Vertical Search Engines

If you want better results from web searching try a vertical search engine. These engines are subject specific, so they get better results than Google or Yahoo. Here is an article from Michael Ross of Computer Edge Magazine that explains what they are and how they work. URL: Vertical Search Engines: A more concise alternative to the major search methods.

The Future of Reference--Part 1

I attended the Reference Renaissance Conference last week (which was great!). I managed to get through all of my notes and summarize thoughts shared on the future of reference. I came up with 7 key tips. Here is the first idea.

Tip #1Focus on the “breaking point” we user can no longer continue on their own…what information is hard to find?
a. Aggregation—provide links between disparate pieces of info
b. Complexity—information that truly requires specialized knowledge
c. Creation—new tools created for our users that helps them access and customize resources…just in time reference.
d. Provision—make sure users have access to information and tools they need
e. Collections—don’t focus on books…but information organization and functionality
f. Become the liaison between aggregators and users

What are your thoughts?

The Kindle goes Down in Flames

Looks like the link did not work for Roy Tennants thoughts on the Kindle. So here they are, what do you think is the Kindle a dog?
"Prediction: The Kindle Goes Down in FLAMES June 9, 2008Someone at the Oxford University Press seems to think that the Amazon Kindle is selling like hotcakes. All I have to say about this is: "are you on drugs?" I know plenty of early adopters and none have confessed to having popped for something that simultaneously looks dorky and costs way more than an iPhone, which is arguably way more functional than a Kindle -- including being able to read books. I mean, come on. Are we that stupid?The Oxford University Press opinion has been picked up by none other than Tim O'Reilly, although it should be acknowledged that he has skin in the game. And we should be clear that this is opinion only. Evan Schnittman, from Oxford University Press, has made some assumptions that lead him to these conclusions. But let us not forget that he has skin in the game as well.Meanwhile, remember that I work for OCLC, which also has some sort of skin in the e-book game too. But I'm here to tell you that the Kindle is not it. It is so not it. But don't take my word for it. Ask your neighbor, ask your best friend, ask the first person you meet on the street, ask anyone at all. Do they have a Kindle? Of course not. If they do, they're probably an Amazon employee.There is definitely a future for e-books. Heck, I have even helped to build it. But am I about to drop $400 on a device that only reads books? I'm a librarian, I'm an early adopter of technology and not on your life will I do such a thing. So, are there really many more sales than Amazon is letting on about? Of course not. Amazon could only lose by hiding the fact that the Kindle is a runaway hit. The only reason they are hiding sales is because it is not. They should have paid me a small fee to tell them they had a dog on their hands. Oh well, a lost opportunity for both of us. Save yourselves, wait for something that makes more sense. "

Here is a post from Suzanne Kallers blog The Roving Librarian, you might want to check her blog out, she has some very practical posts, I like theory, it interests much more than real life.
Here is url if you want to subsribe, http://therovinglibrarian.blogspot.com/ .

"Theory and philosophical perspectives are nice to hear but it all quickly evaporates in my head pretty quickly. As an ex-number cruncher, I value the concrete rather than the ephemeral. Anyway, here are some of the tools and ideas I wish to learn more about or apply:
Creating Custom Search Engines using Google (of course, what else)? At Murray State University, such tools are posted on their web site. Lilia Murray conducted a lively presentation demonstrating how easy it is to set one up.
Kwout is a free web site that allows the user to click screenshots and maintain live links. I learned about that one from Gregg Notess at Montana State University. Two free websites he mentioned to create online screenshots are Jing and MWSnap. He also shared the website, Snipr which shortens URL's in the same way that Tinyurl does plus extra features.
Wayne Bivens-Tatum from Princeton University reviewed the many tools Google offers that may keep you from leaving their web site (if you dare)! I already knew about Shopping (of course!), Docs, Groups, Apps, but we also have Knol ( a challenge to Wikipedia?), Lively and Sketch Up.
Presenters from Penn State University (PSU) and Colorado's very own Auraria Library talked about their own chat reference service. In Colorado, we already have a state-wide consortium called AskColorado that does just that with both public and academic libraries participating in a shared effort. With their own chat reference, the students at Auraria and PSU are assured of communicating with librarians at their own institution unlike the patrons who connect to AskColorado.
Joe Murphy from Yale University discussed the use of text messaging reference service. He using an Apple I phone to do it. He claims he can demonstrate how to use his library's databases and get it done in just a few minutes on his little phone. Wow!
I learned about how the libraries at SUNY Stony Brook is experimenting with various virtual formats including Adobe Connect in novel ways from Susan Lieberthal.
As I mentioned on an earlier post, Orange County Library System in Orlando, Florida, is connecting with patrons using videoconferencing. Their system is called OLIVE, or the Orange County Interactive Virtual Experience. Plus, they're also doing chat and texting.In conclusion, it was an invigorating experience to hear how both public and academic libraries are moving forward into in the twenty-first century of technology. We're not going to allow the information age, leave us behind are we? Heck no!"

List of Feeds

Here is a list of a few of my favorite blogs that others might want to add to Google Reader. Not everyone likes the same blogs, so these are blogs I like, you might not like them at all, you can use a Google blog search to find ones that you like, something you find relevant to your work, adult services and personal interest.

USA Today Top Tech Stories - rssfeeds.usatoday.com/usatoday-TechTopStories
Tame the Web: Libraries and Technology - www.tametheweb.com/iblog/B143020931/rss.xml
The Shifted Librarian - www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/rss.xml
Pew Research Organization - http://feeds.feedburner.com/pewresearch/all
Library Link of the Day - http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/
Librarian in Black - http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/
I Cringely the Pulpit-PBS - http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/

Bob T.

Patron Questions about the Mac's

As we met yesterday, it occurred to me that this might be a good place to address questions staff receive about the Macs. Both the regular computers which are running Windows, and the iMacs that patrons can use.

What questions have you received since the Macs arrived at your branch?