This year there was a lot of emphasis once again on using more than one Internet search engine. Google is great, but AskJeeves (soon to be called Ask.com) and Exelead, and SearchYahoo (great, streamlined version that looks similar to Google), A9 (an Amazon engine) and MSN Search... are some of the few additional search engines that the speakers urge librarians maintain familiarity.
Other tools stressed in most presentations included the efficacy of RSS (Rich Site Summary... or "Really Simple Syndication" :-) tools) . Also there was a lot of discussion about "social networking services." This is where the data you collect is available online for others, and theirs to you, if you choose to participate. Librarians are finding that the networking that was usually done by phone and mail and meetings, are done more and more online. Documents are exchanged, or sites and search tips are shared and compared. Some of these social networks can be joined anonymously to avoid mass mailings to your personal e-mail.
Podcasts in audio and now video are other services that many speakers stresssed. There is a way to search word by word television newscasts ... I hope I am describing it correctly. For a detailed description on one of the advanced services to to blinkz.tv and read:
More later.
OO/Ref
1 comment:
I whole-heartedly second Gwen's review of the Internet Librarian's conference. It had been two years since I last went and what was cutting edge then was barely mentioned this time. The "Searcher's Academy" on Sunday was truely worth the whole trip in itself. But equally informative was a lecture called "Library Terms That Users Understand". It's sobering to hear that some of the most often misunderstood library terms are catalog, reference, journals and resources.
I highly recommend IL to everyone. Lynn
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