Graphic & Internet Site!

This graphic shows the history of mergers and acquisitions in the library automation industry. (Created by Marshall Breeding)

I was using google images search and found another great image and my web site for Competency 7. I never thought using google images would be where I found the web site.

I used the search facet of library and technology. I know not real creative but I wanted to see what graphid I would find. I found several interesting images but the images were copyrighted and I didn't have time to request use I didn't use them.

You can find the image at www.librarytechnology.org/automationhistory.pl.

Marshall Breeding has written the Systems Librarian column since January 2000. It was published in Information Today through December 2002 and has appeared in Computers in Libraries magazine since January 2003.

The link is http://www.librarytechnology.org/index.pl?SID=20081121143707275

Statement found at the bottom of the web site.
Library Technology Guides was created and is edited by Marshall Breeding, the Director for Innovative Technologies and Research at the Jean and Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt University. He is solely responsible for all content.

Automation takes an enormous amount of resources, both in time and money. It is a large undertaking but is very rewarding. Automation allows librarians to get to the heart of libraries- providing information.

Multimedia Technology!

I found this graphic on the American Memory Project web site. I am using it because I want staff to realize that technology takes many forms. Many years ago, people were afraid of the telegraph machine. The technology scared them. Now we think of the telegraph as ancient, antique, and out of date. What will future generations think about a plain cell phone without a camera and texting? What do the current kids think about a typewriter? Technology is just progress and we are not alone.

This is the first sentence sent across the telegraph machine. May 24, 1844. It reads: "What hath God wrought."

You can find the image by going to the Words and Deeds Collection on American Memory Project or by going to here.

Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from American Memory Project Words and Deeds Collection Web site: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

Database Building Block Worldcat

I tried using the building block search again with World Cat. I know I had 4 searches but I needed the practice on using building block.

S1 technology or computer > 2million hits

S2 help or assistance >735,000 hits

S3 (kw: help or kw: assistance) and (kw: technology or kw: computer) >42,000 hits

S4 (kw: help or kw: assistance) and (kw: technology or kw: computer) and libraries, limited to English and the years 2005-2008 and only chose books.

I still had 64 hits even with the limits.

Database Competency!

I found some search strategies easier than others. Building block seemed to be the one I liked the best. But I had a hard time figuring out synonyms. I found all the strategies were intermingled. Before I knew it I had used browsing in the successive fractions and couldn't keep the 2 apart.

I also found myself slowing down and finding new synonyms for my searching. I don't think I have the controlled language that some of the databases wanted but I did find some good hits on most of them.

Successive Fractions Search

I used ERIC to do this search. I had been using Academic Search Complete and needed a clean slate on the search and in my brain.
S1 = Library 49,204 hits

S2= Library and technology 7240 hits

S3=library and technology and help 419 hits

S4= library and technology and help desk 14 hits

The Successive Fractions search was pretty successful. I found some articles to read to further investigate using an online resource for an online help desk.

Specific Facet

I used Academic Search Complete to search "help desk" and got 956 hits.
By adding the facet library, the hits were down to 34. This made it reasonable to browse to find what I needed.

Citation Pearl Search DB competency

Last winter, I attended a web usability conference with Brenda Reeb. The goal was to make your web page user centered. Since our help desk will be on the web we want it as user centered as possible. Since we are talking library technology I searched LibLit for Brenda Reeb as an author. I found 5 records and used Students, Librarians, and Subject Guides: Improving a Poor Rate of Return to examine other subject headings.

By searching "library pathfinders" and technology I obtained 417 hits. This was still way to0 many to use. I did browse and found that an article that held the subject heading of web site administration.



I got 24 hits with pathfinder and technology. I did not like the hits I obtained with this search and database.





This search was frustrating. My DSL was running slow and so was my brain.