NCCPL Tech Group

Zotero Automatic Proxy Management

2011-11-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Patrons might find it helpful to set up the Firefox Add-On Zotero for proxy redirection; after a very quick setup including a first visit to your site, they can access library database content from anywhere on the web.

This allows for more fluid discovery; they may stumble upon great content on the web and this allows the browser to identify sites for which the library can allow them full access. Patrons are still directed to their proxy server login page so they get a clear sense of how they are getting to the content. After setup, they can also go back to turn settings off.

I have found this very helpful for accessing The Chronicle of Higher Ed's premium content from home. After I linked to it through my library's site, I just typed in the URL directly (no proxying) ...
Check out more information at http://www.zotero.org/support/proxies .

Note: This add-on works for Firefox. There is a standalone beta version of Zotero for those of you who don't use Firefox but a Chronicle of Higher Ed review from August 2011 states that the redirection isn't a feature of the standalone just yet.

QR Codes in Libraries

2011-11-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

You see them in stores and on marketing materials, but QR codes are also making their way into libraries. QR codes are an interesting way to engage patrons. The codes allow patrons to use their smart phones to get more information from anywhere in the library by scanning a square shaped code as above. They make the library more interactive and a space for discovery. For basic information and library examples, check out this wiki.

The cool thing is that you can use an online tool to create one yourself. One code creator is QR Stuff. Just paste the URL in, copy the code, and you are set.

Patrons can look for a free smart phone app for their device using keywords like 'qr code reader' or 'qr code scanner.'

Where to start? We are going to start with a 'how to renew items' QR code somewhere around the circulation desk. We will be using it as a test to see if we want to roll out more. From there, the possibilities are endless.

Hastac.org - technology/learning collaboratory

2011-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hastac.org is a place for creative educators using technology to meet, discuss and share what they are working on. Really interesting stuff and well worth a visit.

Email Alerts for Google Scholar

2010-08-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to point out the search alerts from Google Scholar. I am interested in encouraging more faculty to use search alerts in library and open Web resources. Are there any other search alerts you use for your own work or to suggest to patrons?

Does your library twitter?

2010-07-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

We have been experimenting with Twitter, but I am curious to know if others of you have been using it in some way for your library.

Learning Tools on the Web

2010-05-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies put together an excellent list of learning tools in the following categories:

1 Instructional tools
Tools for creating, delivering, managing and/or tracking learning and/or providing a formal social learning environment.

Includes course authoring, testing, LMS, CMS and SLEs

2 Live tools

Tools for delivering live meetings, screen sharing and accessing/ building virtual worlds

Includes web, audio, video conferencing, live broadcasting, 3D/virtual worlds
3 Document and presentation tools

Tools to create, host and/or share documents, PDFs, e-Books and/or presentations.
Includes word processing, presentation tools, PDF convertors, document and presentation hosting sites

4 Blogging, web and wiki tools

Tools to create blogs, web pages/sites and wikis as well as provide interactivity on those sites
Includes blogging tools, web site tools, wikis, widgets, RSS feeds tools, forms, web poll and survey sites
5 Image, audio and video tools

Tools to create, edit and/or host images, avatars, audio files, podcasts, screencasts and videos

Includes image editors, images hosting sites, audio editors, video makers, screencasting tools, video hosting sites

6 Communication tools

Tools for a range of synchronous and asynchronous communication activities

Includes email, voice/video messaging, instant messaging, chat rooms, discussion forums

7 Micro-blogging tools and Twitter Apps

These tools are for real-time updating (140 characters at a time) both publically or privately, as well as a range of useful Twitter apps

Includes micro-blogging, back channel tools, and Twitter apps
8 More collaboration tools

These are (further) stand-alone tools suitable for individuals to work and learn more effectively with others - as well as on their own

Includes social bookmarking, calendar sharing, mind mapping, note-taking/sharing, whiteboards, research and other tools
9 Social networking and collaboration spaces

These social media platforms include public social networks as well as tools to create private collaborative, social spaces for groups or communities, as well as enterprise collaboration systems (with multiple group sites)

Includes public social networks, networking and community platforms, group spaces, Enterprise 2.0 systems

10 Personal productivity tools

These tools are for an individual's personal working, learning and/or productivity purposes.

Includes mind mapping, information and time management tools, web search, and other productivity tools

11 Browsers, Players, Readers & Start Pages

These tools are useful for browsing the web and accessing web content

Includes browsers, extensions, plugins, bookmarklets, toolbars, readers and players, online start pages

12 Mobile tools
These mobile tools are for working, learning and/or productivity purposes.

-From the Site

Okay, so I sort of did something...

2010-04-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

I bought two Kindles (one DX, one regular) for preloading content and circulating. Also, I'm sort of experimenting with something else -- cheap netbooks with preloaded content (library tutorials, bookmarked pages, etc.). I'm going to theme both types of technologies -- for Kindles, perhaps one will be psychotherapy and diversity, the second mythology and religious studies. Also, the netbooks will be themed to start -- general research, advanced research, copyright, course development (for faculty only). I have to get IT on board for the netbooks, which has been tricky as they're short staffed. Basically the netbooks have to be reset-able so that when they are returned we can wipe out anything that may have been downloaded; setting restore points, perhaps? Not sure, still working on it.

Will add a Sony ereader if the Kindles do well and may add cheap mp3s loaded with faculty lectures. There will be release forms/agreements that patrons will have to sign for all tech checkouts. Basically a catch all for each type of technology that explicitly states how expensive replacement costs are. Working on that too.

Thoughts?

Applied EZProxy

2010-02-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

I am curious to know if any of the NCCPL libraries have implemented EZProxy in an interesting way. We use it to log into our databases at this point. We are very happy that the process of adding users to the user list is nearly all automated. The features I am curious about are setting up groups of users for specific access and providing authenticated access to documents that don't reside in a resource/database. Just feels like, even as simple as EZProxy is, there might be more that we can do with it.

Prezi.com

2010-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

At our last meeting, I shared one of my new favorite tools: Prezi.com. It is an amazing animated presentation tool that really raises the bar for the presentation experience. You can integrate text, video, and images in a very visual format. There are some academic account options for students and faculty that make this very accessible. The academic account options seem to be based on a .edu email account--I was set up without a hitch.

Okay, I'll throw it out there...

2009-10-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

Who wants to talk about format migration of tapes, the creation of online audio libraries and cross-institution searching of said libraries within NCCPL?

Twitter as "Global Mind"

2009-09-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Twitter is certainly an interesting phenomenon and seems to be growing with an increase in non-teen users. I think with increased use of the Web using mobile devices we will see more of this. Tweets can be, among other things, conversations that are happening in the Cloud. You can follow or be followed as a part of the means of conversation. But you can also see what is happening out there in the global mind. Monitter is one way you can see tweets based on search terms. Really interesting stuff. I look forward to see how these resources develop.

Twitter vs. Facebook Lite

2009-09-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

We have been following the evolution of Twitter. It seems to be hot right now. Facebook has developed a simplified interface called Facebook Lite which seems to be compared with Twitter. We will see how these two resources develop. I know that our ITP students are very active on Facebook, but have yet to see what role Twitter will play in our community communication.

Get Your Geek On...

2009-08-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Join ITP, Saybrook and Pacifica at the Information Literacy Google Site, where the three institutions are slaving away (well, sort of) on IL collaboration. Each institution is designing and/or improving their information literacy programs using Google Sites as a collaborative work space. Join us for ongoing IL development, or just to see a good example of how to use Google Sites for project management/teamwork. ...Or, just because you want to electronically loiter at our digital hangout. Send Erin the Librarian an email if you'd like an invitation to join! All are welcome.

Bing.com

2009-07-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Beautiful interface for this new search engine--an photo image takes up most of the screen, with little fact mouse-overs and links related to the image. The exploring metaphor has been taken many ways.
It can be added to your search bar in Firefox--very happy about that. I will have to play with it some more.

Wolfram Alpha

2009-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

I briefly looked at Wolfram Alpha. It is a search engine which focuses on computing and what is computable--even decifering family relationships (look under the Genealogy section for examples).
Elegant to look at, and with my search of San Francisco, I have a very nice page of results. I will have to look at it some more.
Has anyone tried it in depth?

Top Tech Trends at ALA 2009

2009-07-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I went to ALA this year in Chicago--great town, great conference. I went to the Top Tech Trends Panel. It is by far easier to read the sum up from Library Journal. Nothing that surprising but I imagine it is hard to be up there and make predictions. A bit of talk about trending toward mobile devices and to open source/access. It is clear that the debate about the economics of information won't end here however.

Mobile Fever

2009-07-10T14:15:00.001-07:00

Two folks at Pacifica (including yours truly) are concocting a hair-brained scheme to create mobile campus apps. We are initially looking at this company for the coding behind our ideas (we're not entirely sure what's possible yet or how much it will cost...). So far, we have:

Campus Maps with GPS
Campus Alerts
Mobile Records/Billing
Campus Events
Video: Pacifica's YouTube Channel streamed directly
...and, jokingly, a suggestion/complaint app called iNeed...haha

We're not sure if any of this will fly, but we're plotting! Anybody else thinking of doing this kind of thing?

addenda from Geek Nirvana meeting 6/2009 - RefShare

2009-07-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

RefWorks has added the option to share accounts, via their RefShare app. There are many options for setting this up; including:

- only one person creates records but multiple people can see records in the database (and copy them to their own personal RefWorks accounts); or
- multiple people can create records, and all can modify records; or
- multiple people can post records but one person acts as a gatekeeper to 'approve' records for posting;

and variations in between. We will be setting up the last-mentioned version of this for one of our faculty who wants a structure for students to contribute to an annotated bibliography project.

Access is via a durable URL, and there's similar flexibility (you can have its URL reside behind a proxy authenticator, for example, or simply post a link to that URL).

If you would like to see what this looks like, I've put records for many of the readings used or under consideration for my information literacy course up in a RefShare database. (Most of these came from my personal RefWorks account, so I didn't need to enter much data directly.) The durable URL is a pain to type out, so I used TinyURL to get a manageable one - use http://tinyurl.com/refclass .

Notes from the Summer 2009 Meeting

2009-06-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

NCCPL Tech Group@St. Mary’s in Moraga
Theme: Geek Nirvana
Meeting Notes
6/18/2009

These are brief notes. Please feel free to blog or comment about any of the topics. Thanks again to all attendees. It was an energizing meeting.

Google Desktop
--Great tool for searching Outlook email on site
--Looks like it doesn’t search all drives*
--wish it would search web-based email

GetDropbox.com - large file delivery services
-- full text dissertations
-- some patrons have dial-up, security concerns
--syncing –use files at home
--won’t slow down connection
--Collaboration –share a folder of files

Etherpad – multiple people can edit at the same time
--Like dropbox
--Looks ancient

Google Wave –New web-based software
Interactive files - beta

Also for File upload
--fugu.com – for working with files
--Lycos—link to file/zipped

Ebsco
--copyright/good for e-reserves – shared folders in Ebsco; invited to folder rather than send out file; hard to train faculty?
--requiring faculty take crash course on copyright / have to prove they passed course
--Docutek for Reserves – has the necessary features / solves problem of non-Ebsco

IM/Chat/Text
--texting-student staff are using more and more; for staff ; for IT
--Survey of what tech students use is helpful

Reference demos
VC – virtual computer; having to install
Co-browsing - dimdim or twidla – shared whiteboarding

E-BOOKS
--often use in pieces
--some read cover to cover/not all the time
--quick reference
--some materials won’t be published in e-books
--Deliver ebooks through netlibrary/ebrary
--Kindle
--Sony reader
--iPhone reader apps
--Embargo to psycbooks – now have 2008 titles
--e-ink – flexible dynamic electronic reading surface is coming
--“database” constantly updated may be better
--loaded computer
--circing kindles—controversial
--This area of tech needs work
--APA Publication Manual – differences? Wouldn’t it be better to have e-book or electronic format?

Lockss – mostly John Hopkins
--Archived journals can then be harvested for another library
--Must know location for any file
--Safeguarding your data/backup what is okay to backup
--Mirror servers get data back/catastrophic event
--Clockss – Publisher-created solution

iPhone apps
--worldcat – worldcat.org/m
--snaptell – picture / compares consumer site
-- Google – voice search
-- GPS
--test logging in
--twitter
--via facebook

Wolfram Alpha – Janus
-- Can search deep web – hasn’t been realized yet

Google sites
--collaboration
--support

Also mentioned:
Meebo
Panic button
Refworks – Refshare – others can look at URL

Pacifica's Facebook Policy

2009-06-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone -- based on our discussion regarding libraries and Facebook at the most recent tech meeting, I've been asked to post our FB policy for staff/students. Here you go!

Facebook Policy

Safety Button for iPhone

2009-06-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

A few of the attendees of the June 18, 2009 NCCPL Tech Group meeting were interested in an iPhone app I mentioned -- Safety Button.

The reviews in the App Store are not overwhelming -- not boo nor yay nor meh. Interestingly, one reviewer tested it, and found that it worked.

It is $2.99, which is not as good as free, but might be worth it to you. I have yet to decide whether I want to invest in it.

I noticed that there is another app called Panic Alarm that works slightly differently, but is $.99. The app has no reviews for the current version.

EdITLib Database

2009-06-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Education & Information Technology Digital Library (EdITLib) is an interesting professional development resource for librarians and educators with a focus on educational technology. Searching the journal, book, and proceedings collection and viewing abstracts is free; full text content is available for an annual fee with individual and institutional options.

Pacifica Goes Open Source

2009-05-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we're taking the plunge. We're dumping our old ball-and-chain ILS and proposing to Koha. I will be blogging and tweeting (Twitter) our migration to this new, library system: our mistakes, our victories and the little things we wish we knew before we got started. Learn from our great decisions and blunders. You can find it here:

Blog:
http://kohamigration.blogspot.com

Twitter ID:
ilsmigration

Wish us luck!

Signs of Intelligent Life

2009-05-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a decent article: 70 Signs of Intelligent Life on YouTube. With a nifty listing of academic, YouTube channels featuring lectures by esteemed faculty on a variety of subjects.

Cloud Computing--What is it?

2009-04-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

World Digital Library

2009-04-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

On April 21, the World Digital Library (WDL) was officially launched with 34 institutions and Google.

http://www.wdl.org/en/

About the Project
http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2005/05-250.html

Higher Ed YouTube

2009-04-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

CARL-IT North blogged about the new YouTube EDU site which brings together extensive video content from a large collection of academic institutions: Stanford, MIT, Darthmouth and more. We have had a lot of interest at ITP lately in streaming video content and so I will be sharing this information with various constituencies.

Fun with Free Stuff

2009-03-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love free? Who doesn't love free services that help you manage work and time? Erin the Librarian recommends the following (FREE!) apps that can save a ton of time:

Dropbox - sync files/folders between computers or online (no more swapping your thumb drive between work and home)
Google Sites - create collaboration spaces that are public or private; project or resource management
Zotero - Firefox extension that helps organize and cite resources
BibMe - search for books or journals, create bibliographies in virtually any format (APA, MLA, etc.). Save them online or as RTF to your computer
DimDim - online presentation/meeting space with co-browsing, shared whiteboard, conference calling, etc., all within your browser
Twiddla - online meeting space, with conference calling and shared whiteboard, all within your browser
SlideRocket - create and publish online presentations
TokBox - video chat and video mail
LovelyCharts - create org. charts, mind maps, floor plans, etc. Save them online, or export them as image files
Remember the Milk - create online to-do lists, manage deadlines

Oh, there are lots more, but this should get you started. Stuck on how to use one (or some) of these? Contact Erin the Librarian at Pacifica, and she'll help you out (for FREE!) ;)

2.0 Directory

2009-03-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

I found this directory the other day which links to all the Web 2.0 sites out there. Go2Web20.net is great for awareness--just mouse over the logo of each site for quick sense of what it is--and might have some great library uses. The site is now set up with various categories.
If you discover a 2.0 site you like and find useful, please do share it with us.

Horizon Report from Educause

2009-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Horizon Report is an Educause-created document about technologies that will affect education.

From the abstract for the 2009 report:

The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years.
The areas of emerging technology cited for 2009 are:
• Mobiles (i.e., mobile devices)
• Cloud computing
• Geo-everything (i.e., geo-tagging)
• The personal web
• Semantic-aware applications
• Smart objects
Each section of the report provides live Web links to examples and additional readings.

Educause Western 2009

2009-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Educause Western Regional Conferenc e is taking place in April 2009 right here in San Francisco. Today is the last day for early registration.

Direct from the site:

The theme, “Finding Common Ground Among Shifting Technologies and Expectations,” sets the tone for exploration of shared challenges and the possibility of shared solutions. Although we come from different backgrounds (institution size, funding model, Carnegie class), we face very similar technological issues and opportunities. Likewise, we share the same goal of providing excellent service to our faculty, staff, and students in order to provide optimal teaching and learning opportunities. This conference provides a golden opportunity for outreach and collaboration.

Anyone going to go?

Surveys over the Web

2009-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Surveymonkey.com makes it easy to deliver surveys over the web. It is free if you want to do small scale surveys - 10 questions, 100 people surveyed, but even the fee-based options are workable. It might be something to check out for library related information collection, or for helping patrons conducting research.

Positively Productive, Project-wise

2009-03-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

Tired of project management that requires multiple meetings and 50,000 accompanying emails with 10,000 attachments? Wish you had version control on your materials so you could figure out which is the most recent document? Try Google Sites, a free password-protected or public arena that can be used for dynamic project management either on your own or collaboratively with a group, department, office, herd, flock, gaggle, what-have-you. Integrate documents, presentations, calendars, spreadsheets, video or any number of helpful gadgets. Create a productive space for you and/or your colleagues; save time, get clarity, make progress. Not sure how to get started? Contact Erin the Librarian at Pacifica, she can help you out.

Data Visualization: Wordle

2009-01-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

I find data visualization really interesting lately--tech tools can really take it much further than charts and graphs. One such tool is Wordle. It allows you to use a URL or copied text to create a poetic and beautiful word cloud. It is a simple idea in the world of data visualization, but it looks so sophisticated. If you try it, be sure to try the Randomize feature. I discovered it was listed as as special mention on the "5 Best Data Visualization Projects of the Year" post on the FlowingData site. I am looking for more tools out there that our patrons can try out and use for expressing their research data. Have you tried any tools that you would like to share?

Social Networks!

2009-01-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

Erik Qualman of Search Engine Watch talks about Web business trends in Will Social Networks Become the New Inbox? part 1 and part 2.
Social networks like Facebook and quick informal communication like IM are becoming prime means of communication.

"Kids today prefer one to many communication; e-mail to them is antiquated," said Bill Tancer, Hitwise general manager, global research.

Because people are updating their status, "I'm depressed," "Got a new job," it's much easier to read this and stay connected than to send a series of e-mails asking, "How are you doing?" or "What are you up to?" In a sign of the times ahead, for the Class of 2013, and for the first time since e-mail was invented, Boston College will not be giving out johnsmith@bc.edu e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen.

Part two of the column confirms that developing relationships with customers (or patrons) is always going to be the best approach for success and sustainability.

Good businesses realize that it's not all about the instant win of getting someone into a database. Rather it is cultivated that relationship via social media, and if done correctly you will have a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

LITA Publications

2009-01-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

After ignoring Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), one of the LITA publications, for years as too boring, I looked at the most recent issue and found it really useful. And it turns out that issues (2 issue embargo for non-members) are full text online. Worth a look.

File Delivery

2009-01-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

There are several sources that help anyone deliver large documents over the Web. I blogged about it for the ITP Library Blog.
After posting the post, I needed to send a file to a student who couldn't receive the file otherwise. So I tried Sendthisfile.com and found it very workable.
Anyone else have a favorite?

Electronic Resources and Libraries Conference

2008-12-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

This is the conference mentioned at our December meeting. According to the site, Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L) "provides a forum for information professionals to explore ideas, trends, and technologies related to electronic resources and digital services." Sounds like fun. The next one is to be held at UCLA in February of 2009.

NextSpace from OCLC

2008-12-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

NextSpace, a magazine produced by OCLC, is worth browsing. The current issue is about Web 2.0 trends and other interesting topics.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

2008-12-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

NCCPL Libraries use the following LMS:

ITP - Angel Learning System
Saybrook - eLearning through Spectrum
Saint Mary's - Blackboard
PGSP - Docutek

Keeping up with LITA

2008-11-03T16:21:00.001-08:00

LITA, the Library and Information Technology Association, publishes their own blog with developments from the field. Couldn't hurt to check there every once in a while, right?

Web 2.0 Challenge

2008-11-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

Want to be savvy? Challenge yourself to learn all the latest in Web 2.0. Web 2.0 basically consists of the social and interative features you can now use on the Web and that our patrons seem to adore.
Several library sites have set up their own Web 2.0 learning challenge (calling it Learning 2.0, 23 things, or whatever) to inspire everyone in the library world to get up to speed with the latest tools on the Web. And it is actually fun.
I am a big fan of Infopeople, who give a lot of workshops and also set up their own 23 things learning challenge. Although the formal challenge has ended, you can still go through each step to learn something new. And now there are more than 23 things, so you can learn even more. Check it out!

Educause 2008

2008-11-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

Educause has posted an ebook to its site, The Tower and the Cloud, which looks at how technology developments are impacting academia.

Cloud computing is another name for Internet-based tech development.

Facebook at NCCPL Schools

2008-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

How prevalent is Facebook use among your students and faculty? Are librarians at your library on Facebook?
I would say that at ITP the numbers of students, staff and faculty on Facebook are fairly small and still reflect the the field's tendency to be less tech-oriented. But I think it is growing. Especially as there are collaborative projects and groups that promote a sense of community that is not geographically dependent.
I wasn't an early adopter on Facebook but joined last year. A few friends found me and I found them. The lovely thing that happened was that many students and faculty at ITP found me! It is proof positive that we are part of their sphere and it was a nice feeling.
There is still the dance between privacy and social connection. I haven't had problems with students or faculty because of this connection. I consider my work fairly public and so I am not so concerned with people knowing who I am and where I work. Not having a secret life, I consider it an extension of my work to go where my patrons are.

Will Google wash my dishes too?

2008-08-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

I know Google has a lot in development. Maybe the custom search engine has been around and I just now discovered it. Nevertheless...
Take the topic you are most passionate about and make a search engine that filters on the terms and sites you want to search. Here is my search engine for Transpersonal Psychology. Check it out!

Favorite Blogs?

2007-08-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumkness/174913502/

What are your favorite blogs for technology or library science? What helps you keep up with new trends?

Ebrary

2007-06-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumkness/174913502/

I was wondering if anybody uses EBRARY electronic books ?

Plagiarism Software Survey

2007-05-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ad4evr/2128607/

Has anyone purchased plagiarism software? If so, what is your impression? Is it worth it?