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July 31, 2007
Next Generation OPAC at the Library
Okay! I've been on vacation for two weeks and have taken some time to gear up, or rather catch up on other things but now I'm blogging again. I've missed a few of the MLibrary 2.0 sessions while I've been gone but I'm still working on my 13 things so here I go, talking about the latest in OPAC development related to Library 2.0.
I've been experimenting with the McMaster University Library catalog and found some interesting things. For my first search I tried to look up items written by Virginia Woolf. I used the basic search box, selected an author search and entered "Woolf, Virginia", even though the example for entering a name would have been "Virginia Woolf." I was happy to see that I got 563 hits either way so I thought that was pretty intuitive.
I have to admit I was a little annoyed that McMaster University had 563 items by Virginia Woolf when University of Michigan only had 200 but I soon found out why. For one thing, forty-eight of their 60 records listed as online specified you could read them for five minutes then recommend them for purchase so they don't really own these titles. Most of them were duplicates anyway. Another problem was that the search didn't really limit to the author field. It seemed to pick up every item with the words Virginia Woolf anywhere. I tried "refining" my search to only audio format and got four recordings of the sound track for the movie "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." There were also lots of literary criticisms related to Virginia Woolf but not authored by her. Very messy!
I tried another search using the advanced search feature which lists links by LC classification. This would be a good idea for many subjects but people may need to already know about LC classification to be able to use it. Would you know where to start looking for information on gay or lesbian studies? What about multidisciplinary subjects? And what would "General Works" mean to anyone? (What does it cover anyway?)
On the plus side exploring by subjects may get people thinking and exploring more and it might help researchers come up with new terms.
Here are my initial good/bad thoughts about this particular catalog:
Good
1. Easy to navigate
2. Includes added value like new book titles as you're working
3. Easy to hone a search by dates, language, authors, formats, etc.
4. Individual records open as small window above the overall results list so you don't have to mess with navigation
5. Bread crumb navigation is something with which most people are familiar
Bad
1. Don't see a way to save or export records
2. No way to eliminate unwanted items in your search by using "not"
3. Inaccurate search results (see above)
4. The default on the left to refine the search should be expanded, like North Carolina State's catalog so you can see the options but can close them if you want. (My personal preference, maybe but I'm listing it as "bad!")
5. Can't clear an entire search so you may be clicking "remove" several times
6. Might miss a remove and only be searching in a subset of something
Okay, that last two bad comments listed may be a little lame. You would probably catch on to this if you used the catalog more than once and if you could read, I admit.
Overall this was an interesting exercise and got me thinking about what a catalog is and what it could be. Though this catalog may work differently from what I'm used to users will probably still be able to find what they need, just as well as with Mirlyn and perhaps some of the added value would be more helpful and more intuitive to people used to Amazon, Barnes and Noble online and other retail search utilities.
Posted by swortman at 03:28 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2007
Phil Bradley's Posting - Web 2.0 Questions I'm Most Often Asked
Here's an interesting blog posting from British librarian and Internet consultant Phil Bradley with the an answer for each of the following questions or comments about using web 2.0 technology. Perhaps you have thought of some of these same issues.
1. How can I trust these resources will keep going?
2. These tools are not authoritative.
3. I don't have time to learn all these things.
4. This is too much information!
5. How do these things make money?
6. I don't know which ones to use.
7. I'm not allowed to do this stuff.
8. How can I use this resource if its only in beta?
9. My university wouldn't want to be associated with some of these tools.
10. I'd love to use Flickr/Facebook/Zimbio/etc. but they're banned.
Posted by swortman at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2007
Eye to I: Visual Literacy Meets Information Literacy
The Instruction Section and Arts Section of ACRL joined forces to present an interesting panel in Washington on visual literacy and how important this is for today's students, Eye to I: Visual Literacy Meets Information Literacy.
The panel included three presenters,
Danuta Nitecki: Yale University Associate University Librarian
Cindy Cunningham, Corbis Inc., Director of Media Cataloging
Loanne Snavely, Penn State University, Head of Instructional Programs.
After a brief introduction the program started with a display of famous visual images which not only captured the audience's attention, but helped serve as examples of the topics being discussed. Each speaker brought a different background and expertise to the presentation which helped in providing a well rounded program.
Danuta Nitecki started out defining visual literacy and talking about different perspectives of visual literacy. She mentioned the article Visual Literacy in Higher Education, by Ron Bleed published in Educause.
Cindy Cunningham gave an engaging, hands-on presentation which demonstrated the difficulties involved in cataloging and tagging images. Audience members shouted out ideas for tagging images as she displayed them. She then gave us the actual terms that were used as descriptors. This let to an interesting discussion about descriptive vs. abstract tags.
(Image accessed from Flickr on June 29, 2007.
Attributed to LHOOD.)
This image could be tagged as "train station" or "travel" but it could also might be tagged as "alienation" or "fear."
You may have seen this presentation before but it always amazes me to watch it. For a good example of what can be done with images and where we may be heading in the future check on this example of PhotoSynth.
Danuta Nitecki talked about what the objectives should be for teaching visual literacy. She also discussed an article she wrote with William Rando, "A Library and Teaching Center Collaboration to Assess the Impact of using Digital Images on Teaching, Learning, and Library Support." Vine 34.3 (2004): 119-25. This article is available online for those affiliated with the University of Michigan.
Posted by swortman at 08:50 AM | Comments (1)
July 05, 2007
Common Craft Show
These Common Craft Videos are simple, clear explanations of a number of Web 2.0 ideas. According to their web site:
Our goal is making sense in under 5 minutes. We call our format "paperworks" and believe lo-fi is the new hi-fi.
Social Networks
Wikis
RSS in Plain English
Posted by swortman at 09:48 AM | Comments (0)
13 Things
After rereading the MLibrary 2.0 13 Things "assignment" I see that I was supposed to be using this blog to track my progress toward the, eh, 13 things. I'm listing the goals below just to keep myself on track. Despite feeling very 2.0ish lately I see I have a ways to go toward completing these assignments. This is good. I'm getting too comfortable with some things and leaving the uncomfortable things for last, typical.
I've had Zotero installed on my computer for months but beyond the initial experimentation I haven't taken the time to try it seriously. Time to get started!
I installed LibX a couple of weeks ago without knowing exactly what it was and what it could do for me. Now that I've read a little more about it on the LibX site I am a little more informed. I tripped upon some of the features last week and posted my findings on this blog. It took those more in the know to set me straight with their comments to my posting. Thanks, guys!
According to the LibrarianinBlack, there is now a guide on the Library Instruction wiki, Library 2.0 in 15 minutes a day. There have been so many libraries offering workshops similar to the one Michigan has been doing on Library 2.0 that this wiki has pulled a number of instructional links and ideas together so that people won't have to start from scratch when offering similar events.
Okay, now it's onward to podcasting! See ya!
List of 13 Things
1.)Blogs
Create a blog using MBlog or another blogging platform. This is where you will post your reflections to the 13 things. Email the address of your blog to Dave Carter (superman@umich.edu), and let him know if you want to be included in the MLibrary 2.0 SuperFeed.
2) RSS
Set up an account on Google Reader (or another feed reader of your choice) and subscribe to two library-related and one non-library-related blog via their feeds.
3) Del.icio.us
Create a del.icio.us account (link to it from your blog post). Post (and tag!) three URLs related to Web/Library 2.0.
4) Flickr
Create a flickr account (link to it from your blog post). Join the MLibrary2.0 group. Explore flickr and add a few pictures to your favorites.
5) Facebook
Create a Facebook account and join the MLibrary2.0 facebook group.
6) Post something about using Facebook
Consider how the library could use Facebook for outreach or for reference; make a wall or discussion post about your thoughts in the MLibrary2.0 group.
7) Play with various Next Gen OPACs
Play with one of the Next Generation OPACs. Do a variety of searches and explore features not available in a traditional catalog. Make comments in your blog about your experience.
8) Talk about your experiences with these OPACs on your blog
Perform a set of searches in at least three of the Next Generation OPACs. Make a blog entry about your experience. Compare the features, capabilities and usability of the interfaces and make a prioritized list of the features you would most like to see in Mirlyn.
9) Subscribe to three podcasts
Find & subscribe to three podcasts you are interested in using iTunes, Google Reader, or another program.
10) Create a YouTube account and embed a library video in your blog
Create a YouTube account. Find a library-related video and add it to your favorites. Embed this video in an entry in your blog.
11) Install LibX and Zotero
Install LibX and Zotero for Firefox on your home or work computer.
12) Use LibX and Zotero
Use LibX to locate a book/article that is of interest to you, and use Zotero to save it to your personal library. Extra credit for adding tags.
13) Reflect about your experiences with all of these things and write about it in your blog
In your blog, reflect on your experiences with Web/Library 2.0 and what you have learned. Consider keeping your blog alive past the 13 things by continuing to post your thoughts on libraries.
Posted by swortman at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)