Research

An article on InsideHigherEd.com entitled, ‘Text Generation‘,  got me started thinking about texting and communicating with students.   Personally, I don’t think in most cases the students should have a teacher’s cell phone number.  However, I think it would be interesting to provide texting options with the ‘library and specificially the ‘reference librarian’ as in the [...]

Continue Reading Texting and Communicating with Students

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released a survey of opinion on the 2000-2009 decade.   The report was presented under the title:  ‘Current Decade Rates as Worst in 50 Years: Internet. Cell Phones Are Changes for the Better’. http://people-press.org/report/573/#prc-jumpDecember%2021,%202009
Princeton Survey Research Associates International conducted telephone interviews for survey purposes.   The [...]

Continue Reading Current Decade is Worst in Years BUT Next Decade Looks Better

I learned about GoogleLab’s ‘Living Stories’ collaboration project with the New York Times and the Washington Post via ResearchBuzz.  I see great potential in this application.  Is this the new RSS Reader?  The new Wikipedia?   To understand ‘Living Stories’ watch the brief video on the page.
Currently, the following TIMELY stories are included:

Health Care Reform

Afghanistan War

Global [...]

Continue Reading Introducing Google’s “Living Stories”

One of our teachers in my school was wanting some good material to teach a lesson on the Panama Canal.  I set off looking for materials and enjoyed the journey!  The Panama Canal is fascinating to me.  Here are some of the resources that I found (that weren’t blocked at my school - ex. YouTube [...]

Continue Reading Exploring the Panama Canal

‘AASL is promoting two resource lists, each honoring Internet web sites that enhance learning and curriculum development. Developed by an AASL task force, the sites are all free and user friendly.
The Top 25 Web sites for Teaching and Learning focuses on websites that foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation and collaboratin.            [...]

Continue Reading Best Websites for Teaching and Learning from American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

AASL (American Association of School Librarians) published a list of ‘Top 25 Web Sites for Teaching and Learning’.  This list contains an interesting variety of Websites with a brief introduction for each.  The sites were chosen because they ‘foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They are free, Web-based sites that are [...]

Continue Reading Good Websites for ‘Teaching and Learning’

The Library of Congress offers ‘Endangered Species: Selected Internet Resources’ in their Science Reference Services.  Learned about this from ResourceShelf.com.  Read their post about it - http://www.resourceshelf.com

Continue Reading Endangered Species Internet Resources

InsideHigherEd.com posted an interesting article about ‘the university library of the future’.  The article simply entitled, ‘Libraries of the Future’, begins:
‘The university library of the future will be sparsely staffed, highly decentralized, and have a physical plant consisting of little more than special collections and study areas.’
Read on…http://www.insidehighered.com

Continue Reading University Libraries of the Future

TheStar.com had a great article on the role of libraries today AND the future of libraries.  The article, ‘A tale of two countries’ libraries’, looked at public libraries in Canada and the U.S.A. to see what is working.  Here is an excerpt:
‘In a 2006 poll, 78 per cent of Americans said if their local library [...]

Continue Reading “Libraries are back big-time, they’re having a renaissance.”

ResearchBuzz.org shares how to go about ‘turning Google into a near real-time search engine’.  Near real-time are the key words here!  Want to know what was indexed mere ’seconds ago’ about ‘libraries’ find out:
http://www.google.com/search?q=libraries&tbs=qdr:n
Other options such as a ‘day’, an ‘hour’, or a ‘minute’ can be found in the post on Research Buzz.  Check it [...]

Continue Reading “Finding Google’s REALLY Recently-Indexed Content” ResearchBuzz.org