Beg? Sit? Roll over? Play dead? Probably a good thing the catalog doesn't accept voice commands (yet).
First thing that jumps out at me: I was unaware of the extended display/brief display option. I think that's a tip rather than a trick, but it's good to know about. I also think that I've overlooked the options for "and not" and "or" in the advanced keyword search, but it's possible I've just forgotten about them. Good thing to keep in mind for future searches.
The book bag/export saved/etc. options have not changed in years, and as a result I am familiar and comfortable with the process.
I don't think I was aware of the preferred search option, either. I think this would be more useful to me in a journal database, but it's good to know about, especially to recommend to patrons. I set up an author search for the aforementioned author Jasper Fforde, since I know my partner will be happy to know when his new books are published, followed by a keyword search for "blu-ray," since I've been unexpectedly coming across that format in our collection (in addition to the Criterion dual-format editions we were informed about).
I am an obsessive user of the "popular searches" function, particularly for new CDs and DVDs.
Permanent link URLs are very handy for adding information to book clubs on our events calendar.
I would love to see a feature like I saw in the EBSCO Discovery Services demo today which collates all formats/editions of a title, I think this would be incredibly helpful for both staff and patrons. I would also like to see the "reviews and more" feature for music and movies.
Other than that I have no strange things nor tricks of my own to submit. Sierra often seems to duplicate records in search results, but that is a different matter, perhaps best explored via the upcoming new season of Twin Peaks.
12.10.2014
12.08.2014
ACTIVITY 8: POINTS OF VIEW REFERENCE CENTER
I'm torn, because when I did a lot more homework help at the library, I found similar resources (namely "Opposing Viewpoints") to be fairly helpful in both print and online form. It definitely caters to the student, perhaps both youth and adult learners, and the overviews look well written, but, for example, the "Same-Sex Marriage" article, despite being dated 2014, appears to be missing critical changes to state and federal laws from this year which have had a major impact on the subject, so I would definitely encourage potential users to dig deeper, beginning at least with the "Related Information" links. I think that would be an important aspect to guiding anyone that staff would be teaching to use this resource.
ACTIVITY 7: NOVELIST
I'm skipping Activity 6 for now because trying to do OneClickDigital at the desk is a little tricky, and I've been treading water for two months, now, with the clock running down. Here's to a happy 2015.
I'm somewhat entertained by the fact that the NoveList Plus interface is already slightly different from the screenshots on our instructions. The differences are minor enough to not bother me, but this kind of constant, iterative change that's all the rage can create roadblocks to navigation for some users. In any event, I chose "The Eyre Affair" from their recommended audiobooks, something which I have not read (nor listened to) but would probably very much enjoy. In fact, the listen-alikes were spot-on with what I'd expect, including two Douglas Adams titles along with Terry Pratchett and a few authors I'm unfamiliar with but should look into. From there I selected "fantasy fiction" with a "funny" tone and a "witty" writing style, and they came up with a whopping 108 suggestions (LOST alert!), although that included juvenile titles. Selecting "adults" brought the total down to 48.
In any event, as a not-super-helpful librarian when it comes to Readers Advisory (or even just picking out titles for the display case), I find this kind of tool very useful, not only for making suggestions to patrons but also for trying to track down the elusive "I don't remember the name of it or the author but it had a guy in it who does a thing and it has a yellow cover." Of course, I often turn to the old standbys of Wikipedia, Google, and Amazon, but I appreciate having a good literature database.
P.S. I miss "Books in Print." Old habits.
I'm somewhat entertained by the fact that the NoveList Plus interface is already slightly different from the screenshots on our instructions. The differences are minor enough to not bother me, but this kind of constant, iterative change that's all the rage can create roadblocks to navigation for some users. In any event, I chose "The Eyre Affair" from their recommended audiobooks, something which I have not read (nor listened to) but would probably very much enjoy. In fact, the listen-alikes were spot-on with what I'd expect, including two Douglas Adams titles along with Terry Pratchett and a few authors I'm unfamiliar with but should look into. From there I selected "fantasy fiction" with a "funny" tone and a "witty" writing style, and they came up with a whopping 108 suggestions (LOST alert!), although that included juvenile titles. Selecting "adults" brought the total down to 48.
In any event, as a not-super-helpful librarian when it comes to Readers Advisory (or even just picking out titles for the display case), I find this kind of tool very useful, not only for making suggestions to patrons but also for trying to track down the elusive "I don't remember the name of it or the author but it had a guy in it who does a thing and it has a yellow cover." Of course, I often turn to the old standbys of Wikipedia, Google, and Amazon, but I appreciate having a good literature database.
P.S. I miss "Books in Print." Old habits.
10.11.2014
“The New Library: Making it Without Books”
I like books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, maps, and the other assorted objects in the library. Working at George Latimer Central Library, I'm surrounded by an overwhelming number of things, to the point where I'm not sure what can and should be done with it all. Collection development was a much simpler thing in a small library, although it was rarely the focus of my day, since my job was frequently best described as "Behavior Control Technician."
Now I have the time to deal with the collection, but not the ability to cope with the scale of it. Part of my issue is the disheartening fact that the value of the printed word has plummeted, along with the perception of the librarian as an important source of information. As a result, public libraries have been struggling to find an identity for quite awhile now, and I've been struggling to see a positive future for my career. How do you proceed when you lack a clear mission? Popularity favors integrating makerspace tools and activities into the library setting, and while I admire my colleagues' enthusiasm for this change, I haven't been particularly supportive of it, primarily because it feels like dabbling in something that we have little expertise in, which in my mind is likely to further devalue the library and the librarian. Lowertown already has CoCo for creative professionals, a crowd that we are unlikely to attract. It took this short article from Wired for me to realize the obvious, that "[m]any people don't have access to classic hacker spaces, are intimidated by them, or can't afford them." Ah. Ah-ha! This intrigues me, because it also takes the library beyond the role of collector/distributor of information and into the business of creating knowledge. That is where I want to be.
Now I have the time to deal with the collection, but not the ability to cope with the scale of it. Part of my issue is the disheartening fact that the value of the printed word has plummeted, along with the perception of the librarian as an important source of information. As a result, public libraries have been struggling to find an identity for quite awhile now, and I've been struggling to see a positive future for my career. How do you proceed when you lack a clear mission? Popularity favors integrating makerspace tools and activities into the library setting, and while I admire my colleagues' enthusiasm for this change, I haven't been particularly supportive of it, primarily because it feels like dabbling in something that we have little expertise in, which in my mind is likely to further devalue the library and the librarian. Lowertown already has CoCo for creative professionals, a crowd that we are unlikely to attract. It took this short article from Wired for me to realize the obvious, that "[m]any people don't have access to classic hacker spaces, are intimidated by them, or can't afford them." Ah. Ah-ha! This intrigues me, because it also takes the library beyond the role of collector/distributor of information and into the business of creating knowledge. That is where I want to be.
10.09.2014
ACTIVITY 5: FREEGAL
I've been an intermittent user of Freegal since we started the program. I'm hoping that using the e-mail reminder feature will get me back on track to taking advantage of it more regularly, because if there's one thing that I am hopelessly addicted to, it's music. And getting more music. And more and more. I try to spend a reasonable amount of time listening to what I already have, but it's hard to resist the allure of adding new (and old, especially old) songs to add to my collection. The fact that Sony has somehow picked up the digital rights to a bunch of small jazz labels* has been a boon for someone with my particular illness. Are the artists seeing any payment for this? I'd like to know, but I also spend plenty of money on records, so I don't feel too guilty about using the service.
I have had a patron call in about certain tracks and albums not downloading, which is apparently an occasional glitch people have encountered, but other than that it seems like most users are pretty self-sufficient about accessing it (unlike e-books).
*Ever heard of Chiaroscuro Records? Me neither.
I have had a patron call in about certain tracks and albums not downloading, which is apparently an occasional glitch people have encountered, but other than that it seems like most users are pretty self-sufficient about accessing it (unlike e-books).
*Ever heard of Chiaroscuro Records? Me neither.
ACTIVITY 4: ZINIO
Sorry, this blog post does not exist.
(kidding)
I don't recall helping any patrons use Zinio, but I have used it on my iPhone and iPad Mini. While I still prefer the convenience of a print magazine, I was mightily impressed by the digital image quality, especially on the iPad. Absolutely trounces glossy paper stock. Nice to be able to access magazines remotely, on a whim. Wish you could browse and check out in the app itself, though, which would be much simpler and more user-friendly.
(kidding)
I don't recall helping any patrons use Zinio, but I have used it on my iPhone and iPad Mini. While I still prefer the convenience of a print magazine, I was mightily impressed by the digital image quality, especially on the iPad. Absolutely trounces glossy paper stock. Nice to be able to access magazines remotely, on a whim. Wish you could browse and check out in the app itself, though, which would be much simpler and more user-friendly.
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