What I Use...

Every librarian has there own pathway and method to their madness. Certain websites, services, and databases are a common crutch to a reference librarian. Here are the most used web tools and sources on my computer.

Zotero - reference retrieval
Google Book Search - for books that we do not have
Netlibrary eBooks - to expand the search
Google - still the steady and trusty engine that could.
EBSCO Visual Search - I don't like their new design. Too much clicking
Jing Project - Screen capture
Flickr - Easy as pie photo archive source
Google Reader - blog feed reader
Proquest Dissertation - When I have run dry on other databases, this one always comes through.
EBSCO MasterFile Premier - Much more versatile then you might think.
Gale Literature Resource Center - What would literary criticism papers be without it.
EBSCO Business Source Complete - Our school is obsessed with leadership. This is a go-to db.
TDNet Journal Finder - Have citation. Will travel.

Wish list - JSTOR, BioOne, WileyInterscience

Librarian on Location: Live Blogging 3-5-08

1:20 p.m. Today we are in one of the dormitories on campus. I am stationed in the foyer. Wednesdays are the days we do Librarian on Location. This day was chosen at random I guess but it may need to be revisited because Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to be busier days on campus. To the right, you will see me with a student. You can see the signage we use and the golf shirt with logo that I wear each week. I also have business cards and library brochures. This shot was when I was outside of our Soda Shoppe.

1:38 p.m. OK...I consider myself a world class evesdropper. I am trying to turn off my evesdropping tendencies while I am in the girl's dorm, but it is hard. The present crisis is a prank involving peanut butter on door handles.

1:42 p.m. Two questions so far today. This is more than the past two weeks. One student asked which books are on the first floor of the library and which books are on the second floor. She didn't understand where the call number break was. Another student asked what I was doing and why I was here. She said she doesn't have much trouble researching. I told her to leave me her email address and I would send some things to her that she might not have seen.

2:02 p.m. I sent some articles to a student on national service requirements. She is working on a debate presentation.

- A professor walked by and cracked a sarcastic joke about us reaching out to the students "because the library is just SO far away." He obviously hasn't been reading articles on millennials and their addiction to the instantaneous and the convenient. Sure, the library is just down the sidewalk but it could be in Turkey for all some of these students know. How many academic librarians can tell stories of students showing up during their last semester before graduation and telling the librarian that this was the first time that they used the library. Every academic librarian has a story like this these days. Why do we assume that a building equals "people will come."

2:50 p.m. It is so nice outside that I almost decided to position myself on the building colonade but it has been so windy lately that I didn't think that was such a good idea. As I get more adventurous maybe I can head to more exotic locations. Next week it is back to the Soda Shoppe.

SeeqPod - Easy to Use Web MP3 Player

I love music but do not have the time to search endless MySpace pages to listen to clips. A new site called SeeqPod lets you type in an artist and listen instantly to MP3s or watch videos. SeeqPod has gathered the music clips for you and taken the search tedium out of the process. You can just as quickly share your song list with your friends. It is amazing how quick this works. You do not have to register like Pandora or install anything like last.fm. I would highly recommend it.

Librarian on Location : Live Blogging Feb. 27

11:27 a.m. I am all setup in the main cafeteria. I don't really know what to expect over here. I am definitely in the students domain by being here. The first student I told said, "That is something different." I feel a little like a professor trying to do a lecture in the cafeteria. That would not be received very well. We will see. The idea is not to bludgeon people with our services but to provide convenient access to our services. Stay tuned...

11: 38 a.m. The best part about being at the cafeteria is the hamburgers. I wouldn't normally recommend school cafeteria food but these burgers are top notch. Yes..I am eating. I thought that might help show solidarity with the students rather then just a guy in a golf shirt pushing his services.

If anyone would like to IM me while I am doing this, my name is dbulibrarian.

12:06 p.m. The rush is on. The room is filling up. I am amazed at the number of students who are getting take out boxes and leaving with their food. Maybe they have a class to prepare for, maybe they are working on campus, or maybe they are practicing the constant motion lifestyle that seems to be evident in this generation. How do librarians account for groups that rarely just do one thing at a time? In a way, that is what this Librarian on Location idea is about. If students are constantly in motion, then the more ubiquitous the library can be the better. I would love to hear other people's thoughts on this issue.

Librarian on Location: Live Blogging

I take the LOL show to the international building today at 2 p.m. Our university has a large international student population and their building is hopping with activity on most days. Their developing English keeps them from asking too many questions from the "Big Bad Librarians" in our main location so I am hoping that my presence in their environment will be a positive.

Hopefully the wireless connection will work better than our last attempt at the campus cafe.

2:15 p.m. All set up here in the international building. There is not another place on campus that has as much activity as this building. From 8a.m. to 10 p.m., this place is busy. The international students are not always in the position for heavy research but that is where the simplest instruction on the online catalog or a database can make a big difference.

2:43 p.m. Here are some good links to other libraries and their information designed for international students:

Library terminology glossary at Rutgers University.

Library tutorial for international students at U of North Carolina

3:00 p.m. This exercise continues to be useful more for the faculty rather than the students. I just set up library instruction with an instructor of the intensive English program. The face to face contact helped clear up some confusion on both of our parts.

3:32 p.m. Looking around the public area where I am stationed I notice Japanese, Chinese, and Nepalese. I had some Netlibrary complimentary highlighters and I passed them out to some students. I also have candy and pens. No one seems to want my business card though.

Live Blogging: Librarian on Location Feb. 6

2:21 Today is the second day of our new program - Librarian on Location. I have had a difficult time connecting to the network. Obviously, much of what we will gain from this experiment will be where I can get wireless access and where I cannot. Right now, the Patriot Cafe is a spotty locale for wi-fi.

Rock and Roll Library

One of the more fun library related events that I have witnessed in the last two years was the Library Tour of the band Jetpack UK (now The Nobility). These rockers from Nashville toured the country in support of a recent children's book about their life as a band. I saw them perform at a Public Library in Arlington and it was surreal to see a rock band at a library. The best part was that Jetpack didn't hold back. The instruments were set to loud and they played with conviction despite the crowd of mostly curious onlookers. Kudos to Jetpack for finding a creative way to get their music out and to libraries for taking a risk on rock.

The trend continues as the band The High Strung has planned a library tour this summer.