Volume 40, Number 2 - March/April 2016
EDITORIALDigital Edition CLICK HERE for the digital version of this issue, featuring bonus content. FrontLines Page 4 Library association members are loathe to walk away from the "L" word. By Marydee Ojala Searcher's Voice Page 33 As bq reminds readers—in part by sharing one shining moment from her own search history—when you help your client more precisely define what the question is, the more precise the results will be. By Barbara Quint DEPARTMENTSPage 8 Search Engine Update By Greg R. Notess Page 59 Conference Corral Technology Transforms Libraries: ALA's Midwinter Conference FEATURESPage 10 The Library of Congress, assisted by Search Technologies, Inc., redesigned Cataloger's Desktop to help librarians around the world create metadata to bibliographically control library resources. This custom search application required paying close attention to user needs and deploying ongoing, iterative changes. By Bruce Johnson, Derek Rodriguez, Susanne Ross Page 16 Synthesizing, Extracting, and Customizing Web Data Tools such as the free import.io facilitate customized data capture from websites and storage of information as formatted, easily transferable data files. Long time data librarian Ernest Perez walks us through the process. Data extraction services, using browser technology, offer opportunities to expand opportunities for information professionals. By Ernest R. Perez Page 22 Survey Research: Polling and Beyond   The internet provides a fantastic platform for pollsters, whether they're in the political sphere or not. Barbie Keiser explores some online survey tools and examines those that provide survey results. She adds tips about understanding and constructing survey instruments. By Barbie E. Keiser Page 28 New STN: Remaking a Classic While Keeping the Classic STN has long been the gold standard for chemistry searches. Its newest iteration, called New STN, adds important new features while retaining the best of its classic version, writes experienced chemical searcher Bob Buntrock. By Robert E. Buntrock Page 38 Technological Singularity and the Future of Information and Libraries In writing about our quickly changing technological world, Nancy Herther uses the backdrop of astronomical and physics concepts such as singularity to theorize how these technologies could impact information professionals as well as humankind as a whole. By Nancy K. Herther Page 46 Bob Berkman interviews Sharon Mader, visiting program officer for information literacy at ACRL, to find out the impetus behind the association's release of its Information Literacy Framework for Higher Education and what the Framework's biggest challenges are to date. By Robert Berkman Page 50 Billions of people use social media. But for information professionals, it's the advanced search capabilities that attract their attention, Tracy Maleeff goes deep into the advanced search features of Twitter, detailing not only what they are, but also how best to use them. By Tracy Z. Maleeff Page 56 Vendor Videos for Training and Sales Increasingly, our vendors are using videos to sell their products and effectively train both information professionals and end users on how to use those products. Online Searcher editor-in-chief Marydee Ojala describes the advantages and disadvantages of video and looks at individual vendors' video channels. By Marydee Ojala COLUMNSInternet Express Page 35 Irene McDermott shares this sobering statistic to kick off her column: As of November 2015, more than 800,000 Syrians had sought refugee status through the United Nations. She goes on to share a multitude of ways information pros can help these refugees begin their new lives. And it all starts with the public library. By Irene E. McDermott On the Net Page 62 Searching for Definitions Online dictionaries and definition sources provide valuable alternatives to print dictionaries. It's not only web search engines and specific websites that help with definitions, it's also commercial databases. By Greg R. Notess The Dollar Sign Page 65 Branding Irons at the Ready: Researching Brand Names Look around, and you're bound to notice at least one brand name, if not more. Researching brand names involves reference works, general business databases, intellectual property resources for trademark identification, and news stories. By Marydee Ojala The Open Road Page 68 Open Knowledge Versus Knowledge Management What do open access, open knowledge, and knowledge management have in common? Quite a lot, says Abby Clobridge, who delves into the similarities and differences. Consider who is the intended consumer, security and privacy issues, metrics, and culture. By Abby Clobridge InfoLit Land Page 71 Evidence and the Doubter Conspiracy theories, fake science, distorted views of events, and incorrect interpretation of facts are the province of the doubters, which creates real dilemmas for those teaching information literacy. Outliers may be proved correct or dead wrong. Bill Badke outlines five lessons for the information-literate when striving for credibility in research. By William Badke Control-Shift Page 74 Do This, Not That: A Holistic View of the Library’s Web Presence New developments in library website design include multiple site versions, artisan design when coding, and encouraging contributions of content that support responsive design. Educating staff about content creation for websites is integral to excellent user interfaces. By Jeff Wisniewski, Darlene Fichter Hard Copy Page 77 Recommended Reading on Transformations, Opting Out, Expert Information, and Causal Relationships By Deborah Lynne Wiley Online Spotlight Page 80 Questioning and Streamlining Decisions Decisions, decisions—we all have to make them. Mary Ellen Bates suggests a triage method for the reference interview and information delivery. She recommends taking advantage of the value-added features of resources, both commercial and on the free web. By Mary Ellen Bates |
