Volume 39, Number 1 - January/February 2015
EDITORIALFrontLines Page 4 Power that derives from shape shifting can be mysterious, malignant, or life-enhancing. By Marydee Ojala Searcher's Voice Page 33 In her first musings of 2015, bq wonders what role, if any, info pros should play in "bringing clients over to the technological light." Firmly believing that the ultimate mission of the profession is to get information to the people who need it, bq states her case as to how info pros can help bridge the gap and get all users up and running at the best possible speed using the best options available. By Barbara Quint DEPARTMENTSPage 8 Search Engine Update New Search Features, Development, and Content By Greg R. Notess Page 57 Conference Corral Positive Change, Real Impact FEATURESPage 12 Being a proficient researcher is the equivalent of gathering raw ingredients prior to cooking a meal. To produce a complete "meal," researchers need to add value by creating content ready to consume. This means offering analysis and insight, maybe a visualization of research results. Delivery methods may vary, but a tasty information meal should be the end result. By Cynthia Shamel Page 16 InCites’ Benchmarking and Analytics Continuing her deep dive into the possibilities of Thomson Reuters' InCites platform, University of Hawaii adjunct professor Ruth Pagell turns her attention to benchmarking and analytics. She finds many ways to manipulate Web of Science data to reveal research strengths, relationships, trends, and authors. By Ruth A. Pagell Page 22 Organizations Getting Social: Free Resources From Business Schools, Publishers, Management Consultants, and Think Tanks  Free information could be somewhat suspect, depending upon its origin, but Barbie Keiser has found numerous organizations known for the high quality of their information—business schools, publishers, management consultants, and think tanks—that routinely provide free access to publications and research papers. By Barbie E. Keiser Page 30 Sliding Into Search: Finding Presentations on the Web The proliferation of conferences, the inclination of teachers to present course materials as slide decks, the requirement for student research to be delivered in PowerPoint format, and the acceptance of presentations as a valid alternative to formal papers has led to an increase in the number of presentations available online. A combination of search syntax techniques and specialized databases help information professionals find them. By Georgina Devar Page 52 What to Look for When Evaluating an Information Product Info pros are charged with evaluating information products for potential acquisition and renewal. Although it's difficult to compare one information product to another, info pros should be able to identify the most salient points to give them the most value for money. By Joann M. Wlekinski IN-DEPTH REPORTSPage 40 A 2014 ALA survey reporting that 90% of American libraries now lend ebooks capped off a stellar year for ebooks. In her in-depth article, Nancy Herther looks at the progress that has been made within the ebook industry. She reviews the "Big Five" publishers coming onboard to license ebooks; explains why Amazon continues to be in the center of how ebook revenues should be divvied up; takes a look at streaming options; and updates the latest in the self-publishing movement. She wraps it all up by addressing the new roles for librarians in the 21st century. These roles include that of "gardeners," who nurture self-authors by providing publishing tools and assistance within library communities, and working with vendors such as OverDrive to add a variety of lending modes to their existing loan options. By Nancy K. Herther COLUMNSInternet Express Page 35 Emergency Preparedness on the Web While we tend to think of natural disasters as ones that are the most destructive—earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes—Irene McDermott points out that all regions of the U.S. are at risk for at least one of the 15 types cited by FEMA. Her column identifies these hazards and provides links to the organizations offering safety measures to set in place before a disaster strikes. By Irene E. McDermott The Open Road Page 61 All Things Open: Open Access as the Entry Point to Open Knowledge A new column on open access, open knowledge, and other forms of openness debuts in this issue. This introductory column hits the open road and sets the stage for upcoming columns. By Abby Clobridge On the Net Page 65 The Ins and Outs of the In and AllIn Search Operators Advanced search syntax can be an enormous boon in structuring a search strategy that will retrieve very precise results. Greg Notess explores the distinctions between In and AllIn prefixes. By Greg R. Notess InfoLit Land Page 68 Research Is a Narrative New ACRL standards are expanding the horizons of information literacy by identifying six "threshold concepts" that can help students conceptualize a research project as an iterative process. By William Badke The Dollar Sign Page 71 The Company Line Now that corporate directories no longer are part of ProQuest Dialog, what's a business searcher to do? Marydee Ojala looks at alternatives, both for the corporate and the academic researcher. By Marydee Ojala Control-Shift Page 74 The Missing Link (Resolver) Link resolvers are the too-often-overlooked piece of the library technology infrastructure, which is unfortunate because they are critical to web scale discovery. Vendors are bypassing OpenURL and providing direct linking. By Jeff Wisniewski Hard Copy Page 77 Recommended Reading on Library Instruction Design, Future of Libraries, Ebook Subscription Models, and Social Media By Deborah Lynne Wiley Online Spotlight Page 80 Making Our Implicit Knowledge Visible Information professions have to be seen as not just the locators of information but the distillers as well. Yes, we're proficient in accessing data resources, but we should also generate meaningful insights. By Mary Ellen Bates |
