Library Thing (#8)

Library Thing seems to be an informal catalogue cum bibliography of books of personal interest. I can see it would be of interest for bookclubs but I can't see me using this. I either have shelves of books in no particular order or I compile ongoing lists of further reading for my research. In the first I don't want organisation and in the latter I need a formal and consistent structure to my bibliography. I also make extensive notes about my academic reading and there is no capacity for this in Library Thing.

Tagging (#7)

I'm not convinced that tagging is useful. It can just draw you into the limitations of others' vocabulary, double meanings and generalisations. Also, I'm not really interested in how others categorize articles or pieces of information. I think the difference between subject headings and tags is not the issue, its more a case that keywords are useful so why would you tag?

Podcasts (#6)

Podcasts are an enjoyable and different way of learning, making the most of audio and visual learning capacities and therefore are relevant to the variety of literary strengths library users may possess. When podcasts are archived, they also represent a tangible record for inclusion in bibliographies for researchers.

RSS Feeds (#5 RSS)

I like the ability to easily and regularly access book rivews and news items, so the RSS feed ability is useful. However in some cases going through the steps outlined on Google reader is laborious. I find it easiest when the RSS symbol is given on the cite which is accessable through a couple of clicks.
I think that libraries could expand the generalist researcher's field by adding RSS feeds but it is diverting and therefore not a time efficient addition to research skilling.

Online Applications (#4)

Zoho Writer was easy to sign up to but once there the wide range of possibilities is slightly confusing. Though there are numerous possibilities for various applications, my use focuses on utility and simplicity. The array of possibilities of overwhelming for basic functional use such as mine.

Wk 2 Wikis

Had a look at the Search Engine wikis which broadened my knowledge of those available.

Beginning

IRSCL Conference Aug 8-12 2009 in Frankfurt was attended by over 400 academics from around the world.