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Google Maps and Library Collections
17 years ago
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wolfram Alpha... and other searches
The big tech/library news lately, it seems, has been asking one basic question: Can anyone beat Google?
My answer: Nope... wait, should I have sugar-coated that one? I'm just confused about why anyone would try, let alone claim that it has been done!
Until you can give the public a search engine that works as well, that builds a niche as well, that fulfills a need as well, you are not going to upset Google.
The latest to try, Wolfram Alpha, is an interesting concept and a nice try, though, ultimately, it does not live up to all the hype. Google gives you everything you could possibly need/want/never want in a link providing search. Wolfram Alpha, on the other hand, sets out to interpret the data and give you only the information you need - often creating a page that never existed before you did the search.
This is great when you have a calculation to make or need some background information. However, I share Farhad Manjoo's concern that Wolfram Alpha is too bug-laden and too narrowly defined to work well as a Google replacement. Some searches work well - like my birthday search (who knew I was born during a full moon?) - but too many others - like my search for the closest QFC to Northwest University - fail.
What does this mean for Librarians?
~ Yet another tool in our arsenal! Though some of the random searches I did failed, I am very refreshed by the ones that worked. The first thing I thought of when I saw its interface was how similar it was to an encyclopedia or a world fact book. If you are looking for specific, concrete data, this is where you should go - hands down. Like Wikipedia, it would be a great electronic resource to use in identifying search terms, figuring out general statistics, or planning a research survey.
My answer: Nope... wait, should I have sugar-coated that one? I'm just confused about why anyone would try, let alone claim that it has been done!
Until you can give the public a search engine that works as well, that builds a niche as well, that fulfills a need as well, you are not going to upset Google.
The latest to try, Wolfram Alpha, is an interesting concept and a nice try, though, ultimately, it does not live up to all the hype. Google gives you everything you could possibly need/want/never want in a link providing search. Wolfram Alpha, on the other hand, sets out to interpret the data and give you only the information you need - often creating a page that never existed before you did the search.
This is great when you have a calculation to make or need some background information. However, I share Farhad Manjoo's concern that Wolfram Alpha is too bug-laden and too narrowly defined to work well as a Google replacement. Some searches work well - like my birthday search (who knew I was born during a full moon?) - but too many others - like my search for the closest QFC to Northwest University - fail.
What does this mean for Librarians?
~ Yet another tool in our arsenal! Though some of the random searches I did failed, I am very refreshed by the ones that worked. The first thing I thought of when I saw its interface was how similar it was to an encyclopedia or a world fact book. If you are looking for specific, concrete data, this is where you should go - hands down. Like Wikipedia, it would be a great electronic resource to use in identifying search terms, figuring out general statistics, or planning a research survey.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Cleaning out my Bookmarks
Anyone who has seen my work computer knows how clean and tidy I keep it. I have very few shortcuts, everything is in thematic rows, and that is the way I like it.
However... I have a very dark secret. There is one part of my computer that gets messier by the day - my Firefox toolbar. Anytime I come across an article or site that I want to come back to, I just dump it in that friendly spot... so much so that it overflows into a drop down menu that takes the whole length of my screen.
My personal bookmarks are organized well at home - in tidy folders in my favorites menu, but work is a different story.
What do you use? Delicious does not really fit the bill, and CiteULike is for reference work. Any thoughts?
RESOLVED: To clean out my taskbar... next week! Good plan!
However... I have a very dark secret. There is one part of my computer that gets messier by the day - my Firefox toolbar. Anytime I come across an article or site that I want to come back to, I just dump it in that friendly spot... so much so that it overflows into a drop down menu that takes the whole length of my screen.
My personal bookmarks are organized well at home - in tidy folders in my favorites menu, but work is a different story.
What do you use? Delicious does not really fit the bill, and CiteULike is for reference work. Any thoughts?
RESOLVED: To clean out my taskbar... next week! Good plan!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Teaching How to Get the Information
The next article in the "Future of Reading" series, from the New York Times, is out and it is even more applicable than the last: The Digital Librarian.
What role will librarians have in the technological-centered library? That is a question many people, especially people like me, who are just starting out in this field, keep asking ourselves.
The whole article is worth a look, but there are two main points that I am going to take away from it:
1) Librarians have to be the technology pioneers - the first to use, experiment, and learn.
2) Teaching the Internet (including copyright, site evaluation, databases, etc) is one of our most important jobs.
The Librarian is no longer just the gatekeeper of the books (though we have not been just that for a long time), but a tool to guide patrons through the maze of available resources - finding, evaluating, and using book-based and web-based resources.
What role will librarians have in the technological-centered library? That is a question many people, especially people like me, who are just starting out in this field, keep asking ourselves.
The whole article is worth a look, but there are two main points that I am going to take away from it:
1) Librarians have to be the technology pioneers - the first to use, experiment, and learn.
2) Teaching the Internet (including copyright, site evaluation, databases, etc) is one of our most important jobs.
The Librarian is no longer just the gatekeeper of the books (though we have not been just that for a long time), but a tool to guide patrons through the maze of available resources - finding, evaluating, and using book-based and web-based resources.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Have you Heard of This Thing Called Google?
This comes from my favorite Technology Blog - Pogues Post.
I think that letmegooglethatforyou.com would be a big help to the lazy students who seem to think it is easier to have you do their work than to do it themselves... alright, so I would never use it, but it sure sounds like it would be fun! Good for a laugh, at the very least.
Type in your favorite question: mine today was "When was typhoid discovered?" And they get the answer and scolded at the same time... because really, was that so hard?
I think that letmegooglethatforyou.com would be a big help to the lazy students who seem to think it is easier to have you do their work than to do it themselves... alright, so I would never use it, but it sure sounds like it would be fun! Good for a laugh, at the very least.
Type in your favorite question: mine today was "When was typhoid discovered?" And they get the answer and scolded at the same time... because really, was that so hard?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Uhh... can we institute this?
I saw this article on the blog Bibliophile Bullpen:
"Unreturned Library Book Leads to Woman's Arrest"
Now... the author of the blog seems to think that there is something wrong with this. I honestly don't see it - I think this should be implemented at NU.
Please, pretty please?
"Unreturned Library Book Leads to Woman's Arrest"
Now... the author of the blog seems to think that there is something wrong with this. I honestly don't see it - I think this should be implemented at NU.
Please, pretty please?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Google Blog: Libraries
The most recent Google Blog Post was about libraries and how they are incorporating Google Apps into their searching.
The part about how Illinois State Library has created a searchable course information search was of particular interest. It reminded me of our syllabus project (a project that I still think is a brilliant idea and something that I have not seen before) - if they were more searchable, would more people use them?
The part about how Illinois State Library has created a searchable course information search was of particular interest. It reminded me of our syllabus project (a project that I still think is a brilliant idea and something that I have not seen before) - if they were more searchable, would more people use them?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tweeting
I've never Tweeted before. Never. I really don't get it - and that is coming from someone who successfully downloaded the Windows 7 beta (yeah, it really has nothing to do with tweeting, but I am just so proud of myself!).
However, I just read a blog entry from Collections 2.0 called "Talking or Listening," and I am convinced that I have to finally give in.
In this entry, Steven Harris suggests many different ways Twitter can be an asset to a Library. Personally, one idea stuck out - Twittering the new books we have added to our collection! Something like that would be an easy way to remind our loyal patrons that we are here.
As he is quick and correct to point out, the goal of a library is to get the patrons engaged in a conversation with us. This is not something Twitter can do. Twitter seems more a way to remind people that we are here to talk. The next step of actually coming in is up to them.
But again, I have never Twittered. My goal for the month is to get an account and see what all the fuss is all about so I can judge it more fairly. Maybe, like Steven, my skepticism will change to adoration.
**** UPDATE: Username is HeatherVM - follow me, I have no followers!!!****
However, I just read a blog entry from Collections 2.0 called "Talking or Listening," and I am convinced that I have to finally give in.
In this entry, Steven Harris suggests many different ways Twitter can be an asset to a Library. Personally, one idea stuck out - Twittering the new books we have added to our collection! Something like that would be an easy way to remind our loyal patrons that we are here.
As he is quick and correct to point out, the goal of a library is to get the patrons engaged in a conversation with us. This is not something Twitter can do. Twitter seems more a way to remind people that we are here to talk. The next step of actually coming in is up to them.
But again, I have never Twittered. My goal for the month is to get an account and see what all the fuss is all about so I can judge it more fairly. Maybe, like Steven, my skepticism will change to adoration.
**** UPDATE: Username is HeatherVM - follow me, I have no followers!!!****
Creating a Customer Focused Library
I've had this file sitting on my desk top for a long time, and tonight I got around to reading it. It is a slide show/presentation, called "Best Practices for the Customer-Focused Library" and created by the Metropolitan Library System (Chicago).
Most of the reading was not really applicable to us, meaning that we are not a massive public library system in an urban area (go figure), but one thing did strike me:
"Patrons are utilizing the library as meeting and study space, not just for items, computers or services. Allotting space for study and socializing needs is important when creating an overall atmosphere of service. Patrons using the building are easier to convert to users of library services than those who do not enter."
Even small academic libraries need public space to bring the people in - then, only after they are here, we hook them with books!
This is something that the Hurst Library has mentioned in every single musing about a new library. This seems like old news to us - go team!
Most of the reading was not really applicable to us, meaning that we are not a massive public library system in an urban area (go figure), but one thing did strike me:
"Patrons are utilizing the library as meeting and study space, not just for items, computers or services. Allotting space for study and socializing needs is important when creating an overall atmosphere of service. Patrons using the building are easier to convert to users of library services than those who do not enter."
Even small academic libraries need public space to bring the people in - then, only after they are here, we hook them with books!
This is something that the Hurst Library has mentioned in every single musing about a new library. This seems like old news to us - go team!
New Uses for Kindle
I have been skeptical about the Kindle and other such electronic-book-reading-gizmos, but this article does bring up an interesting new usage: searchable text. In the posting, "A Kindle Trick Changes the Reading Experience," the author uses the search to locate an overused phrase in the book he was reading.
I wonder how/if this will affect the publishing world... if all text is searchable, then you have to be even more careful of what you say. Is this a positive advancement or a step in the wrong direction (to a continually commercialized literary experience)? That I don't know.
As one commenter suggests, it is like a Biblical Concordance but for every book. What would this mean for literature classes?
Honestly, as one may suppose, I have been a long-term supporter of the tactile sensation of a book and the entire reading experience; however, I am intrigued about the potential meaning of the Kindle. This would be a handy function for textbooks, among other things.
I wonder how/if this will affect the publishing world... if all text is searchable, then you have to be even more careful of what you say. Is this a positive advancement or a step in the wrong direction (to a continually commercialized literary experience)? That I don't know. As one commenter suggests, it is like a Biblical Concordance but for every book. What would this mean for literature classes?
Honestly, as one may suppose, I have been a long-term supporter of the tactile sensation of a book and the entire reading experience; however, I am intrigued about the potential meaning of the Kindle. This would be a handy function for textbooks, among other things.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Libraries and Flickr
Flickr is something that we have talked about often, and it a program that I know little about - though I have uploaded some photos, I have yet to figure out any special features or cool tricks.
The New York Library has posted a thousand photos in the Flickr Commons and, in doing so, has significantly increased the availability of their resources.
And how beautiful they are! The NY Public Library thinks of this as "a sort of appetizer course, a sampler of collections accessible in greater breadth and depth on the NYPL Digital Gallery, and on-site in our network of libraries." There is really no greater tool at the disposal of libraries in the displaying and publicizing of their photographs.
I think that Christa is correct here: What about our little collection downstairs? No one ever takes a look at those pictures and, let's face it, we do not have the resources to preserve them for the long haul. But, if we were to digitize them and make them public some how (either with Flickr or a program on our website), we will have made them instantly usable.
By making these things available, libraries are able to reach that wider audience that we are always striving for!
The New York Library has posted a thousand photos in the Flickr Commons and, in doing so, has significantly increased the availability of their resources.
And how beautiful they are! The NY Public Library thinks of this as "a sort of appetizer course, a sampler of collections accessible in greater breadth and depth on the NYPL Digital Gallery, and on-site in our network of libraries." There is really no greater tool at the disposal of libraries in the displaying and publicizing of their photographs.
I think that Christa is correct here: What about our little collection downstairs? No one ever takes a look at those pictures and, let's face it, we do not have the resources to preserve them for the long haul. But, if we were to digitize them and make them public some how (either with Flickr or a program on our website), we will have made them instantly usable.
By making these things available, libraries are able to reach that wider audience that we are always striving for!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Library Imagination from Years Past
I follow a blog, called Modern Mechanix, which scans all of these amazing old advertisements, the more quarky and unique, the better. Today's addition is one that caught my attention.
I wonder if someday all of our forward looking and predicting will look as silly. To be honest, I hope so! That means we were actually making an effort and keeping our eyes to the future - never content with the status quo.
**** Update 12/2/08: Here is the BoingBoing Blog post about the same thing! ****
Cool Libraries of the Future
This is pretty... uh... interesting. Check out the plans for the Goucher College Library.
Treadmills in the library? I supposed that it is not a bad idea because one of the most important parts of mental retention is to exercise - get the blood flowing. The logistics would be a nightmare - electricity, noise control, and how do you prevent someone from sweating all over the books? Though, I always go to the gym with a magazine - is that really so different?
Treadmills in the library? I supposed that it is not a bad idea because one of the most important parts of mental retention is to exercise - get the blood flowing. The logistics would be a nightmare - electricity, noise control, and how do you prevent someone from sweating all over the books? Though, I always go to the gym with a magazine - is that really so different?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Reference Extract
Now, I am sure most of you saw this on iLibrarian, but I think it is an amazing idea!!! I'm talking about the Reference Extract project which is attempting to make a search engine as good as Google in finding items but one which weights the results as a librarian would.
A while back, I wrote about an article regarding Human Power Searching. I quoted the author as saying "You cannot persuade people to break their Google habit until your searches are better than Google for most cases (not just the few cases where you specialize)." I think that this is the first effort that has the possibility to succeed in this endeavor. I am really excited to hear more about this project and monitor its progress.
A while back, I wrote about an article regarding Human Power Searching. I quoted the author as saying "You cannot persuade people to break their Google habit until your searches are better than Google for most cases (not just the few cases where you specialize)." I think that this is the first effort that has the possibility to succeed in this endeavor. I am really excited to hear more about this project and monitor its progress.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Jay Walker's Library
A big thanks to Gina for posting the "Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library" article.
I have not stopped drooling over those photographs of Jay Walker's personal library and I find myself coming back to them, over and over again! The photographs reminded me strongly of the old curiosity museums which were jammed full of unique objets and revolting specimens. In addition to being wooed by the view, I loved his book philosophy! To him, book's impact is most important and that is why he only selects books that revolutionized knowledge in some way. Now that is an interesting way to direct one's book collecting, and lends itself well into creating a space full of imagination and intrigue.
Can you imagine spending a couple of hours exploring that place? What I wouldn't give!
I have not stopped drooling over those photographs of Jay Walker's personal library and I find myself coming back to them, over and over again! The photographs reminded me strongly of the old curiosity museums which were jammed full of unique objets and revolting specimens. In addition to being wooed by the view, I loved his book philosophy! To him, book's impact is most important and that is why he only selects books that revolutionized knowledge in some way. Now that is an interesting way to direct one's book collecting, and lends itself well into creating a space full of imagination and intrigue.
Can you imagine spending a couple of hours exploring that place? What I wouldn't give!
Encyclopedia of Life
I found this article rather interesting: "An Interview with E.O. Wilson, the Father of the Encyclopedia of Life." This is exactly what libraries are trying to do in digitizing their information. It seems to me that there is something to be said about the mission to make all information available to all people at all times. That is what the Encyclopedia of Life is attempting to do - catalogue all types of life on Earth into one mega resource! Not only is this a great jumping-off point for libraries, but it is an example (or it will be) of how we can start to combine our digital resources with that of other libraries.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Computer Tricks, part deux
Here is another article in line with the computer tricks one I posted a few days ago. In this article, "The 18 Things You Need for Your Computer," Farhad Manjoo examines his most used computer apps and talks about why they are important. This article, besides confirming some of my habits (Google Reader has saved me hours already in the month I have been using it) and giving me some new ideas (Picasa and Mint, to name a few), does offer some brilliant time saving applications that are useful when venturing into the 1.0 and 2.0 web worlds.
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