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January 18, 2008
Google Generation A Myth: Here's WhyWhen people are looking for reliable information, they don’t trust and use search engines quite as much as you think. According to USC’s Center for the Digital Future, only 51% of people currently believe that “most or all of the information produced by search engines is reliable and accurate.”
So does everyone settle for the engines anyway? No, it’s only part of the mix. Recently the British Library asked people about the specific ways they searched for reliable articles. Regardless of age, personal recommendations were always cited as an important source -- beating out Google Scholar every time.
Younger students between 17-21 relied on recommendations, journal publisher sites and electronic tables of content, along with Google Scholar somewhat less frequently. Libraries were used more by the time researchers reached age 22, and spiked for the Baby Boomers. So there’s clearly a mix of discovery tools used in the research process today.
This British study claimed that social networks were still experimental and not a meaningful factor in research. With the sheer volume of participants on Facebook and social functionality on publisher sites, I think there’s more activity than is acknowledged here.
Through social networks, it's natural for students to discuss their assignments and everyone to share their interests -- and they will receive informal help from their friends or online groups. It’s definitely a more organic and informal approach to recommendations, but draws on the advice of others either explicitly or implicitly.
With the success of Wikipedia, social sharing is gaining additional acceptance among researchers and librarians. Even the U.S. Library of Congress proudly announced their Flickr Pilot Project, which makes several thousand archived images available on the photo site. The Library hopes that Flickr users will tag and annotate the images, so that others can search and learn more about these national treasures.
Based on this evidence, let's abandon the notion that people only use Google or other engines, click on results, and then finish their research quickly. When there’s serious exploration and study underway, people use many sources and touch points. They care if their sources are worthwhile and credible, and also depend on others to let them know.
Posted by debbyr at 1:23 PM | Permalink
December 31, 2007
Norman Mailer On GoogleNorman Mailer died at 84 this year, only months after the publication of his latest book, On God, a brilliant dialogue about God and Good and Evil.
Before Mailer passed away, I planned to interview him about Google and God and whether corporate technology in any human hands can Do No Evil.
Mailer was not a search engine expert. Nor was he a technologist. He was fearless, though.
As a towering literary figure, he took center stage in some of the great debates of the 20th Century. He refused to go quietly when the novel and the printed word lost prominence with the advent of film, television and the Internet.
His personal theology as outlined in On God provides a foundation for understanding technology and its influence on society. If there's sufficient interest among Search Engine Watch readers, we'll revisit the controversial New York Times column by Thomas Friedman, entitled "Is Google God?"
I'll excerpt Mailer's published views on technology and God. I'll try to persuade his co-author, Mike Lennon, to join the Google debate on Mailer's behalf.
Now that Google has won FTC approval of its DoubleClick acquisition, Search Engine Watch will keep an eye on the ways Google dominates the Internet, the search engnine marketing profession, and our professional as well as "private" lives.
We won't have Norman Mailer's wisdom and literary journalism to guide us, but we will have his words and his example.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 2:24 PM | Permalink
April 21, 2006
Google Scholar Adds Recent Articles Sort OptionThe Google Blog announced that Google Scholar has added the ability to sort the results by most recent articles. The Google blog explains that this is just not a normal date sort filter, the sort takes into account "prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written and so on."
Gary Price digs deeper into this new feature here showing how this feature is useful and then exploring other tools available to do similar searches outside of Google Scholar.
Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:17 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Adds Recent Articles Sort OptionThe Google Blog announced that Google Scholar has added the ability to sort the results by most recent articles. The Google blog explains that this is just not a normal date sort filter, the sort takes into account "prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written and so on."
Gary Price digs deeper into this new feature here showing how this feature is useful and then exploring other tools available to do similar searches outside of Google Scholar.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:17 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Adds Recent Articles Sort OptionThe Google Blog announced that Google Scholar has added the ability to sort the results by most recent articles. The Google blog explains that this is just not a normal date sort filter, the sort takes into account "prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written and so on."
Gary Price digs deeper into this new feature here showing how this feature is useful and then exploring other tools available to do similar searches outside of Google Scholar.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:17 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Adds Recent Articles Sort OptionThe Google Blog announced that Google Scholar has added the ability to sort the results by most recent articles. The Google blog explains that this is just not a normal date sort filter, the sort takes into account "prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written and so on."
Gary Price digs deeper into this new feature here showing how this feature is useful and then exploring other tools available to do similar searches outside of Google Scholar.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:17 AM | Permalink
January 11, 2006
Google Scholar Goes InternationalGoogle Scholar (GS) has begun an international push today with the addition of content in two languages as well as new interfaces for four countries.
Anurag Acharya, the creator of Google Scholar, told me to expect announcements about additional languages being availble as soon as the database has enough content in a particular language.
Acharya also told me that four new interfaces for Google Scholar have just been released for: + Denmark + Finland + Norway + Sweden
Limits You can also change the Google Scholar interface by using the GS preferences page. It's also now possible to limit to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, and Portuguese from the preferences page. At this time, a language limit does not appear on the advanced GS interface. Those with interest in other languages might want to monitor this page on a regular basis for new additions.
Finally, I asked Anurag a question (he expected it) that several of my librarian colleagues have asked me since Google Scholar launched. Is a list of the sources Google Scholar indexes covers available? Unfortunately, Acharya told me that no comprehensive, one-stop list is available or in the works.
Posted by Gary Price at 2:55 PM | Permalink
Google Scholar Goes InternationalGoogle Scholar (GS) has begun an international push today with the addition of content in two languages as well as new interfaces for four countries.
Anurag Acharya, the creator of Google Scholar, told me to expect announcements about additional languages being availble as soon as the database has enough content in a particular language.
Acharya also told me that four new interfaces for Google Scholar have just been released for: + Denmark + Finland + Norway + Sweden
Limits You can also change the Google Scholar interface by using the GS preferences page. It's also now possible to limit to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, and Portuguese from the preferences page. At this time, a language limit does not appear on the advanced GS interface. Those with interest in other languages might want to monitor this page on a regular basis for new additions.
Finally, I asked Anurag a question (he expected it) that several of my librarian colleagues have asked me since Google Scholar launched. Is a list of the sources Google Scholar indexes covers available? Unfortunately, Acharya told me that no comprehensive, one-stop list is available or in the works.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 2:55 PM | Permalink
Google Scholar Goes InternationalGoogle Scholar (GS) has begun an international push today with the addition of content in two languages as well as new interfaces for four countries.
Anurag Acharya, the creator of Google Scholar, told me to expect announcements about additional languages being availble as soon as the database has enough content in a particular language.
Acharya also told me that four new interfaces for Google Scholar have just been released for: + Denmark + Finland + Norway + Sweden
Limits You can also change the Google Scholar interface by using the GS preferences page. It's also now possible to limit to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, and Portuguese from the preferences page. At this time, a language limit does not appear on the advanced GS interface. Those with interest in other languages might want to monitor this page on a regular basis for new additions.
Finally, I asked Anurag a question (he expected it) that several of my librarian colleagues have asked me since Google Scholar launched. Is a list of the sources Google Scholar indexes covers available? Unfortunately, Acharya told me that no comprehensive, one-stop list is available or in the works.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 2:55 PM | Permalink
Google Scholar Goes InternationalGoogle Scholar (GS) has begun an international push today with the addition of content in two languages as well as new interfaces for four countries.
Anurag Acharya, the creator of Google Scholar, told me to expect announcements about additional languages being availble as soon as the database has enough content in a particular language.
Acharya also told me that four new interfaces for Google Scholar have just been released for: + Denmark + Finland + Norway + Sweden
Limits You can also change the Google Scholar interface by using the GS preferences page. It's also now possible to limit to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, and Portuguese from the preferences page. At this time, a language limit does not appear on the advanced GS interface. Those with interest in other languages might want to monitor this page on a regular basis for new additions.
Finally, I asked Anurag a question (he expected it) that several of my librarian colleagues have asked me since Google Scholar launched. Is a list of the sources Google Scholar indexes covers available? Unfortunately, Acharya told me that no comprehensive, one-stop list is available or in the works.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 2:55 PM | Permalink
January 6, 2006
Google Scholar and Medicine; Infotrieve's ArticleFinder Database is Now FreeA couple of items for web researchers.
First, Dean Giustini, a medical librarian at University of British Columbia in Vancouver (one of the most beautiful places I've ever been) and editor of the UBC Google Scholar Blog has a good summary of recent articles about how Google Scholar is being used in the medical profession.
Second, Infotrieve, a well-known name in the library world, has just announced that public access to their ArticleFinder database is now free.
What is ArticleFinder? It's a bibliographic database that also offers you the search, read abstracts and purchase individual journal articles as needed from a single source, this is what's often referred to as document delivery.
Content ArticleFinder has a lot of it. According to the web site, it's currently home to more than 26 million citations and eight million abstracts from over 54,000 journals, in science, technology and medicine (STM). More than 44,000 entries are added each week. This page has a breakdown of articles by discipline.
Search ArticleFinder offers two interfaces. One, a simple search box that can handle natural language and the other, an advanced interface that offers fielded searching (date, journal name, author, publisher, etc.). Another option allows you to narrow your search by discipline.
Fast Facts The ArticleFinder FAQ offers many more facts. One important note is that ArticleFinder does not search the full text of an article but rather the title and abstract. In terms of searching AF offers both wildcard search options as well as fuzzy searches. It's also possible to have your citations exported into one of three services and email results.
This service is more than worth a look.
Final Thoughts Two items. 1) The Infotrieve Virtual Library service (fee-based) allows a company or library to tie their e-journal holdings to he service. No word on if or when this feature will also become free. It would be great if did happen. 2) While much of the material in ArticleFinder is on the technical side of the aisle, don't forget that many public libraries offer great access (24x7x365) to thousands of full text article from journals and newspapers (licensed for personal use) for free without having to leave your home or office. More about that here.
Posted by Gary Price at 6:16 PM | Permalink
Google Scholar and Medicine; Infotrieve's ArticleFinder Database is Now FreeA couple of items for web researchers.
First, Dean Giustini, a medical librarian at University of British Columbia in Vancouver (one of the most beautiful places I've ever been) and editor of the UBC Google Scholar Blog has a good summary of recent articles about how Google Scholar is being used in the medical profession.
Second, Infotrieve, a well-known name in the library world, has just announced that public access to their ArticleFinder database is now free.
What is ArticleFinder? It's a bibliographic database that also offers you the search, read abstracts and purchase individual journal articles as needed from a single source, this is what's often referred to as document delivery.
Content ArticleFinder has a lot of it. According to the web site, it's currently home to more than 26 million citations and eight million abstracts from over 54,000 journals, in science, technology and medicine (STM). More than 44,000 entries are added each week. This page has a breakdown of articles by discipline.
Search ArticleFinder offers two interfaces. One, a simple search box that can handle natural language and the other, an advanced interface that offers fielded searching (date, journal name, author, publisher, etc.). Another option allows you to narrow your search by discipline.
Fast Facts The ArticleFinder FAQ offers many more facts. One important note is that ArticleFinder does not search the full text of an article but rather the title and abstract. In terms of searching AF offers both wildcard search options as well as fuzzy searches. It's also possible to have your citations exported into one of three services and email results.
This service is more than worth a look.
Final Thoughts Two items. 1) The Infotrieve Virtual Library service (fee-based) allows a company or library to tie their e-journal holdings to he service. No word on if or when this feature will also become free. It would be great if did happen. 2) While much of the material in ArticleFinder is on the technical side of the aisle, don't forget that many public libraries offer great access (24x7x365) to thousands of full text article from journals and newspapers (licensed for personal use) for free without having to leave your home or office. More about that here.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:16 PM | Permalink
Google Scholar and Medicine; Infotrieve's ArticleFinder Database is Now FreeA couple of items for web researchers.
First, Dean Giustini, a medical librarian at University of British Columbia in Vancouver (one of the most beautiful places I've ever been) and editor of the UBC Google Scholar Blog has a good summary of recent articles about how Google Scholar is being used in the medical profession.
Second, Infotrieve, a well-known name in the library world, has just announced that public access to their ArticleFinder database is now free.
What is ArticleFinder? It's a bibliographic database that also offers you the search, read abstracts and purchase individual journal articles as needed from a single source, this is what's often referred to as document delivery.
Content ArticleFinder has a lot of it. According to the web site, it's currently home to more than 26 million citations and eight million abstracts from over 54,000 journals, in science, technology and medicine (STM). More than 44,000 entries are added each week. This page has a breakdown of articles by discipline.
Search ArticleFinder offers two interfaces. One, a simple search box that can handle natural language and the other, an advanced interface that offers fielded searching (date, journal name, author, publisher, etc.). Another option allows you to narrow your search by discipline.
Fast Facts The ArticleFinder FAQ offers many more facts. One important note is that ArticleFinder does not search the full text of an article but rather the title and abstract. In terms of searching AF offers both wildcard search options as well as fuzzy searches. It's also possible to have your citations exported into one of three services and email results.
This service is more than worth a look.
Final Thoughts Two items. 1) The Infotrieve Virtual Library service (fee-based) allows a company or library to tie their e-journal holdings to he service. No word on if or when this feature will also become free. It would be great if did happen. 2) While much of the material in ArticleFinder is on the technical side of the aisle, don't forget that many public libraries offer great access (24x7x365) to thousands of full text article from journals and newspapers (licensed for personal use) for free without having to leave your home or office. More about that here.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:16 PM | Permalink
Google Scholar and Medicine; Infotrieve's ArticleFinder Database is Now FreeA couple of items for web researchers.
First, Dean Giustini, a medical librarian at University of British Columbia in Vancouver (one of the most beautiful places I've ever been) and editor of the UBC Google Scholar Blog has a good summary of recent articles about how Google Scholar is being used in the medical profession.
Second, Infotrieve, a well-known name in the library world, has just announced that public access to their ArticleFinder database is now free.
What is ArticleFinder? It's a bibliographic database that also offers you the search, read abstracts and purchase individual journal articles as needed from a single source, this is what's often referred to as document delivery.
Content ArticleFinder has a lot of it. According to the web site, it's currently home to more than 26 million citations and eight million abstracts from over 54,000 journals, in science, technology and medicine (STM). More than 44,000 entries are added each week. This page has a breakdown of articles by discipline.
Search ArticleFinder offers two interfaces. One, a simple search box that can handle natural language and the other, an advanced interface that offers fielded searching (date, journal name, author, publisher, etc.). Another option allows you to narrow your search by discipline.
Fast Facts The ArticleFinder FAQ offers many more facts. One important note is that ArticleFinder does not search the full text of an article but rather the title and abstract. In terms of searching AF offers both wildcard search options as well as fuzzy searches. It's also possible to have your citations exported into one of three services and email results.
This service is more than worth a look.
Final Thoughts Two items. 1) The Infotrieve Virtual Library service (fee-based) allows a company or library to tie their e-journal holdings to he service. No word on if or when this feature will also become free. It would be great if did happen. 2) While much of the material in ArticleFinder is on the technical side of the aisle, don't forget that many public libraries offer great access (24x7x365) to thousands of full text article from journals and newspapers (licensed for personal use) for free without having to leave your home or office. More about that here.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:16 PM | Permalink
October 25, 2005
Great Google Print Controversy Bibliography & Google Scholar Citing IssuesTwo highly-respected librarians/info scientists have new resources out today that might be of interest to some of you.
Charles's W. Bailey Jr., compiler of the wonderful Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography (SEPB) has just published the first edition of: The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography.
This bibliography presents selected English-language electronic works about Google Print that are freely available on the Internet. It has a special focus on the legal issues associated with this project.Next, Peter Jacso, a librarian at the University of Hawaii was interviewed for an article in The Scientist (sub. reguired) that discussed the future of citation analysis, in many respects what link analysis is based on. In the article, inlcudes comments about Google Scholar. This special post by Dr. Jacso goes into great depth about what he told The Scientist and why he said it. The post includes screen shots and examples.
Dr Jacso writes: I provide here some background illustrations and comments to my correctly quoted remark that Google Scholar (GS) does a really horrible job matching cited and citing references.
Postscript: If you're interested in learning more about citation analysis: + "The Most Highly Cited" a new profile/interview of Dr. Eugene Garfield, the founder of citation analysis.
+ A compilation with more interview and direct links to some of Dr. Garfield's writing including the classic, "Citation Indexes for Science: A New Dimension in Documentation through Association of Ideas." Many more of Garfield's early publications, here.
Postscript: Another good bibliography of Google Print related material is Open Access News. Google Print material is mixed among other material, but there's plenty in there.
Posted by Gary Price at 12:34 PM | Permalink
Great Google Print Controversy Bibliography & Google Scholar Citing IssuesTwo highly-respected librarians/info scientists have new resources out today that might be of interest to some of you.
Charles's W. Bailey Jr., compiler of the wonderful Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography (SEPB) has just published the first edition of: The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography.
This bibliography presents selected English-language electronic works about Google Print that are freely available on the Internet. It has a special focus on the legal issues associated with this project.Next, Peter Jacso, a librarian at the University of Hawaii was interviewed for an article in The Scientist (sub. reguired) that discussed the future of citation analysis, in many respects what link analysis is based on. In the article, inlcudes comments about Google Scholar. This special post by Dr. Jacso goes into great depth about what he told The Scientist and why he said it. The post includes screen shots and examples.
Dr Jacso writes: I provide here some background illustrations and comments to my correctly quoted remark that Google Scholar (GS) does a really horrible job matching cited and citing references.
Postscript: If you're interested in learning more about citation analysis: + "The Most Highly Cited" a new profile/interview of Dr. Eugene Garfield, the founder of citation analysis.
+ A compilation with more interview and direct links to some of Dr. Garfield's writing including the classic, "Citation Indexes for Science: A New Dimension in Documentation through Association of Ideas." Many more of Garfield's early publications, here.
Postscript: Another good bibliography of Google Print related material is Open Access News. Google Print material is mixed among other material, but there's plenty in there.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 12:34 PM | Permalink
Great Google Print Controversy Bibliography & Google Scholar Citing IssuesTwo highly-respected librarians/info scientists have new resources out today that might be of interest to some of you.
Charles's W. Bailey Jr., compiler of the wonderful Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography (SEPB) has just published the first edition of: The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography.
This bibliography presents selected English-language electronic works about Google Print that are freely available on the Internet. It has a special focus on the legal issues associated with this project.Next, Peter Jacso, a librarian at the University of Hawaii was interviewed for an article in The Scientist (sub. reguired) that discussed the future of citation analysis, in many respects what link analysis is based on. In the article, inlcudes comments about Google Scholar. This special post by Dr. Jacso goes into great depth about what he told The Scientist and why he said it. The post includes screen shots and examples.
Dr Jacso writes: I provide here some background illustrations and comments to my correctly quoted remark that Google Scholar (GS) does a really horrible job matching cited and citing references.
Postscript: If you're interested in learning more about citation analysis: + "The Most Highly Cited" a new profile/interview of Dr. Eugene Garfield, the founder of citation analysis.
+ A compilation with more interview and direct links to some of Dr. Garfield's writing including the classic, "Citation Indexes for Science: A New Dimension in Documentation through Association of Ideas." Many more of Garfield's early publications, here.
Postscript: Another good bibliography of Google Print related material is Open Access News. Google Print material is mixed among other material, but there's plenty in there.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 12:34 PM | Permalink
Great Google Print Controversy Bibliography & Google Scholar Citing IssuesTwo highly-respected librarians/info scientists have new resources out today that might be of interest to some of you.
Charles's W. Bailey Jr., compiler of the wonderful Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography (SEPB) has just published the first edition of: The Google Print Controversy: A Bibliography.
This bibliography presents selected English-language electronic works about Google Print that are freely available on the Internet. It has a special focus on the legal issues associated with this project.Next, Peter Jacso, a librarian at the University of Hawaii was interviewed for an article in The Scientist (sub. reguired) that discussed the future of citation analysis, in many respects what link analysis is based on. In the article, inlcudes comments about Google Scholar. This special post by Dr. Jacso goes into great depth about what he told The Scientist and why he said it. The post includes screen shots and examples.
Dr Jacso writes: I provide here some background illustrations and comments to my correctly quoted remark that Google Scholar (GS) does a really horrible job matching cited and citing references.
Postscript: If you're interested in learning more about citation analysis: + "The Most Highly Cited" a new profile/interview of Dr. Eugene Garfield, the founder of citation analysis.
+ A compilation with more interview and direct links to some of Dr. Garfield's writing including the classic, "Citation Indexes for Science: A New Dimension in Documentation through Association of Ideas." Many more of Garfield's early publications, here.
Postscript: Another good bibliography of Google Print related material is Open Access News. Google Print material is mixed among other material, but there's plenty in there.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 12:34 PM | Permalink
October 6, 2005
Google Scholar Does Some AdvertisingA quick follow-up to Danny's blog post from about 10 days ago over Google placing small ads in college papers that lead users to the Google University page. Schoogle, a blog the focuses on Google Scholar, reports on a new ad reminding students that they can find "authoritative resources" "before sunrise" with Google Scholar. According to a SEW Blog reader, like the other ads this one also points to the Google University page which only includes a small icon for Google Scholar.
It's not that Google Scholar is a unworthy tool, are you kidding? It's far from it.
But university libraries, big and small, have also been doing a good job providing remotely accessible databases (dorm access, home) available 24x7x365, for years, long before Google was even around. Ah, yes, it comes down to marketing and branding once again, and Google is just so very good at it. Why couldn't Google also help the university libraries market other services and specialty databases?
If I was a university student studying psychology, I could also use Psychology Abstracts, and have many authoritative results in my hands (sometimes with full text) in seconds even at 3am. If I needed to, I could use the database to really focus my search query on precisely what I need. Like we talked about yesterday, using a specialized database can give your search more context and allows you to use tools that are specific to the material contained in the resources, perhaps even creating a more "perfect" search. Again, this type of stuff is not for everybody but I would like to think a university student and faculty member should know about the specific resources that are available and useful to their area of study and have some, not a lot, of an idea how to use them. As a former academic librarian, I fully realize that this is MUCH easier said than done.
With Google Scholar, at least at this point, we have little idea of what is and is not covered in the database, especially when the professor asks that the source MUST (a frequent request) be peer reviewed. What about a list of sources included in Google Scholar with start and stop dates? Another example, I want information about injuries to soccer players. What type of query suggestions or modifications will ask if I'm talking about soccer or football (what soccer is called outside of the U.S.)? Running an OR search is going to get me lots of unwanted material on American Football injuries.
While I'm honored, ResourceShelf*, would not qualify. * Worth pointing out that the last issue of ResourceShelf Google Scholar has cached was in March 2004. Also, the title was parsed incorrectly. The title of the site is ResourceShelf. "Resources and News for Information Professionals" is the subtitle. Btw, it's a blog hosted by Google's own blogger service. (-:
Posted by Gary Price at 10:50 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Does Some AdvertisingA quick follow-up to Danny's blog post from about 10 days ago over Google placing small ads in college papers that lead users to the Google University page. Schoogle, a blog the focuses on Google Scholar, reports on a new ad reminding students that they can find "authoritative resources" "before sunrise" with Google Scholar. According to a SEW Blog reader, like the other ads this one also points to the Google University page which only includes a small icon for Google Scholar.
It's not that Google Scholar is a unworthy tool, are you kidding? It's far from it.
But university libraries, big and small, have also been doing a good job providing remotely accessible databases (dorm access, home) available 24x7x365, for years, long before Google was even around. Ah, yes, it comes down to marketing and branding once again, and Google is just so very good at it. Why couldn't Google also help the university libraries market other services and specialty databases?
If I was a university student studying psychology, I could also use Psychology Abstracts, and have many authoritative results in my hands (sometimes with full text) in seconds even at 3am. If I needed to, I could use the database to really focus my search query on precisely what I need. Like we talked about yesterday, using a specialized database can give your search more context and allows you to use tools that are specific to the material contained in the resources, perhaps even creating a more "perfect" search. Again, this type of stuff is not for everybody but I would like to think a university student and faculty member should know about the specific resources that are available and useful to their area of study and have some, not a lot, of an idea how to use them. As a former academic librarian, I fully realize that this is MUCH easier said than done.
With Google Scholar, at least at this point, we have little idea of what is and is not covered in the database, especially when the professor asks that the source MUST (a frequent request) be peer reviewed. What about a list of sources included in Google Scholar with start and stop dates? Another example, I want information about injuries to soccer players. What type of query suggestions or modifications will ask if I'm talking about soccer or football (what soccer is called outside of the U.S.)? Running an OR search is going to get me lots of unwanted material on American Football injuries.
While I'm honored, ResourceShelf*, would not qualify. * Worth pointing out that the last issue of ResourceShelf Google Scholar has cached was in March 2004. Also, the title was parsed incorrectly. The title of the site is ResourceShelf. "Resources and News for Information Professionals" is the subtitle. Btw, it's a blog hosted by Google's own blogger service. (-:
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 10:50 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Does Some AdvertisingA quick follow-up to Danny's blog post from about 10 days ago over Google placing small ads in college papers that lead users to the Google University page. Schoogle, a blog the focuses on Google Scholar, reports on a new ad reminding students that they can find "authoritative resources" "before sunrise" with Google Scholar. According to a SEW Blog reader, like the other ads this one also points to the Google University page which only includes a small icon for Google Scholar.
It's not that Google Scholar is a unworthy tool, are you kidding? It's far from it.
But university libraries, big and small, have also been doing a good job providing remotely accessible databases (dorm access, home) available 24x7x365, for years, long before Google was even around. Ah, yes, it comes down to marketing and branding once again, and Google is just so very good at it. Why couldn't Google also help the university libraries market other services and specialty databases?
If I was a university student studying psychology, I could also use Psychology Abstracts, and have many authoritative results in my hands (sometimes with full text) in seconds even at 3am. If I needed to, I could use the database to really focus my search query on precisely what I need. Like we talked about yesterday, using a specialized database can give your search more context and allows you to use tools that are specific to the material contained in the resources, perhaps even creating a more "perfect" search. Again, this type of stuff is not for everybody but I would like to think a university student and faculty member should know about the specific resources that are available and useful to their area of study and have some, not a lot, of an idea how to use them. As a former academic librarian, I fully realize that this is MUCH easier said than done.
With Google Scholar, at least at this point, we have little idea of what is and is not covered in the database, especially when the professor asks that the source MUST (a frequent request) be peer reviewed. What about a list of sources included in Google Scholar with start and stop dates? Another example, I want information about injuries to soccer players. What type of query suggestions or modifications will ask if I'm talking about soccer or football (what soccer is called outside of the U.S.)? Running an OR search is going to get me lots of unwanted material on American Football injuries.
While I'm honored, ResourceShelf*, would not qualify. * Worth pointing out that the last issue of ResourceShelf Google Scholar has cached was in March 2004. Also, the title was parsed incorrectly. The title of the site is ResourceShelf. "Resources and News for Information Professionals" is the subtitle. Btw, it's a blog hosted by Google's own blogger service. (-:
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 10:50 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Does Some AdvertisingA quick follow-up to Danny's blog post from about 10 days ago over Google placing small ads in college papers that lead users to the Google University page. Schoogle, a blog the focuses on Google Scholar, reports on a new ad reminding students that they can find "authoritative resources" "before sunrise" with Google Scholar. According to a SEW Blog reader, like the other ads this one also points to the Google University page which only includes a small icon for Google Scholar.
It's not that Google Scholar is a unworthy tool, are you kidding? It's far from it.
But university libraries, big and small, have also been doing a good job providing remotely accessible databases (dorm access, home) available 24x7x365, for years, long before Google was even around. Ah, yes, it comes down to marketing and branding once again, and Google is just so very good at it. Why couldn't Google also help the university libraries market other services and specialty databases?
If I was a university student studying psychology, I could also use Psychology Abstracts, and have many authoritative results in my hands (sometimes with full text) in seconds even at 3am. If I needed to, I could use the database to really focus my search query on precisely what I need. Like we talked about yesterday, using a specialized database can give your search more context and allows you to use tools that are specific to the material contained in the resources, perhaps even creating a more "perfect" search. Again, this type of stuff is not for everybody but I would like to think a university student and faculty member should know about the specific resources that are available and useful to their area of study and have some, not a lot, of an idea how to use them. As a former academic librarian, I fully realize that this is MUCH easier said than done.
With Google Scholar, at least at this point, we have little idea of what is and is not covered in the database, especially when the professor asks that the source MUST (a frequent request) be peer reviewed. What about a list of sources included in Google Scholar with start and stop dates? Another example, I want information about injuries to soccer players. What type of query suggestions or modifications will ask if I'm talking about soccer or football (what soccer is called outside of the U.S.)? Running an OR search is going to get me lots of unwanted material on American Football injuries.
While I'm honored, ResourceShelf*, would not qualify. * Worth pointing out that the last issue of ResourceShelf Google Scholar has cached was in March 2004. Also, the title was parsed incorrectly. The title of the site is ResourceShelf. "Resources and News for Information Professionals" is the subtitle. Btw, it's a blog hosted by Google's own blogger service. (-:
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 10:50 AM | Permalink
June 14, 2005
Google Scholar Link Showing Up For University UsersOn Google Scholar noted that some going to Google from within university campuses were seeing a new Google Scholar link on the Google home page. Google confirms this is the case.
We have been offering Google Scholar as a tab [link] for the .edu domain for a few weeks now. We have expanded this to a larger set of universities. This includes a large number of universities around the world, not just .edu.
In other words, if Google can tell you are coming from within an institution using IP addresses that resolve to an .edu domain, or from a list of universities it chooses to target, then you'll see a new "Scholar" link on the Google home page, as the screenshot shows below:
Thanks to CKP for the screenshot!We asked Google if there was a way for those who wanted to add the Scholar link to the home page to do so if it doesn't show up automatically, but the company didn't respond. We think it would be a good idea.
For that matter, if would be nice if people could pick and choose exactly what links they want on the home page, given that Google offers a variety of search services that aren't normally shown. Perhaps that's something the Google personalized home page launched last month will allow, as it matures.
FYI, Yahoo's pure search page has an edit option just above the search box that lets you add and remove links to many of the company's vertical search services. A9 also allows you to pick-and-choose from hundreds of sources.
Postscript: Gary points out that you can also do something similar on the main Yahoo home page, if you are logged in as a registered user. Look for the very small edit link in the upper right hand corner. That will let you change three of the home page "buttons" to the left of the Yahoo logo to whatever you'd like.
Posted by Danny Sullivan at 11:21 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Link Showing Up For University UsersOn Google Scholar noted that some going to Google from within university campuses were seeing a new Google Scholar link on the Google home page. Google confirms this is the case.
We have been offering Google Scholar as a tab [link] for the .edu domain for a few weeks now. We have expanded this to a larger set of universities. This includes a large number of universities around the world, not just .edu.
In other words, if Google can tell you are coming from within an institution using IP addresses that resolve to an .edu domain, or from a list of universities it chooses to target, then you'll see a new "Scholar" link on the Google home page, as the screenshot shows below:
Thanks to CKP for the screenshot!We asked Google if there was a way for those who wanted to add the Scholar link to the home page to do so if it doesn't show up automatically, but the company didn't respond. We think it would be a good idea.
For that matter, if would be nice if people could pick and choose exactly what links they want on the home page, given that Google offers a variety of search services that aren't normally shown. Perhaps that's something the Google personalized home page launched last month will allow, as it matures.
FYI, Yahoo's pure search page has an edit option just above the search box that lets you add and remove links to many of the company's vertical search services. A9 also allows you to pick-and-choose from hundreds of sources.
Postscript: Gary points out that you can also do something similar on the main Yahoo home page, if you are logged in as a registered user. Look for the very small edit link in the upper right hand corner. That will let you change three of the home page "buttons" to the left of the Yahoo logo to whatever you'd like.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:21 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Link Showing Up For University UsersOn Google Scholar noted that some going to Google from within university campuses were seeing a new Google Scholar link on the Google home page. Google confirms this is the case.
We have been offering Google Scholar as a tab [link] for the .edu domain for a few weeks now. We have expanded this to a larger set of universities. This includes a large number of universities around the world, not just .edu.
In other words, if Google can tell you are coming from within an institution using IP addresses that resolve to an .edu domain, or from a list of universities it chooses to target, then you'll see a new "Scholar" link on the Google home page, as the screenshot shows below:
Thanks to CKP for the screenshot!We asked Google if there was a way for those who wanted to add the Scholar link to the home page to do so if it doesn't show up automatically, but the company didn't respond. We think it would be a good idea.
For that matter, if would be nice if people could pick and choose exactly what links they want on the home page, given that Google offers a variety of search services that aren't normally shown. Perhaps that's something the Google personalized home page launched last month will allow, as it matures.
FYI, Yahoo's pure search page has an edit option just above the search box that lets you add and remove links to many of the company's vertical search services. A9 also allows you to pick-and-choose from hundreds of sources.
Postscript: Gary points out that you can also do something similar on the main Yahoo home page, if you are logged in as a registered user. Look for the very small edit link in the upper right hand corner. That will let you change three of the home page "buttons" to the left of the Yahoo logo to whatever you'd like.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:21 AM | Permalink
Google Scholar Link Showing Up For University UsersOn Google Scholar noted that some going to Google from within university campuses were seeing a new Google Scholar link on the Google home page. Google confirms this is the case.
We have been offering Google Scholar as a tab [link] for the .edu domain for a few weeks now. We have expanded this to a larger set of universities. This includes a large number of universities around the world, not just .edu.
In other words, if Google can tell you are coming from within an institution using IP addresses that resolve to an .edu domain, or from a list of universities it chooses to target, then you'll see a new "Scholar" link on the Google home page, as the screenshot shows below:
Thanks to CKP for the screenshot!We asked Google if there was a way for those who wanted to add the Scholar link to the home page to do so if it doesn't show up automatically, but the company didn't respond. We think it would be a good idea.
For that matter, if would be nice if people could pick and choose exactly what links they want on the home page, given that Google offers a variety of search services that aren't normally shown. Perhaps that's something the Google personalized home page launched last month will allow, as it matures.
FYI, Yahoo's pure search page has an edit option just above the search box that lets you add and remove links to many of the company's vertical search services. A9 also allows you to pick-and-choose from hundreds of sources.
Postscript: Gary points out that you can also do something similar on the main Yahoo home page, if you are logged in as a registered user. Look for the very small edit link in the upper right hand corner. That will let you change three of the home page "buttons" to the left of the Yahoo logo to whatever you'd like.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:21 AM | Permalink
June 13, 2005
In-Depth Review of Google Scholar & Why You Should Consider HireWire PressSome of the most well-known, comprehensive and respected reviews of reference books and databases reviews come from Dr. Pete Jacso, a library science professor at the University of Hawaii. I've been reading and learning from Peter's work since my very first days of library school. He currently writes for several sites and publications including two in-depth reviews posted on the Gale.com site each month.
I thought some of you might find his latest in-depth review of Google Scholar worth a look.
Here's a sample of what you'll read: Google Scholar still does not reveal any of the essential facts about the content, composition, source coverage and time span of its database. Nor does it exploit the wealth offered by the hundred of millions of well-structured metadata-rich scholarly articles that publishers happily made available to its crawlers. Its search engine often returns inflated and strange hit numbers and citedness scores; does not offer elementary search options for scholarly research; and presents the search results in a discombobulating format, such as mistaking citing journal for cited journal, citing year for cited year and chapter titles for author names. Its biggest advantage is that it is free, and can find free versions of many scholarly papers. This is great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library. However, librarians and scholars should not ditch the competently designed academic databases that they have purchased.
Btw, Dr. Jacso notes that Google Scholar is, "great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library." True. However, even if you're not affiliated with an academic library, you likely have free access to some of the specialized databases he's talking about. Here's a recent look at what some public libraries around the world make available, 24x7x365, for their patrons without having to visit the library.
Also, I'm glad to see that Dr. Jacso includes a mention of the freely acessible of two focused databases that have been around for many years.
- SmealSearch "Scholarly" business material from the open web
- Citeseer Computer science, telecommunications, and related material from the open web. Citeseer has been available for more than five years.
Finally, Dr. Jacso's second review this month sings the praises of the HighWire Press Archive (preview version), where almost one million full text scholarly articles (from over 200 publishers) are available for free. Jacso writes, "HighWire Press shows an awesome fusion of quality and quantity, enhanced by links to citing articles from within the HighWire archive. Maybe it should be called HighWire Scholar."
Posted by Gary Price at 3:25 PM | Permalink
In-Depth Review of Google Scholar & Why You Should Consider HireWire PressSome of the most well-known, comprehensive and respected reviews of reference books and databases reviews come from Dr. Pete Jacso, a library science professor at the University of Hawaii. I've been reading and learning from Peter's work since my very first days of library school. He currently writes for several sites and publications including two in-depth reviews posted on the Gale.com site each month.
I thought some of you might find his latest in-depth review of Google Scholar worth a look.
Here's a sample of what you'll read: Google Scholar still does not reveal any of the essential facts about the content, composition, source coverage and time span of its database. Nor does it exploit the wealth offered by the hundred of millions of well-structured metadata-rich scholarly articles that publishers happily made available to its crawlers. Its search engine often returns inflated and strange hit numbers and citedness scores; does not offer elementary search options for scholarly research; and presents the search results in a discombobulating format, such as mistaking citing journal for cited journal, citing year for cited year and chapter titles for author names. Its biggest advantage is that it is free, and can find free versions of many scholarly papers. This is great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library. However, librarians and scholars should not ditch the competently designed academic databases that they have purchased.
Btw, Dr. Jacso notes that Google Scholar is, "great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library." True. However, even if you're not affiliated with an academic library, you likely have free access to some of the specialized databases he's talking about. Here's a recent look at what some public libraries around the world make available, 24x7x365, for their patrons without having to visit the library.
Also, I'm glad to see that Dr. Jacso includes a mention of the freely acessible of two focused databases that have been around for many years.
- SmealSearch "Scholarly" business material from the open web
- Citeseer Computer science, telecommunications, and related material from the open web. Citeseer has been available for more than five years.
Finally, Dr. Jacso's second review this month sings the praises of the HighWire Press Archive (preview version), where almost one million full text scholarly articles (from over 200 publishers) are available for free. Jacso writes, "HighWire Press shows an awesome fusion of quality and quantity, enhanced by links to citing articles from within the HighWire archive. Maybe it should be called HighWire Scholar."
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 3:25 PM | Permalink
In-Depth Review of Google Scholar & Why You Should Consider HireWire PressSome of the most well-known, comprehensive and respected reviews of reference books and databases reviews come from Dr. Pete Jacso, a library science professor at the University of Hawaii. I've been reading and learning from Peter's work since my very first days of library school. He currently writes for several sites and publications including two in-depth reviews posted on the Gale.com site each month.
I thought some of you might find his latest in-depth review of Google Scholar worth a look.
Here's a sample of what you'll read: Google Scholar still does not reveal any of the essential facts about the content, composition, source coverage and time span of its database. Nor does it exploit the wealth offered by the hundred of millions of well-structured metadata-rich scholarly articles that publishers happily made available to its crawlers. Its search engine often returns inflated and strange hit numbers and citedness scores; does not offer elementary search options for scholarly research; and presents the search results in a discombobulating format, such as mistaking citing journal for cited journal, citing year for cited year and chapter titles for author names. Its biggest advantage is that it is free, and can find free versions of many scholarly papers. This is great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library. However, librarians and scholars should not ditch the competently designed academic databases that they have purchased.
Btw, Dr. Jacso notes that Google Scholar is, "great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library." True. However, even if you're not affiliated with an academic library, you likely have free access to some of the specialized databases he's talking about. Here's a recent look at what some public libraries around the world make available, 24x7x365, for their patrons without having to visit the library.
Also, I'm glad to see that Dr. Jacso includes a mention of the freely acessible of two focused databases that have been around for many years.
- SmealSearch "Scholarly" business material from the open web
- Citeseer Computer science, telecommunications, and related material from the open web. Citeseer has been available for more than five years.
Finally, Dr. Jacso's second review this month sings the praises of the HighWire Press Archive (preview version), where almost one million full text scholarly articles (from over 200 publishers) are available for free. Jacso writes, "HighWire Press shows an awesome fusion of quality and quantity, enhanced by links to citing articles from within the HighWire archive. Maybe it should be called HighWire Scholar."
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 3:25 PM | Permalink
In-Depth Review of Google Scholar & Why You Should Consider HireWire PressSome of the most well-known, comprehensive and respected reviews of reference books and databases reviews come from Dr. Pete Jacso, a library science professor at the University of Hawaii. I've been reading and learning from Peter's work since my very first days of library school. He currently writes for several sites and publications including two in-depth reviews posted on the Gale.com site each month.
I thought some of you might find his latest in-depth review of Google Scholar worth a look.
Here's a sample of what you'll read: Google Scholar still does not reveal any of the essential facts about the content, composition, source coverage and time span of its database. Nor does it exploit the wealth offered by the hundred of millions of well-structured metadata-rich scholarly articles that publishers happily made available to its crawlers. Its search engine often returns inflated and strange hit numbers and citedness scores; does not offer elementary search options for scholarly research; and presents the search results in a discombobulating format, such as mistaking citing journal for cited journal, citing year for cited year and chapter titles for author names. Its biggest advantage is that it is free, and can find free versions of many scholarly papers. This is great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library. However, librarians and scholars should not ditch the competently designed academic databases that they have purchased.
Btw, Dr. Jacso notes that Google Scholar is, "great for the have-nots or individuals not affiliated with an academic library." True. However, even if you're not affiliated with an academic library, you likely have free access to some of the specialized databases he's talking about. Here's a recent look at what some public libraries around the world make available, 24x7x365, for their patrons without having to visit the library.
Also, I'm glad to see that Dr. Jacso includes a mention of the freely acessible of two focused databases that have been around for many years.
- SmealSearch "Scholarly" business material from the open web
- Citeseer Computer science, telecommunications, and related material from the open web. Citeseer has been available for more than five years.
Finally, Dr. Jacso's second review this month sings the praises of the HighWire Press Archive (preview version), where almost one million full text scholarly articles (from over 200 publishers) are available for free. Jacso writes, "HighWire Press shows an awesome fusion of quality and quantity, enhanced by links to citing articles from within the HighWire archive. Maybe it should be called HighWire Scholar."
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 3:25 PM | Permalink
May 31, 2005
More On Direct Links For Libraries In Google ScholarEarlier this month, we mentioned how any library can now set up direct links to the full-text articles found in Google Scholar. In other words, say an article is kept behind password protection. If a library has a subscription, they can enable Google Scholar so that their patrons can automatically view the material. Spotted via On Google Scholar, Library Collections Linked on Google Scholar for Free is a recent article from Barbara Quint that looks at this and other library issues with Google Scholar, in more depth. See also Gary's post at ResourceShelf, Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries and information from Google here: Google Scholar: Support For Libraries.
Posted by Danny Sullivan at 6:42 AM | Permalink
More On Direct Links For Libraries In Google ScholarEarlier this month, we mentioned how any library can now set up direct links to the full-text articles found in Google Scholar. In other words, say an article is kept behind password protection. If a library has a subscription, they can enable Google Scholar so that their patrons can automatically view the material. Spotted via On Google Scholar, Library Collections Linked on Google Scholar for Free is a recent article from Barbara Quint that looks at this and other library issues with Google Scholar, in more depth. See also Gary's post at ResourceShelf, Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries and information from Google here: Google Scholar: Support For Libraries.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:42 AM | Permalink
More On Direct Links For Libraries In Google ScholarEarlier this month, we mentioned how any library can now set up direct links to the full-text articles found in Google Scholar. In other words, say an article is kept behind password protection. If a library has a subscription, they can enable Google Scholar so that their patrons can automatically view the material. Spotted via On Google Scholar, Library Collections Linked on Google Scholar for Free is a recent article from Barbara Quint that looks at this and other library issues with Google Scholar, in more depth. See also Gary's post at ResourceShelf, Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries and information from Google here: Google Scholar: Support For Libraries.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:42 AM | Permalink
More On Direct Links For Libraries In Google ScholarEarlier this month, we mentioned how any library can now set up direct links to the full-text articles found in Google Scholar. In other words, say an article is kept behind password protection. If a library has a subscription, they can enable Google Scholar so that their patrons can automatically view the material. Spotted via On Google Scholar, Library Collections Linked on Google Scholar for Free is a recent article from Barbara Quint that looks at this and other library issues with Google Scholar, in more depth. See also Gary's post at ResourceShelf, Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries and information from Google here: Google Scholar: Support For Libraries.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:42 AM | Permalink
May 10, 2005
Google Local UK Gets Mobile Site; Google Scholar Lets Any Library Add LinksGoogle Local UK has gained a new mobile site and the Google Scholar program now allows any library to establish direct links to content.
Google Blogoscoped notes that a mobile version of Google Local for the UK is now online. Google Local rolled out in the UK last month with a web, mapping and SMS service. More here: Google UK Gets Local Listings & Maps.
Over on ResourceShelf, my Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries explains how the Google Scholar program has expanded to allow any library to set-up direct links from to the full text of articles found in the Google Scholar database, assuming they have institutional subscriptions to the material. This effort began as a small pilot project in February.
BTW, don't forget many public libraries provide direct access to fee-based databases from home or office for free! All you need is a library card. These databases contain full text articles, full text books, and more. Each library offers different databases so be sure to find out what you can access. Here's an article with more info and a few examples.
Posted by Gary Price at 9:26 AM | Permalink
Google Local UK Gets Mobile Site; Google Scholar Lets Any Library Add LinksGoogle Local UK has gained a new mobile site and the Google Scholar program now allows any library to establish direct links to content.
Google Blogoscoped notes that a mobile version of Google Local for the UK is now online. Google Local rolled out in the UK last month with a web, mapping and SMS service. More here: Google UK Gets Local Listings & Maps.
Over on ResourceShelf, my Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries explains how the Google Scholar program has expanded to allow any library to set-up direct links from to the full text of articles found in the Google Scholar database, assuming they have institutional subscriptions to the material. This effort began as a small pilot project in February.
BTW, don't forget many public libraries provide direct access to fee-based databases from home or office for free! All you need is a library card. These databases contain full text articles, full text books, and more. Each library offers different databases so be sure to find out what you can access. Here's an article with more info and a few examples.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:26 AM | Permalink
Google Local UK Gets Mobile Site; Google Scholar Lets Any Library Add LinksGoogle Local UK has gained a new mobile site and the Google Scholar program now allows any library to establish direct links to content.
Google Blogoscoped notes that a mobile version of Google Local for the UK is now online. Google Local rolled out in the UK last month with a web, mapping and SMS service. More here: Google UK Gets Local Listings & Maps.
Over on ResourceShelf, my Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries explains how the Google Scholar program has expanded to allow any library to set-up direct links from to the full text of articles found in the Google Scholar database, assuming they have institutional subscriptions to the material. This effort began as a small pilot project in February.
BTW, don't forget many public libraries provide direct access to fee-based databases from home or office for free! All you need is a library card. These databases contain full text articles, full text books, and more. Each library offers different databases so be sure to find out what you can access. Here's an article with more info and a few examples.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:26 AM | Permalink
Google Local UK Gets Mobile Site; Google Scholar Lets Any Library Add LinksGoogle Local UK has gained a new mobile site and the Google Scholar program now allows any library to establish direct links to content.
Google Blogoscoped notes that a mobile version of Google Local for the UK is now online. Google Local rolled out in the UK last month with a web, mapping and SMS service. More here: Google UK Gets Local Listings & Maps.
Over on ResourceShelf, my Direct Links to Articles: Google Scholar is Now Open to All Libraries explains how the Google Scholar program has expanded to allow any library to set-up direct links from to the full text of articles found in the Google Scholar database, assuming they have institutional subscriptions to the material. This effort began as a small pilot project in February.
BTW, don't forget many public libraries provide direct access to fee-based databases from home or office for free! All you need is a library card. These databases contain full text articles, full text books, and more. Each library offers different databases so be sure to find out what you can access. Here's an article with more info and a few examples.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 9:26 AM | Permalink
February 20, 2005
Google Adds "Small Pilot Project" to Google ScholarI just noticed a couple of new items listed on Google Scholar pages.
+ You'll now see a link labeled "Preferences" on all Google Scholar pages. Users can select up to three universities (21 are available) and determine out if an article is available to them via an institutional subscription. The page also mentions that, "institutional access is currently a small pilot project." Just 21 universities are currently listed. + On results pages you'll find links labeled, "Web Search" (run the title in the Google web database) and "Library Search" (books only, determine if a book is available via OCLC Worldcat).
Btw, it's worth mentioning, again, that you might have access to numerous fee-based databases for free and from home via your local public library. This article has the details.
Posted by Gary Price at 11:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Google Adds "Small Pilot Project" to Google ScholarI just noticed a couple of new items listed on Google Scholar pages.
+ You'll now see a link labeled "Preferences" on all Google Scholar pages. Users can select up to three universities (21 are available) and determine out if an article is available to them via an institutional subscription. The page also mentions that, "institutional access is currently a small pilot project." Just 21 universities are currently listed. + On results pages you'll find links labeled, "Web Search" (run the title in the Google web database) and "Library Search" (books only, determine if a book is available via OCLC Worldcat).
Btw, it's worth mentioning, again, that you might have access to numerous fee-based databases for free and from home via your local public library. This article has the details.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Google Adds "Small Pilot Project" to Google ScholarI just noticed a couple of new items listed on Google Scholar pages.
+ You'll now see a link labeled "Preferences" on all Google Scholar pages. Users can select up to three universities (21 are available) and determine out if an article is available to them via an institutional subscription. The page also mentions that, "institutional access is currently a small pilot project." Just 21 universities are currently listed. + On results pages you'll find links labeled, "Web Search" (run the title in the Google web database) and "Library Search" (books only, determine if a book is available via OCLC Worldcat).
Btw, it's worth mentioning, again, that you might have access to numerous fee-based databases for free and from home via your local public library. This article has the details.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Google Adds "Small Pilot Project" to Google ScholarI just noticed a couple of new items listed on Google Scholar pages.
+ You'll now see a link labeled "Preferences" on all Google Scholar pages. Users can select up to three universities (21 are available) and determine out if an article is available to them via an institutional subscription. The page also mentions that, "institutional access is currently a small pilot project." Just 21 universities are currently listed. + On results pages you'll find links labeled, "Web Search" (run the title in the Google web database) and "Library Search" (books only, determine if a book is available via OCLC Worldcat).
Btw, it's worth mentioning, again, that you might have access to numerous fee-based databases for free and from home via your local public library. This article has the details.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
February 16, 2005
Google's Scholarly and Digitzation InitiativesA couple of articles and notes about Google's massive digitization project with libraries and Google Scholar to post here. Both come from the library and librarian community. Btw, in case you don't already know, your SEW News Editor is also a librarian.
Roy Tennant (a living legend in my profession) writes about how Google has been not very forthcoming with details about their digitizaton project with the participating libraries. He also discusses the large amount of copyright research that Google faces in the Library Journal article, Google Out of Print.
A recent blog entry by Elizabeth Edwards, a Stanford University Libraries staff member, is particularly enlightening. According to Edwards, who was briefed on the Stanford-Google plan along with other staffers at a January meeting, "the company has not yet been forthcoming as to how the process of digitization will be implemented in detail; however, Google's process is characterized as 'industrial-strength digitization.'" Characterized by whom and with what evidence is unknown or unstated. Edwards further states that "Google is being 'coy' about standards and specs; minimums have been given but little to no fixed specs." It is difficult to judge the potential effectiveness of a project that provides no details.From day one I've taken a wait and see attitude about this project. It sounds great in print (no pun intended) but execution (digitizing the material) and then making it findable and usable, especially when the company told me they had no plans to offer a Google Print interface is another story. I could go on but I'll save that for another time.
I was't surprised about Google offering minimal details about how this was all going to work during the initial press announcement/hype period. However, I'll admit to being surprised that Google to this point hasn't offered much info to the Stanford Library. Bottom Line: I guess we're ALL still waiting and watching.
On the Google Scholar front, CrossRef (a project to make citation linking easier) and the 35 publishers participating in the CrossRef/Google Pilot (a review of the service here) met to discuss the pilot and Google Scholar. A post in the CrossRef newsletter gives us some details about Google and CrossRef talked about in the January meeting.
+ Google agreed with the principle that if there are multiple versions of an article shown in the Google Scholar search results, the first link will be to the publisher's authoritative copy. + Google would like to use the DOI as the primary means to link to an article.Finally, the newsletter describes Google Scholar as, "..a very broad search of all the web and includes any material that 'looks scholarly.'" It's a good description but the "looks scholarly" part made me smile. Why? I can't figure out how: + press releases + Someones resume (last item) and here (last item) + Government contract bid announcements
and other types of material "look scholarly" using even the broadest definition.
Many thanks to DD for the news tip.
Posted by Gary Price at 11:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Google's Scholarly and Digitzation InitiativesA couple of articles and notes about Google's massive digitization project with libraries and Google Scholar to post here. Both come from the library and librarian community. Btw, in case you don't already know, your SEW News Editor is also a librarian.
Roy Tennant (a living legend in my profession) writes about how Google has been not very forthcoming with details about their digitizaton project with the participating libraries. He also discusses the large amount of copyright research that Google faces in the Library Journal article, Google Out of Print.
A recent blog entry by Elizabeth Edwards, a Stanford University Libraries staff member, is particularly enlightening. According to Edwards, who was briefed on the Stanford-Google plan along with other staffers at a January meeting, "the company has not yet been forthcoming as to how the process of digitization will be implemented in detail; however, Google's process is characterized as 'industrial-strength digitization.'" Characterized by whom and with what evidence is unknown or unstated. Edwards further states that "Google is being 'coy' about standards and specs; minimums have been given but little to no fixed specs." It is difficult to judge the potential effectiveness of a project that provides no details.From day one I've taken a wait and see attitude about this project. It sounds great in print (no pun intended) but execution (digitizing the material) and then making it findable and usable, especially when the company told me they had no plans to offer a Google Print interface is another story. I could go on but I'll save that for another time.
I was't surprised about Google offering minimal details about how this was all going to work during the initial press announcement/hype period. However, I'll admit to being surprised that Google to this point hasn't offered much info to the Stanford Library. Bottom Line: I guess we're ALL still waiting and watching.
On the Google Scholar front, CrossRef (a project to make citation linking easier) and the 35 publishers participating in the CrossRef/Google Pilot (a review of the service here) met to discuss the pilot and Google Scholar. A post in the CrossRef newsletter gives us some details about Google and CrossRef talked about in the January meeting.
+ Google agreed with the principle that if there are multiple versions of an article shown in the Google Scholar search results, the first link will be to the publisher's authoritative copy. + Google would like to use the DOI as the primary means to link to an article.Finally, the newsletter describes Google Scholar as, "..a very broad search of all the web and includes any material that 'looks scholarly.'" It's a good description but the "looks scholarly" part made me smile. Why? I can't figure out how: + press releases + Someones resume (last item) and here (last item) + Government contract bid announcements
and other types of material "look scholarly" using even the broadest definition.
Many thanks to DD for the news tip.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Google's Scholarly and Digitzation InitiativesA couple of articles and notes about Google's massive digitization project with libraries and Google Scholar to post here. Both come from the library and librarian community. Btw, in case you don't already know, your SEW News Editor is also a librarian.
Roy Tennant (a living legend in my profession) writes about how Google has been not very forthcoming with details about their digitizaton project with the participating libraries. He also discusses the large amount of copyright research that Google faces in the Library Journal article, Google Out of Print.
A recent blog entry by Elizabeth Edwards, a Stanford University Libraries staff member, is particularly enlightening. According to Edwards, who was briefed on the Stanford-Google plan along with other staffers at a January meeting, "the company has not yet been forthcoming as to how the process of digitization will be implemented in detail; however, Google's process is characterized as 'industrial-strength digitization.'" Characterized by whom and with what evidence is unknown or unstated. Edwards further states that "Google is being 'coy' about standards and specs; minimums have been given but little to no fixed specs." It is difficult to judge the potential effectiveness of a project that provides no details.From day one I've taken a wait and see attitude about this project. It sounds great in print (no pun intended) but execution (digitizing the material) and then making it findable and usable, especially when the company told me they had no plans to offer a Google Print interface is another story. I could go on but I'll save that for another time.
I was't surprised about Google offering minimal details about how this was all going to work during the initial press announcement/hype period. However, I'll admit to being surprised that Google to this point hasn't offered much info to the Stanford Library. Bottom Line: I guess we're ALL still waiting and watching.
On the Google Scholar front, CrossRef (a project to make citation linking easier) and the 35 publishers participating in the CrossRef/Google Pilot (a review of the service here) met to discuss the pilot and Google Scholar. A post in the CrossRef newsletter gives us some details about Google and CrossRef talked about in the January meeting.
+ Google agreed with the principle that if there are multiple versions of an article shown in the Google Scholar search results, the first link will be to the publisher's authoritative copy. + Google would like to use the DOI as the primary means to link to an article.Finally, the newsletter describes Google Scholar as, "..a very broad search of all the web and includes any material that 'looks scholarly.'" It's a good description but the "looks scholarly" part made me smile. Why? I can't figure out how: + press releases + Someones resume (last item) and here (last item) + Government contract bid announcements
and other types of material "look scholarly" using even the broadest definition.
Many thanks to DD for the news tip.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Google's Scholarly and Digitzation InitiativesA couple of articles and notes about Google's massive digitization project with libraries and Google Scholar to post here. Both come from the library and librarian community. Btw, in case you don't already know, your SEW News Editor is also a librarian.
Roy Tennant (a living legend in my profession) writes about how Google has been not very forthcoming with details about their digitizaton project with the participating libraries. He also discusses the large amount of copyright research that Google faces in the Library Journal article, Google Out of Print.
A recent blog entry by Elizabeth Edwards, a Stanford University Libraries staff member, is particularly enlightening. According to Edwards, who was briefed on the Stanford-Google plan along with other staffers at a January meeting, "the company has not yet been forthcoming as to how the process of digitization will be implemented in detail; however, Google's process is characterized as 'industrial-strength digitization.'" Characterized by whom and with what evidence is unknown or unstated. Edwards further states that "Google is being 'coy' about standards and specs; minimums have been given but little to no fixed specs." It is difficult to judge the potential effectiveness of a project that provides no details.From day one I've taken a wait and see attitude about this project. It sounds great in print (no pun intended) but execution (digitizing the material) and then making it findable and usable, especially when the company told me they had no plans to offer a Google Print interface is another story. I could go on but I'll save that for another time.
I was't surprised about Google offering minimal details about how this was all going to work during the initial press announcement/hype period. However, I'll admit to being surprised that Google to this point hasn't offered much info to the Stanford Library. Bottom Line: I guess we're ALL still waiting and watching.
On the Google Scholar front, CrossRef (a project to make citation linking easier) and the 35 publishers participating in the CrossRef/Google Pilot (a review of the service here) met to discuss the pilot and Google Scholar. A post in the CrossRef newsletter gives us some details about Google and CrossRef talked about in the January meeting.
+ Google agreed with the principle that if there are multiple versions of an article shown in the Google Scholar search results, the first link will be to the publisher's authoritative copy. + Google would like to use the DOI as the primary means to link to an article.Finally, the newsletter describes Google Scholar as, "..a very broad search of all the web and includes any material that 'looks scholarly.'" It's a good description but the "looks scholarly" part made me smile. Why? I can't figure out how: + press releases + Someones resume (last item) and here (last item) + Government contract bid announcements
and other types of material "look scholarly" using even the broadest definition.
Many thanks to DD for the news tip.
Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
January 24, 2005
Scirus Offers Comments About Google ScholarA just published issue of the Scirus newsletter includes a few comments about how Scirus views their product as compared to what Google offers with Google Scholar. Scirus is a service of the massive science publisher, Elsevier.
From the Scirus Newsletter: Google has recently launched a beta-version of Google Scholar. Since we received many questions on how Scirus compares to Google, we would like to take this opportunity to share our viewpoint with you.
In 2001, Elsevier already recognized that researchers and students have a strong need to not only search literature but also relevant scientific information on the Web, such as working papers, lab reports, author home pages, courseware etc. Scirus has been developed to do exactly that: It filters scientifically relevant content on the Web from the content that is not relevant for research or education purposes.
Using proprietary algorithms and index methods tuned to identify and capture relevant s