Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
10 Websites to help you keep up-to-date with Scholarly Journal Contents
1. SciFeeds
Sub-titled ‘Your Life Science Magazine Rack’, which is quite a good explanation, this site lets you view the most recent contents of just over 100 life science journals. You can browse recent issues by subject (e.g. Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, etc), see the most recently updated journal Tables of Contents (TOCs), search the content of TOCs (it’s rather slow), see the most ‘popular’ articles, and if you register, you can do more. There are links to the full text of articles – access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
2. ticTOCs – Journal Tables of Contents
ticTOCs covers all subjects – over 12,500 journal TOCs are included from more than 430 publishers. You can Search for journal titles, view the latest TOC for each journal, link to the full text of around 390,000 articles (where institutional or personal subscription allows), export TOC feeds to popular feedreaders, and select and save (by ticking them) journal titles in order to view future TOCs (You need to Register (free) to ensure your ‘MyTOCs’ are permanently saved). Heriot-Watt University was one of the partners involved in developing this service, which was funded by JISC.
3. CiteULike Current Issues
CiteULike currently has details of over 13,000 journals. You can search or browse for journal titles, and then scan recent articles in these journals. If you know about RSS feeds, you can get a CiteULike feed for each journal TOC. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
4. FeedNavigator
From the University of Helsinki, FeedNavigator downloads medical RSS feeds published by numerous websites and aggregates their content into a single feed, latest news first. This gives access to over 4,000 medical sources, including numerous many Tables of Contents, which are updated continuously. You can also get a list of journals covered. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
5. MyJournals.org
Displays details of the latest articles in issues of over 570 popular science journals. You can also select from various subject areas. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions. There’s also a Twitter feed of new items.
6. Zetoc RSS
Zetoc RSS enables you to set up RSS feeds for journals included in the Zetoc service. You can find over 27,000 journal TOC RSS feeds by journal name or by words or phrases in journal titles. Zetoc includes details of more journals than the other services mentioned above. Zetoc RSS is free to use for members of JISC-sponsored UK higher and further education institutions and research councils. It is also available to all of NHS England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A number of other institutions are eligible to subscribe to Zetoc.
7. My Favorite Journals
You can select journals of interest from over 10,000 titles, and these are then added to ‘My Favorite Journals’, then you can select any of these favourites to view the latest Table of Contents. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
8. jOPML
If you know about RSS and OPML, then you can use this site to get journal Tables of Contents RSS feeds as OPML files, and then, for example, load these into your favourite feedreader. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
9. Ebling Library, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have produced a list of journal feeds by topic consisting of RSS feeds for 3000+ biomedical and health sciences. You can view the latest Table of Contents for each journal.
10. SUNCAT: Serials Union CATalogue for the UK research community includes links to TOCs, where available. The TOCs appear on the SUNCAT search result screen and at the top of the full record display.
Sub-titled ‘Your Life Science Magazine Rack’, which is quite a good explanation, this site lets you view the most recent contents of just over 100 life science journals. You can browse recent issues by subject (e.g. Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, etc), see the most recently updated journal Tables of Contents (TOCs), search the content of TOCs (it’s rather slow), see the most ‘popular’ articles, and if you register, you can do more. There are links to the full text of articles – access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
2. ticTOCs – Journal Tables of Contents
ticTOCs covers all subjects – over 12,500 journal TOCs are included from more than 430 publishers. You can Search for journal titles, view the latest TOC for each journal, link to the full text of around 390,000 articles (where institutional or personal subscription allows), export TOC feeds to popular feedreaders, and select and save (by ticking them) journal titles in order to view future TOCs (You need to Register (free) to ensure your ‘MyTOCs’ are permanently saved). Heriot-Watt University was one of the partners involved in developing this service, which was funded by JISC.
3. CiteULike Current Issues
CiteULike currently has details of over 13,000 journals. You can search or browse for journal titles, and then scan recent articles in these journals. If you know about RSS feeds, you can get a CiteULike feed for each journal TOC. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
4. FeedNavigator
From the University of Helsinki, FeedNavigator downloads medical RSS feeds published by numerous websites and aggregates their content into a single feed, latest news first. This gives access to over 4,000 medical sources, including numerous many Tables of Contents, which are updated continuously. You can also get a list of journals covered. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
5. MyJournals.org
Displays details of the latest articles in issues of over 570 popular science journals. You can also select from various subject areas. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions. There’s also a Twitter feed of new items.
6. Zetoc RSS
Zetoc RSS enables you to set up RSS feeds for journals included in the Zetoc service. You can find over 27,000 journal TOC RSS feeds by journal name or by words or phrases in journal titles. Zetoc includes details of more journals than the other services mentioned above. Zetoc RSS is free to use for members of JISC-sponsored UK higher and further education institutions and research councils. It is also available to all of NHS England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A number of other institutions are eligible to subscribe to Zetoc.
7. My Favorite Journals
You can select journals of interest from over 10,000 titles, and these are then added to ‘My Favorite Journals’, then you can select any of these favourites to view the latest Table of Contents. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
8. jOPML
If you know about RSS and OPML, then you can use this site to get journal Tables of Contents RSS feeds as OPML files, and then, for example, load these into your favourite feedreader. Access to the full text will depend on institutional or personal subscriptions.
9. Ebling Library, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have produced a list of journal feeds by topic consisting of RSS feeds for 3000+ biomedical and health sciences. You can view the latest Table of Contents for each journal.
10. SUNCAT: Serials Union CATalogue for the UK research community includes links to TOCs, where available. The TOCs appear on the SUNCAT search result screen and at the top of the full record display.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Knowledge Managers
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Librarianship as a profession is concerned with storage, organising and maintenance of books, papers and journals. But the modern librarian, instead of merely cataloguing books and journals, has become the nerve centre of intellectual development of a nation. As India moves towards becoming a knowledge-based society with a proliferation of learning and research institutes, the demand and importance of library science is growing rapidly. As a result, job opportunities are on the upswing. With the advent of information technology, the traditional concept is being revised to include new-age tools of information like CDs, Internet, e-libraries etc.“Today, a good librarian must be IT-savvy, a good manager and should be able to read the mind of every member,” says Dr VK Anand, librarian, Panjab University, Chandigarh, who is currently on a visit to Cambridge University to deliver a talk on radio-frequency identification technology (RFID), a tagging system used in modern libraries.
"Someone wanting to take up library science should have a basic knowledge of all major subjects, a methodical approach and organising ability,” says Bipin Kumar, manager, British Library, Chandigarh. “The librarian should arrange information (books, journals, CDs) in such a way that everything should be at the reader’s fingertips,” says Gurpreet Singh, chief librarian of CT Group of Institutions, Jalandhar.A librarian today needs to steer the set-up in a direction where people will want to come and spend their time at the library and leave with a feeling of wanting more. Accomplishing this requires more than a degree. “The qualification will get you through the door, but when we talk to a candidate, we look for that creative spark, lateral thinking,” says Mike Welch, director, young audiences and future leaders programme/customer experience, British Council, New Delhi. The modern library now actively caters to people and their needs — the British Council library has classified its books under two broad categories, ‘Be successful’ and ‘Be inspired’, separating material on management, medicine etc from fashion, films, art etc. This is the kind of innovative approach that a librarian is expected to come up with to draw readers in. Jobs are available in public and government libraries, universities, professional and other academic institutions, news and broadcasting agencies, private libraries and libraries meant for special categories of people. They can also work in museums, galleries, archives, information and documentation centres. Some library technicians are self-employed as researchers, consultants, cataloguers etc on a contract basis. Inputs from Sanchita Guha.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
As information experts, librarians find, collect and organise information, and implement systems that make information easy to access. Librarians have a variety of roles, depending on where they work. A librarian has to ensure that a person gets the relevant information in the minimum time with the least effort. The modern librarian may also devise ways to draw more people into trying out new material, thus becoming a knowledge manager
CLOCK WORK
9.30 am: Reach office
10 am: Meet library staff
11 am: Check e-mail and updates
11.30 am: Respond to any queries
1 pm: Lunch
1.30 pm: Go over list of requisitions
4.30 pm: Inspect the library
5.30 pm: Check the day’s transactions
6.30 pm: Leave work
THE PAYOFF
Entry level: Rs 1 lakh-1.5 lakh per annum
Middle level: Rs 1.8 lakh-Rs 2.4 lakh per annum
Senior level: Rs 3 lakh or more per annumIn
government organisations, salary will depend on the grade and scale.
Skills.
Must be a team player.
Command over infotech.
Good managerial skills.
Ability to analyse readers’ needs.
A knack for listening .
Knowledge of major topics.
How do i get there?
Graduates from any stream can take a Bachelor’s degree in library science, a one-year course. The Master’s degree course in library science is also of one year. There are also diploma and certificate courses. The courses are Bachelor of Library & Information Science (BLISc), Bachelor of Library Science (BLSc), Certificate Course in Library Science, Diploma in Archives & Documentation, Diploma in Library Science (DLSc), MPhil, Master of Library & Information Science (MLISc), Master of Library Science (MLSc) and PhD Institutes & urls.
National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resource (NISCAIR), New Delhi www.niscair.res.in.
Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC), New Delhi www.insdoc.org. Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi www.jmi.nic.in
Banaras Hindu University www.bhu.ac.in/banaras.html.
Aligarh Muslim University www.amu.ac.in.
Kurukshetra University www.kukinfo.com.
Panjab University www.puchd.ac.in.
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) www.ignou.ac.in.
Madurai Kamarj University www.mkuniversity.org.
Andhra University www.andhrauniversity.info
Pros & Cons.
Career progression largely depends on one’s performance.
Opportunity to meet people and develop contacts.
Must never lose track of current events.
The hours may be long, depending on the set-upDeveloping a user’s skillsA practitioner gives a glimpse of the changing role of a librarian.
How do you feel the profile of a librarian has changed over the years?
I do believe that the profile and role has changed dramatically, especially in the present century with application of information and communication technology (ICT). Till the last century, the role of a librarian was confined to the information needs of its users. Now it is not limited to providing information, but has been extended to developing the professional and personal skills of library users through activities like workshops, training programmes etc.
How will you define the impact on the profession after the advent of computer?Computer technology has changed the face and services of libraries across the world. In India, its impact was felt after the 1990s on a larger scale. Till the end of the 1980s, libraries were operating its services manually, which required more time and staff effort. But with the IT application, libraries are able to meet the needs of the users better.
How should an aspiring librarian present him/herself to an interviewer?
An aspiring librarian should have the spark and zeal to think from the customers’ point of view. They should have the right kind of attitude to deliver the best to make readers feel successful and inspired in all activities of their life, e.g. design workshops, quizzes, displays, activities around special days of the year etc. A library should not give a feeling of a very serious and dull place; it should be a place where one wants to spend time.
Now that you are heading a library, what kind of ideas and practices do you try to incorporate in your team?
Being a librarian, one should motivate his/her team to come up with ideas and try new things. A librarian should have regular brainstorming sessions with his team and work out new ways to attract customers and build a better collection.
R Vijay Shankar Interviewed by Sanchita Guha
Switch to English
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
After boom, is Wikipedia heading for bust
A new study, conducted by researchers at the Palo Alto Research Center in California, has shown that Wikipedias ascendancy to the top of a large pool of online reference sites may be coming to an end because the community-created encyclopaedia has become less welcoming to new contributors.The research team has warned that the changes could compromise the encyclopaedias quality in the long term. Its easy to say that Wikipedia will always be here. This research shows that is not a given, New Scientist quoted Ed Chi, a senior scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center, as saying. Eight years after launching, Wikipedia contains nearly 3 million articles submitted by users themselves and edited by others in the Wikipedia community. However, when the research team analysed a downloaded version of the encyclopaedia they found its growth has peaked. The researchers found that the number of articles added per month flattened out at 60,000 in 2006 and has since declined by around a third. They also found that the number of edits made every month and the number of active editors both stopped growing the following year, flattening out at around 5.5 million and 750,000 respectively. The data suggests the Wikipedia community is becoming resistant to new content and new editors. Those passive editors who make just a single change per month see around a quarter of their changes erased or modified by other, more active editors (the rate was just 10% in 2003). The resulting exclusion of more varied contributions shifts the balance of power on Wikipedia to those fewer active editors, and in turn could make Wikipedia more like a fraternity than a community-driven social encyclopedia . Over time, the research team warns, the quality of Wikipedia could degrade as there would be fewer editors checking for errors and correcting the vandalism that accompanies usergen Web sites. The non-profit Wikimedia Foundation responsible for running Wikipedia has launched an internal review to make sense of the data, but says the numbers could be deceiving. For instance, the higher number of modifications to passive contributors edits could be the result of human editors removing promotional text added to articles by spam programs, an increasing problem on Wikipedia. The research team will present their analysis at the International Symposium on Wikis and Open Collaboration in Orlando , Florida this October.
Why it may collapse?
An analysis of a downloaded version of the encyclopaedia found its growth has peaked. The number of articles added per month flattened out at 60,000 in 2006 and has since declined by around a third Wikipedia community is becoming resistant to new content and new editors Over time the quality of Wikipedia could degrade as there would be fewer editors checking for errors and correcting the vandalism that accompanies user-gen Web sites.
Source : Times of India; August ; August 6, 2009.
Why it may collapse?
An analysis of a downloaded version of the encyclopaedia found its growth has peaked. The number of articles added per month flattened out at 60,000 in 2006 and has since declined by around a third Wikipedia community is becoming resistant to new content and new editors Over time the quality of Wikipedia could degrade as there would be fewer editors checking for errors and correcting the vandalism that accompanies user-gen Web sites.
Source : Times of India; August ; August 6, 2009.
Friday, July 31, 2009
25 Useful Social Networking Tools for Information Professionals
As a librarian, you want to be able to share information with patrons and students in the easiest way possible, and social networking offers a great way to do just that. With social networking tools, you can create bookmark collections, share notices, and more. I've profiled 25 of the best here. Communication Keep in touch with staff, patrons, and more with these tools.
MySpace: If you want to go where the students are, one of the best places to find them is MySpace. Other libraries have taken advantage of this site's calendar and blog features to improve their presence. With a little help from your IT department, you can also include custom catalog search tools.
Facebook: Another social media site frequented by students, Facebook is librarian friendly. You'll find a group just for librarian-centric Facebook apps, a JSTOR search, and much more.
Ning: Use this networking tool to get connected with students, library associations, and more. You can also use it to share information with many people at a time. Blog: By creating a blog, you'll be able to disemminate information to lots of people at one time. Whether you're updating students on new collections, or just conversing with library staff, blogs are a powerful tool, especially when combined with RSS.
Meebo: Network and assist students on Meebo, no matter what IM client they use. You can even embed a chat screen on any webpage using this tutorial.
LinkedIn: This social networking site for professionals is a great way to get library patrons connected with the people that can help them find information. Whether that's you, faculty, authors, historians, or other sources, they can find them in your LinkedIn network.
Twitter: Use Twitter, a microblogging application, to keep staff and patrons updated on daily activities, like frequently updated collections, or even just scheduling. DistributionThese tools make it easy to share information from anywhere.
Flickr: This image distribution tool is a great way to share new image collections. You can create image sets with metadata, as well as take advantage of the many plugins available for Flickr users. Flickr users can also help gather missing information about images.
YouTube: Spread the word about library events, share citizen journalism, and more on YouTube. You can see how other libraries are using YouTube by checking out the youtubeandlibraries wiki.
TeacherTube: TeacherTube, which is a YouTube for teachers, presents an excellent opportunity for instructor-librarian collaboration. Instructors can guide students to helpful library resources, and vice versa.
Second Life: On Second Life, you can create a virtual library with streamed media, discussions, classes, and more. For a good example of a Second Life library, visit the murdochsecondlife wiki.
Wikipedia: Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia updated by users. You can use this tool to share your knowledge by editing, or simply point library patrons in the right direction.
PBwiki: PBwiki is the world's largest provider of hosted business and educational wikis. It encourages collaboration from students, a way to showcase work, and offers a central gathering point for information. PBwiki offers controlled access, so you can give some editing privileges, while others can only read.
Footnote: On Footnote, you'll get access to original historical documents, and can update them with your own content and insights. You can even find personal anecdotes and experiences you won't find in reference books.
Community Walk: Community Walk offers a geographical way to interpret text and events. You can use it for instruction, such as showing someone where to find a book, or walk them through a historical and geographical timeline.
SlideShare: Encourage faculty, staff, and students to share their slideshow presentations for the greater community to access on SlideShare. It's a great way to disemminate information.
Digg: Digg is a great way to find useful content that you wouldn't come across in traditional ways. Find stories here, then share them with others using Digg's blog function. StumbleUpon: Another way to find great content is with StumbleUpon. You can channel surf the Internet to find useful content, research tools, and more.
Daft Doggy: If you've found a particularly good resource, you can use DaftDoggy to create a website tour with instructions, pointing out useful references and items of note. Organization Keep all of your information handy and accessible with these tools.
Nobii: This site for book lovers is a place to share reviews and recommendations. You can also take advantage of due date alerts, lending, and discussions.
Del.icio.us: With this social bookmarking tool, you can create a custom directory for library patrons. Teach them to search by your tags, and it will be easy to find useful Internet research links.
Netvibes: In Netvibes' new Ginger beta, you can create a public page that can be viewed by anyone. You can use it to help guide patrons to helpful Internet sources, news feeds, and more. It can be integrated with many of the tools mentioned here, like Flickr and library blogs.
Connotea: Connotea is a great reference tool, allowing you to save and organize reference links and share them with others. They can be accessed from any computer and offer integration with lots of other tools.
LibraryThing: This social cataloging network is great for librarians, and you can catalog along with Amazon, the Library of Congress, and more than 200 other libraries around the world. You'll get recommendations and easy tagging as well.
lib.rario.us: Another social cataloging site, you can put media such as books, CDs, and journals on display for easy access and tracking.With these social networking tools, it should be easier than ever to stay in touch, organized, and well-connected. You may even find that you've got more access to information than you ever did before. Of course, as an added bonus, you'll now be known as the "cool" librarian because you're on Facebook.
MySpace: If you want to go where the students are, one of the best places to find them is MySpace. Other libraries have taken advantage of this site's calendar and blog features to improve their presence. With a little help from your IT department, you can also include custom catalog search tools.
Facebook: Another social media site frequented by students, Facebook is librarian friendly. You'll find a group just for librarian-centric Facebook apps, a JSTOR search, and much more.
Ning: Use this networking tool to get connected with students, library associations, and more. You can also use it to share information with many people at a time. Blog: By creating a blog, you'll be able to disemminate information to lots of people at one time. Whether you're updating students on new collections, or just conversing with library staff, blogs are a powerful tool, especially when combined with RSS.
Meebo: Network and assist students on Meebo, no matter what IM client they use. You can even embed a chat screen on any webpage using this tutorial.
LinkedIn: This social networking site for professionals is a great way to get library patrons connected with the people that can help them find information. Whether that's you, faculty, authors, historians, or other sources, they can find them in your LinkedIn network.
Twitter: Use Twitter, a microblogging application, to keep staff and patrons updated on daily activities, like frequently updated collections, or even just scheduling. DistributionThese tools make it easy to share information from anywhere.
Flickr: This image distribution tool is a great way to share new image collections. You can create image sets with metadata, as well as take advantage of the many plugins available for Flickr users. Flickr users can also help gather missing information about images.
YouTube: Spread the word about library events, share citizen journalism, and more on YouTube. You can see how other libraries are using YouTube by checking out the youtubeandlibraries wiki.
TeacherTube: TeacherTube, which is a YouTube for teachers, presents an excellent opportunity for instructor-librarian collaboration. Instructors can guide students to helpful library resources, and vice versa.
Second Life: On Second Life, you can create a virtual library with streamed media, discussions, classes, and more. For a good example of a Second Life library, visit the murdochsecondlife wiki.
Wikipedia: Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia updated by users. You can use this tool to share your knowledge by editing, or simply point library patrons in the right direction.
PBwiki: PBwiki is the world's largest provider of hosted business and educational wikis. It encourages collaboration from students, a way to showcase work, and offers a central gathering point for information. PBwiki offers controlled access, so you can give some editing privileges, while others can only read.
Footnote: On Footnote, you'll get access to original historical documents, and can update them with your own content and insights. You can even find personal anecdotes and experiences you won't find in reference books.
Community Walk: Community Walk offers a geographical way to interpret text and events. You can use it for instruction, such as showing someone where to find a book, or walk them through a historical and geographical timeline.
SlideShare: Encourage faculty, staff, and students to share their slideshow presentations for the greater community to access on SlideShare. It's a great way to disemminate information.
Digg: Digg is a great way to find useful content that you wouldn't come across in traditional ways. Find stories here, then share them with others using Digg's blog function. StumbleUpon: Another way to find great content is with StumbleUpon. You can channel surf the Internet to find useful content, research tools, and more.
Daft Doggy: If you've found a particularly good resource, you can use DaftDoggy to create a website tour with instructions, pointing out useful references and items of note. Organization Keep all of your information handy and accessible with these tools.
Nobii: This site for book lovers is a place to share reviews and recommendations. You can also take advantage of due date alerts, lending, and discussions.
Del.icio.us: With this social bookmarking tool, you can create a custom directory for library patrons. Teach them to search by your tags, and it will be easy to find useful Internet research links.
Netvibes: In Netvibes' new Ginger beta, you can create a public page that can be viewed by anyone. You can use it to help guide patrons to helpful Internet sources, news feeds, and more. It can be integrated with many of the tools mentioned here, like Flickr and library blogs.
Connotea: Connotea is a great reference tool, allowing you to save and organize reference links and share them with others. They can be accessed from any computer and offer integration with lots of other tools.
LibraryThing: This social cataloging network is great for librarians, and you can catalog along with Amazon, the Library of Congress, and more than 200 other libraries around the world. You'll get recommendations and easy tagging as well.
lib.rario.us: Another social cataloging site, you can put media such as books, CDs, and journals on display for easy access and tracking.With these social networking tools, it should be easier than ever to stay in touch, organized, and well-connected. You may even find that you've got more access to information than you ever did before. Of course, as an added bonus, you'll now be known as the "cool" librarian because you're on Facebook.
Monday, July 20, 2009
What is web 2.0?
Web 1.0 was the first incarnation of the world wide web, where information was fed in a one-way, asynchronous stream to internet users. Web 2.0 is all about participation, where there is a synchronous flow of information between the user and the internet.
Tools such as blogs and wikis allow users to upload and share information online. Sites such as YouTube and Flickr permit people to load and share content. Social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn encourage online interaction, and can be used as a forum from which to extract the so-called wisdom of crowds or to perform sentiment mining.
In a library setting, web 2.0 tools allow users to collaborate with one another and librarians in terms of indexing or authenticating information, use tagging to identify valuable information collections, or develop metadata describing those collections.
This will make the librarian-user relationship more dynamic, and also encourage more user-generated content to be shared and potentially reused in mash-ups under a creative commons licence.
Tools such as blogs and wikis allow users to upload and share information online. Sites such as YouTube and Flickr permit people to load and share content. Social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn encourage online interaction, and can be used as a forum from which to extract the so-called wisdom of crowds or to perform sentiment mining.
In a library setting, web 2.0 tools allow users to collaborate with one another and librarians in terms of indexing or authenticating information, use tagging to identify valuable information collections, or develop metadata describing those collections.
This will make the librarian-user relationship more dynamic, and also encourage more user-generated content to be shared and potentially reused in mash-ups under a creative commons licence.
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