Magpie's Warblings

Wikis
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January 31, 2008

I've looked at a lot of Wikis, and think it's a wonderful way for a group of people to share their thoughts, add information and do some brainstorming without having to organise a meeting.

Of course there are lots of other applications for Wiki use within a library, including:-

- collective knowledge base, where students and staff can add information which might be generally helpful to others
- subject guide
- internal library forum, which could include positive or negative feedback for our instant attention.

- FAQ
- databases and eresources
- conferences
- instruction manuals
- collaborative editing of documents
- use as a notebook

The students would be very accepting of this technology in my opinion, because it gives them a sense of independence, and also it is often easier to ask a computer than find and ask a person. With regard to adding helpful information or book critiques, it may add to the community feel of the University and encourage the students to contribute.

Labels: WIKI

posted by Maggie @ 11:19 am 0 comments

RSS from EBSCO
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October 31, 2007

After using other RSS feeds I found going through EBSCO, which was our assignment for this week, very fiddly. This may be because I'm not using this kind of search very often in my work. Now that I've done it, the next time will be easier.

How useful would this be? Where can you see this being used?
It would be invaluable for staff and students who are pushed for time. When you have set up an alert on a particular topic you don't have to keep searching for articles. All you do is log in to Bloglines or whichever reader you have joined, and you are alerted when there are new articles from your chosen source. You just have to scan the articles to see if they useful for you.

RSS feeds are also good for pinpointing a search, which if not done can lead to a huge amount of wasted time. The more you can narrow the search down the better off you'll be.

Do you think this technology would engage students?
Yes, I think the majority of students these days are very comfortable with doing searches online when they are doing research, so anything that makes it quicker and easier will be embraced wholeheartedly.

The good thing about RSS is that it comes to you instead of you having to search for it.

Labels: RSS

posted by Maggie @ 4:36 pm 1 comments

Flowers For Fun
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October 29, 2007

As you can see by the date, it didn't happen. I didn't catch up with the rest of the flock, so perhaps I'll just try to go slowly, bit by bit, maintaining my position towards the end instead of aiming to get to the front.

I learnt about RSS and linked to some of them so that I'm notified when there is a new post.

The flower? I just liked the picture and the message. In this day of rush and bustle perhaps we'll have to settle for looking at the flowers on the screen instead of smelling the roses.

posted by Maggie @ 8:55 pm 0 comments

Getting Started a Bit Late
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September 11, 2007

Due to unforseen circumstances...

Isn't that a phrase that covers almost everything?

In my case it's only working half time and having a week off sick. They say it's better late than never, so I'm hoping it proves to be so in this case.

I'm looking forward to embarking on the journey along the road to Gaining More Knowledge. It's a long name for a destination, but a very interesting one. A bit like my original phrase, it covers a plethora of possibilities.

So now that I've made a start the challenge will be to catch up with the flock and then flap my wings with a strong beat so that I can keep up with everyone else.

Labels: Magpie

posted by Maggie @ 11:29 am 2 comments