Last week, I sat in on a webinar (terrible word) on OCLC’s WorldCat Local.  This catalog interface appears to be more useful than the general OPAC.  I like the idea that the Local holdingds display first, then the regional consortium, and finally the rest of WorldCat.  WorldCat Local also provides the social network options.  A patron may add a record to his social network (e.g. del.ic.ous) and add comments to a record.  The record holding also list articles from certain databases (I hope more are added int eh future).  I think this interface is headed in the right direction, but it is needs more improvements and there are free options (e.g. Plymouth State University) being used and in development.

A friend (DanToday) of mine clued me in to the MIT SIMILE project.   The SIMILE Exhibit project is quite interesting.  The Exhibit page provides examples and I foresee many uses for it.  We probably will use it for our archival online exhibits, and may use it for finding periodical indexes and databases, and possibly a journal or book finder.

EBSCOhost has recently updated it Visual Search, for the better. It now is Flash-based and no longer uses Grokker or those awful circles. The visual search is more user friendly, but I do not think it makes the quality or relevance review of articles any easier or faster. I think one might be more quick to dismiss an article in the visual search interface versus the normal list interface (I see a study on the horizon). Plus, one is not able to search a specific field unless he knows the field codes (e.g. SO = Journal). I am now contemplating how to teach this search interface during my instruction. View EBSCO’s Flash demo of the new Visual Search and try it yourself.

The Williams Library and others provide online access to electronic books (eBooks). The free services provide access to classics, historical texts, and other titles published before 1923 (i.e. copyright). NetLibrary houses current titles on a wide range of subjects. Browse and search these different eBook databases.

• NetLibrary (NSU only)
  Collection of electronic books (13,000) covering a wide range of disciplines. The library catalog also includes NetLibrary records (In the catalog select the link in record to access the ebook).
• Oxford Scholarship Online (NSU only)
  Full texts of over 700 Oxford titles in economics and finance, philosophy, political science, and religion. The library catalog also includes Oxford records (In the catalog select the link in record to access the ebook).
• Project Gutenberg
  Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection (20,000) of free electronic books, or eBooks. Select Bookshelf to see the eBooks by category.
• Internet Archive - Texts
  The Internet Archive is a non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, etc. in the digital format. Texts is one aspect of the site. Also, check out the sub-collections in the middle of the Texts’ homepage.
• Online Books (University of Pennsylvania)
  The Online Books Page is a website that facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet. It also aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit and edification of all.
• Google Books
  Google and its library partners are scanning books and making them available to the public. The out-of-copyright titles are available full-text (or All Text). Use the Advanced Search for more precise searching.
• Windows Live - Books
  Microsoft and its library partners are scanning books and making them available to the public. The out-of-copyright titles are available full-text (or 100% viewable). Search box is at very top of page.

http://www.northern.edu/library/internet/books.htm

The Williams Library has configured a new citation/resource linking technology called SFX. SFX links together the Library’s databases and e-journals, making it easier to find the online full-text of an article. Students and faculty searching in the Library’s research databases can click on the button to find full-text articles.

For example, if you search Academic Search Complete and you see the icon underneath the citation, the article is not full-text. BUT, select the icon and a new window opens as SFX searches many of the library’s other databases to discover if the article is full-text in another library database. If an article is full-text in another library database a direct link to the article will display (though some technical glitches still exist).

If it is not available in any of the library databases, select the Interlibrary Loan link and the library will get a copy from another library (no cost for this service).

*Alternative icon, , is displayed in some databases.