The Role of the Library Web Site

Article describes issues, resources, and technologies on the Web that impacts reference and user services

The Invisible Web Navigating the Web outside Traditional Search Engines

You've heard the pitch about how big the Web is—some 380 million pages and counting. But did you know that there is a virtual treasure trove of information that is not visible through the traditional search engines? Did you know that there are thousands of searchable databases, archives, and other information sources delivering highly targeted information for a much improved searching experience?—The Invisible Web Catalog on the Lycos Network. Search engines find Web sites, Web pages, and in some cases, specified types of documents. Some provide more comprehensive results while others provide more precise results. However, what most search engines rarely find are records in databases. Increasingly, valuable sorts of information reside in databases and remain out of reach of standard search tools. This reality is becoming more apparent and getting increasing press among would-be power searchers. Web sites are popping up to address the issue and point researchers in the right direction. Conferences are offering workshops on "The Invisible Web.

The Best of the Best Ranking and Rating Digital Reference Resources

What makes a Web site the best? There are myriad answers. What makes a Web site the best For reference? Even though the question is more specific, there are still many answers. A high-quality site can be hard to define in generic terms. In describing the process of selecting the top reference titles for the year, Lawrence similarly asked, "As for the pertinent question, what constitutes an outstanding reference title? Ask ten people, or librarians anyway, and you will get as many answers." It has been said, in fact, that quality is like art—it's hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Increasing attempts are being made to provide evaluated, high-quality Web surfing. Some of this is done by meta-site creation. These resources imply that a site is "good" if it's in the guide. Many examples of these sorts of sites available by and for libraries and their constituents exist. However, some resources go beyond simple listing and provide actual ranking, rating, and evaluation of sites, which can lean toward either the subjective or the scientific and are hard to do well without selection and ranking criteria. This column examines various examples of Web site rankings or ratings and attempts to enumerate the vast possibilities of criteria for evaluation

The Invisible Web: Navigating the Web outside Traditional Search Engines

You\u27ve heard the pitch about how big the Web is—some 380 million pages and counting. But did you know that there is a virtual treasure trove of information that is not visible through the traditional search engines? Did you know that there are thousands of searchable databases, archives, and other information sources delivering highly targeted information for a much improved searching experience?—The Invisible Web Catalog on the Lycos Network Search engines Find Web sites, Web pages, and in some cases, specified types of documents. Some provide more comprehensive results while others provide more precise results. However, what most search engines rarely find are records in databases. increasingly, valuable sorts of information reside in databases and remain out of reach of standard search tools. This reality is becoming more apparent and getting increasing press among would-be power searchers. Web sites are popping up to address the issue and point researchers in the right direction. Conferences are offering workshops on \u27\u27The Invisible Web

The Best of the Best: Ranking and Rating Digital Reference Resources

What makes a Web site the best? There are myriad answers. What makes a Web site the best for reference? Even though the question is more specific, there are still many answers. A high-quality site can be hard to define in generic terms. In describing the process of selecting the top reference titles for the year, Lawrence similarly asked, As for the pertinent question, what constitutes an outstanding reference title? Ask ten people, or librarians anyway, and you will get as many answers. (1) It has been said, in fact, that quality is like art—it\u27s hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Increasing attempts are being made to provide evaluated, high-quality Web surfing. Some of this is done by meta-site creation. These resources imply that a site is good if it\u27s in the guide. Many examples of these sorts of sites available by and for libraries and their constituents exist. However, some resources go beyond simple listing and provide actual ranking, rating, and evaluation of sites, which can lean toward either the subjective or the scientific and are hard to do well without selection and ranking criteria. This column examines various examples of Web site rankings or ratings and attempts to enumerate the vast possibilities of criteria for evaluation. To clarify at the outset, ranking and rating are two distinct processes. Ranking requires comparing sites with each other and putting them in some prioritized order (the coolest, the most in-depth, the best-looking, etc.). Rating requires evaluating a site against criteria and assigning a score or rate to the site based on the criteria. In reality, distinguishing constantly between the two processes in the scope of this paper would require a much more tedious examination than I have given and would lend a different tone than I hope to set. Thus, you will find references to ranking and rating as if they are very much the same

Hot Topics on the Web Strategies for Research

Some of the pitfalls of research on the Web are highlighted and exacerbated when the type of research being done is for "hot," controversial, or debatable topics. Who to trust, where to find the information, and how to determine what is reliable are all questions that will present themselves. However, the resources available on the Web are well suited for addressing many of the challenges of hot topic research. Finding points of view for obscure and well-known advocacy groups, finding the most current legislation on an issue, and finding recent events related to the issue are all actually enhanced and made easier by researching a topic on the Web. Knowing the pitfalls and benefits from the outset can make using the Web much more profitable for hot topics research. By using appropriate sites for topic identification, you can quickly build a useful collection of core sites. By knowing where to identify federal and state legislation, you can determine the state of current policy on a topic. And certainly, the Web is most likely to help with timely news and insight on advocacy groups that might provide no—or hard-to-find—printed materials on their positions. The following strategies and sources will facilitate efficient use of the Web for hot topics research that results in a full, well-informed view of the topic

Tips for (Re)Designing an Asynchronous Online Class

At Ohio State University, a recent move from the quarter to the semester system prompted a revision of two asynchronous, for-credit online information literacy courses we have been teaching for over 10 years on our campus. Online instruction has matured over those years and has become a well-researched, increasingly popular, and evolving form of pedagogy. Several studies within our own field have shown that teaching information literacy in a variety of online formats can be as effective as teaching face-to-face (Burkhardt, Kinnie, & Cournoyer, 2008; Clark & Chinburg, 2010; Salisbury & Ellis, 2003; Beile & Boote, 2004). In order to achieve this high level of effectiveness, what matters most for successful student outcomes is the course design. Here are some tips for achieving the best design of an online information literacy course

Reflections on Two Years of Manuscript Reviewing

College & Research Libraries receives a large number of manuscripts each year that have kept the two of us busy, as editorial assistants, with many of the initial reviews of submission for the journal during the last two years. In 2011 alone C&RL received 134 submissions, of which only 46 were finally selected for publication. This acceptance rate demonstrates the rigor of our review process, but it is coupled with our desire to help prospective authors succeed. There are insights we can offer from our editorial experience that help explain why manuscripts are rejected as well as advice on how to overcome typical problems and barriers we have observed. We would like to frame our insights around the editorial questions we are asked to answer in our initial evaluation of manuscripts

E-reference: incorporating electronic publications into reference

The traditional work of reference librarians has been greatly impacted by access to electronic publications on the World Wide Web. Reference librarians are also using the Web to create electronic publications for in-library users and Web surfers. By creating HTML documents that provide access to Web and other electronic resources, reference service is extended beyond the physical library and designated reference desk hours, opening the building for 24-hour access. As our definition of traditional reference service expands and evolves, so do the resources we use to provide that service. Electronic publications - resources not in a printed format which are accessible through the use of a computer with a modem or CD-ROM drive - deliver information to library users as a complementary alternative to printed reference collections. While most people would define electronic publications as electronic databases, full-text journal articles, and catalogs, a new resource is now possible. Reference librarians themselves are participating in the electronic publication trade by creating Web pages and finding aids to assist both themselves and their users to locate information electronically on the World Wide Web. The same Web medium that poses a new challenge for librarians offers major new tools to give us the power to control our own situation