Subscribe to RSS Feed TechTips: Searching Wikipedia Using Powerset
Powerset is a discovery tool that (currently) extracts and organizes information contained in Wikipedia and Freebase. A natural language algorithm allows the searcher to use keywords, phrases, or even simple questions. The results page aggregates information from across multiple articles, in essence creating an enhanced Wikipedia article.For example, here is the search results for Thompson [...]
TechTips: Customized Google Search
Do you have a particular hobby or interest that you have compiled a collection of Webs sites and blogs for? Do you keep extensive bookmark lists for these collections? Are you frustrated that you need to visit each of those sites? Do you finding yourself sifting through pages of results that come with a generic [...]
TechTips: High Capacity Bar Codes
An academic librarian hands out a one page summary sheet at a library orientation program. Glancing down, an attendee notices a weird looking bar code placed at the bottom of the page. Taking out their mobile device, the attendee photographs the bar code and software converts the image into an Internet accessible address. The [...]
TechTips: Cloud Computing
I mentioned the concept of cloud computing in an earlier TechTip on Netbook computers. Many library staff members are already experienced users of cloud computing – without even knowing it. Some are using the cloud in the form of GoogleDocs. Staff users of Facebook take advantage of cloud, as do those that use photo sharing [...]
TechTips: ticTOC
Locating and accessing the tables of contents from a variety of journal publishers is time-consuming task, if possible at all. To make finding and subscribing to table of contents RSS feeds a simple process, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has formally launched it’s ticTOCS service. The ticTOCs service aggregates the tables of contents (TOCs) [...]
TechTips: Google SearchWiki
Have you ever wanted to mark up Google search results? Well, now you can. Google recently launched SearchWiki, a way for individuals to customize search by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on search results. Searchers can now move results that they like to the top of the Google results page, or add in a new [...]