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MAR/APR 2016

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Meeting User Needs With adds important new features while retaining not only what they are, but also how best to the best of its classic version, writes experi- use them. Cataloger’s Desktop ...... 10 enced chemical searcher Bob Buntrock. Bruce Johnson, Derek Rodriguez, and Susanne Ross Vendor Videos for The Library of Congress, assisted by Search Technol- Advanced Twitter Training and Sales ...... 56 ogies, Inc., redesigned Cataloger’s Desktop to help Search Commands ...... 50 Marydee Ojala librarians around the world create metadata to biblio- Tracy Z. Maleeff Increasingly, our vendors are using videos to sell their graphically control library resources. This custom Billions of people use social media. But for products and effectively train both information profes- search application required paying close attention to information professionals, it’s the advanced sionals and end users on how to use those products. user needs and deploying ongoing, iterative changes. search capabilities that attract their atten- Online Searcher editor-in-chief Marydee Ojala de- tion, Tracy Maleeff goes deep into the ad- scribes the advantages and disadvantages of video vanced search features of Twitter, detailing and looks at individual vendors’ video channels. Synthesizing, Extracting, and Customizing Web Data ...... 16 Ernest R. Perez searcher’s voice... Tools such as the free import.io facilitate customized data capture from websites and storage of information as formatted, easily transferable data files. Long time data librarian Ernest Perez walks THE SEARCHER’S VOICE ...33 Technological Singularity us through the process. Data extraction services, Resurrecting the and the Future of Information using browser technology, offer opportunities to Reference Interview and Libraries ...... 38 expand opportunities for information professionals. Barbara Quint By Nancy K. Herther As bq reminds readers—in part by sharing one In writing about our quickly changing techno- shining moment from her own search history— logical world, Nancy Herther uses the backdrop Survey Research: when you help your client more precisely define of astronomical and physics concepts such as Polling and Beyond...... 22 what the question is, the more precise the re- singularity to theorize how these technologies Barbie E. Keiser sults will be. could impact information professionals as well The internet provides a fantastic platform for poll- as humankind as a whole. LIVE LINKS sters, whether they’re in the political sphere or not. Barbie Keiser explores some online survey tools INTERNET EXPRESS ...... 35 and examines those that provide survey results. How Public Libraries Can Help ACRL’s New Information She adds tips about understanding and construct- Framework: Why Now and ing survey instruments. SUPPLIMENTAL CON- Syrian Refugees Irene E. McDermott TENT AND LIVE LINKS What Did It Discover? ...... 46 Irene McDermott shares this sobering statistic to By Robert Berkman kick off her column: As of November 2015, more Bob Berkman interviews Sharon Mader, visiting New STN: Remaking a Classic than 800,000 Syrians had sought refugee sta- program officer for information literacy at ACRL, While Keeping the Classic ...... 28 tus through the United Nations. She goes on to to find out the impetus behind the association’s Robert E. Buntrock share a multitude of ways information pros can release of its Information Literacy Framework for STN has long been the gold standard for chemis- help these refugees begin their new lives. And it Higher Education and what the Framework’s try searches. Its newest iteration, called New STN, all starts with the public library. LIVE LINKS biggest challenges are to date.

COVER DESIGN BY JACKIE CRAWFORD Visit Online Searcher at onlinesearcher.net columns

On the Net ...... 62 Volume 40 – Number 2 ISSN: 2324-9684 Searching for Definitions Vice President, Content Dick Kaser Greg R. Notess Online dictionaries and definition sources provide valuable alternatives to print Editor-in-Chief Marydee Ojala dictionaries. It’s not only web search engines and specific websites that help Senior Editor Barbara Quint with definitions, it’s also commercial databases. Editorial Services Manager Lauree Padgett Assistant Production Editor Alison A. Trotta The Dollar Sign ...... 65 Branding Irons at the Ready: Researching Brand Names Production Manager Tiffany Chamenko Marydee Ojala Senior Graphic Designer Jackie Crawford Look around, and you’re bound to notice at least one brand name, if not more. Advertising Director David T. Panara Researching brand names involves reference works, general business databases, Ad Trafficking Coordinator Jackie Crawford intellectual property resources for trademark identification, and news stories. V.P., Marketing & Business Devel. Thomas Hogan, Jr. The Open Road ...... 68 Circulation Manager Janeen Welsh Open Knowledge Versus Knowledge Management V.P., Information Technology Bill Spence Abby Clobridge President & CEO Thomas H. Hogan What do open access, open knowledge, and knowledge management have in common? Quite a lot, says Abby Clobridge, who delves into the similarities and Chairman of the Board Roger Bilboul differences. Consider who is the intended consumer, security and privacy issues, V.P. & CAO John Yersak

metrics, and culture. Online Searcher: Information Discovery, Technology, Strategies (ISSN: 2324-9684; USPS: 355-110) is published six times per year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/ October, November/December) by Information Today, Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750 USA; Phone: (609) 654-6266; Fax: (609) 654-4309; Internet: www.infotoday.com. InfoLit Land ...... 71 Registered in U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Evidence and the Doubter Periodicals postage paid at Vincentown, N.J., and additional mailing offices.© Copyright, 2016, Information Today, Inc. All rights reserved. William Badke No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any medium without the Conspiracy theories, fake science, distorted views of events, and incorrect express permission of the publisher. Printed in USA interpretation of facts are the province of the doubters, which creates real POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Online Searcher, 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ dilemmas for those teaching information literacy. Outliers may be proved correct 08055-8750. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS or dead wrong. Bill Badke outlines five lessons for the information-literate when Permission to photocopy items is granted by Information Today, Inc. provided that a base fee of $3.50 plus $0.50 per page is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), or provided that striving for credibility in research. your organization maintains an appropriate license with CCC. Use CCC’s online service to obtain permission to use these materials in academic coursepacks or for library reserves, interlibrary loans, document delivery services, or as classroom handouts; for permission to send copies via email or post copies on a corporate intranet or extranet; or for Control-Shift...... 74 permission to republish materials in books, textbooks, and newsletters. Do This, Not That: A Holistic View of the Library’s Web Presence Contact CCC at 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923; (978) 750-8400; Fax: (978) 646-8600; www.copyright.com. If you live outside the USA, request permission from your local Reproduction Darlene Fichter and Jeff Wisniewski Rights Organization. (For a list of international agencies, consult www.ifrro.org.) New developments in library website design include multiple site versions, For all other requests, including making copies for use as commercial reprints or for other sales, marketing, promotional and publicity uses, contact the publisher in advance of using the material. artisan design when coding, and encouraging contributions of content that For a copy of our Rights and Permissions Request form, contact Lauree Padgett, lpadgett@ infotoday.com. support responsive design. Educating staff about content creation for websites ONLINE ACCESS is integral to excellent user interfaces. Visit our website at www.infotoday.com/OnlineSearcher. Searchable archive of all articles with digital document delivery: www. iti-infocentral.com Contents also available online under direct licensing arrangements with EBSCO, NewsBank, ProQuest, and Gale and through redistribution arrangements with information service providers Hard Copy ...... 77 including, Dow Jones Factiva, LexisNexis, OCLC, STN International, and Westlaw. Recommended Reading on Transformations, Opting SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Subscriptions to Online Searcher are available at the following rates (per year): Subscribers in Out, Expert Information, and Causal Relationships the U.S.—$145; subscribers in Canada or Mexico—$160; subscribers outside North America— Deborah Lynn Wiley $187. All amounts payable in U.S. funds. Subscribe online or email [email protected]. Back issues: $27 per copy, prepaid only. Missed issues within the U.S. must be claimed within 45 days of publication date. Online Spotlight ...... 80 Change of Address: Mail requests, including a copy of the current address label from a recent issue, and indicating the new address, to Online Searcher, 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ Questioning and Streamlining Decisions 08055-8750 USA Mary Ellen Bates Reprints: For quality reprints of 500 copies or more, contact David T. Panara, Advertising Director, Information Today, Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750; Phone: (609) 654-6266 Decisions, decisions—we all have to make them. Mary Ellen Bates suggests x 146; email: [email protected]. a triage method for the reference interview and information delivery. She DISCLAIMERS Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply an endorsement by the publisher. recommends taking advantage of the value-added features of resources, both The views in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Today, Inc. (ITI) or the editors. commercial and on the free web. While best efforts to ensure editorial accuracy of the content are exercised, publisher assumes no liability for any information contained in this publication. The publisher can accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or the loss departments of photos. EDITORIAL OFFICES If you are interested in any of the following please contact the editor Marydee Ojala, P.O. Box 78225, Indianapolis, IN 46278-0225; (317) 876-8100; Fax (317) 876-8300; [email protected]. Front Lines...... 4 • Letters to the Editor: We welcome comments and suggestions regarding the content or Future, Thy Name Is Information appearance of Online Searcher. Letters must include your name, address, and email address. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Marydee Ojala • New Products and Updates: Direct all general product press releases, announcements, and news to: Marydee Ojala at the address above. Please note that our News editorial lead time is 6 weeks prior to each issue. Industry News ...... 6 • Writing: Please contact the editor if you’re interested in writing for Online Searcher. To contact Senior Editor Barbara Quint: 932 11th Street, Suite 9, Santa Monica, CA 90403; Search Engine Update ...... 8 (310) 451-0252; [email protected]. Greg R. Notess LIST SERVICES AND ADVERTISING David T. Panara • (609) 654-6266, ext. 132 • [email protected]

Conference Corral ...... 59 ycle This c M e a R g e a s z a i n

Technology Transforms Libraries: ALA’s Midwinter Conference e e l

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FRONTLines

Future, Thy Name Is Information

CHOOSING A NEW NAME for a professional tion professionals.” Like SLA, AIIM wants peo- association ranks right up there, in terms of ple to focus on its acronym, not its actual name, difficulty, with winning the lottery or climbing which is the Association for Information and Mount Everest. Library association members Image Management. No more microfilm, AIIM’s are loathe to walk away from the “L” word. aim is now on risk management, automating Meanwhile, other associations appropriate business processes, content management, and the word “information” into their names, pos- using information to gain business insights. LIBRARY sibly to the detriment of library-related asso- The acronym ARMA originally stood for the ciations’ sustainability. What are we to make Association of Records Managers and Admin- of this, and what does it say about the future istrators. Rather than go through a complete ASSOCIATION of information professionals? renaming exercise, it became ARMA Interna- In early February 2016, the American Asso- tional, ditching that musty “records manager” MEMBERS ARE ciation of Law Libraries rejected a proposal to designation and embracing a global audience. change its name to the Association for Legal Its mission statement talks about “governing LOATHE TO WALK Information. AALL reports that 59.1% of its information as a strategic asset.” members voted, with 80.11% opposed and Where does online searching for information AWAY FROM THE 19.89% in favor. That’s decisive! fit into these associations? Librarians were the The Special Libraries Association tried twice, first online searchers and are still more con- ‘L’ WORD. in 2003 and 2009, to change its name. It failed cerned with research using external informa- both times. The Association for Strategic Know- tion than internal. The Associations Unlimited ledge Professionals was the name on the table database tells me there’s no association with “ in 2009, bypassing both libraries and informa- online searcher or online searching as its name. tion. To avoid using “Libraries” in its name, it While 162 associations have “libraries” in their now prefers to go by its acronym, SLA. names, only 56 have “librarians” in the names. In 2013, the U.K.’s CILIP (Chartered Institute Yet it’s people who belong to associations. of Librarians and Information Professionals) Rebranding is tricky. Online searching is decided against pursuing a name change. Un- only one aspect of what information profes- der consideration were Information UK, Info sionals do. And what information profession- Pro UK, and the Knowledge People, but since als do doesn’t necessarily happen in a library. the idea was scratched before getting to an ac- We need to embrace information as fully as tual name, those were never voted on. we embrace libraries and librarians. We need When name changes are voted down, you to position ourselves as being in the forefront never truly know whether it’s a desire to re- of the information economy, not necessarily tain the old name—out of nostalgia, being by discarding the “L” word but by proclaiming change-resistant, or firm adherence to librari- our role as information experts. anship as a profession—or a dislike of the new name and/or its acronym. For AALL, SLA, and CILIP, it could have been either. Other associations have changed their names, opting to put “information” front and center. AIIM says it’s the “global community of informa- MARYDEE OJALA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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FIND IT FAST 21 DAYS TO SUCCESS TEACH BEYOND YOUR FACE2FACE 6TH EDITION WITH LINKEDIN REACH, 2ND EDITION Using Facebook, Twitter, Extracing Expert Business Social An Instructor’s Guide to and Other Social Media Information From Social Networking the Gnik Developing and Running Tools to Create Great Networks, Big Data Rowten Way Successful Distance Learning Customer Connections Tweets, and More by Ron Sukenick Classes, Workshops, Training by David Lee King by Robert I. Berkman and Ken Williams Sessions, and More 216 pages | $24.95 336 pages | $24.95 192 pages | $15.95 by Robin Neidorf ebook also available ebook also available ebook also available 224 pages | $29.95 ebook also available

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For more information, call (800) 300-9868; outside the U.S. call (609) 654-6266. Write to Information Today, Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055. INDUSTRYnews

CANADIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION news sources. Similar to circulation data for VOTES TO DISSOLVE print sources, UVM data lets searchers under- The membership of the Canadian Library stand the size of the audience that visited a web- Association (CLA), in operation since 1946, based news outlet in a given month. UVM data voted to dissolve the Association. In its place will can be found on source records and in the CSV OCLC HAS be a proposed Canadian Federation of Library download of Top Sources charts (factiva.com). Associations, which it thinks will become a new SIGNED and more effective voice for Canada’s libraries, ALLIANCES AND DEALS drawing on the power of existing Province li- The Special Libraries Association (SLA) hired AGREEMENTS brary associations (cla.ca). Coulter, a subsidiary of MCI, to be its association management company. WITH 11 MORE VIDEO ENHANCEMENTS The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority PUBLISHERS TO Alexander Street added the AVON-to-Own approved the LexisNexis acquisition of Jordan feature to its Academic Video Online: Premium Publishing with the proviso that some family ADD METADATA product. This grants subscribing libraries per- law assets be divested. Bloomsbury Publishing petual rights to videos they select at the end of Plc is buying those six family law titles, which are FOR BOOKS, each annual term. Subscribing libraries will al- available in both loose-leaf and digital formats. so receive the Video Commons media upload- McGraw Hill Financial Inc. is planning to EBOOKS, ing and hosting service at no charge. Libraries change its name to S&P Global Inc. as a sym- JOURNALS, can post an unlimited number of locally pro- bolic move to underscore its shift away from its duced videos, as well as licensed content, and publishing roots. “DATABASES, AND make it visible to individual faculty members, FreePint changed its name to Jinfo. the entire institution, or to anyone in the world Penguin Random House sold its self-pub- OTHER MATERIALS (alexanderstreet.com). lishing division Author Solutions, which Pear- son (Penguin’s parent company at the time) THAT WILL MAKE MEDICAL IMAGES acquired in 2012, to an affiliate of Najafi Com- THEIR CONTENT The National Library of Medicine launched panies, an Arizona-based, international pri- MedPix, a free online medical image database vate investment firm. Penguin Random House DISCOVERABLE (medpix.nlm.nih.gov). will now concentrate on consumer book publishing. Andrew Phillips will continue as CEO THROUGH TOPIC SEEKER of Author Solutions. Access Innovations, Inc. and dataCloud, LLC EBSCO Information Services has partnered WORLDCAT created Topic Seeker, a semantics-based solu- with Penguin Random House to offer digital DISCOVERY tion for Big Data that analyzes text-based con- libraries the entire collection—21,000 fiction tent and organizes it by topic. It uses data vi- and nonfiction ebook titles—of Penguin Ran- SERVICES. sualization techniques and works with an API dom House ebooks through EBSCO ebooks. that ingests, processes, delivers, and visualiz- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory received es metadata in near real-time. Topic Seeker’s a binding offer from ATC, a private B2B me- algorithm allows for nearly 20 visualization dia company, to purchase its French trade me- options, N-gram paper clustering, and topic dia assets. domain correlation mapping (accessinn.com, MarketResearch.com completed its acquisi- datacloudllc.com). tion of The Freedonia Group, a global creator of industry research reports and consulting services. FACTIVA TRACKING VISITORS Artstor, the nonprofit provider of the Artstor Factiva now tracks monthly Unique Visitors Digital Library of images and the Shared Shelf per Month (UVM) for select U.S. web and blog platform for cataloguing and digital asset man-

6 onlinesearcher.net agement, will now operate under the um- The IFLA Governing Board appoint- than 200,000 ORCID identifiers in use for brella of its fellow nonprofit ITHAKA, the ed Gerald Leitner, currently Secretary journal articles and lets all Springer and organization which currently also oper- General of the Austrian Library Associa- Palgrave Macmillan authors and edi- ates JSTOR, Portico, and Ithaka S+R. tion, to the post of IFLA Secretary Gen- tors apply their ORCID iDs to academic eral. He will replace Jennefer Nichol- books and chapters (orcid.org). COPYRIGHT ATTAINMENT son, who is retiring. Digi-Rights, creators of the Copyrights Paul Manning, formerly with Springer OWLER CHOOSES PERMID Now service, a mobile app that simplifies Nature, has been appointed to the new- Owler adopted Thomson Reuters Per- copyright registration and protection for ly created position of VP, De Gruyter manent Identifier (PermID) to map the creative works, is teaming with ProQuest Americas. companies it tracks to strengthen its da- affiliate Bowker to expand access for Ingram Content Group has named Pep tabase, allowing it to improve the depth iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and Carrera as COO of VitalSource Technolo- and breadth of the analysis it provides. tablets. This simplifies the procedure for gies Inc., Ingram’s educational platform PermID is a machine-readable identifier self-published authors and publishers company. Kent Freeman, currently Vital that creates a unique reference for any da- (digi-rights.com, bowker.com). Source’s COO, will move into a newly ta item (owler.com; thomsonreuters.com). created strategic position at Ingram JOINING THE CHORUS LINE Content Group as chief strategy and de- KNOVEL ADDS EQUATIONS HighWire Press, Inc. announced its velopment officer. Elsevier expanded Knovel Interactive participation as an affiliate member of Equations to include coverage of chem- CHORUS (Clearing House for the Open HUMAN SEXUALITY AND IDENTITY ical, mechanical, and civil engineering Research of the United States). CHORUS Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, an- with new equations on section proper- also announced an agreement with the nounced an advisory board of leading ties, shear and stress, subsurface struc- U.S. Department of Defense through its scholars and librarians in sexuality and tural engineering, oil and gas processing Defense Technical Information Center gender studies for the Archives of Hu- equipment operation, and steam prop- (DTIC) as part of the agency’s continued man Sexuality and Identity. They will erties. It now features more than 1,100 commitment to expand public access to help select content for inclusion and in- equations in eight subject areas, with in- the results of its funded research (chorus form the development of the archives. teractivity via the Knovel platform (else access.org). The first part of this three-part digi- vier.com/knovel). tal series—LGBTQ History and Culture PEOPLEWARE Since 1940—will be available in March AAAS SCIENCE REDESIGN Innovative announced that James Tal– 2016 and consist of primary source con- The American Association for the lman will join the company as COO. Ear- tent on gender, sexuality and identity Advancement of Science (AAAS), pub- lier, Innovative promoted Bill Schick- (cengage.com/search). lisher of the Science family of journals, ling to EVP; Leif Pedersen to EVP; Hilary launched a redesigned website using a Newman to SVP, library success; Brenda MORE METADATA FROM OCLC responsive web design. Changed URL Duffy to VP, global controller; and Aaron OCLC has signed agreements with structures require updates to library sys- Terrell to VP, engineering and IT. 11 more publishers to add metadata tems, either directly or via third-part ser- Jill O’Neill and Henrietta Verma joined for books, ebooks, journals, databases, vices such as OCLC and Summon. AAAS National Information Standards Organi- and other materials that will make their is also rebranding Science Express, its zation (NISO) as educational programs content discoverable through World- prepublication service, to First Release manager and editorial and communica- Cat Discovery Services. Among the new (promo.aaas.org/URL_Structure_Chang tions specialist, respectively. O’Neill pre- publishers are the American Society of es_Effective_12_January_2016.pdf). viously managed the professional de- Mechanical Engineers, Artstor, Henry velopment programs for the National Stewart Publications, ODILO, and Wolt- MACRO UPDATE FOR SIAM Federation of Advanced Information Ser- ers Kluwer (oclc.org). SIAM released a significantly modern- vices (NFAIS). Verma is a librarian who ized set of LaTeX2e Macro files for use has worked in public libraries and writes NEW ORCID REQUIREMENTS with 11 of its journals. A correspond- book reviews for Library Journal. More publishers are requiring authors ing upgrade to macros for four exclu- Amit Singhal, Alphabet/Google’s SVP to use an ORCID identifier during the sively online journals will follow. The of search, is retiring. Taking on the job publication process. The newest ones are revised SIAM Standard Macro set in- is John Giannandrea, an engineering the American Geophysical Union (AGU), cludes cross-referencing commands VP in charge of Google’s A.I./machine- eLife, EMBO, Hindawi, the Institute of with hyperlinking, integrated support learning efforts. Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), for supplemental materials, the au- Following the retirement of Richard the Public Library of Science (PLOS), the tomatic generation of bookmarks cor- Schiding, Vasont Systems named Su- Royal Society, and Science magazine. responding to section headings, and zanne Mescan as its president. Springer Nature announced it has more continued on page 9

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 7 SEARCH ENGINEupdate

Bing launched Bing Election 2016 with issue information and possibly a language Search Tool but no limit to change on each U.S. presidential candidate, a Bing Political Index, the location within the country. At the very bottom of the re- a timeline, and a tool to use to compare your own views to sults, Google lets the searcher use “precise location” based on those of the candidates. Bing restaurant information now geolocation (which is not always accurate), but to get search includes “menu favorites” pulled from user reviews. For web results ranked for another locality, searchers need to now in- designers, Bing offers the Bing Webmaster Mobile Friendli- clude the name of that city or location in the search box. ness Test tool, used to validate webpages for mobile com- patibility. As of January 2016, Bing powers AOL Search on Google+ has been redesigned to emphasize Communities the web, mobile devices, and tablets. Bing Ads are also en- and Collections, two of its more active areas. Searchers can abled for AOL search traffic globally. opt into the new design, which places both Communities and Collection on the left margin. The Profile page high- Bing Images favoriting has been extended to mobile users. lights creating a collection. Google+ search results are di- Recommendations of new images are made based on favor- vided into Collections, Communities, People & Pages, and ited images. In beta is a shopping cart icon on some images Posts in the new interface. to find places to buy the item in the image. Google Images is starting to follow in Bing’s footsteps to en- Bing Maps now includes some traffic cameras. The available able marking images as favorites and saving them. It only cameras will be displayed as camera icons on the map when works on mobile devices when using a browser logged in to Traffic is enabled. The traffic box also keeps track of recent- a Google account (but strangely not within the Google App ly viewed cameras to make it easy to see those again. Tran- on Android). When viewing an individual image search re- sit users of Bing Maps Preview can now see nearby transit sult, touch the star in the lower right corner to save the im- stops, lines that stop there, and walking distance. age. After saving, other options are available, including seeing all saved images and tagging the saved images. Bing Mobile has updated its Bing for iPhone app with a redesigned homepage, more direct answers, bookmarks and Google Mobile app has been updated to better understand search history access offline, barcode scanning for comparison more complex questions. It now is supposed to understand shopping, Uber integration, animated GIF support, and left/ superlatives and ordered items. Interpretation of a particu- right swipe navigation. More content from the Bing knowledge lar point in time has been improved to recognize years in graph is now actionable with direct links to viewing, booking, a question. The Android Google App now recognizes ac- and playing. tion requests such as setting alarms, calling, texting, playing music, turning Wi-Fi on and off, booking flights, searching Exalead still maintains a demonstration search engine (exale- YouTube videos, finding recipes, and even interacting with ad.com/search) and has announced plans to double the size, some other apps. Google is also experimenting with deeper up to 32 billion pages. The company is migrating to new hard- searching within apps, from a few select vendors, so that in- ware and a new storage system to enable the larger database. formation content buried within the apps might be found and displayed within Google search results. If the app is not Google removed yet another advanced search feature from its installed, the app content could be displayed within Google. Search Tools. The Location menu previously accessible as a The initial partners include HotelTonight, Chimani, Daily Search Tool on a Google Web (All) search results page is no Horoscope, and New York Subway. longer available. That leaves only two Search Tool options: Any Time (with drop-down limits for specific date ranges) Google Scholar recognizes that many searches are for a spe- and All Results (with only one option left in the drop-down: cific citation. Scholar now tries to automatically identify such verbatim). Other country versions still have a country option queries and give just results for that one paper, preferring ver-

8 onlinesearcher.net sions that the searcher can access. For such results, after the one match, Scholar displays industry a “Showing the best result for this search. See news all results.” message. If a single result is not continued from page 7 the desired response, click the All Results link to get other matches.

Semantic Scholar is a new scholarly search engine (semanticscholar.org). Designed by the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the ability to generate PDF files directly OPEN ACCESS the intent is to use artificial intelligence with PDFLaTeX and PostScript via LaTeX MONOGRAPH PUBLISHING techniques to digest and categorize the and DVIPS (siam.org). OAPEN-UK released its final report findings from scientific articles to help -re following a 5-year study into open access searchers find previously overlooked con- ZIMMERMAN’S GUIDE monograph publishing in the humani- nections and related research. At this point, LEAVES LEXISNEXIS ties and social sciences that includes the content only includes computer sci- Zimmerman’s Research Guide, host- a comprehensive and openly avail- ence papers. Search results include filters ed on LexisNexis as a free online source able dataset of research. The report’s on the left for date, author, key phrase, date for legal researchers since 2003, discon- core principles are plurality, partner- set used, and publication venue. tinued updating at the end of 2015. Re- ships, and pellucidity (oapen-uk.jisce moved from LexisNexis, it is archived books.org/finalreport). Sqoop (sqoop.com) is a new search engine, at the Internet Archive (archive.org; or, to use the Sqoop tagline, a “News Dis- search for http://law.lexisnexis.com/info PUBLIC LENDING RIGHT covery Network.” Designed for journalists, pro/Zimmermans). IFLA’s governing board approved an Sqoop aims to give searchers an aggregated updated Statement on Public Lending search for company information across a DELVING INTO THE FOREIGN OFFICE Right (PLR) that included a new sec- variety of public data sites, including U.S. Foreign Office Files for the Middle tion on ebooks. The updated statement patent applications and grants, SEC fil- East is the newest digital collection, in identifies the complexities of consider- ings, and PACER federal case docket meta- three modules, from Adam Matthew. It ing PLR for ebooks, reinforces the need data. Search results filters exist for each of details internal and external affairs and to involve libraries when considering the main data sources along with further conflicts, from invasions and civil wars changes to PLR programs to incorpo- subdivisions. Future plans call for adding to revolutions and revolts, all of which rate digital content, incorporates ad- trademarks and data from the FCC and shaped and gave rise to the modern Mid- ditional considerations for developing FDA. Users can save searches to get alerts dle East. The collection is drawn from countries, and updates legal references for new content additions. complete runs of Foreign Office files from from the 2005 statement (ifla.org). the U.K. government’s official archives Topsy, one of the original deep Twitter from 1971 to 1981 (amdigital.co.uk). COST REDUCTION search engines that then became a social ON CAMPUS search and analytics company, has been PRESERVING BORN DIGITAL ProQuest SIPX hopes to leverage in- shut down by Apple. The former topsy. AVPreserve and the Louie B. Nunn creased use of open educational re- com site now redirects to an Apple page Center for Oral History at the Universi- sources (OER) to reduce students’ cost about searching on iOS devices. At least ty of Kentucky Libraries have released a of education as part of the SIPX com- Twitter’s own search now has most of the new app to remotely and safely transfer plete course materials solution. SIPX lets features formerly available only on Topsy. any born-digital material from a sender instructors understand the costs of their to a recipient. Called Exactly, it uses the selected course readings and surfaces Yahoo Mobile’s iPhone app is integrating re- BagIt File Packaging Format (an Inter- OER and library-subscribed resources sults from searchers’ Yahoo Mail accounts net Engineering Task-Force standard, that are free for students (sipx.com). with web results. For results from Yelp and developed by the Library of Congress OpenTable, searchers can take action from and the California Digital Library, with DOW JONES MEDIA results such as booking a reservation. current support from George Washing- GROUP FORMS ton University and the University of Dow Jones created a new publishing Greg R. Notess ([email protected]; notess.com) Maryland), supports FTP transfer, stan- unit, Dow Jones Media Group, which is faculty and graduate services librarian at Mon- dard network transfers, and integrates will include existing brands such as tana State University and founder of SearchEngine into desktop-based filesharing work- Barron’s and the websites MarketWatch Showdown.com. Comments? Email the editor-in-chief (marydee@ flows such as Dropbox or Google Drive and Mansion Global, but not The Wall xmission.com). (avpreserve.com). Street Journal (dowjones.com).

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 9 10 onlinesearcher.net By Bruce Johnson, Derek Rodriguez, and Susanne Ross

As the United States’ oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, the Library of Congress (LC; loc.gov) has millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts • Selecting current open source and licensed in its collections. LC also provides technologies appropriate to meet LC’s needs for leadership to libraries worldwide. As search, content preparation, and the user experience part of its mission to provide services This article highlights the work involved in implement- to the global library community, LC ing the best-in-class Cataloger’s Desktop 4.0, a custom information professionals developed search application. Cataloger’s Desktop (“Desktop”), a searchable cataloging, metadata, and OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT HISTORY library automation documentation Like many documentation systems, Cataloger’s Desktop began as a collection of print publications from a variety of system consisting of 300-plus sources. Each publication used its own editorial practice, resources (loc.gov/cds/desktop). and little thought was given to making them easy to use with one another. Pre-1994: In the early 1990s, online documentation was in its infancy. The Library of Congress began considering how to make it easier for librarians to find answers to technical ibrarians use Desktop in their daily work to find the cataloging questions. Print publications of the time were instructions they need to create metadata to bib- published in a variety of forms and frequencies. Some pub- L liographically control library resources. More than lications appeared in interfiled loose-leaf form, while others 10,000 librarians at approximately 1,000 subscribing insti- had multiple supplements that had to be searched indepen- tutions use it. Since its initial release in 1994, Desktop has dently to answer basic questions. Much time was lost search- evolved into a widely used and authoritative web-based ing and manually updating resources that were limited by service that allows professional catalogers to work more ef- the print nature of their distribution. This led LC to explore ficiently with the most up-to-date, authoritative cataloging technologies to allow users to search and navigate among information at their fingertips. several electronic resources on their desktop computers. Search Technologies (searchtechnologies.com) provides soft- 1994–2005: A goal for the new application was to allow ware development and managed services to support Cataloger’s librarians to use online documentation resources while Desktop. LC and Search Technologies recently redesigned Desk- working concurrently in an online cataloging application. top as part of a system migration project. Critical success factors A Windows-based application appeared to be the best solu- for this project included the following: tion. Accordingly, the Library of Congress settled on Folio- • Engagement with subscribers during design and Views software for distributing about a dozen resources implementation. Collecting user insights and acting on CD-ROM. Librarians used Cataloger’s Desktop to search on that feedback was essential to ensuring the and browse content in the electronic product, which was a updated service met end-user needs. radical technology leap forward at the time. (Remember that • Iterative software development allowing for Windows was new in the mid-1990s and had not achieved continuous review and testing throughout the project the level of acceptance that it enjoys today.) > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 11 However, as good as the FolioViews-based Desktop was, of the range of product expectations. The interviews focused it had limitations. The production process limited how fre- on how the application was used, what features were de- quently resources could be updated. Subscribing institu- sired, and how the overall system should be improved. tions received new issues via regular postal mail, which has Wireframes: The team developed 25 wireframes for the obvious limitations on timeliness. Subscribers also faced new user interface that combined the most heavily used technology and security concerns related to providing net- Desktop 3.0 features with a backlog of requested features worked access to a CD-ROM publication as well. and expert user interview feedback. These wireframes cap- 2004–2014: By the late 1990s, industry experts were pre- tured the vision and desired functionality for the new prod- dicting the end of the CD-ROM era. This prediction became uct, providing a guide for software development. very apparent as web transmission of information became Focus groups: The team conducted several subscriber fo- quite common after the turn of the century. Efforts to move cus group interviews to review the wireframes and obtain Desktop from its well-established CD-ROM base to the web their insights. Feedback gathered during these sessions began in earnest in 2002, and by 2004, Desktop 2.0 appeared. informed software development and design throughout This release used the FAST ESP search engine with a Pro- the project. Publish-based user interface, allowing LC to incorporate Polls: The team conducted focused polls of subscribers to crawled web resources into a federated search experience. gather feedback and to ask questions on specific topics, such Users also benefited from a wider range of customization as these: What would you consider to be the core resources options. Moving to the web freed customers’ IT staffs from in the product? Would you like the ability to customize your the need to support Desktop as a networked CD-ROM. The own resource list? Would you use Desktop on a tablet like the FolioViews CD-ROM product was retired at the end of the iPad or Surface Pro? 2005 subscription year, and the Desktop 2.0 user interface Conference presentations: LC staff conducted live dem- was replaced with a much improved user interface in 2009; onstrations of the new Desktop interface at the American behind the scenes, it was nicknamed “Desktop 3.0.” Library Association annual meeting, allowing conference For all of its strengths and high user acceptance, FAST ESP attendees to ask questions and provide feedback. This also and ProPublish were technology dead ends that were difficult kept customers engaged in the project. to support and too labor-intensive to enhance. Given the pro- prietary nature of the underlying software, LC began looking MAIN FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF TODAY’S DESKTOP for a solution built on largely open source technology. The custom search application developed for Desktop re- Present: LC launched the current Desktop 4.0 in Sep- flects how librarians approach locating task-based informa- tember 2014, and it continues to evolve with new features tion. Here are some of the key features that are included: and enhancements. Desktop now includes more than 300 Searching: Keyword, wildcard, and phrase search; Boolean resources in more than a dozen languages. Goals include operators; “did you mean?” spell correction; multi-term syn- eliminating dependence on unsupported technologies and onym support; faceted search; and hit-highlighting. There is providing users with the tools to help them in their daily extensive support to account for differences in American-, cataloging tasks. Australian-, British-, and Canadian-English spellings, as well as very specific language support of library science termi- THE FEEDBACK LOOP nology in more than a score of languages. By 2013, it was apparent that Desktop 3.0’s user interface Browsing contents: Subscribers can browse a table of con- and underlying technology needed to be replaced. LC staff tents to navigate to specific resources and sections. The table interviewed several dozen subscribers to help determine of contents can be browsed by title, library material type, or how the updated service should function, asking what they cataloging activity. (See Figure 1 below.) liked about the service, what seemed to be missing, and what didn’t work as anticipated. People from both LC and Search Technologies reviewed this user feedback and developed a preliminary plan for addressing user needs. Throughout the project, team members frequently asked catalogers further questions to get a better understanding of user needs. Although the previous Desktop incarnation wasn’t perfect, subscribers had grown accustomed to using it. A goal for the new system was to provide a much better user experience that would not cause nostalgia for the legacy system. The development team employed several avenues for collecting user feedback: Expert user interviews: Power users with diverse job responsibilities were interviewed to develop an understanding Figure 1: Browsing the contents of Cataloger’s Desktop

12 onlinesearcher.net Meeting User Needs With Cataloger’s Desktop, a Library of Congress Custom Search Application

Viewing a resource: Subscribers can view documents in the • Harvesting website content application. Search terms are highlighted to provide context. • Generating metadata to support Desktop’s search Tables of contents, inter-document links, and next/previous relevancy model links allow users to easily and intuitively navigate in context. • Creating hierarchical and navigation metadata to (See Figure 2 below.) support browse and document linking • Providing file repository services to support content rendering

Query Processing Language (QPL): QPL (searchtechnologies. com/query-parsing-language) parses user queries, imple- ments the relevancy model, and supports custom features such as multi-term synonyms. Search service layer: A Java-based servlet application provides interfaces for querying Solr using SolrJ, the Java API for Solr, and interacting with the personalization data store (MySQL). User experience: The user experience supports search, browse, view, and personalization and is built on HTML 5 and Bootstrap (getbootstrap.com) technologies. The application is responsive, supporting adaptive display through Figure 2: Viewing a document in Cataloger’s Desktop web browsers and tablet computers. Hosted in the cloud: Desktop is deployed on Amazon EC2 (aws.amazon.com/ec2), leveraging cloud services for high Subscribers can personalize Desktop: availability, backup, and extremely fast system response. My resources: Users can define a personalized resource set that they use most often. LAUNCH OF CATALOGER’S DESKTOP 4.0 Internationalization: Users can select one of four lan- Desktop was ready by late summer 2014 for its last rounds guages for their user-interface: English, French, German, of testing and a launch in concert with a new content release. or Spanish. LC worked with Desktop customers to ensure a smooth release. Bookmarks: Subscribers can save bookmarks for specific Expert users were recruited from the customer base and documents and share them with colleagues. given early access to Desktop 4.0. These users provided valu- Shortcuts: Users can create shortcuts to be saved in a able feedback about adjusting to the revised application and browser or inserted into an external web document. were available as go-to resources for other subscribers. Embedded help: Desktop features context-sensitive help To further facilitate the release, LC hosted webinars at- and tool tips that provide instructions and guides to using tended by hundreds of subscribers around the world to in- the application. troduce the new system and address questions. These webinars were recorded and subsequently posted online for ITERATIVE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND subscribers who were unable to attend the webinars due to TECHNOLOGIES FOR DESKTOP 4.0 time-zone challenges. Emails sent to the Desktop discussion Search Technologies architects and engineers worked list kept customers informed. with LC throughout 2014 to develop the new Desktop. Using Desktop 4.0 launched on Sept. 10, 2014. Very few support a “code a little, test a little” approach, Search Technologies questions were received, as customers found the new updated provided LC with new versions of the service for evaluation service intuitive, easy-to-use, and requiring little to no training. every couple of weeks. Frequent testing and feedback cycles allowed the team to adjust Desktop’s design and develop- BENEFITS TO USERS AND LC AS A PUBLISHER ment schedule. Additionally, the application supports work tasks and pro- Desktop employs the following technologies: vides multiple, intuitive pathways for information discovery. Solr search engine: The open source Solr search engine Desktop meets the needs and information-seeking styles (lucene.apache.org/solr) is the core of the new system. Solr of a wide range of subscribers. It is responsive to multiple indexes content and supports all search, browse, and navi- screen dimensions; it can be used side-by-side with other gation actions. applications on a desktop computer or on tablet computers. Content processing using Aspire: Desktop includes content The improved Desktop allows users to find needed informa- in a variety of formats including Folio infobases, SGML, XML, tion efficiently, saving time in their work. HTML, PDF, MS Office documents, and remote websites. The Anna M. Ferris, associate professor, University of Colo- Aspire Content Processing Framework (searchtechnologies. rado–Boulder, a longtime user of Cataloger’s Desktop, told com/aspire) prepares Desktop content by doing the following: LC, “As an original cataloger, I have witnessed Cataloger’s > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 13 LC and Search Technologies continue to enhance Cataloger’s Desktop to meet subscribers’ needs, building on the successful migration.

Desktop’s evolution as the working cataloger’s most indis- efficiency. It is very gratifying to acknowledge this progress pensable tool. Each development phase has resulted in a and service to LC and the larger library community. Where state-of-the-art resource that has evolved with the prolifera- was Cataloger’s Desktop when I was still cataloging!?” tion of resources we must routinely consult. What’s more, the new and improved Desktop interface provides end-users GOING FORWARD with a remarkably intuitive and user-friendly system.” She LC and Search Technologies continue to enhance Cata- added, “As my institution’s Desktop ‘expert user,’ my role as loger’s Desktop to meet subscribers’ needs, building on the trainer for new catalogers has nearly been superseded by successful migration. Engaging with Desktop users through- the excellent enhancements made to the training and sup- out the migration project and incorporating feedback into port modules within the resource. In short, the Cataloger’s the design were essential to its success. Iterative software de- Desktop team should be commended for being so forward- velopment practices allowed LC to review the application as looking and for providing us with the tools that help us be it was developed. Finally, the choice of current technologies more efficient catalogers.” for Desktop 4.0 provides LC with a platform to build on for As a publisher, LC is no longer dependent on unsupport- years to come. ed, legacy technologies. The application uses open source and licensed components designed to support services such [This article is based upon a presentation given by Bruce Johnson as Desktop. Using modern technologies allows the team to and Derek Rodriguez at the Enterprise Search & Discovery conference held in Washington, D.C., in November 2015 (enterprise continue to improve the service to meet user needs. Deploy- searchanddiscovery.com). –Ed.] ing Desktop on Amazon EC2 results in high availability, reliable system management tools, and an extremely fast response time. Subscribers made the switch to the new user interface with little difficulty and have not looked back. Bruce Johnson ([email protected]) is senior library information systems According to Beacher J. Wiggins, director for acquisitions specialist, Policy and Standards Division, Library of Congress. Derek Rodriguez ([email protected]) is managing architect, and bibliographic access, Library of Congress: “To recap the Search Technologies. Susanne Ross ([email protected]) is evolution of Cataloger’s Desktop is to realize the enormous product marketing manager, Search Technologies. strides that have been made to enable greater cataloging Comments? Contact the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

14 onlinesearcher.net Master the tools of your profession— and turn your tasks into triumphs!

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL PHOTO MAGIC Access and Benefits Easy Image Retouching and Restoration Edited by Miriam A. Drake and for Librarians, Archivists, and Teachers Donald T. Hawkins By Ernest Perez Foreword by Judith Coffey Russell 200 pages 288 pages ISBN 978-1-57387-513-4 ISBN 978-1-57387-515-8 $49.50 $59.50

THE CYBRARIAN’S WEB 2 MORE LIBRARY MASHUPS An A–Z Guide to Free Social Media Tools, Exploring New Ways to Deliver Apps, and Other Resources Library Data By Cheryl Ann Peltier-Davis By Nicole C. Engard Foreword by David Lee King Foreword by Michael P. Sauers 480 pages 352 pages ISBN 978-1-57387-512-7 ISBN 978-1-57387-498-4 $49.50 $49.50

THE NEXT DIGITAL SCHOLAR THE ACCIDENTAL A Fresh Approach to the DATA SCIENTIST Common Core State Standards in Big Data Applications and Opportunities for Research and Writing Librarians and Information Professionals Edited By Randall McClure and By Amy Affelt James P. Purdy Foreword by Thomas H. Davenport 568 pages 224 pages ISBN 978-1-57387-495-3 ISBN 978-1-57387-511-0 $59.50 $39.50

BUYING AND SELLING PERSONAL ARCHIVING INFORMATION Preserving Our Digital Heritage A Guide for Information Professionals and Edited by Donald T. Hawkins Salespeople to Build Mutual Success Foreword by Brewster Kahle By Michael L. Gruenberg 320 pages Foreword by Guy St. Clair ISBN 978-1-57387-480-9 224 pages $49.50 ISBN 978-1-57387-478-6 $49.50

THE ACCIDENTAL INDEXER CAREER Q&A By Nan Badgett A Librarian’s Real-Life, Practical Guide Foreword by Margie Towery to Managing a Successful Career 240 pages By Susanne Markgren ISBN 978-1-57387-514-1 and Tiffany Eatman Allen $39.50 240 pages ISBN 978-1-57387-479-3 $39.50 infotoday.com Look for these titles wherever books and ebooks are sold or order direct from the publisher. For more information, call (800) 300-9868; outside the U.S., call (609) 654-6266. 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055 Synthesizing, Extracting, and Customizing Web Data By Ernest R. Perez

When it comes to capturing and synthesizing s web resources have flowered, access to and distribution of specialized information has information, we’ve moved well beyond not been a problem for ambitious informa- medieval monks laboriously copying tion professionals and providers. But the difficulty of producing customized information manuscripts or the venerable model of the resources for your target users continues to slow and steady scholarly publications. A Abe a tedious as well as expensive task. This article addresses the effect this advance is beginning to make on informa- new major step in information technology tion production as well as on more efficient information publishing. I will focus here on the narrow field of custom- and online publishing—free software tools ized information products prepared or transformed by in- such as import.io—offer new shortcuts formation professionals. The modification and transfer of data have always been for data acquisition, extraction, and a challenge—sometimes an obstacle—for information pro- customization. They capture fielded fessionals, despite their special knowledge of information formats and media. In the past, the time and labor costs of information of your choice directly from converting data into better or more usable forms restricted standard webpages and automatically our great information ideas. Do-it-yourself publication has always been our big problem. transfer it into standardized, field-delimited During my career, I’ve spent a lot of time and money customizing information for many types of projects. These efforts data files. This certainly opens up a wealth of to produce customized information products in academic, new information compilation opportunities. newspaper, and state library settings invariably consumed major planning and thinking time, entailed cash and resource investments, required skilled and unskilled labor, and depended on using an effective access and retrieval system. Understand that I’m not talking about simple bibliography preparation or even custom research reporting here. I’m talk-

16 onlinesearcher.net ing big investments in developing improved, effective, and Simply put, import.io uses browser technology to access easy-to-use information services. target webpages or sites and to automatically capture user- defined fielded data, links, text, and images. It then stores HIGH COST OF DATA CAPTURE this information into formatted, easily transferable data Producing customized and complex information products files. The current import.io data export possibilities include has always been a professional challenge and a source of two options. For automated output, the options are Google personal satisfaction. Many of my solutions were jury-rigged Sheets, Plot.ly (a data visualization and collaboration plat- efforts, using a process of incremental or evolutionary devel- form), user-defined APIs, or intermediary import datasets opment. As with many library efforts, these solutions were temporarily stored on import.io servers. Alternatively, out- carried out on shoestring budgets and often involved coop- put can be downloaded as XML, HTML, JSON, or CSV. erative efforts with other libraries, internal departments, or Platform-independent, import.io easily reads text on a web- external organizations. page, as well as HTML coding and embedded links identifying The development and depth of web information resources other data formats or remote web locations. Once captured, and browser-accessible digital information provide us with the information is suitable for easy data transfer. If you want a new opportunity to get outside help. Data capture tech- more sophistication, you can also add special translation or nology using import.io and similar products gives us the op- conversion, coding, formulas, and XML definitions to your portunity to automate that expensive first step of networked captured dataset. data collection, which minimizes the effort required to build The import.io free information service provides you with the information content needed to develop synthesized and the power to do the following: improved custom information products. • “Intelligently read” webpages by identifying structured field data using easy visual recognition NEW DATA EXTRACTION CAPABILITIES of information content within the page Its new data extraction capabilities make import.io a • Highlight or select desired information elements prime example of “screen-scraper,” or data extraction, tech- using visual example and assignment to user-defined nology. The data capture systems provide software or script- data rows (records) and columns (fields) ing utilities, using browsers, to intelligently recognize, iden- • Accurately interpret webpage information for tify, and copy desired information within targeted webpages automatic conversion into your personally or in data working files containing structured data. customized data file > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 17 • Instantly review your conversion results on-the-fly for ing maintenance. Instead, import.io offers a remotely hosted every step of the extraction definition, since there’s processing solution that provides a quick, dependable, and automatic display of the data results in spreadsheet- transparent automated method of capturing data from re- style rows (records) and columns (fields), and every mote websites, even those that offer no data file or download step is reversible options. All that repetitive screen scraping is essentially invis- • Identify and convert data from webpages containing ible to the end user. single records or from single or multiple pages containing multiple records THE IMPORT.IO USER INTERFACE • Easily capture data from single pages or by The import.io user interface employs clear and simple vi- automatically and sequentially stepping through a sual recognition methods to identify the desired information large number of multiple screens that contain desired records and fields appearing on a remote webpage text dis- information. (The latter process is essentially a fast, play. The basic user interface involves no coding or scripting: automated version of a user manually displaying a It’s just your cursor highlighting and you naming the various series of webpage screens and laboriously copying data elements to produce your securely stored custom API and pasting data to strip or “scrape” the data from definition. The company has a “56 Second Tutorial” on You- each screen until the data capture task is complete.) Tube (youtube.com/watch?v=cdmsTxu45-c&feature=youtu. • Output your data to standard formats such as HTML, be) to get you started. spreadsheets, tables, CSV, tab-delimited, database In the right column of that YouTube page, be sure to no- formats, etc. This is the first step of easy creation or tice the wide selection of import.io videos that are available merging of your new information product. (including even more than listed in this first screen display). Many of them are hour-long tutorials, but you can get a bet- Predictably, the data extraction operations won’t be as fast ter idea of the practical use of import.io by watching a video as doing straight data file translation processing on a digital example of creating a website crawler to capture the data data file using custom scripting or a file translation utility that will give brief information about all the health clinics in because the import.io utility must sequentially step through South Africa (youtube.com/watch?v=CHm7a8E0w3k). individual web screens to capture and translate the desired The import.io homepage links to a demo using a URL you data content, as well as pause to write records to your work- input. From that page, you see what the tool can grab using data file. But your computer won’t be tied up doing any of ing completely automatic analysis. You can save this demo this work, nor will you need continuing translation process- example as an API and use it to begin developing your own

Figure 1: This is the import.io browser display of the selected Christian Figure 2: With the import.io browser tool, enter the URL of the desired Science Monitor webpage containing information about movie reviews page data and the webpage displays in the lower part of the screen. for the calendar year proceeding Sept. 29, 2015. Create a new column, named “title” in this example, and click the mouse on the first occurrence of title data (left column of the page display). import. io automatically recognizes and highlights the data column, and instantly captures the full set of title information data into the first column of the spreadsheet-style display at the top of the screen. The operator thus gets instant verification of satisfactory data capture.

18 onlinesearcher.net Synthesizing, Extracting, and Customizing Web Data customized screen-scraper. At the top right of that “Magic It’s a basic WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) user Import” demo page, there’s a See Examples link that takes interface, providing instant feedback about your success or you to a page of example data capture screens for popular failure. (See Figure 2 on page 18.) If something doesn’t work websites. At the time of writing, these included data capture as you desired, that’s OK: Simply back up a step and try an- from Ikea.com (product data for Ikea chairs) and Zillow.com other approach. (current home rental offerings in San Francisco.). In this simple page of 140 data rows or records, as I identi- Also on the homepage, you can download the import.io fied each desired data element, the app instantly captured browser data capture software to begin creating your own and displayed all the occurrences of that data in spreadsheet data capture APIs. When I first downloaded and tried out the or table style presentation. In this instance, when I entered import.io app, in typical casual web explorer fashion, I didn’t the final data definition, the data capture was complete, and even bother scanning or reading the documentation, I sim- I could save both data and the API to my import.io work- ply followed the screen prompts. space. (See Figure 3 below.) APIs can be reused, modified, For my first hands-on test run, I decided to try data extrac- or shared with other users via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, tion from the 1-year archive of Movie Reviews at the Christian Google+, or by simply sending a link to the example im- Science Monitor. To begin, all I needed was the URL (csmoni- port.io dataset via email or text message. You can also ex- tor.com/The-Culture/Movies/Monitor-Movie-Guide). I input port your completed dataset or save the content to disk in that URL into the import.io app and began following direc- CSV format. tions. The link was to a single webpage listing 140 reviews The “sharing” function facilitates cooperative action with published in the last 12 months, including the title data con- other users. (See Figure 4 below.) I’ve created a link to share sisting of the title text and a link to the full text of the review, my Monitor-Movie-Guide test dataset (import.io/data/ set/ publication date, and rating. (See Figure 1 on page 18.) ?mode=loadSource&source=bea2c833-7f50-46ab-af6a- Following the prompts, I entered a short name for the data 3ffc405c3085). field I wanted to capture, selected the type of data that would The total work time for my initial or neophyte screen-scrap- be stored in that field (text, number, date, or link), and then er data capture project was just a bit longer than 2 minutes. clicked on the position of the first occurrence of that data. And that’s counting my neophyte mistakes and corrections! The app paused for a second and then highlighted every There are extensive import.io advanced features and prob- instance of the selected data field on that webpage. import. lem-solving approaches for complex operations. But I won’t io provided simple buttons and pull-down menus to make try to offer detailed import.io operational instructions in this selections, fix errors, and highlight correct data locations. article because the company offers extensive directions, >

Figure 3: Identify and name new columns for all desired data values by Figure 4: Here is the display of the full dataset of 1 year’s worth of movie clicking on the first occurrence of data in Column 4, the date of publication review data that the import.io browser tool has captured from the website. of the review, and the data-capture tool has highlighted the displayed The records display in date-descending order (right column), as on the fields. The top part of the screen now displays the contents of all original webpage; the ratings columns contain the star-rating graphics defined fields, in simple spreadsheet format. images as shown in the original web display. This is a single webpage table display, so the data is now ready for export or temporary storage for further processing.

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 19 examples, and illustrations on its website. In addition to What Silk.co’s Alex Salkever has written about data visu- YouTube videos, it provides timely and excellent user sup- alization on the import.io blog is a good introduction to the port via email, maintains a blog (blog.import.io), a Facebook concepts of design and data presentation (blog.import.io/ user community discussion site (facebook.com/groups/333 post/how-to-choose-the-right-visualization-for-your-data). 804556787487/?fref=ts), and an online Knowledge Base (sup A blog post by Alex Gimson on the CILIP (Chartered In- port.import.io/knowledgebase). stitute of Library and Information Professionals) blog offers a good, concise analysis of the import.io product and GETTING STARTED WITH IMPORT.IO the kind of power it delivers to information intermediaries Once you’ve done your baby-steps experiments, such as my (cilip.org.uk/cilip/blog/how-use-data-make-decisions). He movie review example, and you’ve got your eye on some re- says,”import.io is a set of free tools that allow you to pull data ally useful information you’ve spotted out there in your web from a website and have this data update in real time—with- explorations, with some thoughtful planning and some basic out having to code anything. You can then download, anal- microcomputer application skills, you can get right to work. yse and share this data. Put simply, it allows you to struc- First of all, you need to get some data. With your captured ture the web.” fielded data files and capabilities such as using scripts or macros in spreadsheets or word processors, basic database COPYRIGHT IMPLICATIONS definition capability, and basic HTML authoring tools, you’ll In the same blog post, CILIP policy officer Yvonne Morris be able to work magic on your collected data file content. says, “As well as mining the open web, the largest single data- Next, you have the chance to improve your data: You can base the world has ever known—researchers can now legally transfer data, translate terms, expand abbreviations (or vice make copies of any copyright material they have lawful access versa), reorder or reformat information, separate Last Name to for the purpose of computational analysis thanks to a new from First Name, standardize date and time formats, and text and data mining (TDM) exception to UK copyright law.” even merge your output with other data collections. You can This topic might thus be currently laid to rest in the U.K., quickly, effectively, and inexpensively create your own cus- but it remains an open question in the U.S. and much of the tom information products. The sky’s the limit. rest of the world. And even in the U.K., I’m not sure exactly what “purpose of computational analysis” means. THIRD-PARTY TOOLS Overall, the legal status of data capture has not been re- import.io is also actively cooperating with third-party data solved. There has been a lot of debate over the limits of Fair visualization websites to offer visual presentation of web in- Use and Fair Dealing, the distinctions between data and for- formation content. The import.io tool provides the first step mat versus expression, the Terms & Conditions of website in arming nontechie information professionals with real web use, and many more facets of the question. It’s going to take publishing power. a good bit of time and some legal battles and court decisions import.io discusses the supplementary third-party tools to get this issue settled. At this point, information interme- on its corporate, blog, and Facebook websites. The table be- diaries appear to be in the same old vague position about low provides some pointers to just a few of the free-access copyright status as they have been in the past. (I don’t know example sites showing off this kind of supplemental devel- if information wants to be free, but in this web digital envi- opment power: ronment, it certainly wants to be portable.)

PRODUCT/URL NOTES URL

Plot.ly NY City job sector analysis plot.ly/20/~agustin_tl/#; Page of plot.ly examples plot.ly/feed

Silk.co Silk application examples silk.co

Tableau.com Detailed analysis of music played on Seattle jewelloree.com/2014/03/24/pop-viz-what- PBS station KEXP music-matters-most-to-kexp

MonkeyLearn.com Machine learning applied to content monkeylearn.com; classification, sentiment/opinion analysis, monkeylearn.com/social-media keyword analysis, user/organization identification

20 onlinesearcher.net Synthesizing, Extracting, and Customizing Web Data

portunity for a wide spectrum of information professionals. We can do the following: Similar Data-Capture Tools • Safely invest our development time in using these tools to produce quality information products. Other software tools similar to import.io exist, • Use our information resource expertise to identify both as paid and free applications. You can find appropriate web information resources suitable for lists of these at alternativeTo (alternativeto. merging into more valuable online information resources. net/software/import-io) and at Open Data Tools • Provide specialized information products for our libraries (opendata-tools.org/en/data). Additionally, look and information centers and our parent institutions. at the Wikipedia article on Notable Tools (en.wiki • Produce information products more efficiently and pedia.org/wiki/web_scraping#Notable_tools). effectively than other information workers.

The current environment provides substantial opportunities for information professionals. There’s no large capital in- FUTURE OF DATA EXTRACTION vestment requirement, and the overhead needed for distribu- An import.io representative informed me that the company tion is low. It makes no difference whether you do it for your will continue to offer its data extraction tool at no cost to web job, or as a freelancer, an information entrepreneur, or even as users. The profit model is based on providing fee-based data- a hobby or outside interest. Expensive data preparation and capture services to clients. Such an enterprise data conversion input have always been the major obstacles for specialized service could include any mix of client consultation, data anal- information innovations. These new data capture technology ysis and definition, scheduled or continuing data updates, and products offer us a solid, automated alternative. complex data massaging. A substantial corporate custom data capture subscription might run in the neighborhood of $2,500– 3,000 per month. Other data-capture services I’ve examined Ernest R. Perez ([email protected]) is a former news librarian also appear to be using this same business model. and author of Digital Photo Magic: Easy Image Retouching and Restora- I conclude that the apparent continued availability of tion for Librarians, Archivists, & Teachers. these free data extraction services appears to offer real op- Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

“A no-nonsense approach covering a breadth of useful topics and applications for librarians, educators, and archivists who have digital retouching projects ahead of them.” —Robert Correll, author, Photo Restoration: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Longtime news librarian Ernest Perez showcases the best of easy-to-use, free, and inexpensive software products for retouching, restoring, and manipulating digital photo images. Digital Photo Magic is designed for librarians, educators, curators, and archivists who want to enhance photographic images without the steep costs and learning curves associated with high-end graphic software packages such as Adobe Photoshop. Whether for use online or in print-based collections, exhibits, and archives, you’ll learn to easily bring up images to acceptable quality without wasting time or money. Perez provides step-by-step guidance for a range of programs he has personally vetted, highlighting their best features and offering tips and shortcuts you can put to immediate use. A primer on graphic image formats, a guide to image scanning tools and techniques, and an extensive listing of specialized websites, By Ernest Perez blogs, user forums, and other author-recommended resources are also included. ISBN 978-1-57387-513-4 200 pages • $49.50

Look for Digital Photo Magic wherever books and ebooks are sold, or order direct from the publisher:

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 21 Survey Research Polling and Beyond

by Barbie E. Keiser

22 onlinesearcher.net Supplemental Content

[Editor’s Note: Following on from her cover article about tracking U.S. elections (“U.S. Politics as Usual—Or Not?”) in the January/February 2016 issue of Online Searcher and this article about survey research, we asked Barbie Keiser to name a few other reliable polling websites. You can find them on the Online Searcher website as supplemental content: iti.bz/keiser-survey.]

When election time rolls around, polling and surveys come into prominence. Professional pollsters generally share their methodologies, although what’s reported in the press is frequently limited to the headlines of who’s ahead and by how much. Thus, it’s important for information professionals to dig more deeply into the meaning behind the numbers if we are to understand the implication of any particular polling result.

he use of polls and surveys is not restricted to elections, Thowever. The online survey tools available today offer a range of options to help anyone gather and analyze data for any one of a thousand purposes, including these: • Appreciating how people use a particular product or service • Identifying useful features of existing products or services • Building lists of features customers wish your product or service had • Understanding why people like/don’t like a particular product or service • Considering where and when people use your products/services

Internet technology democratizes the survey process so that average citizens can conduct polls with easy-to-deploy tools that extend their reach and assist with analyzing results, whether the polling is conducted for politics, educational purposes, or bringing new products to market. You may even want to conduct surveys about library-related products and services. > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 23 SIMPLE SURVEY TOOLS Cvent is best known for event management software (cvent. Sometimes you’ll need a robust tool to handle compli- com/en/web-survey-software), but its Inquisium online sur- cated analysis, but often it’s just a quick survey you require. vey software product and feedback platform (inquisium.com) Here are a few free or low-cost survey tools to try: collects customer and event feedback, assesses training ses- AnswerGarden (answergarden.ch) is a minimalist feed- sions, and researches markets. Inquisium features preloaded back tool designed for use in the classroom (as an educa- question libraries and templates, sample surveys with more tional tool) or at work as a creative brainstorming tool. En- than 20 question formats, and more than 75 ready-built sur- ter a question in the simple search box and hit “Create”; vey reports. embed the provided code for your AnswerGarden on your LimeSurvey (limesurvey.org/en) is an open source online blog, site, or social network page; post a direct link to your tool. If you have the technical expertise, you can alter the AnswerGarden; or email it to friends. The website has a source code or create the plug-ins you require. (See Figure 1 tutorial, though I don’t think it’s necessary for most users. below.) As with many open source tools, the online blog and There is also a free AnswerGarden iPad app. community can be quite helpful. Askia market research software (askia.com) features so- Create, publish, and analyze responses to polls created us- phisticated questionnaire design and supports data collec- ing MicroPoll (micropoll.com). You copy the HTML code (note tion from telephone, mobile, web, face-to-face, and multi- that it includes JavaScript) and post the poll. Response options modal sources that share an administration platform. Askia include radio buttons, checkboxes, and drop-down menus, questionnaires are easy to build and test, incorporating a with a text box for open-ended comments. wide range of user controls. Opinionmeter (opinionmeter.com) has a range of survey Blogpoll (blogpoll.com) walks you through the setup process options to gather people’s opinions. Ready-made templates for a single polling question with up to 20 response options. target specific purposes, including hospitality/guest servic- Developed at Imperial College London and funded by the es, market research, events (feedback from attendees), work- Wellcome Trust (open source, free), EpiCollect (epicollect. place (feedback from employees), customer satisfaction, ed- net) can generate questionnaires via a web and mobile app ucation, and healthcare (patient feedback). If the templates and host project websites for data collection. Data collect- provided don’t match your needs, Opinionmeter will help ed includes GPS and media; all data can be viewed centrally with survey design and complex question development. (using Google Maps, tables, or charts). Type a question with up to 30 possible response options in Google’s involved in this as well. The Google Apps Learn- Poll Code (pollcode.com) and customize your poll with your ing Center will help you get started with Google Forms for own colors, font, and settings. Pollcode provides an HTML conducting opinion polls or pop quizzes (learn.googleapps. code to add to your website, or you can share your poll on com/products/forms/get-started). You need a Google ac- Facebook or Twitter. count, and then you can create new forms; design the form; Polldaddy’s free option (polldaddy.com) promises “un- add and edit questions; edit to add titles, descriptions, and limited polls, surveys, quizzes, responses and votes” and has images; and share your form. However, that is not the only a free app for the iPhone and iPad for untethered surveying, way to employ Google for survey work. perhaps of people physically in the library. With Google Consumer Surveys (google.com/insights/con sumersurveys/home), you determine your target audience, and then Google embeds your question in its network of premium online news, reference, and entertainment sites. People answer questions to gain access to that content as an alternative to subscribing or upgrading. Pricing for a single question is pegged at 10¢ per completed response; add age, gender, or location targeting, and the cost rises to 15¢ per completed response. For a two- to 10-question survey, the price ranges from $1.00 to $1.50 per completed response. Use Free Online Surveys (freeonlinesurveys.com) to create quizzes, forms, or polls. Data analysis requires no coding skills, just one click for the reports. With the free version, you can create a survey of up to 20 and receive up to 50 responses during a 10-day period. GoSoapBox (gosoapbox.com) is a clicker tool designed for the education market. Free for K–12 and university educators to use with small classes (fewer than 30 students), there is a fee-based upgrade available. The Harvest Your Data (harvestyourdata.com) iSurvey app Figure 1: You can alter the source code or create plug-ins with is a mobile data collection tool designed for fieldwork. open source tool LimeSurvey.

24 onlinesearcher.net Survey Research

Figure 2: Poll Everywhere is an audience response tool where Figure 3: Pollin puts polls onto both Facebook and Twitter platforms for a fee. respondents text their answers to questions.

Poll Everywhere (polleverywhere.com) is an audience re- CSV, Excel, and PDF; automatic reports; text response anal- sponse tool in which respondents text their answers to ques- ysis; and social sharing. A personal account (100 respon- tions. (See Figure 2 above.) Real-time responses can be viewed dents/month) is free; if you need more respondents, there’s online, displayed to an audience via the Poll Everywhere web- a $59/month option (up to 1,000 respondents). site, or by embedding the poll in a PowerPoint presentation The free version of SurveyGizmo (surveygizmo.com) lets slide. The free version allows up to 25 respondents to a survey you develop an unlimited number of surveys each month question. Those with an academic email address during setup with an unlimited number of questions and responses to can poll up to 40 respondents. each; summary reports, CSV data export, and support doc- It’s easy to establish a Pollhost account (pollhost.com) umentation are available. For $22/month, surveys can be that allows registered users to set up 15 polls with up to 20 re- branded and additional survey question logic applied. The sponse options to each question. The voting box can be cus- website has video tutorials (surveygizmo.com/tutorials) and tomized by color and font. a useful blog (surveygizmo.com/survey-blog). Want to use Facebook or Twitter for polling? Take a look at Your surveys, when created with Survey Methods (survey Pollin (pollin.co), a fee-based service allowing for more than methods.com), can be sent via email or posted to the web. 20 types of questions, including multiple choice, matrix, rat- You write the questions, choose the answer type, and add ing scale, ranking, and open question. (See Figure 3 above.) A settings such as making a question mandatory or optional free version allows for up to 100 votes across a 3-day period. to answer. You can change the color combinations and add QuestionPro (questionpro.com) lets you create online sur- your logo. Survey templates are available from the survey li- veys and polls with more than 30 question types. Advanced brary. Subscription rates range from $9 to $39 per month. survey tool options include scripting and scoring logic, seg- SurveyMonkey (surveymonkey.com) is possibly the most mentation, cross-tabs, SPSS, custom API, and Salesforce in- popular online survey tool available today. There are 15-plus tegration. Its video library (questionpro.com/help) teaches question types, custom logo and branding; page, question, best practices of survey design. Survey Analytics by Ques- and skip logic are also possible. The free service gives users tionPro (surveyanalytics.com) features standard question the possibility of creating a survey with up to 10 questions types and advanced survey logic, plus cross-tab geocoding and 100 responses while supporting multiple languages. of survey responses and Salesforce integration. Typeform (typeform.com) guides users through the pro- QuickTapSurvey (quicktapsurvey.com) is designed for in- cess of creating forms for surveys, contests, quizzes, and person data collection, via tablet or mobile phone. Quick- tests. There’s a whole section of the site devoted to exam- TapSurvey Basic is $19 per month, but even the pricier ad- ples (typeform.com/examples/#Forms); just scroll down to vanced and expert versions are reasonable (plus you can try the application that is right for you. them for free). A video shows how the tool might be used in Zoho Survey (zoho.com/survey) allows users to create and your workplace. publish surveys that feature branching (presenting questions Responster’s drag-and-drop approach to survey build- in sequence or substitute text based on responses to pre- ing (responster.com) features more than 15 question types; vious questions). Surveys can be accessed on mobile de- smart question logic; themes and branding; exporting to vices or completed offline. Advanced reporting tools is an > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 25 additional useful feature. There’s a free version (up to 15 You can customize a unique mobile conversation page questions/up to 150 responses), with additional features with a question or picture on which you want feedback us- available for $19/month. Survey templates can be particu- ing GlimpzIt (glimpzit.com). Share the conversation page larly helpful to the novice survey designer; webinar and de- on social media or by email. If you need more responses mo videos are also helpful. from a wider audience, you can leverage the 6 million people in Glimpzit Crowd. POLLING AS A SERVICE Instantly, Inc. (instant.ly) has a set of tools to build on- Not that long ago, marketers would test out a new prod- line surveys. Its dashboard-driven concept screening tool uct idea by bringing together individuals for a focus group. is good for early-stage assessment of a new product or ser- Some in the information industry still do this, gathering se- vice. Crowdsourced responses provide instant reactions. In- lected librarians together during a library association constant.ly also provides sample segmented audiences for tar- ference. However, it’s more common these days to create geted marketing. online surveys. For those unclear on how to reach a precise Qualtrics (qualtrics.com) is an online survey research plat- target audience, some survey sites will organize panels of us- form used by academia for students involved in conducting ers to complete your survey, presumably vetted to meet the research requiring rigorous analysis, but companies are characteristics of your target. also customers, using Qualtrics to understand customer feed- Set up very much like buying a direct mail list, SurveyMon- back. The website has a set of videos and helpful hints for key permits users to build a survey and “Buy a targeted au- panel management (qualtrics.com/university/researchsuite/ dience.” SurveyMonkey has more than 30 ways in which you distributing/panels). can “slice-and-dice” its audience options “to reach smart- Research Now (researchnow.com/en-US/Panels.aspx) har- phone owners, video game players, moms,” or other target- kens back to the focus group days by offering “panels span- ing characteristic. ning 38 countries comprised of over 6.5 million active, high- SurveyMonkey is certainly not the only option for assem- ly desirable and responsive members.” Those “members” bling panels that would provide you with the data you seek. could be drawn from a particular industry or type of per- Each organization has its own distinctive focus, for example: son (educators, executives, small business owners, expect- Those unsure of survey development can share a draft sur- ant mothers). vey and let Ask Your Target Market (AYTM; aytm.com) take Survey Sampling International (SSI; surveysampling.com) over. AYTM prepares and launches the survey, analyzes the focuses on the B2B and consumer market, with panels drawn results, and identifies the target market. from more than 11.5 million people in 100-plus countries. Borderless Access (borderlessaccess.com) “specializes in providing online market research surveys and panels in TOOLS FOR DEEPER ANALYSIS emerging and vertical markets.” Not every problem is resolved by employing a single tool, Critical Mix (criticalmix.com) is a market research tool though expert users of Microsoft Excel may quibble. Excel that claims to “find hard-to-reach survey respondents.” The excels when it comes to quantitative data analysis, but those company’s new daily omnibus service, kNOW, focuses on interested in uncovering insights in large sets of unstruc- U.S. respondents. tured data, such as open-ended responses to survey ques- FlexMR (flexmr.net) helps you recruit respondents for tions, are better served by tools that enable qualitative anal- specific research needs: focus groups, surveys, communi- ysis, including text analytics. ties, customer panels, or diary studies. (See Figure 4 below.) Take advantage of a free trial of NVivo (qsrinternational. The FlexMR blog is particularly helpful—even to researchers com). Available for Windows or Mac, NVivo themes and or- who don’t use the FlexMR services (flexmr.net/blog.aspx). ganizes responses, making sense of survey data through automatically coded datasets. MAXQDA (maxqda.com) helps analyze unstructured data, such as interviews, focus group audio and video files, and surveys, linking relevant quotes coded to indicate emotion. If your organization is wedded to Excel, there are still options available to help enhance the data you’ve collected. Semantria for Excel (lexalytics.com/support/apps/excel) permits sentiment analysis of data “by attaching sentiment scores to each theme, entity, and category.” It’s a pricey option, but if you’ve got a particular project in mind, it’s definitely worth scheduling a demo and getting that free trial.

COLLECTING PUBLIC OPINION TO GUIDE PUBLIC POLICY Innovation management software, such as IdeaScale (idea Figure 4: FlexMR helps you recruit respondents for specific research needs. scale.com) is used for crowdsourcing ideas and opinions of

26 onlinesearcher.net Survey Research

For those unclear on how to reach a precise target audience, some survey sites will organize panels of users to complete your survey, presumably vetted to meet the characteristics of your target.

citizens in order to change the ways in which public sector tools worth considering include Civic Insight (civicinsight. entities work. It has been used to determine where to build com), acquired by Accela (accela.com) at the end of 2015, the next library in a county or which local projects should and LocalData (localdata.com). be funded first (priority-setting). Federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), have RESOURCES TO GUIDE YOU used IdeaScale to focus their efforts throughout the process Want to know more about proper construction of survey of developing long-term strategic plans. questions? There are many books and journal articles on the The Impact Survey (impactsurvey.org), developed at the subject. Richard Krueger, University of Minnesota, has a per- University of Washington iSchool, with funds from the Bill sonal website concerned with evaluation, needs assessment, and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to help public libraries interviewing, evaluation, storytelling, and measuring out- better understand their communities, particularly in regard comes (tc.umn.edu/~rkrueger/evaluation.html). In addition, to technology. It queries patrons about their use of public StatPac has a survey design tutorial at statpac.com/surveys. computers, wireless networks, online resources, and digital Once the analysis has been completed, it’s time to present literacy training. The annual fee is based on library budget, the results. This is more difficult than one would think. There beginning at $50/year for libraries below $20,000; the high- is a science to it (master’s degrees and certificates are grant- est annual fee is $500. ed in Research, Measurement, and Evaluation). More recent- Pew Research gives libraries a resource for selecting the ly, graphic arts have been playing a significant role in the cre- best quiz tool for each purpose (pewinternet.org/2014/06/27/ ation of compelling visuals and infographics designed to library-user-quiz-help-center). There are step-by-step in- inform the reader and increase the understanding of facts structions for creating a library user quiz and sharing the quiz and opinions presented. via email, social media, or by pasting the code into a website. Storytelling, too, has been recognized as being helpful for What about local governments struggling to allocate proj- relating the impact of findings (from individual surveys) and ect funds on issues of priority to the community such as de- conclusions (through the analysis of multiple studies) on the IVE termining where new libraries should be built or where to greater society. Finally, we have the array of dashboarding L L position a bike share station (NYC Bikeshare) or the like? products to winnow through as we consider what we need S I N K The need of these officials to understand stakeholders’ de- to present to management and what apps we need to pro- sires falls into a category best utilized as a means to direct. vide for users. Agile approaches to engagement and outreach designed for inclusion, integrating onsite activities (e.g., sticky dots) and thoughtfully designed engagement processes online, can Barbie E. Keiser ([email protected]) is an information resources spring from local civic hackathons or work with Code for management (IRM) consultant located in the metro Washington, D.C., area. America fellows (codeforamerica.org). Other partners and Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 27 [Editor’s note: Following on from her article about tracking U.S. elections (“U.S. Politics as Usual—Or Not,” pp. 1–18) in the January/February 2016 issue of Online Searcher and her article about survey research (“Survey Research: Polling and Beyond,” pp. 22–27) in the March/April issue, we asked Barbie Keiser to name a few other reliable polling websites.]

By Barbie Keiser

he presidential election cycle is in full swing in the others on more general topics, such as sports, world news, U.S. Because of this, the media is obsessed with health, and education. Tpolls. When they are used as a starting point for Since 1985, the public opinion news service Polling analysis about the fit of a candidate with the mood of the Report.com has been releasing the results of election-related public, polls can be very informative. The more mean- polls conducted by the media (ABC News/The Washington ingful polls are backed by sound scientific techniques for Post; NBC News/The Wall Street Journal), universities (Mon- taking the pulse of the nation at a particular point in time mouth University; Quinnipiac University), and other poll- and over a period of years. Not all polls do this well. Here sters (Gallup). State polls are available to subscribers are a few of the entities that get it right, presenting the ($195/year), including U.S. Senate and House, governor, data in a clear and precise manner: ballot measures, and issues. Its sister site, Opinion Today Talking Points Memo (talkingpointsmemo.com) is a (opiniontoday.com), provides snippets, usually the first “digital native political news organization” that began few sentences of an online article, with a link out to the in 2000. Its Polltracker (polltracker.talkingpointsmemo. webpage with the full article. The opinions it tracks are com) presents the results and analysis of polls taken from academics, pollsters, think tanks, and news organi- around the nation. Other sections of the site should be zations (even The Onion has appeared). explored by anyone monitoring politics today. Polltrack- Rasmussen Reports (rasmussenreports.com) bills itself er is not immediately obvious at the Talking Points site. If as a nonpartisan public opinion polling organization. you don’t have the direct URL at your fingertips, click Through its opt-in polling, it tries to determine “What Sections in the upper-left-hand corner for a pull-down America Thinks”—the name of its poll results. Although menu. Polltracker is next to last. the majority of its polls are about U.S. politics, it also has To find the latest polls on RealClear Politics (realclear poll results on business, the economy, and lifestyle. politics.com), click on Polls and then use the drop-down The Pew Research Center puts its People & the Press Poll menu to identify the poll you wish to view. Alternatively, Database in the U.S. Politics research area (people-press. opt for the Advanced Search page to select polling year, org).You can perform a site search (“What do you have state, and type of poll (House, Senate, Governor, and Presi- on …”) and filter by topics, A–Z (Abortion–World Elec- dent). Don’t ignore Election Central: 2016 for news, and tions). Datasets are available (by name of the survey) and click Videos for the latest political videos (older ones are can be refined by year for the U.S. or 100 other countries. archived). You can also sign up for newsletters, choosing There is a section discussing methodology and contact in- titles such as Carl M. Cannon’s Morning Note, RCP Today, formation for experts. You can also sign up to receive an Changing Lanes, and Polling Alerts on U.S. politics, and email newsletter. > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT SC1 Since 2003, Edison Research Election Polling (www.edison The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (roper research.com/election-polling) has provided national exit center.cornell.edu) moved from the University of Connecti- polling data for news organizations that belong to the Na- cut to Cornell University on Nov. 7, 2015. For an organization tional Election Pool (ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC, and the AP). that’s been around since 1947, its archive is extensive, with For a fee, researchers can gain access to exit poll data that more than 22,000 social science datasets, to which it adds includes statewide crosstabs, detailed demographics, and hundreds more each year. Roper’s data is not restricted to voter responses to issues. Not limited to U.S. elections, Edi- the U.S.; it contains public opinions from other countries son also conducts exit polling in 35 countries, from Abu Dha- as well. Many universities belong to the Center, giving fac- bi to Wales. At the bottom of its election polling page, there’s ulty and students access to the Roper Center iPoll database a link to exit polls as reported by its news clients. Click “view through their academic library. Topics range from Abortion now” in the box next to “access our election polling archive.” to World War II. Sources for these polls go from AARP to You don’t need a Ph.D. to access the data available from Zogby International. American National Election Studies (ANES; electionstudies. org), but you may need more than one course in quantita- TAKING THE MEASURE OF ISSUES tive analysis in order to make the most of the raw datasets. Pollsters do more than track how candidates are doing this Luckily, there are several utilities to assist you. The site week; they take a measure of issues across the spectrum. also issues technical studies designed to improve the con- In addition to its U.S Politics research, Pew Research Cen- duct and results of future surveys. Funded by the National ter conducts public opinion surveys outside the U.S.—and Science Foundation, ANES is a collaboration between Stan- not just about politics. Check the A–Z list under Topics to see ford University and the University of Michigan and has the range. Its Global Indicators database (pewglobal.org/da been conduction in-person interviews during most years of tabase/?src=hpgraphic) draws from the Global Attitudes U.S. national elections since 1948. Project, which conducted 450,000 interviews in 64 countries between 2002 and 2015. You can choose a country from the HISTORIC ANALYSIS map shown at the homepage. Note that not all countries Two of the most valuable resources for historical analysis have data. People in Sweden were interviewed, but not of voting and polling reside in academic institutions: Denmark, Norway or Finland; Peru and Bolivia, but not University of Pennsylvania Polling Research Guides Ecuador or Paraguay; Australia, but not New Zealand. (gethelp.library.upenn.edu/guides/polisci/polls.html) The Harris Poll (theharrispoll.com/politics), now part of offers links to public opinion survey sites; online question Nielsen, frequently polls “a representative sample of Americans databases; collections of survey results; major survey se- of all ages, genders, income and ethnic backgrounds” on is- ries; data archives; survey indexes and bibliographies; sues related to politics, business, sports, and health/life. and dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks on pub- YouGov (today.yougov.com) is not part of the government. lic opinion research. It’s a self-selected online community, where members, who >

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT SC2 number in the millions, according to YouGov, fill out surveys poll questions posed in localities around the nation. about their beliefs, behaviors, and brands. They can (and do) Gallup (gallup.com) surveys the world and business. In then comment on the results. the U.S., Gallup focuses on four topics: Economy, Educa- SurveyUSA (surveyusa.com) presents survey questions, tion, Politics, and Well-Being. Election results (1952 to the responses, and methodologies employed to elicit those represent) are summarized by demographic voting group: sex, sponses and reveals if it was commissioned research and by race, age, education, region, urban/suburban/rural, politics, whom. On Twitter, @surveyusa is an excellent way to track religion, marital status, occupation, and gun ownership.

Politics page from the Gallup.com site

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT SC3 Essential Reading for Librarians and Information Professionals

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FEATURE Approach to Steams Along STEM Education by CORILEE CHRISTOU | how to get high-performance learning ■ Since public domain works of keeping information professionals for Girls are not restricted by copyright and do not require a license or by BRANDI SCARDILLI | fee to use, this allows unre- stricted access to older works ylvia Aguiñaga never could and, even more beneficially, can from internet-based school products, have predicted that an NPR lead to unlimited creativity. The in the know about news and industry S broadcast would change her true value of a robust public do- life. main is as a creative resource While driving home from her students only one day at a time, es leads to a lack of opportunity for authors, artists, scholars, job as a substitute teacher one af- so there were few opportunities to for getting students interested at and historians—the public at ternoon in December 2013, she make a true impact on their lives. a young age. Those students who large that may now produce turned on NPR’s Latino USA pro- That day, Latino USA featured a do get to learn about technology new works as it explores older services, and resources. Pay just gram. Aguiñaga loved subbing—the woman named Luz Rivas, who had aren’t encouraged to actually cre- works. No idea stands on its trends that shape our world. Pay just kids were great, and it was a good founded the Los Angeles-based or- ate anything with it. Aguiñaga’s own, and the ability to leverage way to make money while working ganization DIY Girls (diygirls.org). interest was piqued, and she left and learn from these public do- on her M.L.I.S. at San Jose State She spoke about why there are so thoughts of her day behind to lis- main texts speaks to that University—but sometimes it was few Latino technologists, suggest- ten to Rivas talk about her passion notion. $24.95. (Regular annual subscription frustrating. She worked with the ing that a lack of access to resourc- continued on page 24 ➤ continued on page 26 ➤ $74.95. (Regular annual subscription MOREINSIDE tion Services (NFAIS) has moved 18 its headquarters to Annapolis, Big Media Joins NFAIS 2016: Avoiding Md., after having spent 50 years the OIS Search a Digital stationed in the City of Brother- Dark Age 20 16 Data Sparks ly Love, the organization made a price $49.95.) Why We Do price $99.95.) triumphant return to Philadel- What We Do phia for this year’s annual confer- Discovery ence. There were more than 150 attendees gathered in the Hyatt Text and photos by DONOVAN at The Bellevue Feb. 21–23 to dis- GRIFFIN AND BRANDI SCARDILLI | cuss the conference’s theme: Data Sparks Discovery of Tomorrow’s ■ You can take NFAIS out of Global Knowledge. 14 The Right to Be Forgotten Philadelphia but—well, you know The conference’s opening key- Incubation, Curation, and 13 the rest. Although the National note was delivered by Steven Measuring the New Library Federation of Advanced Informa- continued on page 28 ➤

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• 143 Old Marlton Pike • Medford, NJ 08055 New STN Remaking a Classic While Keeping the Classic

By Robert E. Buntrock

Almost 3 years ago, in July 2013, two STN n August 2015, STN added Markush structure search, additional engineering and energy databases (bring- partners, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) I ing the total number to 30), an updated structure edi- and FIZ Karlsruhe, announced the launch tor that enables modeling of structures from CAS Registry Numbers, and new single-click controls for crossfile search- of STN Version One, calling it a “new era ing. Also introduced were new features for exporting search results in XML and BizInt file formats. The newest develop- in IP searching” (cas.org/news/media- ments include adding thesauri from Derwent World Patent Index (DWPI), INSPEC, and NASA, plus enhancements to releases/launch-of-version-one). Early in 2015, the structure editor and new patent assignee and inventor further announcements led me to believe filters for CAplus. PatentPak, part of SciFinder since September 2015, added 20 this new version was ready to be reviewed. more patent authorities in December 2015, bringing the total to 31. PatentPak allows integration of the full-text PDF docu- However, people in the know at CAS advised ments of the original patents found in the search results. Once found and integrated, PatentPak facilitates, via highlighting me to hold off, as more announcements were and navigation aids based on the indexing work of CAS scien- forthcoming in the summer and fall. tists, deeper analysis of patent results to ferret out specific compounds of interest, which are often buried in a sea of additional compounds covered in the patent. Relevant PDF documents can be shared within the organization to colleagues, even those who don’t have access to STN. PatentPak was featured in an STN e-seminar, which would be vastly more useful if it didn’t require an STN login id (stnevents.webex.com/stnevents/lsr. php?RCID=903d4285a4fada7fa8a300f76756b50d).

28 onlinesearcher.net Realizing that no online platform is ever completely fin- FEATURES OF NEW STN ished and that new announcements are always forthcoming, Here is a sample of the value-added features and improve- I decided that enough had happened to finally warrant a re- ments as listed on the CAS website: view of new STN. Project-oriented workflow DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN CLASSIC AND NEW New STN lets you click on the Projects button at the top Differentiations between new—it’s no longer called Ver- of the strategy box to pull up the project menu and select an sion One—from classic STN are explained on its website existing project or click on the + icon to create a new proj- (stn.org/learn-more). It borrows from the intent of the end ect. This saves the searcher from going back to the login and user-oriented SciFinder, widely used in both industry and initiating a new search, which was the case with classic STN. academia, in that it’s intuitive and easier to use. Several of The Projects menu also displays at login. the new features, while valuable improvements for all users, are particularly applicable to patent searchers. STN’s prod- Enhanced search power uct webpage goes into detail on this (cas.org/products/ New STN has virtually no size limitations on queries and stn/newplatform). Also helpful is the Quick Tour, a 10-min- answer sets. ute video describing new STN. Several other tutorials and Quick Reference Cards are available. I found the clickable Faster search execution headings within the online Help file particularly useful. For online searchers, faster is always better. I’ve been a user of classic STN since its inception decades ago, but I’ve never had full subscriber access to SciFinder. Simultaneous interaction between queries and results The American Chemical Society (ACS), grants limited annu- New STN eliminates the need to switch files to accomplish al access to SciFinder to any member—that includes me— queries and to display and examine results, which was the so I’ve done some searching on it. All three services (new, case with classic STN. The interface screen dump shows si- classic, and SciFinder) are fee-based, either by task or as an multaneous display of the Query Builder, History, and Re- organizational subscription. sults boxes. Hits can be selected to display more detailed > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 29 information, such as chemical structures or thumbnails of I started with a name search using the CN (chemical name) references (publication type, date, titles, and hit terms). field. I did this simultaneously in the CAplus and CAS REGIS- TRY files, although others can be added. Analysis of the results in real time tamoxifen/CN This is particularly attractive for patents. I then switched to the MF (molecular formula) field. An enhanced structure drawing tool that is no longer Java-based C26 H29 N O/MF No more having to endure numerous Java updates. The format for the search is different from classic STN, which is this: SEARCHABLE FILES C26H29NO/mf The trial version to which I had access was limited to only some of the files available on classic STN and those on new A search for the Registry Number (taxomifen’s is 105-29-1) STN, including these: as identifier looks like this: 10540-29-1/RN CAplus (Chemical Abstracts: bibliographic details, abstract, indexing)

I used the Term Explorer function to search for additional CAS REGISTRY (known chemical compounds and materials, name[s], CAS tamoxifen compounds. This yielded, among other compounds, Registry Numbers/CAS RN, properties data, files that cite CAS RN) tamoxifen citrate, CASRN 54965-24-1, the form commonly pre- scribed. I searched for preparations in the CAS REGISTRY and MARPAT (generic/Markush structure file for patents) CAplus files as: 10540-29-1P or 54956-24-1P BIOSIS (Biological Abstracts)

This search resulted in 110 references, including several MEDLINE (medical information abstracts, MeSH indexing and thesaurus) patents. Other than the preparation “role” shown above, using the Embase (Excerpta Medica: medical information and abstracts, thesaurus) Get References feature for a compound record allows the use of 14 additional roles or categories of information in the ref- CABA (Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau: agriculture information) erences, including Biological Activity, Properties, Reactions, and Uses. Using the refx command in the Query panel, FSTA (Food Science and Technology Abstracts) new STN also has the 51 roles available on classic STN. For highly referenced compounds, use of these roles is essential COMPENDEX (Engineering Index) to efficient analysis of the results. INSPEC (physics, electronics, computing) STRUCTURE SEARCHING The structure searching function of new STN is easy to ENCOMPLIT (American Petroleum Institute refining and petrochemicals literature) use. The active node or atom is highlighted in bright red, making bond attachments to the correct atom obvious. ENCOMPAT (American Petroleum Institute refining and petrochemicals patents) I drew the structure of a compound that I attempted to prepare 50 years ago when still doing my thesis research. TULSA (Petroleum Abstracts: petroleum exploration literature) After all this time, it remains one of the smallest (19 car- bon atoms) unknown compounds with a presumably sta- INPADOC (bibliographic and patent family data) ble structure. I then ran a substructure search (undefined substitu- The Derwent World Patent Index (DWPI) patent files as well as a suite tion is allowed on atoms in the structure) for analogues of 12 full-text patent document files of a compound I prepared in my first laboratory position. My compound was among 21 others, and the reference FIELD SEARCHING for my compound led to the disconcerting reminder that As with classic STN, new STN relies on field searching for my name was not on the patent. Those 22 compounds precise searches. I find the fields for chemical name, mo- yielded 141 references in the CAplus file, 13 of which were lecular formula, Registry Number, and patent number the also indexed to herbicid* or pesticid*. most useful. Take tamoxifen, for example. Tamoxifen is an anti-estrogen that is used to block estrogen absorption by TERM SEARCHING cells in breast tissue prone to tumor development. I wanted Analogous to classic STN, new STN features full Boolean to retrieve preparations of tamoxifen for possible editing of searching functions. SciFinder, however, uses a Google- the tamoxifen Wikipedia listing. like search function in which search terms are entered

30 onlinesearcher.net New STN in a string. Personally, I find it difficult to structure these search “sentences” to achieve relevant retrieval. To test full Boolean functionality in new STN, I looked for information on the binding of resveratrol (the allegedly “magic” component of red wine that provides various health benefits, or so it is claimed) to estrogen receptors. The search strategy was as follows: (501-36-0/RN or resveratrol/CN) and (estrogen* (W) receptor*)/BI

The asterisk is the truncation symbol, and W is the adjacency operator. The files searched were CAS REGISTRY, CA- plus, BIOSIS, CABA, EMBASE, and MEDLINE. The search retrieved hundreds of hits in each database. Restricting the results to bind* via the Boolean AND command reduced the number of hits to 118, 73, 34, 183, and 80 in the respec- tive databases. Some are undoubtedly duplicates. Examina- tion of several results produced documents that analyzed BUNTROCKING many compounds, including phytochemicals such as resveratrol and synthetics such as BPA. CHEMISTRY The Term Explorer feature is analogous to the EXPAND command on classic STN, which generates an alphabetic or Since I have a very unusual last name, discovering numerical ordered list of “neighboring” entries in the file. If the other Buntrocks publishing in chemistry was performed on search terms in the Query box, index term lists and database search fields, as well as available thesauri, can very interesting. I found 14 of them appearing in provide additional terms. CAplus. The most prolific was Peter Buntrock, of Results can be analyzed by use of the FILTER feature. Cat- Berlin’s Humboldt University, with 31 records, all egories available include the type of document, but the re- mainder at this point are primarily applicable to patents, in- patents on biomedical subjects. An A. Buntrock cluding language and other data for the basic patent. published near the turn of the century on dyes Text Search settings can be selected to modify text term searches to include abbreviations, plurals, alternative spell- and fabrics, including one on Mercerized cotton. ings, and punctuation. Previously, I knew of only four Buntrock families,

AUTHOR SEARCHING not demonstrably related, but originating from four Searching for authors in new STN is similar to author neighboring towns then in Pomerania/East Prussia. searches on both SciFinder and classic STN. For many infor- I wonder if any of these chemists are related to me. mation specialists and educators, a favorite chemist to search for by name is the late Paul von Rague Schleyer. His name is confusing because von Rague is his middle name, not part of his last name. However, he shows up both ways in database author fields, both for papers he authored and citations to his approximately 1,000 publications. Thanks to editing by CAS PATENT SEARCHING staff, this strategy suffices: A primary area of improvement in new STN over classi- schleyer p*/AU cal STN is in patent searching and analysis. Patent searchers and their clients typically deal in business-oriented subjects Since I have a fair number of publications, I searched my where comprehension, accuracy, and timeliness are critical. own name for the first time in a couple of decades. The search The CAS product webpage not only provides the features de- on my surname buntrock*/AU yielded 137 references. scribed previously but also displays an extended patent fam- Limiting to the beginning initial of my first namebuntrock ily table combining results from CAplus, DWPI, INPADOC, r*/AU yielded 69 references, all authored by me. Note that and the full-text patent files. Previously, such combinatorial coverage criteria continues to be a challenge if you really want analysis had to be done manually. to find every single article ever published by an author, as I Due to international agreements, patent “families” can be documented in a 2012 Searcher column (The Better Mouse- quite broad, incorporating legally equivalent documents. Giv- trap: “Searching Wars: Google Scholar Versus Web of Knowl- en the extensive coverage of patents, especially chemical pat- edge Versus … ?” January/February 2012, pp. 34 –37). ents, STN is one of the premier sources of patent information. > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 31 A primary area of improvement in new STN over classical STN is in patent searching and analysis.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS techniques and find it difficult to adapt to effective Google-like No matter what the subject areas of your searches for text sentence searching like that on SciFinder. Therefore, I’m in chemical and chemically related information, the enhance- favor of the improvements made with new STN, and I believe ments I’ve outlined that have been made for new STN pro- that even end users who have adopted SciFinder searching in vide for improved searching. However, I’ve observed areas in a big way could easily make the transition to new STN. I also which I believe further improvements are needed: find that the elimination of connect-time and search-term fees • More files otherwise available on classic STN need makes for more relaxed and efficient searching. to be added to new STN. For pricing details, see the link to information on new STN. • As part of the display of a chemical structure, the At this point, pricing and access is available to customers by files in which that structure appears should be listed subscription on a fixed fee or Global Value Pricing (GVP) ba- in the display. sis, which might be more applicable to organizations with at • Crossfile searching—searching more than one file least a minimal amount of regular search needs. However, as simultaneously— including the integrated display an independent, smaller, one-searcher shop, I would prefer features, is more efficient on new STN. However, a per-search fee schedule. removal of duplicate hits—“deduping”—is essential Good show STN, and, as usual honoring a decades-old tra- to efficient evaluation of results. dition, we users will always be asking for more improvements. • The Run Updates feature in new STN reports changes to results for queries previously run. This allows for manual updates for searches of continuing interest. Robert E. Buntrock ([email protected]), a veteran of the online revolution and wars, operates Buntrock Associates and is a (semi) However, some sort of Save/SDI feature is needed for retired chemist and information specialist who reviews books and writes automatic updates, similar to features on both classic on any number of topics. STN and SciFinder. As a career-long promoter and provider of current awareness, I think this is an essential feature.

As a veteran user (and contributor to the development) of online searching, especially searching for chemical information, I’ve long been an advocate of command/Boolean searching

32 onlinesearcher.net The SEARCHER’S Voice

Resurrecting the Reference Interview

BACK IN THE OLDEN—very olden—days, there able digital resources, and a world of end users lived a small but mighty group (assuming, of was just an information industry worker’s lu- course, that right makes might—and we were bricious dream, the initiation of any search re- SEARCHER’S

so right!). It was called the Southern Califor- quired a reference interview as the first step in VOICE nia Online Users Group (SCOUG). There were the journey to useful truths. In those early days, other OUGs scattered across the information I worked for a research establishment commit- landscape, including the New England group, ted to the practice of interdisciplinary research but we felt ours had more to say than others. teams. This put demands on our searching that Probably we were just louder. At our annual stretched beyond an individual client’s custom- retreats in sun-kissed Santa Barbara, Calif., we ary sources. Of course, intruding a professional imagined an online world and how we could searcher not tied to customary sources inevita- contribute to its emergence. Did we succeed bly led to more thorough and expanded results in our wild and woolly plans? Well, look around from even the customary sources. But, the real you. I rest my case. excitement and addiction to our searches came One motto was inscribed on every T-shirt for when clients realized they could find sources each one of our 10 years’ worth of SCOUG Retreats: they’d never heard about, sources that col- IN A WORLD OF “If online is the answer, what is the question?” leagues from other disciplines would recognize All the world now knows that the internet and and appreciate. its web contain all the answers to all the ques- One time I did a search for a leading member ANSWERS, DON’T tions that could ever be asked. Oh, there may be of a department that rarely used our services. some dusty, forgotten bits and scraps still hiding I was hoping the search would open a wedge in some dingy warehouses of print, but, if such into luring new clients from that department. QUESTIONS MAKE sources had any real value, they would be online But when I provided carefully edited results— like everything else, right? Even the reality of any no print dump for this one!—the researcher person’s existence can now only be verified on admitted that my finds in indexes serving her THE DIFFERENCE? the net. Does a person without a social media field were on target, but she really preferred profile even have any kind of profile? How face- to skip citations from “B level journals that less the Facebook-less must be. only occasionally carried material of interest” But that ancient question we SCOUG-ers to her. Thunk! My hopes sank slowly into the used to ask still scratches at any information sunset. All I had left was a little show-off dis- “ professional’s consciousness. Accepting that play in which I had run her key search term online sources will provide the answers to any through every database in the leading search question, doesn’t that make the quality and service to see if I could find something from the range and focus of the questions all the more fringe. Bang! Boom! Three citations had her on important? In a world of answers, don’t ques- the edge of her seat. One came from a medical tions make the difference? journal, another from agriculture, and I’ve for- In the early days of online, when intermedi- gotten the third. I realized that relevant outliers ary searchers provided the only access to avail- in search results would have a special cachet. > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 33 The SEARCHER’S Voice

Think how it would look when she brought es for a range of input. After all, when you think them to the team’s notice. She’d look like a mir- about it, if the person looking for an answer acle worker, a Wunderkind tapped into every knew enough to define the question perfectly, field of human knowledge. (And all because of she would probably already have the answer. It me, the two-legged Google, long before Google puts me in mind of all the weight put on pa- came to be.) tients to define the appropriateness and legal The value of interdisciplinary research as responsibility for their own medical treatments a process lies in its performance for research when they’re the most ignorant persons in the aimed at making policies, the policies that soci- entire medical facility. ety will use to alter realities, to make a real dif- Terminological demands alone should press ference in the world. Using multiple disciplines searchers to plan alternative strategies for reach- guarantees that all angles are recognized, all ing diverse expertise. I can remember studies dangers anticipated, all opportunities exposed. showing which newspapers serviced which in- At least, that’s what everyone hopes. But in the dustries, e.g., New York papers for financial insti- current Google-y world, more and more per- tutions, Broadway, and publishing; Connecticut sonalization and customization tend to narrow papers for the insurance industry; Southern Cal- search results while, at the same time, encourag- ifornia for movies and celebrities; etc., etc. Which ing more and more reliance on online informa- sources use which jargon? What are the bibles of tion to supply guidance for making real-world each relevant field? In the past, that would have decisions. Partly, this shrinking of search results been key magazines or journals. Now it’s blogs, stems from the desire to fit the most relevant social network groups, wikis, etc. Who are the information into the smaller screens of mobile key players in each field? Where can you find VOICE computing devices. Now isn’t that a promis- information on them? Who or what supplies the

SEARCHER’S ing development? Eternal Truth vs. screen size access to the best information? as driving the search process, and screen size We must educate our clients—and ourselves— wins. Where is Watson when you need it? to step back and see the forest before we start But what about serious and complex ques- swinging through the trees like Tarzan, hollering tions? What about situations demanding the for our data mates. Ask them and ourselves the very best information from a range of relevant age old starting questions: Who besides me would experts? And I do not only refer to broad soci- want to know about this? And why? With these an- etal issues and government policymaking. Life- swers in hand, we begin the look for key sources that serve whomever we have envisioned. Then TERMINOLOGICAL and-death decisions are made by anyone with a serious medical condition or a loved one with we start asking what terms and conditions would DEMANDS ALONE such a condition. Whole futures are decided by successfully penetrate those sources to reach rel- financial decisions that may well need more evant and useful information. Once we find some SHOULD PRESS facts and opinions than just those supplied by “good stuff,” we step back again and see if it pro- Yahoo Finance or, God forbid, “real people” vides any alternate sources, any new terminol- SEARCHERS chatter on a social network. Bottom line: When ogy, any key contact information. Then on to new TO PLAN you have to make decisions with a lot riding on sources or maybe back to replumb the sources them, you need to reach out to whatever and we’ve already used with new tools. ALTERNATIVE whomever can help you the best. “If online is the answer, what is the question?” Intermediary searching allowed a general- STRATEGIES ist, the professional searcher, to work with the FOR REACHING specialist, a client with specific knowledge of a problem. The reference interview itself was ob- DIVERSE viously designed to explain the problem to the “ searcher, but in the course of those interviews, EXPERTISE. clients frequently found themselves clarifying their own thoughts, learning of alternate sourc- BARBARA QUINT SENIOR EDITOR

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Crowell Public Library Crowell Irene E. McDermott Irene MAR | APR 2016

, the Southern California Public Radio program exclusive exclusive program Radio Public California Southern , the The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship U.S. Citizenship Security’s The Department of Homeland from arrive in the U.S., a representative the refugees Once According to Zogg, “When they come to Los Angeles, we “When we they come to Los Angeles, to Zogg, According When refugees arrive to their new towns, they are greeted by by greeted they are arrive to their new towns, When refugees plicants to help prepare them for their adjudication inter them for their adjudication plicants to help prepare view and for security screening. interviews ap Services (USCIS; uscis.gov) and Immigration ap win that Applicants packets. their reviews and plicants RSC the that, After checks. health through go then proval a resettlement from assurance” “sponsorship for a arranges near tries to settle refugees It States. agency in the United or to place them in a cultur them here, if they have relatives, ally appropriate community. accompanies agencies one of nine domestic resettlement Recep The Department of State’s them to their new home. (state.gov/j/prm/ra/reception program tion and Placement Long-term assistance. financial of months 3 offers placement) and Human the Department of Health by covered needs are (acf.hhs.gov/pro Resettlement Office of Refugee Services’ the through health insurance receive Refugees grams/orr). card Security issued a Social They are Act. Care Affordable re They are as soon as they arrive. eligible to work and are and can apply for citi year after 1 card a green get to quired after 5 years. zenship take them to their new homes. In September of 2015, September In take them to their new homes. Two the executive interviewed to station 89.3 KPCC, Zogg, Martin reset for the Los Angeles-based office of the refugee director (IRC; Committee Rescue International tlement organization rescue.org/us-program/us-los-angeles-ca). pick them up at the airport, take them to their new homes, we ADJUSTING TO A NEW LIFE agencies who resettlement of local nonprofit representatives ------EXPRESS , May 1, 2015; latimes.com/tn- , May

Los Angeles Times he toddler is lying face down on the sand, waves lap on the sand, waves he toddler is lying face down looks as though he could be He ping near his face. is dead, having Kurdi Aylan 3-year-old But asleep.

Becoming a refugee in the United States is a difficult jour States in the United a refugee Becoming By November 2015, more than 800,000 Syrians had ap than 800,000 Syrians 2015, more November By INTERNET INTERNET apply to UNHCR (unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home). Few apply to UNHCR (unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home). deemed eligi er than 1% of displaced persons who apply are to one of referred These lucky folks are ble for resettlement. (RSC) Centers Support funded Resettlement nine federally information ap from The RSC collects biographic overseas. THE REFUGEE PROCESS po First, months. 18 and 24 ney that usually takes between coun must be living outside of their native tential refugees will try Most if they return. because they fear persecution Refugees Help Syrian Help Libraries Can Can Libraries How Public Public How that already have established Arab communities: Detroit, communities: Detroit, established Arab have that already a district of which features and Anaheim, Calif., Chicago, Ara “Little as known Eastern immigrants settled Middle Comforts Tastes, Provides Arabia “Little Shadia, (Mona bia” of Home,” wknd-et-0503-little-arabia-20150501-story.html). High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR; data.unhcr. for Refugees Commissioner High 10,000 a mere Accepting org/syrianrefugees/asylum.php). into our capacious country of the help that is a tiny fraction going are people displaced these Nevertheless, needed. is Syrian Because to need a lot of help settling in our land. (although Islam and practice mostly speak Arabic refugees Christian), they will be placed mainly in cities a handful are Syria. Within a week of this tragedy in September 2015, Pres 2015, in September of this tragedy a week Within Syria. refugees Syrian the number of Obama raised ident Barack 2016 to would accept in fiscal year States that the United about 2,000 in 2015. 10,000, up from Nations’ United the to according status refugee for plied drowned, with his mother and brother, fleeing violence in with his mother and brother, drowned, T SEARCHER’S VOICE 36 so that we do not repeat it. wedonotrepeat so that This time, letusremember ourshamefulpast 8ca5-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html). xenophobic-bidding-war/2015/11/16/b07352a2- 2015; washingtonpost.com/opinions/republicans- Bidding War,” Florida in1939” (“Republicans’Xenophobic from the shipofJewishrefugeesturnedaway theirlivesbringstomindthe for peoplefleeing toturnaway cry “This growing war inSyria. Writes columnistDana Millbank, thevicious mere 10,000vettedfamiliesescaping oppositiontoacceptinga current conservative precedencetothe gives history This unfortunate of Americans. 71% wasopposedby from theMarielboatlift Cubans html). ofmorethan120,000The 1980influx administration-to-accept-10000-syrian-refugees. com/2015/09/11/world/middleeast/obama-directs- refugees in1979and207,0001980(nytimes. 1979. Infact, theU.S. tookin111,000 Vietnamese resettlingrefugeesfromIndochinain were against in1958, theCommunistregime escaping and62% ofacceptingHungarianrefugees disapproved 55%of Historic pollsshowthat Americans jewish-refugees-on-the-eve-of-world-war-ii). wp/2015/11/17/what-americans-thought-of- 2015; washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/ Ishaan Tharoor, of JewishRefugeesontheEve World War II,” (World Views:Europe AmericansThought “What in Fasciststates toJewsescaping to allowingentry In the1930s, opposed Americans weredistinctly into-country). u-s-public-seldom-has-welcomed-refugees- pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/19/ Into Country,” DrewDesilver, Nov. 19, 2015; “U.S. PublicSeldomHas Welcomed Refugees according tothePewResearchCenter(FactTank: war, beenreluctanttoacceptrefugeesfleeing have During thelast80years, amajorityof Americans Resettlement intheUnitedStates The DarkSideofRefugee onlinesearcher.net The Washington Post, The Washington The Washington Post The Washington SS St. Louis, Nov. 16, , Nov. 17,

racy andEnglish,” states “Library forImmigrants: Services AReport immigrant self-education,enlightenment,andthestudyofdemoc traced toAndrew Carnegie’s forpubliclibraries asaplacefor support viding resources andeducationtoimmigrants. This tradition maybe to these new arrivals. for public is librariesappropriate to offer services viding accesstomedicalcare andvouchers forfoodandjobtraining, it sponsible for helping Syrian refugees settle into their new homes, pro THE ROLEOFPUBLICLIBRARIESINHELPINGREFUGEES never beenbefore.” inLosAngeles,plane andflyfor15hoursarrive toaplacethey’ve a refugee camp, andfinallythey’re approved toresettle. They getona They’ve gottenrefugee statusandmayhave spentyears thereafter in where theyhave border. decidedtofleeandcross aninternational come. “They’ve endured years of persecution and war, to the extent a-loo). In theinterview, Zogg ofthiswel explainstheimportance 2015/09/16/44485/what-happens-when-refugees-arrive-in-america- California Public Radio, Sept. 16,2015;scpr.org/programs/take-two/ foods” Happens (“What AfterRefugees Southern inAmerica?” Arrive we provide furniture, we provide them with culturally appropriate by includingArabic. languagesserved, byorg), toournation,which canbesorted fornewarrivals locality and a specialsection,calledImmigration LawHelp (immigrationlawhelp. lic interest lawofficesacross thenation.In addition,thesite features org (lawhelp.org), which provides referrals tolocallegalaidandpub new-immigrants) offerslinksspecifictoNew York and alsotoLawHelp. chesterlibraries.org/services/basics/community-service-orgs/for- community,” Richardson adds. comprehensive organizations inthe guide toservice Westchester (connections.westchesterlibraries.org). “It’snections areally good Falcone developed anonlineresource called Westchester Con from the localcountycorrectional facility, Elena hersupervisor ofManhattan, that,tohelpthere-entry populationnorth writes Systemter Library headquartered in Tarrytown ontheHudson River Marissa Richardson,prison. program coordinator forthe Westches to re-adjusttrying tofree life in theUnited States: thosecomingout of for citizenship. Others have resources aimedatvulnerable citizens tohelpimmigrants Englishprograms andprepare learn andservices health, andmoneymatters. to helpimmigrants intheareas ofcitizenship, gettingajob, literacy, resourcesthe LosAngelesPublic offersadirectory ofinternet Library zenship-and-financial-literacy-cla). In addition toitslive programs, program/us-los-angeles-ca/eagle-rock-plays-host-successful-citi Financial Literacy Classes,” Rourke Healey, IRC [n.d.];rescue.org/us- finance classes (“Eagle Rock Plays Host to Successful Citizenship and nered withtheIRC toprovide ESL(English asasecondlanguage)and tions/G-1112.pdf). Citizenship/Citizenship%20Resource%20Center%20Site/Publica (uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Office%20of%20 Services brary ship andImmigration andtheInstitute Services ofMuseum andLi on Current Practices,” produced jointly in 2007 by the U.S. Citizen “Public libraries intheUnited States ofpro have alonghistory Although local nonprofit resettlement agencies are re primarily A section of the guide devoted tonewimmigrants (connetions.west Many libraries incitieswithlarge immigrant populationsprovide Indeed, the Los Angeles Public (lapl.org) has already Library part ------

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MAR | APR 2016 whips out her iPhone and activates Google and activates Trans whips out her iPhone Irene E. McDermott the senior editor ([email protected]). Comments? Email Finally, for those wanting to practice English, Voice of of Voice English, for those wanting to practice Finally, No local library your carries no books in Arabic. Perhaps fea (msn.com/en-us/msn-worldwide) Worldwide MSN en a search Mahal, Visit App Looking for apps in Arabic? pro tempest-tossed to me,” homeless, the these, “Send Although the Anaheim Public Library be able may not yet Public Although the Anaheim iPhone and Android the for app Translate Google free The for “Activities published Kelly Charles on the web, Back be a main mission of our public libraries. Let us American Let be a main mission of our public libraries. with our who, and instruct welcome librarians these refugees support, will soon be our compatriots. in Library Public tongue at the Crowell late at the suggestion of a foreign Calif. San Marino, tween English and Arabic (iteslj.org/v/a). and Arabic English tween levels articles news written America in three offers current proficiency: learningenglish.voanews.com. of English ARABIC LANGUAGE RESOURCES example, For ebooks. can download readers matter! Arabic sells a wide variety of ebooks. EKtab (ektab.com) Jordan’s or on Goo app store in the Apple is available e-reader Its e-reader Arabic is another Jordanian-based Yaqut gle Play. (play.google. via Google Play devices available for Android offers free It com/store/apps/developer?id=Yaqut&hl=en). users. ebooks to Android Saudi Egypt, from news and information in Arabic tures Emirates. Arab and the United Arabia, and store in the Google Play available apps, gine for Arabic (appmahal.com). on the web TRAVELERS WELCOME, WEARY en Colossus,” “TheNew Lazarusthe Emma claims poem This sentiment of Liberty. at the base of the Statue graved spiritthe countryour built that captures to continues and in Anaheim, relays to Erika in her interview Aguilar relays in Anaheim, titled Refugees” Syrian to Helping Key Cellphones Say “Nonprofits scpr.org/ 2015; 26, Nov. Radio, Public California (Southern news/2015/11/26/55879/as-nonprofits-prepare-for-syrianrefugees-cellphon). part- refugees, of Syrian for an influx to officially prepare to get started is anxious Robbins Julianna time librarian personal her on has she that app translation a voice with iTranslate an individual, I highly recommend “As iPhone. command, voice for on-the-fly, [itranslatevoice.com] Voice of versions And, three services. translation highly accurate for Android to download The app is free to boot!” Arabic store. iTunes costs $6.99 in the It with in-app purchases. and English on-the-fly between speech can also translate gram over it focuses on individual words However, Arabic. mar and so can sometimes garble translations. exercises, tests, boasts It 2003. in (a4esl.org) Students” ESL jokes to help with learning as a second and even English be to quizzes has a page especially devoted Kelly language.

- - - - - by locality and by languages served, including Arabic. including by locality and by languages served, Immigration Law can be sorted Help offers legal referrals which Still, there is some basic help that any library can offer some basic help that any library is can offer there Still, Elena Falcone and the Westchester Library System deserve Library System Westchester and the Elena Falcone “The Westchester Library System also has Firstfind.org, also has Firstfind.org, Library System Westchester “The system Westchester the at runs program a Richardson smartphones to help them navigate their new homes and smartphones to help them navigate their new homes and need ‘I you: will tell now “Refugees translation. for real-time of director executive Kayali, Nahla a car,’” a phone before services Services California who manages refugee Access Syrian refugees. For example, if our new patrons want to want to if our new patrons example, For refugees. Syrian can point them to the USA Learnslearn we web English, by ESL classes developed and its free site (usalearns.org) The lessons Office of Education. County the Sacramento or i- as no-cost apps for the Android available also are on rely refugees This is important because Syrian Phone. dom to develop comprehensive web guides. For example, example, For guides. web comprehensive dom to develop Library was preparing the Anaheim Public when I asked how the official Little Arabia, to refugees for the influx of Syrian Com the from direction for waiting was it that was answer managing agen Servicesmunity Department,the library’s cy in the city. These excellent internet directories contain open web links web contain open internet directories These excellent the country. across and refugees of use to immigrants ENGLISH ONLINE IMMIGRANT RESOURCES IN pathfinders for their vulnerable web kudos for developing or free not every library has the resources Still, populations. called Pull Up a Chair at Your Library, designed to help older Library, Your a Chair at Up called Pull health, and family, of jobs, adults find support in the areas and FirstFind.org Connections Westchester Although home. she declares, her constituency, to help developed not were services for been using it as my primary in resource “I’ve been using this for everyone!” I’ve Honestly the community. which is a resource directory as well,” notes Richardson. “It’s “It’s notes Richardson. as well,” directory which is a resource Firstfind. literacy.” for low level reading placed at a 5th grade links to help with earning a high school diploma presents org chil helping one’s looking for a job, and getting into college, and learning English. getting familiar with computers, dren, SEARCHER’S VOICE 38 onlinesearcher.net

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ONLINE SEARCHER MAR | APR 2016 MAR | APR 2016 - The technological singularity is a pow erful concept. Alongside the related it invites us idea of transhumanism, some of the most profound revisit to them can ask, throwing questions we live? should we into a new light. How What death? confront should we How What is does it mean to be human? What is What is consciousness? mind? haveour potential as a species? Do we What is what is it? and if so, a purpose, our ultimate destiny? n his recent book The Technological Singularity n his recent (MIT Press, 2015), cognitive robotics professor professor robotics 2015), cognitive (MIT Press, his readers: reminds Shanahan Murray by Nancy K. Herther I We have begun to think about our quickly changing technological world, begun to think about our quickly changing technological world, have We “liquid modernity,” as era to our current refers Bauman Zygmunt Sociologist - singularitytype of a specific for approach is that future focus on a Others in which we now use astronomical/physics concepts of singularity to refer to of singularityconcepts use astronomical/physics to refer now in which we efforts. technological growing iden- relationships, a time of constant mobility and change in our institutions, This liquidity makes it nearly impossible to con- and society. economies, tities, of deeper mean- in search “pilgrims” identity—making us less struct a durable fleeting, yet multiple, our of meaning through tourists in search ing and more on 2000), his masterful treatise Liquid Modernity (Polity, social experiences. of tradition overturning the subject, seeks to connect the modern condition’s that has dominated the past 2 centuries age of globaliza- with the emerging to seem The question that he doesn’t tion, the internet, and constant change. institutions of modernity is whether the emerging will surviveanswer or if they of past traditions. the residue instead, merely are, singularity has been defined Technological ing—a technological singularity. at the Machine fellow research Yudkowsky, Eliezer ways. in many different published my article on article on published my published my ONLINE ONLINE ONLINE could be imagined back then—and even even could be imagined back then—and The part of the article that seemed to now. time was the draw the most attention at the animal brains potential for “using human or this is a reality. as computers”; today, 21st Century World of Computers, November/ 21st Century World a little Now, December 2003, pp. 26–31). seeing are we years later, 12 than more the development of computing devices far smaller and infinitely more powerful than which “advances in nanotechnology along “advances which computing” and genomics with biological would bring then— computers to—what was levels (“Nanotechnology, new unimagined Genomics, and Biological Computing: The the future of computers in which I noted that of computers the future storm on the horizon, a fast-moving “like we are the most challenging facing perhaps and society in evolutions of technology age” in leading to a “third coming decades” In 2003, SEARCHER’S VOICE 40 that theneural ofrats wiring issimilartothestructure ofthe ment inthework tocreate biologicalcomputers. Believing others touseintheirresearch aswell. This isakeydevelop freely (http://brancusi1.usc.edu/connections/grid/168) for future computingoptions. The research dataisavailable they believe will lead to brain mappingthat will influence for rat brains—a newfieldcalledconnectomics—which California have beenabletosketchoutthe “wiring diagram” reported thatresearchers from theUniversity ofSouthern my ofSciences A recent inthe article ponent changes—letalonetheirinterconnecting potentials. that fewcanever hopetoreally keepupwithallthecom SCIENCE AT THESPEEDOFLIGHT nitions-of-the-technological-singularity nological singularity, gotosingularityweblog.com/17-defi of changeiscleartoall.(For arange ofdefinitionstech agreeseryone even ondefinitions, however, therapid pace what will happen in ourfuture,certain not ev andcertainly have noclearroad maptoourfuture. No onecanknow for man life, including deathitself.” territory, Asuncharted we to ourlives, from ourbusinessmodelstothecycle ofhu will transform theconceptsthatwe rely ontogive meaning Althoughneitherutopiannordystopian,thisepoch formed. impact sodeep, thathumanlifewillbeirreversibly trans which thepaceoftechnologicalchangewillbesorapid, its as fines thetechnologicalsingularity “a future during period scend Biology proaches. In Intelligence Research Institute, definesthree different ap stitute forBiologically Inspired andothers. Engineering along withprestigious institutionssuchasHarvard’s Wyss In biologicalcomputer— continues towork onthefirst truly polymerase, asittravels alongastrand ofDNA.” Stanford ics, atranscriptor controls theflow ofaspecificprotein, RNA of electrons along a circuit,” they explain, “similarly, inbiolog ical computers. “In electronics, atransistor controls the flow along a strand of DNA—another key buildingblock of biolog control theflowscriptors ofRNApolymerase asittravels sistors control theflow ofelectricity, thesebiologicaltran within-living-cells-study-says.html). Just as electronic tran all-news/2013/03/biological-transistor-enables-computing- cal analogofthedigitaltransistor (med.stanford.edu/news/ development of what they called a transcriptor, the biologi readily neuroscience producible research. testbedsforfurther their ownform neural connections—synapses—making them functions, however, signalsand theydoproduce electrical brain). These bundles of neurons can’t any cogitative perform about 25centseach(news.brown.edu/articles/2015/10/mini of rat tissuetomakethousandsof “brains”—for thecostof improvements incomputing. USCresearchersinternet, thinkthismayleadtoimportant Today, newscientificbreakthroughs occuratsuchaspeed In 2013,researchers atStanford University reported onthe Brown University researchers have now takensamples onlinesearcher.net The SingularityIsNear:WhenHumansTran (New York: Penguin, 2006),Ray Kurzweil de (pnas.org/content/112/16/E2093.abstract) Proceedings oftheNationalAcade .) ------

Kurzweil presents visionofthefuture, astartling inwhich KURZWEIL’S TECHNOLOGICALSINGULARITY science-fiction imaginingsbutreal-world priorities. opment anddiscovery ensure thattheseevents are nolonger es this way: es thisway: haps, butitismixedinwithemerging research results. ofourbrain.capillaries Is thisalljustsciencefiction?Per from strands ofDNA—whichwouldmove freely through the which willbepossibleusingnanobots—tinyrobots made to thebrain andtobackupourthoughtsmemories— to thecloud,allowing ustosendemailsandphotosdirectly years, Kurzweil believes humanbrains willbeabletoconnect Universitygularity website (singularity.org). In thenext15 sentiment,” Kurzweil saidatarecent discussionontheSin ing to be sexier. We’re going to be better at expressing loving fractured globaland nationalgovernments. their leaders—somethingwe don’t seecomingasyet from our quire ofpeopleand anddiscernment theactive participation pens serendipitously, but ethical, legal, and moral restraints re a-trillion-times-better.html?_r=0). Technological changehap www.nytimes.com/2005/10/03/books/will-the-future-be- ect modelofpure science withoutethical constraints” (http:// York Times and connectingusdirectly totheworldaround us. In will be using nanobots capable of tapping into our neocortex human evolution. believes suchtechnologycould,infact,bethenextstep zweil now works onGoogle’s project and machinelearning us “God-like” abilities. Aleadingcomputerscientist,Kur that connect tocloud-based computer networks to give implants human brains willbeenhancedby tinyrobotic In In However, thespeedandsophisticationofeachnewdevel A recent in the Huffington entry Post frames these advanc In thenext20 years, “[W]e’re goingtobefunnier. We’re go In thebook,Kurzweil predicts thatby the2030s, humans Wyss researchers acknowledge thetask’s complexity: fully sentamessagefrom onehuman brain toanoth not withnanobots. Researchers have already success are how learning to enhance our brains, albeit [W]e Wyss Institute provides. from diverse disciplines, whichisprecisely whatthe oration amongscientists, engineers, andclinicians humanneedsrequires thatserve in materials collab gans. Understanding andemulatingtheseactivities of complexity, from individualmoleculestowholeor be coordinated in timeandspaceatmultiplelevels andmechanicalactivitiesthatmust ical, electrical, forinstance,heart, are dependentonprecise chem challenges.face enormous The functionsofabeating sons from livingsystemstocreate materials artificial Still, les tounderstand and applyengineering efforts Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology , Kurzweil’s visionwascalledthe “Manhattan Proj –wyss.harvard.edu The

New New ------,

SEARCHER’S VOICE LIVE LINKS - > 41 text continued on page 43 ONLINE SEARCHER MAR | APR 2016 MAR | APR 2016 brain-godlike_560555a0e4b0af3706dbe1e2 – huffingtonpost.com/entry/ray-kurzweil-nanobots- gy of breast implants—breast surgery developed was implants—breast gy of breast and correcting reconstruction for post-mastectomy for become popular defects but has since congenital the could follow implants Brain augmentation. breast they say. same path, cubes, built at 45 degrees from the traditional and built from cubes, built at 45 degrees Blom, these house on hexagon-shaped pylons. To each house where a village within a city, clusters represent a forest. and all the houses together, a tree, represents that reflect their surroundings. The dimensions are The dimensions are their surroundings. that reflect The base consists of an aluminum frame 4x4x4 metres. with covered trunk and the walls are the tree around glass.” reflective International Ferry Terminal Yokohama Architects’ AZPA (us.archello.com/en/project/yokohama-international-port- “transportation space integrated with terminal) reimagines urban facilities. Rather than conceiving of the building as an its context, it is designed detached from object on the pier, simultaneously hosting as an extension of the pier ground, a very large urban park the terminal functions and creating of the terminal.” on the roof Piet Blom envisioned housing In the 1970s, architect Cube Houses by creating as “living as an urban roof,” (kubuswoning.nl): high-density housing as elevated A Dangerous Master: How to author of A Dangerous Master: Wallach, Wendell BE REPLACED BY ROBOTS? WILL WE BE REPLACED BY Slipping Beyond Our Control (Basic Keep Technology From put downward has already “technology 2015), believes Books, and a significant propor on job and wage growth, pressure tion of jobs can be eliminated using smart systems over the eliminated using smarttion of jobs can be systems over or positive a negative this will have Whether coming decades. the political leaders address outcome depends upon how -

per night. The room is “camouflaged by mirrored walls walls is “camouflaged by mirrored per night. The room system that uses a series of cameras sending real-time system that uses a series of cameras sending real-time surface. reflective images on the building’s set in a tree-level invisible hotel room, Mirrorcube Sweden’s (treehotel.se/en/all-rooms/8-rum/23-the-mirrorcube), forest per person at just under $500 available for reservations is species of bats, so that a large colony will grow around around species of bats, so that a large colony will grow the bridge.” (gdsarchitects. firm GDS Architects American architecture the Infinity Tower com) has been given a contract to create Incheon International Airport, which will near South Korea’s a high-tech LED the illusion of invisibility through provide with designs that will fit with our future lifestyles and lifestyles and with designs that will fit with our future of China and the Netherlands needs. NEXT Architects that design bridges (nextarchitects.com/en/what/2016/) China in new ways in connect people to their environment not only bridges that are NEXT creates and in Europe. “the ideal habitat for various but provide people-friendly, Some Architectural Visions Visions Some Architectural Some Architectural looking to change our world thinkers are Future-forward What’s Next? Next? Next? Next? What’s What’s What’s chology at New York University. They use the analo- University. York chology at New er, by stimulating the brains from the outside using the from the brains stimulating by er, similar another study, induction. In electromagnetic And made people learn stimulation math faster. brain people a few dozen study, U.S. government in a recent targeted that delivered implants brain given who were on memory better tests. scored shocks to their brain of humans with implanting thousands already We’re a patients who have such as Parkinson’s chips, brain deaf and control motor chip that enables better brain enables a cochlear implant, which people who have with- to enhancing brains when it comes hearing. But ethical for nonmedical purposes, out disabilities and enhance- some believe Yet, and safety concerns arise. including Christof inevitable, is ment of healthy brains for Allen Institute chief scientific officer of the Koch, of psy professor and Gary Marcus, Science, Brain SEARCHER’S VOICE 42 onlinesearcher.net individual cancer colonies years before a tumor forms. With individual cancercoloniesyearsbefore atumorforms.With mirrors, maydetecttelltaletracesofcancerproteins and • DNAchips,perhapsplacedinourtoiletsandbathroom render chemotherapyobsolete. cancer cellsandkillthem,onebyone,whichmayday nanotechnology,• With scientistscantargetindividual wave overabody. in the sizeofcellphones,becomingsimilarto“tricorders” miniaturized tothesizeofbriefcases.Eventuallytheywillbe • MRImachinesthatoncefilledentire rooms havebeen be biglosers. andtheirownpeople,will Dictators, whofeartheinternet frees peopletorealize theydon’t havetolivelikeslaves. especially peoplelivingunderdictatorships.Theinternet • Thedigitalrevolution empowersthedisenfranchised, will mostlikelybecomerich. mixed economybasedoncommodity/intellectualcapitalism that usecommoditycapitalismasastepping-stoneto for example,hasdropped steadilyfor150years.Nations intellectual capitalism.Thecostoffoodrelative toincome, where goodsare primarilyexchanged,toknowledge-based • Anhistoricshiftisunderwayfrom commoditycapitalism, for lifeinthe1950s. unemployment linebyteachingskillsthatwere necessary many countriesintheWest graduatestudentsintothe science andtechnologyleadtosuccesswealth.But access; itisjobs.LeadersinChinaandIndiarealize that cheaper andcheaper. Thereal problem, however, isnot never happened,becauseaccesstocomputersbecame • Years ago,punditsworriedabouta“digitaldivide.”It and seamlessly, carryingoutourwishesanytime,anywhere. electricity andrunningwater. Thecloudwillfollowussilently be everywhere andnowhere, ubiquitousyethidden,justlike • Computersaswenowknowthemwilldisappear;they interviews withleadingresearchers andfuturists.Here isaquicksummary: (Doubleday, 2014),theoretical physicistMichioKakusummarizeshisviewofthefuture basedon In Some Key Prognostications Star Trek The FutureoftheMind:ScientificQuesttoUnderstand,EnhanceandEmpowerMind , capableofanalyzingdiseaseswithasimple Many damagedanddysfunctionalgenesinourgenome be sequencedandrecorded atacostoflessthan$100. genetic characteristicsoftheirchildren. Ourgeneswill • Inafewdecades,parents maybeabletochoosemany vocabulary. bodily fluids,theword ‘tumor’maybeexcisedfrom our these tinysensorsconstantlyandsilentlyanalyzingour mechanical armsandlegswithsheerthought. computers, videogames,appliances,wheelchairs,and from mentalillnessandallowparalyzedpeopletocontrol in science.Thiscouldalleviatethemiseryofthosesuffering map theneuralpathwaysofbrain,nextbigproject States are committinghundreds ofmillionsdollarsto minds, notamouse.TheEuropean UnionandtheUnited • Indecadestocome,wewillcontrol computerswithour vastly more efficient. meets thedemandcurve,whichwillmakemarketplace customer. We willknowprecisely where thesupplycurve everyone knowseverythingaboutaproduct, service,or the lawsofsupplyanddemandbecomeexact,because • We are headedtoward “perfectcapitalism,”inwhich sphere fordecadestocome. leadership. Thosetraitswilllikelyremain fullyinthehuman imagination, experience,analysis,talent,commonsense,or today, andforthenearfuture, willnotexercise creativity, robots thatcanthinkhavebeenadisappointment.Robots and assistants,couldbepartofourhomes.Humanoid Not justnurses,butmechanicalmaids,cooks,musicians, building robot nursestoprepare foranagingpopulation. industry. Japan,whichmakes30%ofallrobots, isalready • Therobotic industrycouldgrow biggerthantoday’s auto counterparts. superior memoryandstrength; thesegeneshavehuman mouse” geneshavebeenisolatedthatcancreate micewith genetic enhancement.Already, “smartmouse”and“mighty may becured usinggenetherapy, possiblyleadingto SEARCHER’S VOICE LIVE LINKS

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- - - (Basic Books, Books, (Basic Rise of the Robots: Rise of the ONLINE SEARCHER

MAR | APR 2016 MAR | APR 2016 There are physical limits to how small we can makecan we small how to limits physical are There Once we conquer the ultimate small storage particle, particle, conquer the ultimate small storage we Once for standards will be able to set standards—both we This becomes storage. for informationstandards and important try as we to envision the stable extremely and the opportunities information base of the future, with it and build new and ex to interact for libraries citing “information experiences.” We live in an awkward time where technological ad technological time where in an awkward live We quite routine are to information storage related vances raises barely breakthrough expected. Each new and because they happen so often. However, an eyebrow Law will not go on indefinitely. Moore’s advances years, the coming Within particles. storage transi stop altogether as we and eventually will slow to other areas pursuit of tiny-ness our grand tion from of information efficiencies such as speed, reliability, and durability. Ford believes that “something like the Singularity is certain like the Singularity “something that believes Ford In August 2015, the Colorado-based DaVinci Institute, a a Institute, DaVinci 2015, the Colorado-based August In soon be able to formulate a new legal strategy or perhaps or to formulatesoon be able new legal strategy a prob a management a new way to approach come up with book, in his latest Ford Martin lem,“ notes a Jobless Future and the Threat of Technology jobs at highest the white-collar the time being, “For 2015). or the most routine risk be those that are will continue to quickly.” formulaic—the is advancing frontier and cites researchers inevitable,” but it is far from ly possible, Moore, and Gordon Pinker, Steven Chomsky, such as Noam or building of super-intelligence,” invention “the who believe fiction science is more machine intelligence, human-level pace of technological the Still, reality. any foreseeable than every deepening its impact across and change is increasing aspect of human life. transition has begun: “We have transitioned from a time a time from transitioned have “We has begun: transition to today where and precious information was scarce where in many and available, information and readily is vast to find who in the past visited libraries People free. cases, able to find that in now specific pieces of information are majorityThe vast of people with specific formation online. oth However, information needs no longer visit libraries. patron still regularly as example, for pleasure ers who read that communication Acknowledging their local library.” ize people access infor continually changing how systems are by replaced eventually are all technologies and that mation notes: the report something new, continues: The report SO WHAT’S AN INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL TO DO? AN INFORMATION SO WHAT’S of “The Future futurist think tank, released research-based (davinciinsti Transformation” the Great Beginning Libraries: its prognostica tute.com/papers/the-future-of-libraries), that a major perceives It of libraries. tions for the future ------(CRC, (CRC, (IEET, (IEET, Humans and Automata: A Social Study of Robotics of Study Social A Humans and Automata: Artificial Superintelligence: A Futuristic Approach Artificial Superintelligence: A Futuristic think anyone has a solution to it rightthink anyone now. dangerous. Very shortly after getting to human-level Very dangerous. far to levels performance machines will self-improve I am more Consequently, beyond—superintelligence. concernedthein place our taking machines about not as concerned and takingabout them universe, to deal with that how Now, our place in the factories. I don’t complicated issue, is a much more problem change is how society is organized, our economy, class economy, our organized, is society how is change possible One and such concepts as money. structure re Meaning, solution is unconditional basic income. to all people. machines by distribute produced wealth I am not too worried about automation of However, is really which labor; it is the next step in this process, Machines long ago began to replace humans work long ago began to replace Machines going are we Next, jobs. ing in physical labor-related “intellectual in the number of increase to see a great Eventually, machines. which could be done by jobs” of human performance a level all jobs as AI reaches a veryThis will produce significant will be automated. continued from pagecontinued from 41 “If computers can create musical compositions or design or compositions musical create can computers “If In University of Cracow sociologist Riccardo Campa sees issues Campa Riccardo sociologist of Cracow University electronic components, then it seems likely that they will components, electronic 2015), author Roman V. Yampolskiy, professor of computer professor Yampolskiy, V. 2015), author Roman pro of Louisville, science and engineering at the University concern about to the growing introduction vides a readable artificial has intelligence (AI) that the dangers of unfettered scientists and technolo such respected by been expressed Gates: and Bill Elon Musk, Hawking, gists as Stephen in the loop, to superviseto seeto them, to study machines, the loop, the in ‘robot or anthropologists’ ‘robot teams of doing: they are how that observe and inform process the their fellow sociologists’ should receive Those people still working humans about it. at Obviously, status. an additional wage and a special social the moment, this scenario looks a bit utopian.” book, potential social dimensions of robotics. 2015), examines the “I he replied, people,” for future “a When I asked him about I most, if not all, jobs. will replace that robots sure am pretty I as one of the possible scenarios. think end of work’ ‘the see of humans will always be a need for a small amount that there technological innovation away from bad outcome.” from away technological innovation an In to a new world of robots. adjustment with our cultural conscious growingly are “We told me, Campa email exchange, I am still optimis is socially constructed.’ ‘reality of the fact that but technological revolution, this of outcome the final about tic His [now].” a painful process going through are that we I realize text Interdisci University’s Yale at work distribution His crisis.” “mis that led him to believe has plinaryBioethics for Center occurring. But information data is already with manipulated and more I am less concerned bad actors will do, about what shape the course of to the initiative take about whether we SEARCHER’S VOICE 44 tions foranylibrary: center ofculture.” libraries transitioning “from toa acenterofinformation economy,”uct-based economytoanexperience-based with astheU.S.transitionsmand forinformation “from aprod DaVinci Institute foresees a dramatically increasing de predicts thefollowing: forlibraries tomeettheseneedsisalsogrowing.”opportunities report putsit, “So ofhumanneedgrows, asthespectrum the increasingly force patrons torely library onourhelp. Asthe will time neededtokeepupwithtechnologyandinformation search technology isbecomingmore complicatedandthe brarians as well as the larger to public in an effort “identify blog allows forongoing discussion and debateamongli by theInstitute ofMuseum Services, thesite’s andLibrary providing fordiscussionandexploration. aforum Funded andideasaswell as information a repository forgathering of Libraries (ala.org/transforminglibraries/future) works as » » » » The DaVincireport concludeswithfourrecommenda Along withanewera systems, of global information the The report cites the National Intelligence Council, which With theincreasing amountsofavailable information, The American Library Association’s Library The American Center fortheFuture

mographic and economic dynamism. mographic andeconomicdynamism. tode alter nationalidentitieseven astheycontribute will increase socialandpoliticaltensionperhaps countries. These numberswillgrow substantiallyand than 15percent ofthepopulationinmore than50 yond. Legalandillegalmigrants now accountformore the globalmovement ofpeoplethrough 2015andbe stability andconflictwillfueladramatic increase in globalizationoflabormarkets, andpoliticalin [The] of findability. storagelizing information willsurround theissues onlinesearcher.net

communities. are drawing attentionandgettingtraction” inyour culture todetermine ofexperimentation “what ideas “Experiment withcreative spaces” andencourage a library’s role asacultural center. communities asawaytoreflect andcentralize the Concentrate bankofyour onbecomingthememory changes andopportunities. programs tokeeppatrons up-to-dateonthese members towork withthelibrary, anddeveloping boards,technology advisory recruiting tech-savvy “Embrace technologies” newinformation by creating community. …” ofthethingsthatmattermostinyour at theheart opinions, ideas, thoughts, andfigure outhow toget “Evaluate [by] experience thelibrary testingpatron’s But perhaps the most critical componentofstabi But themostcritical perhaps ------libraries “biblioclasms”: andhowlibrary itevolved—Matthew Battles callsattackson formal andmore“history” anexploration oftheconcept future ofreadingandlibraries, authorNeil Gaiman notes: people usethem. lot ofbooksandcontenttogetherinoneplacehelping gram. And,we facilitatedknowledge creation by a bringing “convened” timewe put on apro ourcommunities every tions andhow tocajolefactsoutofthem.Andcertainly, we tous.ing atopic,ofcoursetheyturned We knewourcollec we were theonesto help. If anauthor needed helpresearch computerorgadget, ofcourse needed helpusingalibrary our libraries, we were theonlygameintown. If somebody grandiose newroles outinthecommunity. While we were in inlibraries andtransforming theminto we have performed mission andthevisionsofallotherstakingfunctions done inthepast.But there’s oneproblem withLankes’ new cilitate knowledge creation,” nomatterwhatwe mighthave vision. Perhaps ourmissionalwaysshouldhave beento “fa edge creation intheircommunities.” Let’s give Lankeshis brarians [willbe]toimprove societyby facilitatingknowl that,inthefuture,David Lankeswrites “the missionofli A FUTURE‘BIBLIOCLASM’ORGOLDENAGE? thinkers tohelplibraries address emerging issues.” ture; andinnovative andbuild connectionswithexperts professionals shapetheirfu to helplibrarians andlibrary andinnovation topromote futuring they serve techniques emerging trends relevant tolibraries andthecommunities In In In his2013British ReadingAgencyannuallectureonthe In the the fire isamyththatobscures along,slow decline, and anetgainforcivilization.Just aslikely, however, asanactofdevotion ofthepaganLibrary the burning ner ofIslam. Indeed, either group mighthave seen zealots orbyChristian invading Arabs undertheban sions ofthestory, thearsonwascommittedby early many ofwhichare now losttohistory. In mostver the greatest-ever collection of Hellenic manuscripts, probably ofAlexandria, oftheLibrary is theburning The mostcommonlyinvoked imageofbiblioclasm you perceive asashelfofbooks, alibrary itmay seem stand whatlibraries are andthepurposeofthem. If that here peoplemisunder I worry inthe21st century medieval chains which held them in place from theft? moves assurely aswhenbookswere freed from the braries ormark thebeginningsofanewage, onethat Will thedigitalagemark anotherera ofdeclineforli instability, andthedeclineofadministrative state. readingwinds ofhistory—changing habits, political were fednotby asinglemanorgroup, butby the and theflamesthatbrought down theancientlibrary Libraries: An Unquiet History Atlas ofNewLibrarianship (MITPress, 2011,p. 65), (Norton, 2004)—less a ------SEARCHER’S VOICE LIVE LINKS - - - 45

- - - - “Abandon “Abandon (Basic Books, Books, (Basic ONLINE SEARCHER

, we all need to fasten our , we BiblioTECH: Why Libraries BiblioTECH: Why Libraries (Routledge, 1997), Hofstra 1997), Hofstra (Routledge, Liquid Modernity. MAR | APR 2016 MAR | APR 2016 ([email protected]) is librarian for American stud for American ([email protected]) is librarian Three Faces of Eve The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future institutions, to make them more helpful and better helpful and better to make them more institutions, and their goals for the future, positioned to achieve can only specu in ways that we to unleash creativity late about today. pencil was smarter washe that in he than Einstein’s mathematical compu in writing—say, able to do work or speaking.tation—that he could not do just thinking and when refined such written expressions Moreover, people than far more able to reach published were in that Thus, unextended mind or voice. Einstein’s But was his pencil a better communicator. sense too, ever else’s—has not anyone no pencil—not Einstein’s, any written or communicated anything on its own, thing absent a human hand and mind behind that to computer? any it. Has direct The aim of hacking libraries is to infuse them with is to infuse them with libraries The aim of hacking will lead to successful that the spirit of innovation this time of change … In reinvention and positive in knowledge clear that the next big innovation it’s world of li management should come out of the can offer important Libraries alternatives to braries. which sector, the corporate by the services provided to offer biased, limited, incentives will always have The net effect of … and costly access to knowledge them as will be to save however, hacking libraries, Nancy K. Herther Nancy ([email protected]). Quint the senior editor Barbara Comments? Email Albert once observed Einstein that his pencil was smarter “What has been cut apart glued back together,” cannot be Libraries are already expanding services to include 3D servicesexpanding include 3D to already are Libraries world of fluid modernity.” Or, to paraphrase Bette Davis’ Davis’ Bette to paraphrase Or, world of fluid modernity.” in the character ride.” bumpy “a bound to be seatbelts; it’s studies and sociology Asian American at the University anthropology, ies, campus. Cities Twin of Minnesota, than he was. In In than he was. of the Information Revolution Levinson explains what of communications Paul professor this brilliant scientist meant: in warns his readers Bauman the enter who you as past, as well future totality, hope of all working towards a new set of roles for ARL should lead re for ARL should of roles a new set towards working in unantici forward and higher education libraries search pated ways.” libraries, pop-up printing,self-publishing, makerspaces, sci-fi world, succeed in this near To and other innovations. needed. In that agility will be Google of Age the in Ever Than More Matter founding chairman Public of the Digital Palfrey, 2015), John Library of America, need to learn that librarians believes to libraries: “hack”

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for providing enduring, barrier- for providing

Knowledge Trust Knowledge inquiry for all research access free Augmented Information Lens for engaging and Information Augmented individual users empowering and for facilitating exploration Symposium Open within an academic community exchange for building powerful Ecosystem Meta-Library capacity collaborative

» » » » a collaborative partner, then it becomes a more valu then it becomes a more partner, a collaborative serviceand partner university, the for knowledge able distributed more and itself, becoming more which is, libraries think about unbundling connected. And if we they cansites—single universities—then single from and other partnerstake on other roles becoming the: If the research library shifts from its role as a knowl library its role shifts from the research If to become within the university edge service provider scarcity, and having the needed information al was scarcity, ways important, always worth and something: when maps and his things, to find where to plant crops, always good for a meal tories and stories—they were and thing, was a valuable Information and company. for charge it could could obtain those who had it or that service. antiquated or outdated in a world in which most, but most, which in world a in outdated or antiquated is to miss that But in printnot all, books exist digitally. has to do with na I think it fundamentally. the point the and has value, of information. Information ture all of hu For right information has enormous value. informationof time a in lived have we history, man The ARL vision looks to new roles and a renewed empha and a renewed The ARL vision looks to new roles The 2014 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) blue Libraries The 2014 Association of Research And—hang on to your hats—the report ends with the hats—the report And—hang on to your already invested heavily, to fashion a ‘System of Action’ for of Action’ ‘System a to fashion heavily, invested already future.” its desired ARL to achieve and values: sis on key strengths turistic planning: “The process—which engaged more than “Themore engaged process—which turisticplanning: the library throughout community, from 360 people drawn fund academic, the from and beyond, and ARL within both a technique called ing, and association communities—used into the stra deep research coupled with ‘worldbuilding,’ institutions have tegic planning in which higher education full-report-aug2014.pdf),“fu another viewpoint, provides of the ARL membership to rise up to the deep desire eled by in the 21st century.” the challenges facing higher education “un an is this that realization the with bold, is report The research the of future the reimagine to project precedented to help bring its organization that future library and reshape fu its to approach novel used a Association The being.” into A NEW VISION OF THE ACADEMIC THE ACADEMIC A NEW VISION OF IN 2033 RESEARCH LIBRARY (arl.org/stor Report” Thinking and Design “Strategic print, age/documents/publications/strategic-thinking-design- promise, “This is just the beginning of the first chapter— promise, SEARCHER’S VOICE Why NowandWhatDidACRLDiscover? Framework Literacy Information ACRL’s New 46 onlinesearcher.net Co-Editor-in-Chief, AN INTERVIEW WITH SHARON MADER WITH INTERVIEW AN Information Advisor’s GuidetoInternetResearch By RobertBerkman

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Understand- ONLINE SEARCHER

MAR | APR 2016 MAR | APR 2016 [Association for Supervision & Curriculum De & Curriculum [Association for Supervision The Framework is geared for those in community colleges is geared The Framework is not say that it is the fact that the new Framework I’d Over the course of my library career over the last 39 years, the last 39 years, over of my library the course Over career Stan Competency Literacy Information The previous based on a step-by-step definition of information literacy, definition of information literacy, based on a step-by-step set of core integrated but instead is based on a much more laid version the previous for example, So, competencies. but this student could do, out what an information-literate teaching aligned with how is much more new Framework for also found that in order We and learning has changed. impact, it has to be its greatest to have information literacy so it is into the context of specific disciplines, integrated dards for Higher Education were published in 2000, and and 2000, in published were Education for Higher dards in 2011. A task force review they came up for their cyclical because back that it, but reported was appointed to revise teaching, and the the whole landscape of higher education, had changed so of students as informationrole creators rethink needed to we years the last several over dramatically is built around The Framework entirely. these standards to information central conceptual understandings that are of the upon the foundations and draws literacy ing by Design and Wiggins of 2005] work March 2nd Edition, velopment, After and meta-literacy. concept theory, threshold McTighe, practi and feedback from the task force by work extensive to the was presented tioners in the field, the new Framework to direction new as a dynamic 2015 in February board ACRL the profession. and used by be explored to be mindful and still need to be sure though we and up, the bridge secondary between school and higher address among li is intended to foster collaborations education. It and other educational partners. faculty, brarians, What would you say is the biggest change in the new since the last set of standards from 2000? Framework Can you say a bit about your background as a librarian background as say a bit about your Can you literacy? involvement in information and your instruction been always have and focus passion and my includes serving background as My information literacy. facul a founding being Section, Instruction chair of ACRL’s instructionfor Program Immersion ACRL the of member ty IFLAof the chair serving and [In librarians, current as the of Library Associations and Institu ternational Federation of as the Dean I retired Section. Literacy tions] Information 2015 Orleans in February of New at the University Libraries Visiting as startedand day at ACRL next the new position a with responsibility Literacy Officer for Information Program of the new Information implementation for the launch and Education. for Higher Framework Literacy creating the What were the driving forces behind designed for? And who is it new Framework? Sharon Mader

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of the new Framework. The following is an of the new Framework. edited transcript of our conversation. We recently had the chance to have an We in-depth telephone discussion with Sharon one of the leaders behind the creation Mader, around the country. and recommendations are being closely and recommendations are being closely examined, and its implementation is starting at colleges and universities is the result of a complete reexamination of what it means to be information-literate in today’s digital age. The report’s analyses Libraries) launched its Information Literacy Libraries) launched its Information for Higher Education (ala.org/ Framework acrl/standards/ilframework). It’s been more than a year now since the It’s been more than a year now Research ACRL (Association of College and SEARCHER’S VOICE 48 where youseetheFramework beingputintoaction? Do youhaveanyspecificexamplesofinstitutions demonstrate how andwhattheyare learning. assess by exercises havingstudentsdoactive learning to we know thattheyreally thoseskills, didlearn which we can thinking skills. Part oftheassessmenttooistomakesure literacy levelachieved ofinformation andcritical acertain come mightbethat,upongraduation, freshmen willhave come assessmentaswell. For example, amuchbroader out sion, oritcouldbeamuchlarger general educationout focused toward ses inasingleshort specificskillslearned the students learned. That assessment could be narrowly howthose outcomeswouldinform you wouldassesswhat outcomes.would needtofirstdevelop thelearning And for example, say you are session; you doing an instruction So, whatwe wantstudentstolearn. use whendetermining information literacycapabilities? implemented soithasanimpactonstudents’ How andwhereisthisnewFramework being org/acrl/standards/ilframework. barriers. The fullFramework with thestudentsinshowing themhow togetpastthose dents getstuck,andthengobacktothose “places” andwork foundation meanswe needtolookattheplaceswhere stu ings theywantstudentstohave. The threshold concept pline-specific facultytodiscover theessentialunderstand for librarians to collaborateimportant disci with various for theircolleaguestouseand adaptintheirown settings. assignments, assessments, andotherFramework resources “sandbox” where people cansubmitandshare lessonplans, ple usetheFramework framework) to provide resources and examples of how peo (alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=11471).around thecountry titioners are usingtheFramework atinstitutions ininstruction Plans forLibrarians Teaching InformationLiteracyThresholdConcepts:Lesson ence.org/ff2015/sessions.html). The recent ACRL publication, integration oftheFramework (loexconfer intoinstruction vember 2015,whichprovided many goodexamplesofthe conferences includetheLOEX Fall Focus Conference inNo preconference andotherprograms ontheFramework. Past ference inJune 2016[Orlando, Fla., June 23–28]willoffera the local,regional, andnationallevel. AnnualConThe ALA org/sympa/info/acrlframe. There are many conferences at to the Frameworkcan subscribe discussion list at lists.ala. sowe canidentifybestpractices.and onlistservs Anyone We likeconferences via forums hearabouttheirexperiences We what they are want to facilitate people sharing doing. begin usingthisFramework andkeepingtrack ofresults. The Framework theessentialquestions to helpssurface We alsoare usingourILFramework website (acrl.ala.org/ It isstillearlyon,sowe are working withlibrarians asthey onlinesearcher.net , offers34detailedexamplesofhow prac . We’re alsodeveloping anonline

document canbefoundatala. ------

here. One specificinitiative we are togetmore trying known course, someinstitutions are more advanced thanothers need toaccomplishby theendoftheirtimeincollege. Of literacyof information recognized ofwhatstudents aspart tutional level, we continuetowork tohave theimportance literacy On theinsti bed information intothecurriculum. librarians collaborate with faculty in the disciplines to em endeavorinto thelarger andtohave teachingandlearning literacy istointegrate literacy information andthelibrary biggest challenges stands? Whataresomeofitsbiggestsuccessesand toenhancestudentinformationliteracy whole effort Stepping backabit,wherewouldyousaythe got tobeintimatelyinvolved with facultyandstudents result ofthisisthatalllibrarians, regardless ofposition,have more, andthisforces you torethink whatyou are doing.One sources are topofthelist—nobodyhasenoughpeopleany academic librarians? And whatarethecurrentmajorchallengesfacing matched by adequatesearch andevaluation skills. and ourdirect show experience thatthisconfidenceisnot good researchers (orrather, searchers), butresearch studies literacy capabilities? with themostwhenitcomestotheirinformation What doyouthinkyoungpeoplestillstruggle of copyright whendoingtheirown research. ofrespectingter understandtheimportance different forms andhelpthembet themaboutintellectualproperty inform want theirwork freely available orwithrestrictions. This will have conversations withstudentsaboutwhetherornotthey about copyright andopenaccess. Librarians andfacultycan also isanexcellent waytoprovide learning experiential tofacilitatealearning-by-doingand serves practice. about scholarlycommunicationandhow research isshared creates where aplaceandexperience studentscanlearn nize facultyandstudentresearch in digitalrepositories. This tive, whichistoencourage institutionstogatherandorga and acceptedfallsunderascholarlycommunicationsinitia The current direction forenhancingstudentinformation Well, itgoeswithoutsayingthat,asusual,budgetandre Well, onekeyproblem isthatstudentsmaythinktheyare Allowing studentstodeposittheir works inrepositories their worksinrepositories also is anexcellentwaytoprovide Allowing studentstodeposit copyright andopenaccess. experiential learning aboutexperiential learning ?

------finding out what they need, though, of course, faculty and I have learned about the information literacy initiatives and students have a different perspective. Librarians today also accomplishments around the globe. While many countries require continuing professional development—but again, have national policies on information literacy, created and that has time and budgetary implications. One opportuni- administered by the central government, we don’t have that ty though is to pursue more and better online professional approach in the U.S. So we need different approaches to development. I’d like to see more online training, not just create awareness of the importance of information literacy the standard webinar with a chat box, but training that in- and figure out how to implement the goal of an information tegrates new and innovative online learning formats that literate population. In K–12 and postsecondary institutions, allow for true interactivity for large groups. Librarians them- we have active programs for developing information litera- selves need to be more informed and skilled with the latest cy competencies and habits of mind for our students, and instructional design methods. these efforts are supported by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and ACRL. Where does the physical design of the library come While the Framework addresses the development of in- into play for enhancing information literacy? formation literacy habits of thinking and practicing that contribute to academic and professional success, librarians There has to be a compelling reason why students should in other countries and international agencies know that income to a physical space. Today, libraries are creating collab- formation literacy can be a critical survival skill for those liv- orative learning spaces to replace or at least complement in- ing in marginal conditions or under oppressive regimes. At dividual study carrels. These spaces may be enabled by vari- an information literacy conference in Ireland, the audience ous learning and creation technologies such as 3D printers or was near tears as a colleague from Syria described how a digital media equipment, as well as including collaboration group of refugees used information literacy skills in seeking spaces like cafés for social learning, as places where students key information and map locations in order to escape from can come and meet others to talk over their research and their country and how an elderly man in a near-abandoned problem areas and work on current projects together. village was able to use information-seeking skills to learn

how to sustain his family through a garden plot. SEARCHER’S

I noticed there was no mention of Big Data or data VOICE analytics in the new Framework. Are there certain countries that have done a particularly good or noteworthy job in establishing Yes, data analytics is not in the Framework specifically, and introducing information literacy programs? but data literacy is definitely part of the larger umbrella of information literacy. Librarians have begun taking an ac- In developing countries, such as those on the African con- tive role in working with faculty and students in organizing tinent, there is great recognition of the necessity for infor- and managing data in research projects. The frames, or “big mation literacy skills for citizens at all levels, although they ideas” in the Framework, provide a context for students to have to begin by working to ensure a basic level of access to gain a deeper understanding of the purpose, processes, and the internet (largely through mobile devices) as a first step. ultimate goals of research and how they can become part IFLA is a strong advocate for the role of libraries in the UN’s of the scholarly communications process, which includes 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (www.ifla.org/ the production and analysis of data, as well as discovery node/9726). A lot of interesting research and practice has and management. Nancy Fried Foster, an anthropologist re- come out of the U.K. and Australia, and they have informa- searcher with Ithaka S+R, noted that the Framework more tion literacy standards and Frameworks that have parallels realistically captures how research is really done and pro- with what we are doing here. The Russian Federation has vides a better foundation for understanding the scholarly a well-developed program of information literacy, and the work practice. At Midwinter 2015, the ACRL Board approved Scandinavian countries too are notable for their focus on the creation of a Research Data Management Roadshow, the importance of providing high-quality, rigorous educa- and two curriculum designers/presenters have been se- tion for everyone as a key public good. lected to develop a professional development face-to-face The IFLA World Library and Information Congress will “roadshow” workshop package, with related webinars and on- be held in Columbus, Ohio, in August 2016, so that will be line content, to be available later in 2016 (acrl.ala.org/acrlinsid a good opportunity for librarians on this continent to learn er/archives/11052). more about information literacy initiatives and programs around the world. (See 2016.ifla.org/ for more information.) How does the U.S. compare with other parts of the world in our level and focus on the importance of In addition to being co-editor of The Information Advisor’s Guide to information literacy for our students and citizens? Internet Research, Robert Berkman is author of Find It Fast: Extracting Expert Information From Social Media, Big Data, Tweets and More, 6th Edi- As an officer and member of the IFLA Information Literacy tion (2015 CyberAge Books; books.infotoday.com/books/Find-It-Fast.shtml). Section for the past 6 years, I have been impressed by what Comments? Email the senior editor Barbara Quint ([email protected]).

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 49 Advanced Twitter Search Commands By Tracy Z. Maleeff

witter offers users a medium through which to send Most people—and not only information messages of no greater than 140 characters—at least professionals—are familiar with Twitter. The T as of now. It’s been widely reported, particularly by Re/code, that the company plans to expand from 140 char- social media platform, originally an outlet acters to as many as 10,000 (re/code.net). Although there are for individual expression, is becoming different versions of its origin story (businessinsider.com/ how-twitter-was-founded-2011-4), the basic facts are that a breaking news and information- Twitter launched in July 2006 and is currently a multibillion- sharing platform. However, information dollar, publicly traded company. Most of Twitter is free, although Promoted tweets and Twitter Ads are paid options. professionals underutilize and undervalue Twitter.com can be accessed by anyone who registers for a free account, through both PCs and mobile devices, but 80% Twitter as a research tool, although they of its traffic comes from the latter. may use it to follow what’s happening in There is a wealth of information on Twitter. However, information professionals may be put off by its velocity and vol- real time at library conferences. ume—the information appears irretrievable due to the fast- moving nature of the posts and the overwhelming number of them. That perception is understandable, when you consider that, as of Sept. 30, 2015, Twitter announced it had 320 million monthly active users sending 500 million tweets per day in more than 35 different languages (about.twitter.com/ company). From product liability to insurance subrogation to comments that could affect stock shares, there is vast array of data information professionals can utilize to help give their employers or clients an edge. Twitter’s extensive global reach can yield vast amounts of unique data that you can tap into—if you use the right search queries. The following examples are just some of the many special commands you can use to mine tweets for information. > 50 onlinesearcher.net MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 51 TWEET ORIGIN AND DESTINATION someone tweeted at @Walmart using the word “defective.” The from: and to: commands reveal the origin and des- In some instances, photos will accompany the tweet. Typing tination of tweets. from:Ford recall will display any tweets sent directly by @Ford regarding a recall. What results will this search yield? If you type a search term before the Twitter handle, you Perhaps the simplest of searches, this is the easiest way to get tweets that mention the handle, even if it appears in the get a comprehensive list of all the tweets sent from or to a middle of the tweet and is not sent directly to the entity particular Twitter handle. owning the handle. For instance, evacuation @noaa retrieves tweets that talk about evacuations mentioned on How is this information useful? the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administra- It can be used for merely seeing how often an account has tion) website. Similarly, earthquake @usgs leads to tweeted or evaluating the content in those tweets. If the lo- tweets that talk about earthquakes noticed by USGS (United cation settings have been turned on, a geographic placement States Geological Survey). can be correlated to a tweet in addition to the time stamp that Many courts and federal agencies tweet out documents or automatically appears. orders as links or PDFs. In order to search for them, use their Twitter handles coupled with a qualifier keyword. Search- What does this search look like? ing from:pacourts opinion retrieves opinions from Typing from:Viacom into the search field shows you Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System in Harrisburg. all the tweets sent from @Viacom. A surname can help narrow your search results. The Secu- Typing to:DIRECTV into the search field shows you all rities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Twitter han- the tweets sent to @DIRECTV. dle sends out litigation releases, trading suspensions, notic- If you use them together, you can see theTwitter corre- es and orders concerning that institution, and/or settlement spondence between these two companies. or proceedings. The strategy from:sec_enforcement Typing from:Viacom to:DIRECTV shows you tweets jones restricts results to any that mentioned Jones. sent from Viacom to DIRECTV. Since companies sometimes spar publicly on social media, this search strategy reveals in- HASHTAGS formation relevant to business decisions and competitive in- Twitter pioneered the hashtag (#) as a clickable link to top- telligence. According to the Bloomberg Business article, “Bat- ics, a convention that was accepted by other social media tlefield Twitter: When Companies Take Their Fights Public” extraordinarily quickly. Combine keywords and hashtags for (bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-07-18/battlefield-twit creative advanced searching. ter-when-companies-take-their-fights-public), the exchang- es between Viacom and DIRECTTV ranked No. 2 on its list of What will this search yield? “highlights from the battlefield” list. Searching by hashtag allows you to retrieve information based on certain key phrases. The general idea is that a Twit- KEYWORD SEARCHING ter user will indicate which words in her tweet are impor- Keywords play a role in Twitter searches, particularly when tant to her message. Alternatively, many conferences and combined with advanced search techniques. live events will have a designated hashtag people are asked to use in their tweets. The effect is often that of forming What results will this search yield? a virtual community having a shared experience through If used alone, a keyword or hashtag search will result in Twitter. Keep in mind, though, that these are not standard- a list of the most popular and most recent tweets contain- ized. Thus, a hashtag may refer to different events, resulting ing that search term. However, when combined with a Twit- in “hashtag collision.” For example, #sla might be the Spe- ter handle, it will show you more specific information that cial Libraries Association or Sports Licensing Agency. connects an entity with specific search terms. How is this information useful? How is this information useful? It can be used to identify or monitor trends. Searching strictly For competitive intelligence or market analysis purposes, by a hashtag will show you only tweets that include that deno- seeing which terms or topics are trending can be useful in- tation. It becomes an aggregator of that specific information. formation. It can also be applied to product liability research, if key terms such as “recall” or “defect” are used. Lastly, when What does this search look like? applied to a Twitter account that tweets documents, this You can search strictly the hashtag like this: #Malala search string can help locate information more quickly. Fund. You can also use it in conjunction with a specific Twitter handle to see if that account has ever tweeted using What does this search look like? a specific hashtag:from:CocaCola #SuperBowl. Al- You can add keywords to destination and origin search- though it is still possible to search Twitter for keywords even es. Typing to:Walmart defective displays any time if they don’t contain the symbol #, the designation of the

52 onlinesearcher.net Advanced Twitter Search Commands There are many ways to dissect Twitter searches in order to retrieve information.

hashtag is the metadata of what the user chooses to indicate How is this information useful? in her message. You may need to do historical research; perhaps it’s a patent claim or a libel lawsuit. You may be asked to find trends WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THIS TWEET? about certain topics. By limiting to the date on which they The near: and within: commands reveal (maybe) appeared, you can identify some of the first mentions of spe- where someone was when they posted their tweet. cific topics or keywords.

What results will this search yield? What does this search look like? This search term is useful to find tweets sent from a specif- The search cybersecurity until:2008-01-01 ic location. The caveat is, location services need to be turned gives you all the tweets mentioning the word cybersecurity on for this to be accurate. that appeared before Jan. 1, 2008. This is an interesting way to see what has changed or remained the same in that field How is this information useful? within the past few years. This is a good search to have if you are looking for user This strategy fracking since:2015-09-01 re- photos taken from the scene of an incident such as a fire or trieves all mentions of fracking since a specific date. natural disaster. It can also bring up reports from local law You can also search between two specific dates and use enforcement or even local media, if you don’t know all of a very specific search term, such as tweets about Tor relay their exact Twitter handles to find updates. between Oct. 1, 2014, ande Dec. 23, 2015: “tor relay” since:2014-10-01 until:2015-12-23. What does this search look like? You can also search just by specific Twitter handles to see Want to know if fires are burning in the Sacramento their tweets and mentions with a date restriction: @npr area? This search will tell you if anyone has tweeted about until:2010-10-10. it: wildfire near:smf within:15mi. How about flooding in Dover? Try this: flooding near:dover WITHOUT A CONCEPT within:50mi. But notice that this search string in- NOTing out concepts from a search strategy is a classic cludes results for any city named Dover. If you are only in- component of advanced searching. Twitter is no exception. terested in tweets emanating from Dover, Delaware, search by using a Dover ZIP code: flooding near:19901 What will this search yield? within:50mi. This search will specifically return results that are without mentions of the specifiers used. WHEN WAS THAT TWEETED? The date range search commands until: and since: How is this information useful? provide time and date restrictions so that you know how re- It can help weed out unwanted results for popular or com- cently the tweet appeared and, conversely, how old it is. mon search terms.

What results will this search yield? What does this search look like? This search will enable you to limit tweets to the dates they If you wanted to search for “Chelsea” but eliminate any appeared. references to the London neighborhood or Chelsea Clinton, > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 53 this is how that search would look: chelsea -lon dle and a language to see what people who speak that don Clinton. language are saying about a specific product: @nokia Use “hilton hotels” -paris-nicky if you lang:fi (the Nokia company’s Twitter handle with the only wanted results about a Hilton Hotel, but no mentions modifier of tweets in the Finnish language). of socialites Paris or Nicky. However, keep in mind that this You can search by a Russian-language word using the will also eliminate any matches to Hilton Hotels in Paris, English interface with or without specifying language of France. So, choose your “without” filters carefully. the tweets, as in Mockba and Mockba lang:ru. While it most likely that using Mockba will result in Rus- SEARCH BY DEVICE sian language results, using the lang:ru modifier nar- To determine the device from which a tweet was sent, rows that down even more. use the source: command. Keep in mind that Twitter currently supports 34 languages, and the two-letter code designation must be used to ac- What will this search yield? curately modify the search query to that language. See Twit- It simply reveals from which Twitter client (web, iOS, ter for Websites Support Languages (dev.twitter.com/web/ Android, or third-party source, such as HootSuite) tweets overview/languages) for the entire list. were sent. ADVANCED SEARCH CONSIDERATIONS How is this information useful? There are many ways to dissect Twitter searches in order The police, investigators, and market researchers use this to retrieve information. There are many for-pay services and command to see activity on different or web platforms, al- platforms that will charge you for this work, but these tips though for different reasons. will enable you to try it for yourself at no cost. Twitter’s own Advanced Search page (twitter.com/search- What does this search look like? advanced?lang=en) is certainly an option for executing these Many people like to post photos of their food to Instagram, types of searches, but having the knowledge of the exact then tweet out the link. This sample search will show you all search string enables you to have more control over your the times photos of French fries were shared from Instagram queries and therefore your results. to Twitter: “french fries” source:Instagram. A few notes of caution. The search tactics I mention don’t David Benson (@dbproductionLtd) suggested, in this account for deleted tweets. Be sure to always change your example from his Social Chic blog, that iPhone AND result list to “live” as opposed to the default of “top” tweets source:”Twitter for Android” (“How to Master returned. The default of “top” will skew your results, as they Twitter Search: Searching for Tweets by Device”; thesocialchic. are based on paid promotions or popularity of tweet engage- com/2013/10/01/how-to-master-twitter-search-searching- ments. Here are a few other points to remember before you for-tweets-by-device) will show you all people tweeting from use advanced search techniques more regularly: Android phones who mention iPhones in their tweets. • The location of tweets is dependent upon end users activating their location feature, or the location LANGUAGE picked up is that of a third party such as HootSuite. Because Twitter is global, tweets do not appear only in The location search can be a great tool, but be English. Use the lang: command to choose your language. thorough when you check the results if you are relying on an accurate, location-based tweet. What will this search yield? • Twitter’s archive and algorithms seem to change to By specifying a language, you will see non-English tweets. the point that a saved search that worked one month may not yield any results the next. Experiment with How is this information useful? the search modifiers to see what you need to tweak This is a great way to get information from non-English to bring back those same or similar results. sources when doing research. While you can search for a non- • If at first you don’t succeed, try again! You may English word in the English Twitter interface, you will often get need to finesse your search strings or queries. some different results if you specify the language in your query. Twitter is a robust social media platform whose user-gen- What does this search look like? erated content can yield many results for researchers, if you If you wanted to see tweets in French with that specific know the right ways of finding them. hashtag, this is the search query you would use: #brad leycooper lang:fr. However, if you wanted to see any mention of Bradley Cooper in French, you would use “Bradley Cooper” lang:fr . Note the difference Tracy Z. Maleeff ([email protected]) is a former law firm librar- in results by using the hashtag term versus the name in ian and founder of Sherpa Intelligence. quotation marks. Or, you can simply use a Twitter han- Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

54 onlinesearcher.net Pragmatic exploration and analysis of technology and online resources

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www.infotoday.com/OnlineSearcher Vendor Videos for Training and Sales

56 onlinesearcher.net By Marydee Ojala

hree authors in this issue of Online Searcher—Bob Buntrock, Barbie Keiser, and Ernest Perez—men- Ttion videos as places to look for additional information on, respectively, STN, survey and polling creation, and import.io. This made me curious about other companies’ use of video.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VIDEO TRAINING The advantages video offers are many. Creating a video Video permeates the internet. In 2014, that can be viewed any time, anywhere is vastly more cost YouTube claimed that more than 300 hours effective than sending a fleet of trainers and sales representatives to individual locations around the globe. Vid- of video were uploaded every minute. eos do not need plane tickets or hotel rooms. They do not Undoubtedly, the number has grown much charge restaurant meals to their corporate credit cards. They don’t actually have corporate credit cards. Videos higher since then, given that YouTube require minimal equipment to create. Companies don’t now has a billion-plus users. Companies need an expensive studio, merely a quiet place and a de- cent video camera. selling bibliographic databases to libraries As a means of education, videos also have an edge. Show- ing people how to do things, particularly when viewers can are taking advantage of video popularity pause on or view again something they didn’t understand to train searchers in the intricacies of their the ﬁrst time through, makes for a better learning experience than telling people something at a conference or databases, instruct end users in search handing them a marketing brochure to read. techniques, and attract new customers to Video is not, however, without ﬂaws. Poorly crafted videos, low audio or visual quality, excessive length, and out- their product lines. Don’t expect, however, dated information reflect badly on the company producing the videos. Additionally, there’s the issue of where to that these videos will reach the Top 10 put videos—on YouTube, Vimeo, the company website, or Viewed. That category is dominated all of the above. One company that’s thought deeply about video is News- by pop stars. Bank. It includes a half-million news videos as part of its content suite, including Access World News and local network affiliates in the U.S. According to Jennifer Trammell, director, video products and social media, the company also has a video production department that’s been creating videos for searching NewsBank. These videos are very short, from 25 seconds to 3 minutes, and focus on only one task. The concept is that the videos are separate chapters in a larger production. Next on her “to-do” list is videos for Readex. Trammell also uses video as a storytelling device. Short interviews with people about NewsBank follow the TV news > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 57 Information professionals may be surprised to find how many of their vendors maintain YouTube channels.

format of targeted questions and unscripted answers. Vid- NewsBank chooses to put its videos on YouTube as well as eo coverage of the annual Readex breakfast is another ini- on its own website (newsbank.com). It also provides codes tiative. Trammel doesn’t stream the entire event. Instead, so that libraries can embed videos on their websites, per- she edits the footage into snippets for the Readex blog and haps as part of LibGuides. Older videos stay on YouTube but email marketing. are unlisted. This seems an excellent path for other information companies to adopt. WHERE THE VIDEOS ARE When thinking about videos, YouTube is generally what OLD AND IN THE WAY first comes to mind. Vimeo is a distant second. Information The issue of older videos can be problematic. NewsBank’s professionals may be surprised to find how many of their old videos remain on YouTube but are unlisted. But what to vendors maintain YouTube channels. EBSCO, ProQuest, make of ProQuest’s Udini or CSA channels? Udini was last OCLC, Thomson Reuters, and Elsevier (both Elsevier as a updated 3 years ago; CSA, 8 years ago; and neither still exist. publisher and its LexisNexis arm) have multiple YouTube Useless as instructional materials, is ProQuest keeping the channels. EBSCO, for example, has separate YouTube chan- channels in the spirit of historical preservation or has it sim- nels for EBSCO Information Services, Novelist, and Corpo- ply forgotten about them? rate EDS Training. It also maintains channels in Turkish and More positively, Elsevier’s Research Intelligence channel Portuguese. ProQuest has channels for RefWorks, Research, updated the day before I checked, on Jan. 23, 2016, and its Pivot, and GIS, among others. Journals channel was updated a month prior. LexisNexis Elsevier’s channels of interest to information professionals channel updating varies considerably. Its Risk channel up- are Elsevier Journals and Research Intelligence. LexisNexis dated the week of Jan. 12, while its Legal, Law Schools, and channels are more extensive than those of its parent com- U.K. channels updated the week of Jan. 5. pany, Elsevier, with separate ones for Legal, Academic, Law As with any collection, whether it’s corporate videos or School, Litigator, Intellectual Property, and more. Thomson physical books on the shelf, a management program is essen- Reuters offers a number of YouTube channels, but not all are tial to keep it up-to-date, relevant, and in line with the goals of relevant to information professionals. IP & Science and Le- the parent entity. Not all information companies are diligent gal would qualify, as might Checkpoint. The real winner is about weeding their training videos, but it’s something they End Note Training, updated on a regular basis and currently should pay attention to, if just for their own reputations. containing 115 videos with 11,431 subscribers. That number of subscribers is substantially higher than the others men- LOOKING GOOD tioned here. Once videos are created and uploaded, the next step is decid- Not all entities with electronic resources of interest to li- ing about publicizing them. Looking good is an imperative. Be- braries choose to put their videos on YouTube. IEEE’s Xplore ing findable is also imperative. How obvious are video tutorials Client Services released its video, “IEEE Xplore: Search vs. on company websites? Do librarians automatically turn to You- Research,” which is 4 minutes long, on IEEEtv (ieeetv.ieee. Tube for instructional videos from their vendors? When training org/ieeetv-specials/ieee-xplore-search-vs-research). It’s free videos are embedded on a library’s website, how does the library of copyright and other restrictions, according to IEEE. tell interested parties where they are? Adam Matthew (amdigital.co.uk), a purveyor of videos These questions are important, both for information pro- to libraries, is no slouch in the training video sphere. On its fessionals and database companies, to justify the effort put website, it has a tab labeled Video. Click it and there’s a tab into creating and uploading videos for training searchers, infor tutorials, which leads to short videos that cover collec- structing end users, and gaining new customers. tion highlights, 1-minute “how-to” guides, and recordings of webinars Adam Matthew has hosted. Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

58 onlinesearcher.net CONFERENCEcorral

Technology Transforms Libraries: ALA’s Midwinter Conference

THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION’S Midwinter conference brought 11,716 people, 3,622 of whom were exhibitors, to Boston in early January—very early January. For many librarians and a few vendors, showing up in Boston on Jan. 8 was difficult, coming so close on the heels of Decem- ber holidays and the end of the fiscal year. The good news for travelers was the absence of the blizzards and heavy purchase of Coutts, with book distribution handled by In- snowfalls that plagued the past two ALA Midwinters. Per- gram, gives ProQuest a presence in both worlds. According haps being early appeased the weather gods. to Kevin Sayer, ProQuest senior vice president, it’s not suffi- Inside the exhibit hall was the usual mix of print book pub- cient to simply have books available, they must be discover- lishers, electronic resource providers, library automation able. And, of course, ProQuest’s Summon discovery product vendors, subscription agents, and library furniture purvey- should do just that, was Sayer’s unstated subtext. Sayer was ors. Anyone who says print is dead should be forced to walk also enthusiastic about “end-to-end workflows” and Pro- the aisles of big library shows such as Midwinter: They’ll be Quest’s introduction of “Access-to-Own,” a demand-driven overwhelmed by the number of printed books, not just for chil- acquisition model that should become a reality in mid-2016. dren, but also adult titles. One secondary school librarian told Transitions from traditional OPACs to discovery systems me it’s been cost effective to gather books for her collection on caught the attention of the Emerging Technologies Sec- the exhibit floor and carry them home on the plane. Given that tion (ETS) of ALA’s Reference and User Services Association her library is in Germany, until this year, the cost savings came (RUSA). Moderated by Geoff Morse, coordinator for human- from the high Euro-to-dollar exchange rate. Now that the cur- ities and social sciences, Northwestern University Library, rencies are nearly at parity, those savings have evaporated, but librarians in the session noted the benefits of discovery some titles are still a better buy in the U.S. than in Germany. systems include surfacing both peer-reviewed journal ar- ALA Midwinter abjures having a theme, merely stating that ticles and chapters in ebooks. The controlled vocabularies “the conversation starts here.” This year, however, an unof- developed over decades by information providers, however, ficial theme was Sari Feldman’s presidential theme of trans- lose much of their power in discovery systems, as they be- forming libraries. ALA is interested in transformations at all come subsumed into generic retrieval. Information sources levels. For Online Searcher, it’s the technology that holds use different vocabularies to describe books and articles, promise. Technology plays a big role in transforming libraries but discovery systems, with their one search box, can’t ac- of all types—and for their users and advocates. commodate these differences. In their attempts to simplify searching, discovery systems are a boon to novices but may THE HOT COMMODITY OF EBOOKS actually do a disservice to more advanced researchers. Ebooks were a hot commodity on the exhibit floor and a A discussion about ebooks in public libraries, in a ses- primary topic of discussion in several sessions. ProQuest’s sion sponsored by ALA’s Digital Content Working Group merger of ebrary and EBL into ProQuest EBook Central is (DCWG), was called Glass Half Full: What’s Next for Digital complete, so expect the earlier names to disappear. But Pro- Content? It brought together Kelvin Watson, chief innova- Quest is not oblivious to the enduring appeal of print. Its tion and technology office for the Queens Library in New > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 59 DATA-DRIVEN “Data,” as both word and concept, was another nonprint presence in Boston. Assessment requires data, but it’s not clear that data by itself is all that useful. It’s the interpretation of the data that gives it power to convince. Linked data, particularly as espoused by OCLC, remains a hot topic in cataloging circles. The President’s Program speaker, Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey, began his talk by telling of his early experiences with libraries that convinced him of how essential libraries are. To him, they are the “foundational bedrock of democracy.” Although he seemed passionate about the value of libraries, when he was mayor of Newark, he cut funding for the public library system, causing 30% of the branch libraries to close. When ALA announced that he would be The exhibit hall was large, with hundreds of exhibit booths speaking at the conference, the New Jersey Library protest- and more than 3,000 exhibitors in attendance. ed the choice, expressing its dismay by stating:

The New Jersey Library Association questions what inspiration Senator Booker has to offer the national library community. While we would not have encouraged the invitation to Senator Booker, we urge ALA President Sari Feldman to use this opportunity to educate and, perhaps, inspire the Senator with a look at what libraries truly have to offer. –njla.org/content/new-jersey-library-association- statement-alas-presidents-program-midwinter-2016

Booker did not address the New Jersey situation in his talk, but did respond to a question from the audience about the At the Mango Languages booth, attendees were invited to write on the cuts. His take was that a bad economy requires hard deci- whiteboard why they wanted to learn another language. sions. His decisions are rooted in data. “In God we trust, but everybody else, bring me data.” Some librarians might question just what data was brought to him. As with library assess- York; Mark Kuyper, executive director of the Book Industry ment, it’s not just raw data, it’s the interpretation of the data. Study Group (BISG); and Andrew Albanese, senior writer And if it’s raw data, questions about how it was gathered and and features editor for Publishers Weekly. Led by DCWG its reliability factor into the interpretation. co-chairs Carolyn Anthony and Erika Linke, the discussion focused on the results of a joint (ALA and BISG) research ini- DATA CAN ENLIGHTEN AND PUZZLE US tiative, “Digital Content in Public Libraries: What Do Patrons Patrick Hartsfield, Springfield College, and Michael David- Think?” (order from bisg.org/publications/digital-content- son, Lamson Library at Plymouth State University, speaking public-libraries; priced at $99 for BISG members, and $399 at a discovery and usage session sponsored by OCLC, stressed for everybody else), issued in early December 2015. The 85- the importance of data when evaluating changes in library page report, based on a survey of 2,000 U.S. public library services. Both are OCLC WorldCat Discovery customers. patrons, found that, although readers still prefer print, digi- Hartsfield talked about how he makes sense of the data tal content is gaining ground. Recent statistics indicate that he’s getting from WorldCat Discovery, noting that he’s now consumer ebook sales declined in 2015 but library circula- seeing more article retrieval and fewer interlibrary loans, tion of ebook titles grew. Given the complexity of borrowing which is a positive development. He relies on analytics from an ebook from the library, the latter statistic may be a func- Google, Adobe, and OCLC. Davidson’s library dropped sev- tion of slow growth up the learning curve on the part of li- eral services all at once (he doesn’t necessarily recommend brary users, which lags the actual purchase of ebooks. this approach) and moved to a website redesign with a more Librarians expressed frustration with managing catalogs unified approach with one search box. The old system had that contained ebooks, particularly since different titles have tabbed search, in which each tab led to a different search different expiration dates. The notion of paying extra for per- experience. Now the tabs lead to unified discovery, although petual access—even defining precisely what perpetual access he admits there are some gaps in discovery habits. Some entails—did not sit well with those attending the session. Sus- data is puzzling to Davidson. His statistics tell him that cata- tainability and access dominated librarian concerns. log searches were up in 2015 over 2014 but checkouts were

60 onlinesearcher.net down by a third. What does this mean? He doesn’t know. Also somewhat disturbing was data showing that searches in both EBSCOhost and ProQuest databases declined. But why? Granted, not all the databases are in WorldCat Discovery, but he doesn’t think this accounts for the drastic decline. On the exhibit floor, former news librarian Elizabeth Leon- ard, now executive market research manager for SAGE Pub- lications, reported on her research on educational video usage among higher-education students. Students watch videos because they’re shown in class or they’re assigned. They also watch to understand another point of view and learn practical skills. Some 5% of students never watch videos at all. Eco- nomics majors are the most engaged with video: 90% report watching them. Her data shows that students can spend be- Subscription agents such as Basch Subscriptions, Inc., tween 5 and 30 minutes searching for a video but only watch a Prenax Company, enjoyed steady traffic. for 2 to 8 minutes. They find videos primarily via YouTube, but also search Google, class websites, and their university library.

NEW DATA SOURCES Scott Warren, dean for research and scholarship at Syra- cuse University Libraries, moderated a session on the rise of mega journals, with three publisher panelists—Nandita Quaderi, Nature Publishing Group; Deborah Sweet, Cell Press; and Jason Wilde, American Institute of Physics. Mega- journals are open access and peer-reviewed, but publish a large number of articles compared with more niche titles. Wondering if bigger is better, the panel agreed that mega- journals make it easier for authors to publish, although scholars tend not to approach a mega-journal on their first attempt to publish. Unanswered was the question of whether the volume of science is expanding as much as publishing. The panel speculated on when a mega-journal becomes a database and what the search-based criteria for determin- Quarto Publishing Group put its book display into a bookmobile. ing this are. Cross-disciplinary publishing defines many of the mega-journals, with the forthcoming Heliyon journal from Elsevier (unfortunately pronounced “hellion”), which WHY ALA MIDWINTER? wants to cover all disciplines and will be included in Science Every year, some people question why ALA bothers with Direct, an intriguing example. its Midwinter conference. Although the exhibit hall was LITA (Library Information Technology Association) always large, by Tuesday, it was devoid of attendees. Perhaps they’d draws a big crowd to its Top Tech Trends session. Panelists this already seen what they came to see and bought what they year included Jamie Hollier, co-owner and co-CEO of Anneal; came to buy. Perhaps they had competing meetings. Per- Lisa Bunker, social media librarian, Pima County Public Li- haps they’d already gone home. brarian; Jason Griffey, founder and principal of Evenly Dis- Certainly, there are many business meetings that occur tributed; Jim Hahn, orientation services and environments during Midwinter; they’re a major reason for holding a Mid- library, University of Illinois Undergraduate Library; Alex winter conference. Some tasks might be accomplished equal- Mills, director, Millis Public Library; Thomas Padilla, digital ly well via conference calls or even a series of emails than face- scholarship librarian, Michigan State University Libraries; to-face meetings, but others do require the physical presence and Ken Varnum, senior program manager for discovery, of members. delivery, and learning analytics, University of Michigan Li- Despite the doubters, Midwinter persists. If it didn’t serve a brary. Trends they identified included robots, aka “autono- purpose and be perceived by ALA members as providing value, mous agents,” open source technology, beacons, block chain 11,716 people would not have shown up in Boston. Next year’s systems, interoperability, and data-driven applications. Var- Midwinter conference will be in Atlanta, where the possibility num’s comments about learning analytics deserve a larger of snow is remote but not unheard of, Jan. 20–24, 2017. audience than librarians (even though it’s a pretty large audience); it’s also a trend to be shared with higher-education Marydee Ojala ([email protected]) is editor-in-chief of On- IT departments. line Searcher.

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 61 Greg R. Notess >on the net Montana State University

Searching for Definitions

ith the incredibly broad range of information content and search opportu- Wnities online, searchers have many choices for alternatives to print dictionaries. While there may (or may not) be good answers online to the question about the meaning of life, the meaning of words can be found much more easily. Defini- tions and online word sites abound, offering a broad spectrum of approaches to definitions and various additional information about words. With the integration of definitions into search results, quick lookups are extremely fast. Both Google and Bing have many features and options for the lover With the of words. Far more lexical search strategies and intriguing word-focused sites exist than can be covered in a single column, so the focus here is on a few key search integration of engines and a few major sites. definitions into SEARCH ENGINE DEFINITIONS Google has long offered definitions for search terms. While the location of the definitions, the sources, and the search triggers have changed with time, it is still search results, easy to get definitions to appear in search results. Some single-word and unique phrase searches automatically display a definition at the top of results. For exam- quick lookups are ple, searching hemorrhage brings up a definition box at the top of the results with pronunciation, a brief definition of the noun, and a brief definition of the extremely fast. word as a verb. This example works via a web browser on a computer or using a Google app on a mobile device. Other single words may not trigger a definition in the results. Searching some words, such as history, does not automatically show the definition box. In those cases, add define or definition or meaning to trigger the definitions. Most of the time, a query such as define history results in a quick answer definition box at the top of the results. For other language versions of Google, either the English words and/or the translated versions of those three words may work. If you usually search in a non-English language, test a few translations to see what is easiest to use and remember. Buried in the Google search graveyard of dead search techniques are the de fine: operator and a Search Tool limit for definitions. Google killed off these more precise search techniques in favor of creating algorithms that try to guess when searchers want a definition. While not quite as precise, the trigger words seem to work most of the time.

62 onlinesearcher.net The trigger can be used for definitions of single words or the exact same language, and the expansion gives mostly phrases. Try define habeas corpus or high den the same information as Google, minus the Ngrams and the sity lipoprotein meaning for examples of when graphical origin. Sometimes Bing has additional information searching for definitions of phrases works on Google. Howev- that Google does not, such as an audio pronunciation, related er, even when using the definition trigger words, some words forms, and more links to synonyms and antonyms. However, and phrases will not result in a definition being displayed. it depends on the search. This can happen when no definition is available within the DuckDuckGo takes a different approach with highlighted sources that Google uses or the algorithms fail to detect that definitions from a different source. A single word search in the searcher wants a definition. In these cases, search re- DuckDuckGo, with or without the definition trigger words, sults include the trigger word as well. A search of define may result either in a displayed definition at the top of the xilinx does not display a definition. The search results in- results or at least an option for a definition in the database clude webpages with both terms including grammatical vari- bar at the top. The definitions often come from theAmerican ants of the word defined. Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition, via Wordnik. Only the word, pronunciation, audio example, part DEFINITION CONTENT of speech, and one or more definitions display, along with Google first shows a brief view of a definition in the quick credit to the source. There is also a More at Wordnik link that answer box. Typically, the brief view includes the word being offers many more definitions; examples; additional defini- defined separated into syllables by dots. Then a pronuncia- tions from other sources, including Wiktionary and WordNet tion is given (often with a speaker icon so the searcher can 3.0 among others; synonyms; antonyms; equivalents; hy- hear the word), followed by the grammatical form of the pernyms; same context; rhymes; and reverse dictionary word (noun, verb, etc.), and then the definition. Sometimes, entries. That only covers part of what is on the top of the very the definition is followed by a list of synonyms. More infor- long Wordnik page. Scroll down to explore even more information is available by clicking on the drop-down arrow at mation on the word, including visuals, tweets, comments, the bottom with the label of “Translations, word origin, and lists, and even statistics about how frequently the word has more definitions.” been looked up, favorited, commented upon, and what its This expanded information starts with the origin of the basic Scrabble score would be. word, usually with a text-based origin description as well Wolfram|Alpha (WA) also offers a different view of defini- as a graphical chart of the word development. A drop-down tions. Enter a word to get several brief definitions, along with list of translation options for the word or phrase leads to the usual pronunciation, grammatical parts of speech, syllab- Google Translate. This is followed by a visualization of the ification, translations, and word origins. WA entries can also usage of the word or phrase over time, pulled from Google include sections for first known use in English, inflections, Books Ngram viewer. Although the timeline in the expanded synonyms, narrower terms, rhymes, lexically close words, definition describes the date range as being from 1800 to be- anagrams, phrases, and a variety of “other notable uses.” A yond 2010, clicking the graph leads to the full Ngram Viewer, word frequency history graph is shown, but unlike at Google, which more precisely identifies the corpus being used and the Y axis is numbered for occurrences per million words per the range of dates that actually ends in 2008. year. While the given source is a Google Books sample of 1 mil- Note that when expanding the definition, not only does new lion books in English, the results can differ from Google’s, and information appear at the bottom, but more definitions and the WA graph may go back into the 1500s. For more fun with other information may be added at the top as well. Searching words at WA, see its Words & Linguistics examples: wolframal for escrow meaning and then expanding results offer pha.com/examples/WordsAndLinguistics.html. more examples, along with the plural form and additional Despite pulling results from Bing (and potentially some grammatical variants. A search for define brilliant, from Google), Yahoo is not yet displaying definitions sepa- when expanded, adds antonyms, more examples, and an in- rately. Search results often point to definitions on other sites, formal British usage not seen in the brief display. but no separate definition box appeared in my tests.

OTHER SEARCH ENGINES SOURCES Bing has a very similar definition display to Google’s. Def- For anyone wanting to dig more deeply into the defini- initions are also triggered in many of the same ways, with tions, it is very helpful to know the source. Both Bing and single-word searches often resulting in a definition, and the Google pull at least some of their definitions from Oxford trigger words of define or definition or meaning Dictionaries (oxforddictionaries.com). Bing states it in the also all helping to trigger a definition display. At Bing,dic footer while Google does not. Comparing the two, many tionary also often works as a trigger word. match almost exactly word for word, making it is easy to Many of the definitions are the same as well. Unlike Google, confirm that Google uses the same source. DuckDuckGo has Bing gives source credit at the bottom of the definition box the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language with a “Powered by Oxford Dictionaries© Oxford University definitions via Wordnik, while Wolfram|Alpha appears to get Press” statement. Bing also has the expansion option using some definitions from WordNet. > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 63 Many other dictionary definitions will show up in search box on the left. Sort the results by page instead of relevance results beyond the quick answer boxes at the top. Links to using the Order By option above the results, and then try definitions at Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster (merriam- to find the page containing the entry. Since many preview webster.com), Thesaurus.com, The Free Dictionary (thefree books only have selected pages viewable, this technique dictionary.com), Vocabulary.com, Wiktionary (wiktionary. may not work, but in my testing, it worked for many. If the org), Cambridge Dictionaries Online (dictionary.cambridge. book is relatively recent, and the Google Books preview is org), and many other websites appear as regular search re- missing a needed page, also try a quick check for the book sults. At other times, no dictionary definitions are triggered, on Amazon to see if that page is available via Look Inside. I but an extract from Wikipedia may appear in the same quick was able to find the page definingairfoil in the Diction- answer location and give enough information for the reader ary of Material Science and High Energy Physics from 2001 on to get a sense of the meaning. A Google search on mean Amazon but not at Google Books. ing of ununtrium has no dictionary quick answer but instead highlights a Wikipedia answer box that includes a SLANG AND IDIOMATIC USE definition. It is functionally similar without all the extra defi- While not incorporated into Google or Bing quick an- nition content. That box is followed by the usual collection of swers, the web has some great sources for finding definitions other dictionary results. At many such sites, cites are hard to and current usage of slang and other unusual words. Slang find or nonexistent, so it is not always clear the actual origin dictionaries are good sources but not always up-to-date of the definition. Fortunately, both commercial databases with the latest terminology. Come across a strange hashtag, and expert strategies can help. an unknown phrase in a news story, or simply hear a new expression on the street? Trying such terms as a web search COMMERCIAL DATABASES may well plunge a searcher into the murky depths of the Ur- Many publishers offer databases that are collections of ban Dictionary or other similar slang sites. reference books and dictionaries. Oxford Reference Online The crowdsourced Urban Dictionary (urbandictionary.com) (ORO) includes a collection of dictionaries from Oxford Uni- accepts definitions and entries from anyone, and the com- versity Press. Since both Bing and Google pull at least some munity votes definitions up or down. Run across the term of their definitions from the free Oxford dictionaries, search- petextrian and want to know if it means what you ing the same words in ORO can help find in which specific think? The Urban Dictionary has it. A local newspaper used dictionary (often dictionaries) the definition occurs. ORO the term gaper in a story on skiers. Wondering about the also includes more subject-specific definitions from a wider various origins of the term and alternate uses, I checked collection of reference works. Not only is full publication in- the Urban Dictionary, which had 49 contributed defini- formation from the source available, but as is often the case tions, including several conflicting opinions from skiers in such databases, suggested citations in popular formats along with other non-skiing usage. can be downloaded. Not all slang can be found in the Urban Dictionary. What In addition, Reference Universe, Credo Reference, Gale helps is to have some idea of the community that might use Virtual Reference, and ORO can cross-search a collection of a term and add keywords that reflect that community. In an- dictionaries. The online version of Oxford English Diction- other news article, I came across a reference to PRs. Since ary (OED Online) and many individual ebook dictionaries Google is mostly case-insensitive, this kind of term, and are available from many publishers and may be able to be many acronyms, can be difficult to find because there are so searched full text from a discovery platform. many versions. PRS Guitars dominated my results. Since the initial usage was in relation to fitness, just adding that word GOOGLE BOOKS gets closer, but some of the results just used PRs without giv- Don’t have access to those commercial databases? Hun- ing a definition. Eventually one result gave it as an acronym dreds (if not thousands of dictionaries) are available in Google for personal record. Books. While many of the more recent publications only offer For anyone fascinated with words, their meaning, and their a snippet view or a limited preview, definitions and descrip- use, the search engine definitions, online dictionaries, and tions may be short enough to view for free. Try a search in other lexical sites provide an incredible range of material to Google Books and add intitle:dictionary to the browse and search. Explore several sites and compare the search. That will find occurrences of the search terms some- multiple meanings, definitions, and current usage. With the where within the books, limiting to those that have the word current speed of change in online dialogue, the meanings “dictionary” in the title of the book. change faster than ever. Unfortunately, Google Books does not tag reference book entry titles (as do the commercial databases), so the query word(s) are just found somewhere within the whole text. Greg R. Notess ([email protected]; notess.com) is faculty and graduate However, if the book is arranged alphabetically and is avail- services librarian at Montana State University and founder of SearchEn able at least in a preview version, click on the entry title and gineShowdown.com. then search the term within that one book using the search Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

64 onlinesearcher.net Marydee Ojala >the dollar sign Editor-in-Chief, Online Searcher

Branding Irons at the Ready: Researching Brand Names

rand names are part of our daily lives. They surround us. Without brands, ev- Brand research, Berything we buy would be generic. You couldn’t tell the difference between a Cadillac and a Camry. Hilton and Marriott hotels would be indistinguishable from each other and from LowBudget Crummy Hotel. LexisNexis, ProQuest, and Facti- although va would each be labeled simply as “online service.” Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite would be “fizzy drink”—or maybe “dark fizzy drink” for the first two and “colorless fizzy multifaceted, relies drink” for the latter. All scholarly publications would be “journal” and Time and Newsweek would both become “news magazine.” on several core Am I exaggerating? Of course, but it’s to make the point of how important branding is. Its impact is not restricted to the business world; it affects everybody. As- pects of brand research include choosing a brand, brand extensions, co-branding, sources, including brand (or product) placement, brand equity, growing a brand, rebranding, pro- tecting an existing brand, and many more. Brand research, although multifaceted, reference works, relies on several core sources, including reference works, business databases, intellectual property resources, and the news. business databases, BRAND ELEMENTS Before diving into resources, it’s good to be clear on what a brand is. According intellectual property to Investopedia, “A brand is a distinguishing symbol, mark, logo, name, word, sentence or a combination of these items that companies use to distinguish their resources, and product from others in the market. Legal protection given to a brand name is called a trademark.” the news. Persuasive Brands has an even more interesting and inclusive definition: Any brand is a set of perceptions and images that represent a company, product or service. While many people refer to a brand as a logo, tag line or audio jingle, a brand is actually much larger. A brand is the es- sence or promise of what will be delivered or experienced.

> MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 65 Importantly, brands enable a buyer to easily iden- Defending a brand and doing damage control require con- tify the offerings of a particular company. Brands stant monitoring of the brand, not only in the business press are generally developed over time through: but in general news. Pity the company that chooses Isis as a • Advertisements containing consistent brand only to have it become toxic when ISIS appears on the messaging scene as a terrorist organization. • Recommendations from friends, family members or colleagues REFERENCE WORKS • Interactions with a company and its When it comes to identifying who owns a brand, the long- representatives time reference source is Gale’s Brands & Their Companies. • Real-life experiences using a product or Originally a print reference book, it is now part of Gale’s service (generally considered the most eDirectory online series. It is a highly structured database, important element of establishing a brand) with many fields—for brand/trade name, organization name, mailing address, phone number, a description of the Once developed, brands provide an umbrella un- branded product, and keywords. Included in the record are der which many different products can be offered- also the company’s URL, fax number, and email, but these providing a company tremendous economic lever- don’t have field designations. Brands & Their Companies age and strategic advantage in generating awareness tells you what companies own what brands, something of their offerings in the marketplace. that’s not always obvious. When you think about brands in – persuasivebrands.com/Topics_Brand_Definition.aspx terms of perception, the ownership of a brand can be sur- prising. The Uncle Ben’s brand for rice mixes, for example, The idea of brand as perception is a powerful one. Brands connotes healthy food. Yet it’s owned by the same company convey to consumers the importance of buying the product responsible for Mars candy (mars.com). or service. Because of this, brand research is related to pub- If you want to know who owns a specific brand and can’t lic relations, advertising, and consumer behavior. Branding get your hands on Brands & Their Companies, you can sim- is an influencer technique, which differs from the type of ply search ownership brandname (or something simi- branding we associate with branding cattle. A cattle brand lar, even who owns brandname) on any web search en- establishes ownership, a very different concept. gine. For major brands, this usually pulls up the correct In a Dec. 21, 2011, Forbes article, “What is a Brand, Anyway?” owner, frequently with the added bonus of background in- (forbes.com/sites/jerrymclaughlin/2011/12/21/what- is-a- formation on when the company bought or created the brand-anyway/#356740652aa4), Jerry McLoughlin looks at brand and any controversy regarding it. how the branding concept has changed over time. He makes This isn’t the only Gale directory with brand information, a distinction between brand and brand name. Brands were however. Its Market Share Reporter database contains arti- the equivalent of trademarks but now brands are what people cles about “top brands,” “best selling brands,” or “most ad- think of when they hear or see a brand name. The brand name vertised brands.” Search those phrases with an adjacency is tangible; the brand is not. operator of two words before brands. Gale’s Encyclopedia of Global Brands provides a history and explanation of BRAND IMPORTANCE brands. The second edition was published in 2013, and it’s How important is branding? To what extent does a brand online as an ebook on the Gale Virtual Reference Library affect purchasing decisions? Do people spend more for (GVRL) platform. coffee from Starbucks than they do a generic brand be- Another directory database to check is the Standard Di- cause of the quality or because of the Starbucks brand? A rectory of Advertisers (The Red Book), which lists trade high-priced pen from Montblanc writes just as well as the names, advertising agencies, and both private and public throwaway pen you pick up at a hotel, and a watch from companies. The directory is available through LexisNexis Patek Philippe probably tells time just as well as a Timex. and as a subscription database of 100,000 brand names, not It’s the brand that justifies the price—although name brands just trademarks, from Red Books LLC, which acquired the would argue that people pay more because of higher quality. directory from LexisNexis in 2010 (redbooks.com). Are they correct? Regardless of how you answer these somewhat theoretical BUSINESS DATABASES questions, choosing a brand requires research, as does de- There’s no real doubt that the standard databases are re- fending an existing brand and conducting damage control if plete with branding information. Factiva uses “Branding” a brand suffers adverse publicity. The former involves en- for its subject term and “CBRAND” for the code. LexisNexis suring that the selected brand says something about the offers “Branding” as both an industry and a subject. With product that is positive, memorable, and representative of Gale’s Business Essentials databases, keywords include its purpose. It also can’t sound like another company’s “Brand names,” “Brand identity,” and “Brand image.” It’s brand—and if the brand is to be international, it must work ProQuest and EBSCO that have created a plethora of thesau- in multiple languages. rus terms to describe the many aspects of brand research. If

66 onlinesearcher.net you have a student looking for a research topic on brand- When a company buys another company that owns a ing, I recommend showing them the full thesaurus list from widely known brand, it tends to leave the brand alone, both ABI/INFORM and Business Source Premier to jump- but that’s not an absolute. Smucker’s jams and jellies re- start the process. mained Smucker’s when P&G sold it, but it didn’t add the Both use thesaurus terms such as “House brands,” “Brand Smucker’s name to its Folgers coffee or Meow Mix pet food image,” and “Trademarks,” for example. Business Source brands. Logos can become indistinguishable from the brand Premier uses” Business names” and provides a cross refer- or company name. Similarly, certain marketing phrases ence from “Brands (Commerce).” ABI/INFORM sticks with become brand name surrogates. Again, a Nike example: “Brand names” and offers “Brand differentiation,” “Brand “Just do it.” equity,” “Brand loyalty,” “Co-branding,” and “Brand prefer- Companies might not want to add their name to a brand ence,” among others. Business Source Premier has “Brand they buy if they think it might alter the perception of cus- name products,” “Brand awareness,” “Brand inertia,” “Brand tomers. Take Burt’s Bees, for example. It would certainly extension,” “Branding consultants,” and “Branded enter- change its image if were called Clorox Burt’s Bees. tainment” as thesaurus terms. My favorite is Business Source Premier’s “Brand scandal,” BRAND NEWS which it actually narrows to “Brand scandal spillover.” There Brands often appear in mainstream news programs. In ear- are some very entertaining stories indexed with these. ly February 2016, Toyota’s decision to discontinue the brand One caveat in free text searching: Truncating after brand, name Scion was widely reported—and not only in the auto- which will yield brands and branding, will also offer you a motive trade press, but also in general news. It will “rebadge” sip of brandy. (a word I had not previously encountered in brand research but which I’ve added to my search vocabulary) Scion cars INTELLECTUAL PROPERY simply as Toyota. The Scion brand was supposed to attract I wrote about trademark searching in a Dollar Sign col- younger buyers, but Toyota now thinks those under 35 will be umn a few years ago (“Take Your Mark: Trademark Research attracted to the Toyota brand, making Scion unnecessary. for the Business World,” ONLINE, Vol. 35, No. 4, Sept/Oct If you’re involved with naming a new product or trying to 2011), and much of what I covered then is still valid. What’s find a name for your new company, a first step is a general amazing to me is the continuing effort of companies to web search. Don’t limit yourself to Google; try Bing, Yandex, trademark common words. The most recent is Coca Cola’s DuckDuckGo, and whatever other engine (or brand) strikes desire to trademark “zero.” Who’s opposing it? I had hoped your fancy. You might be surprised to find that the name is for NASA wanting to avoid putting the trademark sign on already in use or has a completely different meaning in an zero gravity, but it’s actually Pepsi in Canada and the U.K. industry outside your main product line. (both failed) and Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the U.S. (pending since 2003), which would be more logical than NEW BRANDING CONSIDERATIONS NASA. Trademarks are granted for specific goods and ser- A recent entry onto the branding stage is the concept of vices classifications, in this case, soft drinks. “self-branding.” The idea is that your name is a brand. For ce- For U.S. trademarks, search TESS (Trademark Electronic lebrities, this is obvious, but what about the rest of us? There Search System; tmsearch.uspto.gov). Internationally, try the are no thesaurus terms—yet—for self-branding. However, WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Global the term is so distinct and unambiguous that simply search- Brand database (wipo.int/reference/en/branddb). Logos ing the phrase will get you to the latest on the subject. might be powerful representations of a brand or of a com- Finally, what about the library brand? When people hear pany. Think the Nike swoosh. Part of the trademark records the word “library,” they think “books.” They tend not to con- includes the visual depiction of the mark. nect libraries with meeting spaces, even when they use If your research project involves choosing a new brand meeting rooms to attend library programming. On the most name, note that there’s a distinction between trademarks positive side, they see libraries as valuable to communities that are currently live and those that have been abandoned. and a bastion of liberty. Sadly, some connote libraries with Remember, too, that just because you don’t find a potential purveyors of pornography. How can information profes- brand doesn’t mean your selection of the brand is free and sionals brand, or rebrand, their libraries to reflect the ex- clear: Brands aren’t always trademarked. Pay attention to panded role of libraries in today’s world? It’s not an easy sound alike trademarks when you search the trademark da- task, but looking at a library as a brand to be repositioned tabases. Say the name out loud and search the various spell- and considering the task as a branding exercise using busi- ings that represent the sound, not just in the trademark da- ness resources is an excellent start. tabases, but also in your other searches. In addition to trademark implications, brands can be the same as company names. Starbucks is a brand and a company, as is McDonald’s. But that’s not always the case. Large Marydee Ojala ([email protected]) is editor-in-chief of Online companies, such as Procter & Gamble, own many brands. Searcher).

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 67 Abby Clobridge >the open road Clobridge Consulting

Open Knowledge Versus Knowledge Management

nowledge management (KM) may appear, at first glance, to have little in Kcommon with open access (OA) and open data—those two building blocks for what we often refer to as open knowledge. But in many ways, knowledge management and open knowledge represent different but related facets of knowledge sharing. Understanding the similarities and differences can help information professionals make a stronger case for why open knowledge is important, how Knowledge to support it, and the roles librarians and information professionals can play in promoting it. management and At its core, KM is about supporting the full lifecycle of knowledge—capturing, describing, storing, disseminating, and promoting the reuse of knowledge. (See open knowledge Figure 1 on page 69.) In this regard, open knowledge clearly fits within the same model. However, we get into differences in terms of implementation as soon as we start looking at purpose and strategy—why an organization is trying to improve represent different how it manages the knowledge it produces, what the intended goals of the program are, and who the knowledge is supposed to reach. but related facets of Many organizations, particularly those within the private sector, have an internal focus for their KM efforts. KM strategies and tactics are designed to promote knowledge sharing. usage, application, and uptake of organizational knowledge inside the enterprise to improve organizational effectiveness or deliver improved products or services. Public sector organizations, on the other hand, focus on the external uptake of knowledge they produce. But these organizations could also take a blended approach and have goals aimed at reaching internal and external constituent groups. This difference in scope—whether the intended consumers are internal or external—has far-reaching implications that impact how KM and open knowledge are operationalized.

TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Even though KM isn’t a technology problem, the infrastructure underpinning knowledge assets is a critical piece of the foundation. The types of platforms used should differ, depending on whether knowledge assets are intended to be shared internally or externally. While many systems can be used for internal knowledge sharing, for open knowledge to be fully discoverable, it should connect to the broader OA/open data repository infrastructure. The repository disseminating knowledge externally should support typical protocols such as the Open Archives Initiative–Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH; openarchives.org/pmh). You can take a system such as SharePoint and open a particular library so it is publicly accessible and exposed to search engines such as Google and Bing. However, making items publicly accessible is only one piece of the open knowl-

68 onlinesearcher.net edge puzzle. Systems such as SharePoint or Drupal are fea- Dealing with sensitive data, information, and knowledge is ture-rich and allow for a mix of public and private sharing. not unique to internally focused KM efforts. As researchers, However, they aren’t designed to tap into the OA/open data librarians, or curators are depositing data and other types of infrastructure or incorporate new altmetrics or Linked Open research outputs into an open repository, it is important to Data tools. consider privacy and the potential sensitivity of the contents For organizations which intend to share materials both before they are released into the public sphere. Policies and internally and externally, this distinction can be important procedures should be developed and adopted before any OA but is easy to overlook. If an organization only focuses on system goes live to ensure that no personally identifiable in- internal knowledge sharing, however, it is not necessary to formation, trade secrets, or protected intellectual property is consider these issues. Other criteria should drive technolo- posted to a publicly accessible repository. gy-related decisions. Furthermore, disseminating politically charged content could potentially make a repository a target for defacement or SECURITY AND PRIVACY ISSUES distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. KM in a closed The security requirements differ considerably between in- environment would not need to consider such issues. ternally focused KM systems and public-facing repositories. Internally focused KM programs should be deployed us- METADATA ing systems that are isolated from the public internet. Even Librarians and information professionals working on OA/ cloud-based platforms that are deployed behind a corporate open data are accustomed to working with Dublin Core and firewall should be secured to the record or object level to other international metadata standards to describe objects make it possible to maintain controls over how knowledge in consistent ways from repository to repository. Since open assets are shared internally. repositories often aggregate materials from multiple institu- Within any KM effort, not every bit of an organization’s tions, items should be described in similar ways—using the knowledge should be accessible to everyone within that same metadata elements and consistent, standardized sub- organization—plenty of data, information, and knowledge ject terms. For instance, it is useful for content stored in differ- stored within an organization is politically sensitive (pend- ent repositories to consistently use Dublin Core fields such as ing mergers and acquisitions, for example, and certain types “Title,” “Creator,” and “Type.” Likewise, if you are trying to ag- of HR policies). Other data, information, and knowledge gregate content covering a particular area, it is helpful if sub- are strictly confidential (Social Security numbers, health ject terms are drawn from a commonly adopted taxonomy records, and performance evaluations). Organizations that such as AGROVOC (agriculture) or MeSH (medical) to bring are at an advanced stage of maturity with KM make such together a pool of knowledge within a particular domain or distinctions at a granular level by using system controls, but sector, regardless of where a particular item is stored. organizations still in the early stages of adopting a KM strat- Since the open knowledge infrastructure is designed to egy are likely to set the default to “closed” and only gradually aggregate content from multiple sources, best practices en- open up internal access to knowledge. courage adoption of standards and internationally used on- tologies. But within the KM world, organizations tend to draw heavily upon their own internal categorization schemes. This isn’t necessarily a good practice—even organizations focused on internal knowledge sharing should rely on existing sets of terms, at least as a starting point, whenever possible. Organizations can spend an inordinate amount of time and resources developing their own unique taxonomies, when much of this work could be handled faster and more efficiently without starting from scratch.

METRICS AND INDICATORS Obtaining data about uptake and usage is tough for both open knowledge and KM. It’s a weakness that spans both spaces. Particularly in today’s data-heavy environment, leadership teams always want to know how to assess the ROI for such initiatives. Qualitative, anecdotal evidence tends to be strongest, yet is also elusive and hard to measure. With- in KM, we often look for stories of efficiencies gained or a net decrease in organizational time spent on creating, finding, or using data, information, or knowledge. An overall decrease The Knowledge Lifecycle by Clobridge Consulting is licensed under in the time it takes new staff to become fully competent in a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. their new positions or less operational time spent trying to > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 69 ROLE OF CULTURE AND CULTURE CHANGE Fostering a culture of knowledge sharing is one of the main areas where KM and open knowledge overlap. Culture change is tremendously challenging and happens slowly. Yet for both OA/open data and internally focused KM programs, In the early phases of KM having a strong culture of sharing is a critical success factor. Most organizations follow a similar path. First, the concept or open knowledge, of knowledge sharing is introduced and socialized. Leaders begin to “talk the talk” around KM and OA/open data—why targeted behaviors tend knowledge sharing is important and what the organization hopes to achieve through such efforts. The next step is defining roles and responsibilities for knowledge curation. In to be incentivized instead the early phases of KM or open knowledge, targeted behaviors tend to be incentivized instead of being required. But of being required. eventually, for an organization to be successful with KM or open knowledge in a sustainable way, such behaviors must be formally incorporated into roles and staff required to perform these responsibilities. Ultimately, managers must be held accountable for ensuring everyone in their division, department, or unit is actively using, sharing, updating, and advancing organizational knowledge. Such responsibilities tend to be diffused throughout an find knowledge can be meaningful metrics—but these are organization, although more for KM than externally focused notoriously fuzzy and hard to calculate. knowledge sharing. For instance, the curation work that goes With open knowledge, organizations are looking for evi- into creating, enhancing, and maintaining an organizational dence of reuse—examples of how, when, and where some- knowledgebase requires a tremendous amount of group ef- one built upon an article, dataset, or other type of output fort. Articles within a knowledgebase have to be updated, that was publicly shared and included appropriate reuse enhanced, expanded, and revised on a regular basis. Such rights. Citations are one indicator that organizations con- efforts require collaboration or crowdsourcing and become tinue to look for, even though they are just one data point. the output of many people, not just a single individual. The reality, therefore, is that we end up relying on quantifi- Likewise, although materials that are publicly disseminat- able numbers. Within KM, we tend to measure and monitor ed via an open repository are produced by a team or small specific metrics for each tool adopted by a particular organi- group, the curation responsibilities tend to be isolated and zation. For instance, for knowledgebases, we often track the fall to the library or knowledge center staffs. Usually, just a yearly number of new knowledgebase articles created, the small number of people are responsible for depositing con- number of knowledgebase articles updated each quarter, tent into a repository, adding metadata, highlighting and total page views throughout a knowledgebase, the average showcasing such knowledge, and performing other curatori- number of page views for articles within a knowledgebase, al duties. By having such responsibilities assigned to just one and the average number of contributors per article. or two people, it can be easier to hold people accountable Similarly, for a repository, we track growth—the number of for disseminating knowledge produced by an organization. metadata records added per year, the number of “fully open” But this is a double-edged sword—it is harder to embed such (free to access, free to reuse) items added per year, the num- sharing into the culture when it is not seen as everyone’s col- ber of articles with publisher embargo periods versus those lective responsibility. without embargoes, which authors have deposited the most Ultimately, the cultural piece is the biggest challenge for items, and which authors have deposited the highest per- organizations, regardless of whether their focus is on inter- centage of their publications. Again, we rely on page views nal or external knowledge sharing. Having a team in place— and downloads, even though these data points don’t neces- one that includes representation from different parts of the sarily indicate actual usage. Altmetrics, including references organization—to develop appropriate policies, procedures, from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Mendeley, and the like, to and workflows will help strengthen organizational commit- contents stored in open repositories provide insight into the ment to knowledge sharing. level of conversation happening around a particular item. Across repositories, whether internally restricted or ex- Abby Clobridge ([email protected]) is owner & ternally facing, we can look at metadata—which keywords principal consultant, Clobridge Consulting. Eric Smith ([email protected]) is have been applied the most times in the past year, which chief information security officer for Bucknell University, Franklin and keywords have been searched for, and which keywords are Marshall College, and Susquehanna University. trending at any point in time. Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

70 onlinesearcher.net William Badke >infolit land Trinity Western University

Evidence and the Doubter

ociety is beset by doubters who challenge solid scientific evidence. Take the Slongstanding problem with the MMR (Measles Mumps Rubella) vaccine. It started with a 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield, a British researcher (Wakefield A.J., The information- et al., “Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children,” The Lancet 351, Feb. 28, 1998, pp. 637–41). literate believe in The article suggested a possible, though not proven, link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Before long, Wakefield was stating in interviews that connection solving problems and with autism was probable and parents should stop vaccinating their children. After it was exposed as fraudulent research, The Lancet retracted Wakefield’s article in 2010. Yet the suggestion that vaccinations cause autism led thousands of making conclusions parents to refuse vaccinations for their children. It did not matter that many subsequent studies have shown no connection or that some U.S. states now legislate based on data rather against parental refusal to vaccinate on the ground of personal belief. California’s law, for example, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016, and allows only a medical exemp- than opinion. tion, not one based on belief. The MMR deniers continue to promote their views. Here is another example of the power of the doubters: In the Vancouver, Can- ada, region, voters turned down a funding plan for transit development, not because the development was unneeded or that citizens did not want to pay for it, but because voters believed that the transit authority had wasted the tax money it had already received. This viewpoint persisted regardless of several independent studies showing that the Vancouver transit authority is one of the best run and most cost-efficient in North America. Despite the evidence to the contrary, the majority continue to believe that the transit system in the Vancouver area is a mess and deserves no more funding. On and on it goes: People who seem otherwise intelligent buy into unfounded beliefs. We pride ourselves on being scientifically astute, but the fact is, many (most?) of us harbor one or more notions that clear evidence shows to be utterly false. The information-literate believe in solving problems and making conclusions based on data rather than opinion. How, then, do we move our students to examine their notions and reject the ones that don’t stand up? How do we help them to develop a pattern of data evaluation that does battle with crazy ideas?

THE POWER OF THE OUTLIER Humans seem to love outliers instinctively. An outlier is the person who flies in the face of mainstream thinking and offers an alternative. We’ve had outliers seem- > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 71 ingly forever. They have been the inventors and innovators Information literacy deals with evidence, with hypotheses who moved civilization forward. They have also tended to see that can be tested and propositions that can be examined. the mainstream as the enemy. The ancient Gnostics offered Faith can be accompanied by evidence, but it is mostly outside initiation into secret teachings that society sought to sup- the kinds of tests that science can perform. In fact, a number of press. Outliers who demonized Catholicism as a false faith scientists (for example, Richard Dawkins) have seen religion as fomented the Reformation. The Wright Brothers defied the a liability to the advancement of true knowledge. odds to bring us powered flight. More recently, the computer Yet, even in the realm of faith, those who hold beliefs about revolution has essentially been the story of outliers, from Alan realms beyond a mechanistic universe have their reasons, Turing to Bill Gates to Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg. and those reasons can be examined. Socrates is said to have Today’s internet is full of outliers who promote any num- argued, “An unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato, Apol- ber of unconventional ideas and gather any number of ogy, 38a). Even as faith assumes a reality beyond the closed followers. One prevailing mythology goes like this: The universe, there is room for those who embrace spirituality establishment (the military/industrial complex, the 99%, to examine what they are affirming, at least to the extent to or whatever we want to call them) has deceived society for which that is possible. its own ends. We are being enticed to follow like sheep, but there are people in this world who know the truth and are INFORMATION LITERACY AND not afraid to share it with those who want to know. THE SEARCH FOR CREDIBILITY Outliers have power precisely because we are so wary of The real concern for information literacy is not faith but prej- those who seek to lead us astray in order to further their own udice—unfounded convictions held despite the fact that they goals. Thus, we find parents who believe that Big Pharma is are damaging or dangerous, either to society or to the holder of covering up the devastating consequences of vaccinating whatever prejudice it is. It is one thing to believe there is more children with its evil wares. We have folks fervently believing beyond a mechanistic universe and to embrace alternative the outlier doctrines that the government engineered 9/11, ways of making sense of the world in order to live a better life. It that human beings never landed on the moon, that AIDS is is another when a parent’s refusal to vaccinate a child leads to a a disease created by the CIA for nefarious purposes, or that measles outbreak and subsequent child deaths. Ebola can be cured by vitamin C. The lesson for us as we teach information literacy is two- No amount of counterargument seems to work, because fold. First, all of us must be aware of the human tendency to those who oppose such notions are viewed as part of the choose not to believe evidence because our (unexamined) establishment seeking to quash the truth. There have al- convictions will not allow us to be swayed by anything that ways been outliers, but the digital age has made them much might blow those convictions apart. Information literacy is more pervasive. about treating evidence in an even-handed manner, even if our minds get changed in the process. To put blinders on, or WHAT ABOUT FAITH? to use illegitimate tactics to push aside opposing views, is to There is one realm in life that has to be addressed when defeat the whole purpose of using information to address we consider flying in the face of evidence: faith, spirituality, issues in our world. religion. At the heart of religious thinking is the sense that, Second, as we teach information literacy, we need to be beyond what we can see, hear, and experience, is a reality aware of the bias often embedded in the information we dis- that can’t be explored with the tools of science. Faith works cover. We might assume that an author holds a certain view at the level of ultimate questions. Even as the experts in this because there are good reasons to do so. But it may also be world promote scientific rigor, we find people casting their the case that the author is promoting a prejudice that will lot with beliefs that can’t be verified by the scientific method not stand up to solid argumentation. In the latter case, the and yet are deeply held and persistent. author might present “evidence,” but it tends to be skewed In the 2012 movie, Prometheus, two scientists are discuss- to support his/her position while ignoring contradictory ar- ing their discovery on a faraway planet of a dead alien race guments. The author makes sure that any such prejudice is whose DNA matches that of primitive humanity, thus dem- backed up with a chorus of supporters, thus fostering the onstrating that our creators were aliens. conviction that the mistaken notion has legitimacy. One scientist says to the other (who is wearing a cross on Somehow, in the maze of voices out there, an information- a chain), “You can take that cross off.” literate person needs to weed out the gold from the garbage, When she asks why, he replies, “Because they”— referring the credible from the groundless. This is by no means easy, to the dead aliens— “made us.” considering the fact that we all come to our research with She responds, “But who made them?” our own biases, and the material we are reading may well At the end of the movie, she is still wearing the cross. Faith come from a less-than-solid foundation. persists. To believe a certain thing fervently, without verification, seems to be at the heart of religious faiths, which LESSONS FOR THE INFORMATION-LITERATE have proponents who are intelligent, well-educated, and We live in an increasingly confusing information environ- information-literate outside of their religious beliefs. ment in which the traditional means of achieving certainty

72 onlinesearcher.net have largely vanished. It is still our goal to find answers based on evidence, but the digital age, while on the one hand giving us a lot more data to work with, on the other has fostered a lot For those who teach information of faulty thinking. Here are some lessons for those who teach and learn information literacy: • Predispositions, bias, and prejudice are regularly pres- literacy in a digital world in which ent in the views and evidence in both spoken and written communication. The information-literate person every voice seems to have equal recognizes that information often comes with baggage that skews it. power, our core values need to • In a digital world where the majority of information we encounter has limited editing and no peer review, it is the reader, not the publisher, who is primarily responsi- rest on following best practices ble for evaluating information and its baggage. This has always been the case to some extent, but it is now the in evaluating information, hearing rule. Add to this the power social media has to influence belief systems based on the sheer volume of unproven alternate voices, and making information conveyed. Many people see only views that promote their existing beliefs (the phenomenon of the filter bubble). evidence-based conclusions. • There was a time when we could determine the level of research and rigor attached to the information we encountered by looking at the medium through which it came to us—popular magazine versus academic jour- This is our surest path to solving our problems. We may well nal or quality newspaper versus tabloid, for example. believe there are conspiracies out there keeping us from the Now the distinctions are blurry, with scholars publish- truth, but to rest upon such beliefs as guides for life is to in- ing outside of normal venues and predatory journals crease uncertainty rather than eliminate it. There are many online mimicking genuine academic work while pro- self-assured people out there whose views rest on a crum- viding shoddy products. New patterns of discernment bling foundation, if there is a foundation at all. are required. We may believe there are other realities out there beyond • All of us, being prone to bias, must be self-aware. Do I our mechanistic universe, but we live in this universe, and believe something because of my predisposition or be- we must agree on ways to determine a course forward, every cause the evidence supports it? Do I resist considering bit as much as we agree on traffic laws to enable us to navi- other points of view because I believe they may cause gate city streets. For those who teach information literacy me to change my mind? in a digital world in which every voice seems to have equal • Overcoming bias in others is a difficult proposition. power, our core values need to rest on following best prac- The “my mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the tices in evaluating information, hearing alternate voices, facts” attitude is a way of life for many people. But the and making evidence-based conclusions. information-literate rely on evidence no matter where Achenbach writes: “The Internet has democratized infor- it takes them in their quest for answers. Those of us who mation, which is a good thing. But … it has made it possible teach information literacy need to keep at it, even when to live in a ‘filter bubble’ that lets in only the information there will always be some who will resist evidence in fa- with which you already agree.” We ultimately fail our stu- vor of their own prejudices. dents when we let them limit their experience to a narrow world in which all that they hear and read only reinforces LIVING IN THE ERA OF THE DOUBTER their prejudices. Joel Achenbach’s article, “Why Do Many Reasonable If an unexamined life is not worth living, an unexamined People Doubt Science?” (National Geographic, March 2015; information world is not worth having. Simply to “know” ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/science-doubters/ something, based on what someone said in a blog, is of no achenbach-text), describes a growing trend of opposition to positive value. That is why it is imperative that our students scientific evidence in favor of beliefs of the “tribe” (a person’s learn how to evaluate information well. circle of influence) or existing prejudices. Science, with its rules of evidence, seems on the one hand cold, and, on the other, open to allowing revisions in thinking, so that no re- William Badke ([email protected]) is associate librarian at Trinity West- sult of science is assured. ern University and the author of Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Yet throughout the centuries, intelligent people have as- Through the Information Fog, Fifth Edition (iUniverse.com, 2011). sessed data, based on agreed ways of evaluating evidence. Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 73 Darlene Fichter (University of Saskatchewan) >control-shift and Jeff Wisniewski (University of Pittsburgh)

Do This, Not That: A Holistic View of the Library’s Web Presence

he world of technology is never boring. There are always new developments Tto investigate, skills and competencies to be updated, and trends to keep an eye on. All of this occurs in the context of the day-to-day work life, of course, where content needs to be updated, new intranet sites created, graphics optimized—and the director would like the face-lift for your repository a month earlier than the original deadline. With all of this going on, it’s hard to find the time to step back and take a holistic view of what you’re doing—perhaps some activities you ought not to be doing, what you could be doing better, and what you’re not doing yet but know you should be doing soon. We suggest an audit of your online presence operation. Are you spending wise- ly? Strategically? Are you allocating resources a certain way because you’ve always done it that way, or are so overwhelmed that it’s difficult to take time out to do an actual audit? We’d argue that spending resources to ultimately save resources, im- [O]ld ways of prove your web presence, and modernize your web operation is time and money put to good use. What should you be looking at—and why? doing business Seismic shifts in the online world have occurred during the past few years, but many of these have been a long time in the making. In the very early days of the no longer make web, most people were self-taught and knew HTML intimately. These were the days of browser wars, when web designers needed to know the quirks of each version of each browser, standardization was a dream but nowhere near a reality, and sense from the “web” was the desktop. Custom coding was what you did, and you generally went it alone. a resource Fast-forward to today, when major browsers are, thankfully, standards-compliant, with flexible components, frameworks, and themes readily available and easily allocation and widely shared. Browsers are much more sophisticated. User-friendly content management systems and web publishing platforms have seen massive uptake, with resulting large and helpful user communities. These shifts mean that old ways perspective. of doing business no longer make sense from a resource allocation perspective. So, where ought we to be divesting? And where ought we to be investing?

MULTIPLE SITE VERSIONS Once upon a time, it made sense to have a separate mobile version of your library site. That time has passed. The reality is that mobile-only sites were designed for a specific platform, much in the same way desktop sites were, but the proliferation of different form factors means that it’s impossible to design specific experiences for each. The best solution is responsive design. Responsive enables you to create a single site that “responds” to the platform at hand, be it a 4.5" phone, a 20" tablet, or a 30" desktop. While responsive enables

74 onlinesearcher.net you to serve one site to any platform, it’s important to keep trol. Your content flows into all kinds of sites and is (hope- in mind that performance is crucial, so while you might be fully) shared and passed around. It could also be embedded able to get away with some bloat on a desktop site (though as a service in other sites and applications. Consider how you shouldn’t), a bloated responsive site is not doing your content, such as your workshop announcements or data- desktop or your mobile users any favors. Test, keep your base descriptions, look on the company’s or organization’s code lightweight, and use responsive images so all your us- portal or CMS. How are your content holdings embedded ers will benefit. as a service on other platforms, such as Google Scholar? Everyone knows how to write for a responsive site—it’s all ARTISAN DESIGN AND CODING around us, right? That’s even more of a myth than the false We used to design our sites from scratch. The process usu- belief that everyone knows how to write for the web. It’s hu- ally began with firing up a text editor for HTML, CSS, and man nature to write for platforms that you use the most. JavaScript and, in another window, plugging away with If a lot of your content providers are using the desktop or Photoshop or some other graphic design tool. The prob- larger tablets, odds are, they are creating content with this lem with this approach is that it’s labor-intensive, it re- platform and screen size in mind. Usually, content creators quires staff intimately familiar with these languages and are not intentionally ignoring other platforms; it’s just not tools, and it’s not terribly extensible. The better approach on their radar. Their understanding of “responsive design,” involves using themes and frameworks. if they know the term at all, is shallow at best. The reality A framework is a package of different chunks of code is that everyone who creates content is part of the online (HTML, CSS, JavaScript files, etc.) designed to serve as a development team, so they need to learn how to create for starting point in the creation of a website. The beauty of this new environment. frameworks is that you don’t have to start from scratch but you can modify them at will to suit your needs. LIBGUIDE GUIDANCE Bootstrap, Foundation, and Skeleton are some of the more Like many libraries, we create research guides and are us- popular frameworks, but there are many others. Regardless ers of Springshare’s LibGuides. The platform uses a popular of whichever one you choose, the point is that the heavy framework, Bootstrap, to deliver a responsive experience. A lifting of site creation has already been done. Keep in mind random sample of other libraries’ guides shows that, despite our earlier advice: The framework you choose should be the delivery of a responsive experience, many don’t look or responsive. “A Quick Guide to Choosing a Best Framework work tremendously well on mobile devices. for You” (webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/a-quick-guide- Before leaping to the conclusion that the LibGuide soft- to-choosing-the-best-framework-for-you--cms-23575) is a ware is at fault, remember how many cooks there are in the good comparison of some of the top players in this space. research guide kitchen. Each has a role to play in creating the For the graphics side of the equation, every major plat- best sauce. When choosing a content management system form—WordPress, Drupal, and others—has tons of free or for research guides, it’s tempting to put a nice big checkmark very low-cost (under $50) themes to skin your site. Combine beside LibGuides for offering a platform that it states was the framework with the theme, and for a fraction of the time “designed to be mobile-first” (buzz.springshare.com/springy it would take to make from scratch and for virtually no cost, news/news-29/tips). Bootstrap is a standard, well-established you can have a dynamic, standards-compliant, responsive, framework. How well does this framework work for delivering and professional-looking site. guides that would work great on a variety of platforms? If you’re saving resources by doing what we’ve discussed This is the point when it becomes crucial to have an un- so far, where should you deploy the savings? How about into derstanding of usability and user experience on multiple creating great content and designing great experiences. platforms. Some of the weaknesses on the mobile platform result from setup choices. Others are probably due to the CONTRIBUTE CONTENT ‘RESPONSIVELY’ way the library’s design was implemented on the platform. Whether the content is text, multimedia, infographics, slide- Without a doubt, many are due to authors not reworking shows, videos, simulations, applications, or code, it needs guides post-migration to minimize the side menu. If your re- to be developed to work with responsive design. Now that search guide has more than three or four items in the menu, the medium is multimodal—desktop, tablet, large display then your guide is almost certainly annoying users who are screen, mobile—how knowledgeable and experienced are confronted over and over with a screenful of menu choices your web developers and designers at creating great respon- as they move about your guide. sive content and services for library users? Are they getting How did this happen? A great responsive site doesn’t magi- everyone to contribute content “responsively”? cally appear. No matter what research guide software you se- It’s time to go beyond teaching how to write for the web. lect, there are technical constraints, configuration choices, Your content creators should look at what they’re doing in design and user interface choices, and, of course, content a new way, one that results in responsive sites working well. creation. It helps to step back and ask about “fitness for pur- It’s not just about various display sizes: Think beyond your pose.” When you want to deliver a great user experience and online presence and sites that are directly under your con- service on mobile and desktop, what does that look like? > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 75 As the manager of your library’s online presence, your There are many ways to tackle this. A standard approach leadership is needed for all components of implementing is training everyone about responsive sites and the way usable research guides that create a successful and positive content is chunked and repurposed on many sites. This ap- experience for library users. It’s not enough to run a respon- proach helps to build a conceptual understanding of what sive site with sensible and usable configuration choices and is happening and provides the basis for meaningful discus- pleasing and supportive user interface design if content cre- sions about options and trade-offs. ators don’t understand how responsive sites work and how Another approach might be an immersive one. All con- to effectively approach developing content that works. tent developers are tasked with accomplishing day-to-day work using the library sites and services on an alternate device from their standard one. Immersive experiences help to develop understanding of what works well on a particular device as well as empathy for users trying to achieve their goals wrestling with awkward, annoying, or dysfunc- tional services. Charlotte Johnson describes an interesting approach to getting people to think beyond the page in her November 2015 A List Apart article “From Pages to Patterns: An Exer- cise for Everyone” (alistapart.com/article/from-pages-to- patterns-an-exercise-for-everyone). She suggests starting by taking pages and cutting them up into the smallest elements. Toss all the pieces together and then group them so that you have piles for each type of component or element. Exact duplicates are discarded. If you spot components with slight variations, look at how you might streamline them. For example, it’s very likely that some of the elements will be search boxes and other search components. What is the functional element or component that executes the search? Is it a button that you click, do you hit the return key, or both? If you use a button, is it standardized, or are their minor variations in the color, shape, location, or terminology? Check out Johnson’s article to learn how to build upon this exercise to develop a common vocabulary and shared approach to creating services and content. How you approach raising the capability of your library’s staff to provide excellent digital services doesn’t matter. What matters is that this is a core requirement for creating library services going forward Great content is one of the The long menu for the Government Information Research Guide cornerstones of creating excellent online services and ex- –Canada (libguides.usask.ca/canada-gov) is an example of what periences. Everyone who creates web content is a member not to do if you want users to have a great experience using a of the library’s online presence team. research guide on a mobile device. The software running this guide The point of all of this is that in an environment of relative- is responsive, but the menu is optimized for a desktop environment. ly scarce resources, old, inefficient ways of doing business The long menu is annoying on a mobile device. It appears on all consume time, energy, and money that ought to be spent pages of this guide before the actual content of the page, forcing elsewhere. Many of the tasks we used to do manually—or users to scroll past it repeatedly to get to the content. from scratch, or uniquely, or locally—have been commod- itized. Using some of the tools, techniques, and approaches CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING we’ve outlined means the process of creating and maintain- You need to raise the consciousness of everyone and have ing web environments can be done with more agility than them start to see online presence through service design was ever possible before. The point, ultimately, is to shift the perspective. What can help your web team and your con- focus from the custom technical executions and to focus intent providers? stead on creating the best user experiences we can. The myopic approach of creating content for one platform doesn’t work. Content as a service that is designed to Darlene Fichter ([email protected]) is librarian, University of work on many platforms, both within the library and out- Saskatchewan Library. Jeff Wisniewski ([email protected]) is web services side on platforms the library doesn’t control, requires a new librarian, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh. way of thinking about content development. Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

76 onlinesearcher.net Deborah Lynne Wiley > hard copy Next Wave Consulting, Inc.

Recommended Reading on Transformations, Opting Out, Expert Information, and Causal Relationships

his issue, I look at how digitization is transforming the world, obfuscation Ttechniques to opt out of revealing personal data, finding expert information, and understanding and evaluating data for causal relationships.

The Digital Revolution: How Connected Digital Innovations ratings Are Transforming Your Industry, Company, and Career By Inder Sidhu with T. C. Doyle EXCELLENT ISBN: 978-0-13- 29131-4 (hardcover) Published: 2015 MOSTLY GOOD Pages: 320 Price: $34.99 Available from: Pearson Education, FT Press, 1 Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458; ftpress.com WELL DONE

This book provides a broad overview of how digitization affects you and your world, and how the effects will just continue to spread. Written by Inder Sidhu, ADEQUATE senior vice president of strategy, Worldwide Operations, at Cisco, it is understand- ably rosy about how wonderful the digital future can be. Assisted by T.C. Doyle, an experienced writer with decades of work in the IT arena, who also bears the title POOR of editor at large for Cisco, the book provides clear and positive insights into what no logo technology can do. The book is divided into five parts: Opening, Transforming Industries, Address- ing Challenges, Transforming Organizations, and Closing. Part I briefly introduces why you should care about the digital revolution. Part II has chapters on healthcare, educa- featured books tion, retail, and smart cities, providing numerous examples of how digitization and Big Data The Digital Revolution: How Connected are changing these fields by providing greater Digital Innovations Are Transforming Your access, better quality, increased relevance, and Industry, Company, and Career reduced costs. The challenges addressed in Part III include Obfuscation: A User’s Guide security, privacy, and governance. However, the to Privacy and Protest authors talk about the various issues without Find It Fast: Extracting Expert Information really providing any answers. They ask ques- From Social Networks, Big Data, Tweets, tions and voice concerns, but with an implicit and More, 6th edition belief that all will be solved someday. The organizations section looks at the transformation Why: A Guide to Finding and Using Causes of the bottom line, customer relationships and > MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 77 employee satisfaction, and management in a variety of sectors. The authors consulted with many Find It Fast: Extracting Expert industry leaders, credited at the begin- Information From Social Networks, ning of each chapter, who provide con- Big Data, Tweets, and More, crete examples of how specific compa- 6th Edition nies are changing the way they operate By Robert I. Berkman because of increased data. The conver- gence of better sensors, faster process- ISBN: 978-1-937290-04-7 ing, cheaper storage, data mining, the Published: 2015 Internet of Things, and constant con- Pages: 336 nectivity is leading to solutions that Price: $24.95 are more than the sum of the parts. Available from: Information Today, Inc., If you want to get an idea of what 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055; data is doing to the world around you, Allied planes in World War II, Twitter- infotoday.com this book is a good place to start. Read bots, orb weaving spiders, shuffling it, and think about what your library or SIM cards in order to confuse mobile The first edition of this book appeared organization could do. targeting, evading location tracking, in 1987, and the last edition came out in group identities, excessive documen- 2000. Think how much has changed in tation, Tor relays, false orders, vague the intervening 28 and 15 years! Obvi- language, “Bayesian flooding,” swap- ously, another edition was overdue. But Obfuscation: A User’s Guide ping loyalty cards, and babble tapes. while sources may have changed—and to Privacy and Protest The wide range of techniques and ideas they have—much of the thought pro- By Finn Brunton and Helen they describe share the goal of hiding cesses have not. Nissenbaum one activity with another. The author is a well-known profes- The second part of the book explores sor, author, and researcher; co-editor of ISBN: 978-0-262-02973-5 the ethics of obfuscation. Does an indi- the Information Advisor’s Guide to In- Published: 2015 vidual have the right to opt out of data ternet Research; and outreach business Pages: 136 surveillance when the purpose is for librarian at the University of Rochester. Price: $19.95 the greater good? Is it wrong to deliber- In this newest edition of the book, he Available from: MIT Press, 1 Rogers Street, ately pollute a database to keep your shares his key researching techniques Cambridge, MA 02142; mitpress.mit.edu own information private? There are based on his many years of experience interesting questions with more than in the information arena. This book takes a more pessimistic one right answer. Obfuscation is often The book is divided into three sec- view of the digital world. Since data col- seen as a tool of the weak—when pre- tions. The first covers key sources and lection is everywhere, what options do sented with overwhelming technology, libraries, including a list of URLs for the those who wish to opt out have? Well, what can one individual do? Hide in the sources and a discussion of the value of obfuscation is one choice. In the au- crowd, cover your tracks, and dodge and libraries and how to best utilize them. thors’ words, “obfuscation is the delib- weave your way around the data collec- Part Two covers online searching, but erate addition of ambiguous, confusing tion powers, say these authors. focuses on the techniques and valida- or misleading information to interfere The end of the book discusses wheth- tion of the search results, not so much with surveillance and data collection.” er obfuscation works. Obviously, the The authors are, respectively, assistant answer is yes, but only in some situ- professor of media, culture, and com- ations. The authors encourage you to munication and professor of media, cul- identify exactly what activity you are ture, and communication, and comput- trying to hide and choose an appropri- er science, both at New York University. ate method. This book arose from the TrackMeNot This book is more an essay on the program—a software program designed ethics and reasons for obfuscation than to deter the development of user profiles on any particular techniques or how derived by search engines through mon- exactly to accomplish it. But if you find itoring your search behavior. yourself worried by the ever-increasing This slim book is divided into two surveillance of all our daily activities, parts. The first explores a variety of this book may help you sort through obfuscation techniques, including the your options and give you a way to chaff used to deter radar detection by make a personal protest.

78 onlinesearcher.net on the tools. Part Three looks specifically at finding experts with suggestions on how to identify and connect with them. The sources covered include web-based products, print resources, specialized libraries, and individual experts. Going a step beyond merely locating experts, Berkman includes advice on how to extract information from experts during interviews and on organizing, evaluating, and writing up search results. The goal of this book is to help you think about what you are trying to accomplish. Don’t just throw a name or phrase into Google. Visualize the an- As the author states, there are three swer you want, think about who might main options that can be done with have it, and then figure out how to get causes: prediction, explanation, and it. The Find It Fast title is a little mis- intervention. As we try to interpret and leading. It really should be “Find It draw conclusions from more and more Best,” as the author encourages you to data, it is important to examine the explore different sources, validate and causality issues behind the data. Data double-check your results, and be cre- out of context can lead to very errone- ative in figuring out where to find the ous conclusions. information you seek. The book is divided into 10 chapters, starting with definitions of causes and a look at the various fields that study them, including philosophy, psychol- Why: A Guide to Finding ogy, computer science, physics, and and Using Causes medicine. There is a chapter on correla- By: Samantha Kleinberg tion and how it differs from causation, and another on time and how important ISBN: 978-1-4919-4961-0 (ebook) it is for linking a cause to an effect. The Published: 2015 chapters on observation, computation, Pages: 284 and experimentation explore the differ- Price: $25.99 ent methods to study events and try to Available from: O’Reilly Media, Inc., establish a cause. Finally, the chapters 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, on explanation and action look at how Sebastopol, CA 95472; oreilly.com we can carefully interpret and use causality in policies, legal decisions, health, Causality is all about asking the ques- and medicine. tion, “Does this cause that?” One ex- This is a book anyone who is trying to ample: Is my car damaged due to ne- interpret data and evaluate causal claims glect or faulty manufacturing? All kinds should read. We often assume too much of causal questions abound, and yet we in a cause-and-effect relationship, or is it rarely consider how to accurately an- really just a coincidence? This book will swer them. We may jump to conclusions help you think about the data within rather than exploring the various fac- its broader context. Although neither tors that we think may cause something. librarians nor information literacy is This book aims to change that. mentioned, the information presented The author is an assistant professor in this book is squarely in line with the of computer science at Stevens Insti- concerns of both. tute of Technology and has done a lot of research and thinking about causal- Deborah Lynne Wiley (deb@consultnw.com) ity. She explains complicated theories is principal of Next Wave Consulting, Inc. and methods in a very understand- Comments? Send email to the editor-in- able manner. chief ([email protected]).

MAR | APR 2016 ONLINE SEARCHER 79 Mary Ellen Bates > online spotlight Bates Information Services

Questioning and Streamlining Decisions

hat do the clothing choices of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuck- Granted, questioning your system of information services Werberg, and Barack Obama have in common? All triage makes those routine choices more difficult. Keep- three adopted a simple style—Jobs with his black turtle- ing in mind the notion that we have a limited amount of necks, Zuckerberg with his grey T-shirts, and Obama with a decision-making ability, find opportunities to simplify or closet of blue and grey suits. One reason why many strategic streamline some of those decisions. thinkers keep their wardrobe choices so simple is because One of the critical components in an information center’s they know people have a finite capacity to make decisions. toolkit is a collection of templates for delivering information, They want to limit the number of unnecessary or trivial de- insights, and answers. Creating the best deliverable for each cisions they make. client is much easier when you can review an existing set of Unless you work from home, you may not want to show examples and options—a patent family analysis, a social me- up to work in the same outfit every day. However, there are dia trend report, or an executive profile, for example. While other decisions we searchers face over the course of a day; it takes time initially to set up each format, the investment is some we may have let become unquestioned and routine, recouped as all the information professionals have access to while others require more consideration. When was the last the tools they need to provide higher-value services. time you identified and examined the wide range of search- In addition, value-added online services have developed a related decision points you encounter on a daily basis? range of tools for searching, displaying, and distributing in- Reference and information services have a strong element formation in new ways. Factiva offers chart-builder functions of triage built into them. How important is this request? How for graphically displaying trends and identifying influencers. urgent? How complex? Who’s available? In addition to any Patent databases have tools for visualizing key players and stated policy the library or information center has, we all emerging technologies. LexisNexis provides one-click trans- make snap decisions on how to handle any given request. lation of non-English content with a Google Translate API. At When a client requests background on a competitor, we de- least once a year, look at what new features are available in fault to providing X amount of information in Y format. When each of your information resources and evaluate whether to a client needs to monitor a topic, we set up a specific type of incorporate them into your routine deliverables. alert within a particular online service. Along with external resources, one of the most important How often do you stop and question whether you are still tools for dealing with difficult research projects and tough providing the best answers, in the best format and medium, choices is the ability to think creatively. As a resilient re- for these routine questions? Your clients probably do not searcher, you know how to step back regularly and evaluate grasp the wide range of information sources you have avail- the situation. Are you finding what you expected? Is there a able—not only the depth of the professional online services hidden assumption you missed? Should you stop now and but also deep web databases, open access content, social spend time making sense out of what you found, or should media mining, data visualization tools, and other nontradi- you keep looking? What would best meet your client’s ulti- tional resources. While clients may not specifically request mate goal? The more frequently you ask yourself these ques- research in these newer areas, it is our responsibility as in- tions, the easier it becomes to recognize a better approach, formation professionals to regularly re-examine what and spot critical outliers, and adjust your approach accordingly. how we answer our most frequent requests to ensure we are Like any habit, remembering to stop frequently and pivot as still providing the most relevant services possible. needed takes practice before it begins to feel comfortable. During your client interview, ask more open-ended ques- The payoff is that even the most challenging projects feel tions to determine what will happen with the results of your less onerous; you can avoid the dead ends and find unex- research. Will this information be inserted into a slide deck? pected insights. If so, ask for the template so you can create a visual to include. Is this to be distributed internally? Offer an executive summary, a checklist, or other material that would make Mary Ellen Bates ([email protected], www.BatesInfo.com) stra- the information easier to take in. In other words, look at not tegically limits her work wardrobe to T-shirts and jeans. only your end result but also your client’s ultimate goal. Comments? Email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]).

80 onlinesearcher.net Save the Date!

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