Volume 41, Number 1 - January/February 2017
EDITORIALFrontLines Page 4 Fake turns toxic with the deliberate distribution and amplification of misleading, factually incorrect, and explosive "news," particularly when it is indistinguishable from hate speech. By Marydee Ojala Searcher's Voice Page 25 With an uncertain future looming in 2017, bq shares some ponderings of Hugh Logue, director and lead analyst at Outsell Inc., and also looks at what the new year and administration might mean for academic library budgets. By Barbara Quint DEPARTMENTSPage 8 Search Engine Update By Greg R. Notess Page 53 Conference Corral Internet Librarians Bring It On FEATURESPage 10 Online searching can provide answers to many questions, but primary research, which entails reaching out directly to experts, can amplify online search results. Experienced primary researcher Judith Binder explains and shares her tips and techniques for gaining additional critical data, advising searchers not to rely only on published literature. By Judith Binder Page 16 Innovations in Scholarly Publishing Scholarly publishing, strange as it may seem, is a hub of innovation. Barbie Keiser looks at new search engines, interesting developments with impact factors, open access publishing initiatives, open education, peer review, library publishing, citation management, analytics, and scholarly blogging. Clearly, there's a lot going on in academia! By Barbie E. Keiser Page 30 Amelia Kassel offers a primer on disruptive technology. She first shares sources and techniques for identifying and learning about it and then offers some examples of how librarians, particularly law librarians, are embracing it. By Amelia Kassel Page 36 Podcast Discovery: How to Search and Browse for the Best Podcasts Podcasts are experiencing a surge in popularity. Nicole Hennig helps information professionals learn the ropes about how to find the best podcasts on a range of topics and through a variety of modes. By Nicole Hennig Page 42 Implications for Copyright Law If the U.K. Leaves the EU The vote in the U.K. in favor of the country leaving the European Union, which took place on June 23 2016, commonly referred to as Brexit, has raised more questions than answers. Copyright expert Charles Oppenheim takes a crack at figuring out what Brexit means for copyright laws and how they will affect information professionals around the world. By Charles Oppenheim Page 48 AlphaSense and Sensibility AlphaSense is a new financial search engine that allows for the searching, navigation, tracking, and analysis of a wide range of financial information sources. John Aubrey reviews it for its suitability in library environments. By John Aubrey COLUMNSInternet Express Page 27 The Gig Economy: Working the Side Hustle Whether your patrons are looking for full- or part-time work or just could use a temporary influx of extra cash to pay off holiday credit card bills, Irene McDermott has options you can pass along, from ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft to errand-running-based Taskrabbit and house-leasing fave, Airbnb. By Irene E. McDermott Control-Shift Page 56 Chatbots Introduce Conversational User Interfaces Chatbots are computer programs designed to provide information or services conversationally via text or audio. Columnists Darlene Fichter and Jeff Wisniewski give examples of how they can successfully be used in libraries. By Darlene Fichter, Jeff Wisniewski The Dollar Sign Page 59 Locating and Creating SWOT Analyses Conducting a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, while not new, provides a useful means of evaluating companies, products, industries, and even people. If you can't find a prepackaged one, do the research and write your own. By Marydee Ojala The Open Road Page 63 Spotlight on Open Access Repositories - A Conversation with Kathleen Shearer, Executive Director of the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) Columnist Abby Clobridge interviews the executive director of COAR to find out what's up with open access repositories. The concept of open access has been around for years, but it keeps evolving. Shearer explains the latest iterations and looks forward to the next generation of repositories. By Abby Clobridge InfoLit Land Page 66 What I Still Don’t Understand About Information Literacy We have more information available to us than ever before, so why do we rely on gut feelings and existing prejudices when making decisions? It would seem that information literacy should be more accepted in higher education. We need a better path forward as we proceed through an increasingly digital world. By William Badke Hard Copy Page 69 Recommended Reading on Liminal Thinking, Web Design, Editing Research, and New Revenue Sources By Deborah Lynne Wiley Online Spotlight Page 72 Big Data Ain’t So Big Given that info pros were using Big Data (which is what value-added online services are) long before most of our colleagues knew what online research even meant, Mary Ellen Bates spells out some roles we can play when it comes to Big Data. By Mary Ellen Bates |
