarding reference).

So as not to leave this as a mere complaint, shouldn't there be some standard of conduct, as it were, for weblishing and maintaining content - such that at least there is a forwarding note and message on the fate of material that is removed from a website (as simple as a page with the removed pages' titles and defunct URLs ( so search engines find them)? I've seen diverse guidelines for authors of web content, but don't recall any clear and compelling statement of standards or responsibilities (yes maybe that is the word) formaintaining knowledge content online.
From: H-NET List for African History and Culture [mail to:H-AFRICA@H-NET.MSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Patrick Wurster Sent: 04 September 2006 14:17 To: H-AFRICA@H-NET.MSU.EDU
Subject: Academic & Research Content Online: Responsibilities to Maintain?: query

Thanks Sally. CW

electronic sources for researchers, and their "disappearance"

2006-10-19T15:36:00.000+02:00

Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006
From: Gretchen Walsh, African Studies Library, Boston University gwalsh@bu.edu

Don Osborn's query and comments touch on some truly important issues both for academic research and for teaching students how to do research. H-Africa has had some good discussion on the necessity of accuracy and authority in online information resources (e.g.,Wikipedia) but permanence of resources is also essential.

It is difficult enough to do historical research when only one library in the nation may have a copy of the book needed, and when one has to check a fact, confirm a page reference, etc., one has to go through the interlibrary loan process again. When the resource online disappears completely, as in the cases Osborn describes, the effect is devastating. Many of us have had this experience. I've also seen bibliographies on student papers that do not provide enough information for anyone to find the resource - this is a combination of both the potential disappearance of the site, and the lack of citation skill on the part of the student.

A short article in the July 7, 2006 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education ("Hot Type" P. A20) describes another aspect of the problems with online publication. The article refers to Gutenberg-e, a digital publishing collaboration between the Electronic Publishing Initiative of Columbia University and the American Historical Association (http://www.gutenberg-e.org). It caught my eye because one of the authors mentioned was a graduate student at my university whose book on Mozambique was published in Gutenberg-e last year, and another book mentioned in the article is Helena Pohlandt-McCormick's work on Soweto.

The Chronicle article focuses on the problem of acceptance of electronic publishing among the academic establishment. For instance, few academic journals have reviewed the works in the Gutenberg-e project.

There is another concern: permanence, similar to the problem of Osborn's disappearing web pages and pdf files. Libraries subscribe to services providing online access to journals. However, they are paying only for access to those journals. If a library decides to drop a subscription to a print journal, it retains (or at least has the right to retain) possession of the past issues it has paid for. If a library decides to drop a subscription to an online full-text journal subscription, it no longer will have access to any of the past issues. Even more seriously, if the provider decides to drop a journal it once offered, the library no longer has access to any part of the run. I recall one case where a provider dropped one journal and substituted another title which it felt would be more useful -- without consulting the subscribers.

Electronic access to information and scholarship is a powerful and beneficial tool. It can also lead to the end of academic life as we have known it. We must allbe aware of the dangers as well as the benefits andwork to prevent disaster.

From: H-NET List for African History and Culture [mail to:H-AFRICA@H-NET.MSU.EDU] On Behalf Of Colleen Vasconcellos Sent: 15 September 2006 18:38 To: H-AFRICA@H-NET.MSU.EDU Subject: : Responsibilities to

Thanks to Sally Schramm for this. CW.

Review and Evaluation of WiFi in Public Libraries

2006-10-19T15:29:00.000+02:00

Report outlines WiFi future for libraries

A recent report from the MLA and WiFi specialist RegenerateIT anticipates that by 2009 half of all libraries will offer some form of WiFi (wireless technology). The report estimates that there are currently about 23 per cent of library services delivering WiFi with 42 per cent of library services planning to offer WiFi in the next financial year. You can download a pdf of the report Review and Evaluation of WiFi in Public Libraries.
http://www.mla.gov.uk/resources/assets//W/wifipubliclibraries_10230.pdf
Posted on 5th October 2006 on:
Designing Libraries, who are at http://www.designinglibraries.org.uk/

Thanks to Sally Schramm who sent me this. CW

FinePrint a review

2006-10-19T15:14:00.000+02:00

Electronic documents are a great tool but there are times when you just need printed copies.
FinePrint installs itself as a printer in your Windows system and will intercept print jobs and put up to 8 pages of output on 1 sheet of paper, though this is often unreadable (at least for me - I didn't pay for the Steve Austin upgrade when I had laser vision surgery).
I find that 2-4 pages per sheet and printing in duplex saves on paper, reduces printing time, saves on toner and makes documents more portable. It's great for web pages without printing views that use those narrow columns. You can also edit the jobs and remove / reorder jobs and pages.
MS Office and some other applications have a version of this capability now but none are as robust as FinePrint's. I have been using it since 2000 and have been very happy with the product.
-- Lon Miller
Permalink http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001456.php

FinePrint Software$50Available from FinePrint

Microsoft's Instant Answers: a review

2006-10-19T10:30:00.000+02:00

A Closer Look At Microsoft's Instant Answers
http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3623732

5 great blogs covering Internet searching, search engines, and search tools for searchers, researchers and librarians

2006-10-19T10:07:00.000+02:00

ResourceShelf
Phil Bradley: http://www.philbradley.typepad.com/ [blog] and http://www.philb.com/ [web site]
Researchbuzz
Search Engine Watch blog
LibraryClips

For more on the above: http://www.pandia.com/sew/category/pandia-top-5/

see also: Pandia Search Engine Detective has more links to library and research related blogs and sites (right hand column).

Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Messaging

2006-10-13T09:53:00.000+02:00

Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Messaging
Questions and answers from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) about "Instant Messaging (IM)... an electronic messaging service that allows users. ... to exchange text messages with connected parties in real time." Topics include how IM differs from email, current best practices for capturing IM, and archiving of IM content created by government agency employees when the IM is a federal record.
URL: http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/initiatives/im-faq.html
Annotation from Lii.org

Email Archiving: What's Right for Your Enterprise?

2006-10-13T09:50:00.000+02:00

This May 2006 article discusses factors a company should consider when selecting an email archiving strategy in light of the fact that emails have "become an important source of evidence in many of today's high-profile court cases." Features evaluations of in-house and off-site systems. From a company that provides "information on the Windows platform for Windows computing managers."
URL: TOO LONG, SEE LII ITEM
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/22715

Laptop Batteries

2006-10-09T14:50:00.000+02:00

Guidelines on how to treat a laptop battery
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/usingyourlaptop/f/laptopbattery.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/24/technology/24basics.html

Source:
http://techshoestring.blogspot.com/search/label/Laptop

How WiFi Works

2006-10-09T14:41:00.000+02:00

How WiFi Works
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm

A nice introduction from howstuffworks.
From: http://www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/irn/irn144/irn144.html#A-ZNewWebSites

Ebooks: a beginner's guide

2006-10-09T11:45:00.000+02:00

http://books.guardian.co.uk/ebooks/story/0,,621837,00.html

Ebooks on the net The Guardian's [UK] selection of links to the best ebook sites: publishers, news, stores and libraries.

Public Libraries & the Internet

2006-10-06T12:31:00.000+02:00

Public Libraries & the Internet
8 studies conducted that track the level of involvement, key issues, trends, and other aspects of public library Internet use.
http://www.ii.fsu.edu/plinternet/

- Public library Internet connectivity;
- Public Internet access workstation availability;
- Internet connectivity bandwidth;
- Internet-based service and resource availability (e.g., databases, training, digital reference);
- User training provision;
- Costs and issues associated with Internet connectivity (e.g., funding for technology infrastructure, e-rate, maintenance and upgrades of technology, staff skills requirements); and
- Community impacts and benefits to Internet access.
- Case studies which explored successfully networked public libraries (SNPL)

Journals in the Time of Google

2006-08-30T14:12:00.000+02:00

Journals in the Time of Google by Lee C. Van Orsdel & Kathleen Born
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6321722.html

The digital library landscape and trends in the world of Web 2.0.

2006-08-30T14:11:00.000+02:00

The digital library landscape and trends in the world of Web 2.0.
This is the archived version of the webcast of Lorcan Dempsey's presentation at Edinburgh University Library on Monday 3 July. You will find the link on this page: http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/news/

2.0 Websites Directory

2006-08-30T14:09:00.000+02:00

http://2.0websites.com/
2.0 Websites is a web directory for those interested in what’s available and happening in the Web 2.0 arena.

Ariadne (Issue 48, July 2006)

2006-08-30T13:55:00.000+02:00

New Issue: Ariadne (Issue 48, July 2006)
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue48/

Main Articles include:
Library Systems: Synthesise, Specialise, Mobilise
Robin Murray examines how the changing landscape for library systems is altering their service model.

Intute: The New Best of the Web
Caroline Williams describes Intute in the context of the online information environment and outlines aspirations for the future.

Introducing unAPI
Dan Chudnov and a team of colleagues describe unAPI, a tiny HTTP API for serving information objects in next-generation Web applications.

The Library Catalogue in the New Discovery Environment: Some Thoughts
Lorcan Dempsey explores how the library catalogue will develop alongside evolving network discovery systems.

UK Digital Preservation Needs Assessment: Where We Go From Here
Najla Semple and Maggie Jones outline the background and findings of the Digital Preservation Coalition's UK Needs Assessment and the Mind the Gap report.

Accoona: Super-Charged Super Target Searching
Phil Bradley puts a relative newcomer through its paces and finds some very useful features together with potential for improvement.

The Tasks of the AHDS: Ten Years On
Alastair Dunning reviews 10 years in the history of the Arts and Humanities Data Service.

ShibboLEAP: Seven Libraries and a LEAP of Faith
Martin Moyle introduces the ShibboLEAP Project, a multi-institution Shibboleth adoption in London, and hopes that later adopters will benefit from its findings.

A Foundation for Automatic Digital Preservation
Miguel Ferreira, Ana Alice Baptista and José Carlos Ramalho propose a Service-Oriented Architecture to help cultural heritage institutions to accomplish automatic digital preservation.

Book Reviews:
Blended Learning and Online Tutoring. A good practice guide.
Lyn Parker considers that this book meets its aim of providing practical advice for tutors and staff developers engaged in online activities and blended learning.

Managing Change
Donald Maclean reviews a text that lays down guidelines for information managers attempting to analyse, implement and evaluate change within their organisation.

Evaluating the Impact of your Library
David Parkes reviews a new book, targeted at managers, which is both a tool to help evaluate your library and an analysis of Impact Evaluation methodology.

The Librarians Internet Survival Guide, 2nd Edition
Re-visiting this work in its new and second edition for Ariadne, Lina Coelho finds it amply repays the effort.

Geek Freedom League

2006-08-30T13:51:00.000+02:00

Geek Freedom League
The FREEDOM LEAGUE is designed to bring together the best of the open source world and the massive country-wide community of people driven to introduce as many new people as possible to the use of open source software. Anyone with the passion and ability can sign-up as an open source GEEK and receive all the materials needed to convert as many people and computers as possible. GEEKs will be able to log their installs and track their progress.
The campaign is open to all South Africans and aims to not only increase the number of people using open source, but to also grow and expand the open source community to thousands of people. It is the strength of the community that is what makes open source great, and it is the community that helps to grow and nurture those new to open source.
http://www.go-opensource.org/freedom/

Internet Resources Newsletter July/August 2006

2006-08-30T13:49:00.000+02:00

The July/August Issue of the Internet Resources Newsletter is Now Online
News and numerous links to high quality web resources from Roddy and team at the Heriot-Watt University Library in the UK.

See Also: The Herriott Watt Team Also Offers the Cool, TechXtra
Find articles, key websites, books, the latest industry news, job announcements, ejournals, eprints, technical reports, the latest research, thesis & dissertations and more!

See Also: We First Mentioned TechXtra in this June, 2006 Resource of the Week post

Lombardi's Rules for Digital Survival

2006-08-30T13:40:00.000+02:00

Lombardi's Rules for Digital Survival created from 30 years of engagement in the academic computer revolution:
1. The objects are not as important as the content. Collection development becomes access development. Access to content is the primary mantra of all library work. Geography becomes increasingly irrelevant.
2. Helping clients find resources in a digitally chaotic world is the first priority. Digitizing the rare book collection might be the second.
3. If a vendor promises you seamless access and modular compatibility with any future developments, expect expensive upgrades.
4. If others spend money on a similar project, let them finish before you start yours. Being first to invent large scale digital library projects is for those with money to lose, tolerant customers, and tenure. If it will take ten years to deliver value, let someone else invest in it.
5. If someone else has a service you need, buy it, do not invent it. If someone has 80% of the service you need, buy it; do not invent it.
6. Nothing currently defining the Internet will remain recognizable after 5 years.
7. There is safety in numbers; join consortia and urge others to take the lead.
8. Invest in unique products only when you have a comparative advantage and someone else pays for it.
9. For the next ten years, if it works well, is reliable, and you know how to use it, it is obsolete.
John V. Lombardi, July 1, 2000 The Center, University of Florida

SA website opens portal for bibliophiles

2006-08-18T13:51:00.000+02:00

Robyn Cohen 18 August 2006 at 06h00
" 'Soon there will be a billion books available online worldwide,' predicts Norman Eaglestone and Justine Nofal.
The husband-and-wife team conceptualised and recently flighted a website, or booksite called aBillionbooks.com.
This is definitely the place to find books of every type: new books, previously owned books, rare books, first editions and audio books"...
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iArticleId=3399677

Tutorial: What’s Inside a JPEG File?

2006-08-18T13:13:00.000+02:00

Source: The Society for Imaging Science and Technology
http://www.imaging.org/resources/web_tutorials/inside_jpeg/inside_jpeg.cfm

As common as these files are in everyone’s life, very few users actually know what goes on inside a JPEG file and still fewer understand the many pitfalls associated with using this choice when storing their digital photographs. This essay will describe the inner working of this file format that we so commonly use, highlighting its many merits and its many flaws. Like any tool that is available to us, there are correct ways to use the JPEG file format and there are times when it is a poor choice.
Permalink: http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/08/18/tutorial-whats-inside-a-jpeg-file/

CALENDARS OF FORTHCOMING ATTRACTIONS: CONFERENCES, CELEBRATIONS, SPORT etc

2006-08-17T13:06:00.000+02:00

http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/23/calendars-calendars-calendars-and-some-schedules/

From The Resourceshelf:

We have started (slowly but surely) to update a 2003 ResourceShelf post containing links calendars and schedules of upcoming events. Use this link to have fast access to each ResourceShelf post in this series.
+ Global: BBC Monitoring Week Ahead Calendar (via BBC)
+ Global: Planned Coverage Calendar, Associated Press Television News
+ Global: NewsAhead World News Forecast PreviewPreview listings are free. Complete access to the database is fee-based.
+ Global: Election Calendar (via IFES)Database of elections to 2011.
+ Global: MInd: The Meetings Index“Free access to locate future conferences, congresses, meetings and symposia.”
+ Global: Trade Show CalendarSearchable.
+ Global: NASA Space Calendar (via Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
+ Global: International Sports Calendar (via IOC)
+ Global: WhatsOnWhen.comSearchable database containing thousands of events. WOW!!!Make sure to check out the bizarre category (-:.
+ Global: Festivals.com“Festivals.com today is the largest resource on the Internet for information about community festivals, fairs and special events. With more than 40,000 community events worldwide behind the pages of Festivals.com, we are the most popular and widely used web site devoted exclusively to the global festival industry.”
+ U.S.: Washington D.C. Daybook (via Washington Times)
+ U.S.: 2006 Primary Schedule (via Stateline.org)
+ Key Dates and Upcoming Events (via Ascribe)U.S. focus.
+ Observances and Commemerations Calendar (via Ascribe)
+ U.S.: The Note Futures Calendar (via ABCNews.com)Various events, updated regularly, thru 2008.
+ International Events Calendar (U.S. Department of State)See Also: Secretary of State Daily Appointment Schedule
+ U.S.: Upcoming Video ReleasesSort by title, genre, studio, release date. Over 2700 titles currently on the list.
Remember: More Calendars and Schedules to Come in Future Posts. Need Real-Time Info? Check this collection of databases and tools.

Source: The Resourceshelf
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/23/calendars-calendars-calendars-and-some-schedules/

The Myth about the Digital Divide

2006-08-17T13:04:00.000+02:00

The Myth about the Digital Divide/ by Brian L. Hawkins and Diana G. OblingerNote: We were glad to read that the authors also include Eszter Hargittai's discussion of the Second-Level Digital Divide, that focuses on various issues including onliner research skills. Important.
Source: July/August Issue of EDUCAUSE Review http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm06/erm064.asp