searching

This week we explore search engines.
After reading about various search engines and the algorithms they use, I came away realising I am a lazy searcher. I have since been more conscious about what search engine i'm using and are employing better search techniques - using advanced searches, domains and " " more often than I used to and adding the - where appropriate!

Using a site such as Beaucoup can be advantageous in choosing the right search engine for the job .... but even though the 3 click rule has been dispelled, a one stop search shop like google does have appeal to the lazy searcher.

To test how well some search engines performed, a search on term "volcanoes school" was done. It was an enlightening. I tested different search engines gathered from the beaucope site but many of the results very very unpromising despite some being supposed to be educational search engines.

I enjoyed watching the videos on the knowledge 2.0 Livebinder site and spent a lot of time exploring different aspects of this site and the websites and information attached. I highly recommend it to everyone!

My favourite 'new' (to me) search engine is Wolfram Alpha - i like facts and calculations (though would have liked to know more about where they pull individual information from.

I guess the main point is that there are many different search engines and as an information professional you need to be aware of what's out there and hone your information and searching skills all the time......

no more lazy searching people

web evaluation

This week sees us exploring website evaluation.
It occurs to me that there is plenty of cross-over with aspects of collection management and the selection criteria used for acquiring resources. In fact many of the website evaluation tools are a simple extensions of those employed in selecting traditional resources (see Kennedy, 2006, pp. 50 - 53).

As was discussed in ETL 503 and raised by authors such as Hughes-Hassal and Mancall (2010) and Bishop (2007) when conducting any sort of evaluation of resources the purpose of the resources and the intended users and their characteristics must be the primary focus. In this way I agree with Herring's (2011, p. 39) assertion that educational criteria must be afforded the highest consideration.

In looking at the criteria available for use it is also worthwhile considering for whom the criteria is developed? Is it for a teacher or T-L to use in evaluating resources for students or is it designed for use by students. This distinction should colour the language and depth of evaluation required by the criteria.

Bishop, K. (2007). Community analysis and needs assessment. In The collection program in schools : concepts, practices and information sources (4th ed.) (pp. 19-24). Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.

Herring, J. (2011) Improving Students' web use and information literacy: A guide for teachers and teacher librarians. London: facet Publishing

Hughes-Hassell, S., and Mancall, J., (2005) collection Management for Youth: Responding to the needs of Learners. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Kennedy, J. (2006). Collection Management: A concise introduction. (2^nd ed). Wagga Wagga NSW: Centre for Information Studies.