Twitter for researchers

I came across this very useful and interesting guide developed by ‘University of York Information’ on how to make effective use of Twitter in academics. Twitter undoubtedly has lot of potential in sharing information and also helps in building academic collaborations.

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Linked data and why libraries need to care for this?

Linked data is a method of describing data on the web in order to interlink data for better use. It uses standard web technologies such as HTTP [Hyper Text Transfer Protocol] and URI [Uniform Resource Identifier] in order to serve information to computers, in a way they can understand. It suggests using a standard schema to make computers better understand the content described on a webpage. You might have noticed in recent past how search engine giants like Google are displaying additional information about renowned persons on right side of the screen, which it culls out from Wikipedia. This is happening owing linked data. Major search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo have created schema.org, an organization which provides a collection of schemas i.e., html tags, that webmasters can use to markup their pages in ways recognized by major search providers.

Linked data provides an opportunity for libraries to expose their metadata for search providers in order to increase their presence on the web. OCLC [Online Computer Library Center] in collaboration with Schema.org has made experiments with linked data and made available the entire set DDC 23 as linked data product. Some examples of its main classes are available at dewey.info. In June 2012 it has also made WorldCat.org bibliographic metadata available in this form. In order to enable librarians better understand linked data, OCLC has recently released a following video on YouTube, which I think will help professionals to know more about it.

I strongly feel that we really need to care for this, in order attract Google generation clientele for better use of the library resources.

Information is like food?

Does information has any connection to food? J.P. Rangaswami in his TED talk muses on our relationship to information and food.

Is Wikipedia Redefining Research?

I came across this interesting info-graphic that highlights how ‘Wikipedia’ is redefining research. Even though the quality of articles published on Wikipedia are questioned, but its usage indicates the popularity. I think, its stiff competition might have forced ‘Encyclopedia of Britannica’ to discontinue the print edition and continue only with their online services.

I do not agree that it is redefining the research, but certainly it has made a huge impact as most us refer to ‘Wikipedia’ to know the basic details of any topic of research.

QR Codes for libraries: Are we ready for a new code?

QR (quick response) Codes, are two dimensional barcodes which when scanned using mobile phones having camera (some phones may require installation of a QR reader application software) enables one to access some pre-written content such as a website address, email address, details of items in the catalogue, phone numbers etc. They are capable of storing much more information than that of conventional barcodes.

Libraries, I think are best placed to introduce these codes to enable patrons to get quick access to the information when they are on the move. The library information such as details of items in the catalogue, links to library URL address, e-mail address, tutorials, brochures etc. can be linked using these codes.  In the west, some of the libraries are using these codes for linking URL addresses, catalogue records, signage etc.  For example University of Bath library in UK is using these codes in the catalogue to enable library users to scan and transfer information about a book directly to their mobiles to save patrons from keying or noting the details. Other uses of QR codes made in libraries can be seen on a Library Success wiki.

The use of QR Codes in libraries even though looks simple, but requires libraries to make their website compatible to mobile phones or have different version for mobiles. Looking at the high penetration rate of mobile phones and their greater usage among the new generation of people, I think it is sensible to introduce these codes for disseminating library related information.

Apart from libraries, these codes, may also be used for other purposes such as on business cards, power point presentations etc. The generation of QR code is simple. It can be developed either by using any free QR generation application software or online tools such as Goqr.me.   For power point presentations and documents, further help is available from tagmydoc.

Future Minds: How the Digital Age is Changing Our Minds…

Richard Watson the author of Future Minds: How the Digital Age is Changing Our Minds, Why this Matters and What We Can Do About It,  examines how digital culture is changing the way we think today, and how it will shape our future. His views on libraries are also worth going through.

So all in digital age may not end well, we need to keep faith in our old forms of learning.

 

 

alt-metrics, a new tool for research assessment

Recently, I came across an interesting article ‘Current research assessment could miss the big picture‘ on Research Information.  It highlighted on how traditional methods of research assessment (peer review, citations etc) could be failing those researchers who are fully embracing the possibilities of Web 2.0.  This has called for new methods of metrics (altmetrics), which better reflect today’s research practices and take advantage of the use of current social media technologies. However, such metrics to succeed requires widespread acceptance from the research community. I think researchers in general would consider this new metrics academic worthy and accept it to measure the impact of their research in the changing ecosystem of information landscape.

In the field of library and information science, I think it is worth to use altmetrics in line with bibliometrics, scientometrics, webometrics etc to measure the impact of research undertaken by individuals and organizations in different disciplines.