Where do first year undergrads go for information? (Second level)

In this Wordle we took out the top four words to show the less frequently mentioned sources.

Where do first year undergrads go for information? (Top level)

We asked a lot of first year business students for a one word answer to the question, "Where do you look first for information when you have an assignment to do?" Four words dominated the results with 'internet' being by far the most common.

I was surprised by the predominance of the word 'internet'. I expected to see more reference to Google, or possibly other search engines, but very few specified any particular site.

[MyCourse is our Moodle based VLE.]

Library associations

I asked a group of MA Business students what they associated with the word 'library'. The results were interesting.

Seth Priebatsch: The game layer on top of the world | Video on TED.com

How is this going to change higher education?

My objectives for the year - Wordled!

Interesting day on Friday at the ARCLIB architecture librarians conference. Was there with a colleague giving a presentation. It seemed to go ok even though we hadn't as much time for preparation as I'd have liked, with so many projects going on and things to get done over the summer. I suspect I tend to *over* prepare, given the chance.

It was good to get a glimpse into the world of a different subject area, even though it meant missing the BLA (Business Librarians Association) conference which, in a bit of bad timing, was on exactly the same days. At least I managed to get some idea of what I as missing there thanks to Twitter.

Have brought back some notes of Web 2.0 tools to look at, or to look at in a new light, after the other presentations.

The important/urgent balance

I'm trying to do too many things at once lately and, as a result, am at risk of not giving important jobs as much time and attention as they deserve. Need to get back into the habit of sorting the important from the merely urgent. I know this, but I need to keep reminding myself. Self - pay attention! Consider yourself reminded!

A nudge

On Monday I've got an all day training course. It'll be good to get away from the desk for a while - sometimes you focus on the detail of the job so hard for so long you need a nudge to remind you to be a bit more reflective.

JISC online seminar on Twitter

I 'attended' a lunchtime online seminar about Twitter today, put on by the JISC Regional Support Centre. This was excellent timing as a few of us have just started Twittering as @SolentLibrary.

I was relieved to find that most of the content, even on third party apps, was familiar to me - I have been trying to keep up with developments - but still noted some things that I'd like to explore further. Notably Hootsuite which looks like it may have advantages over Tweetdeck in allowing multiple panels for different views, multiple account tracking and so on, and also a very handy looking 'pending tweets' feature.

I feel like I'm fairly confident now about the nuts and bolts of how to use Twitter, but I'm not sure anyone has yet pinned down just what its best used for beyond the obvious observation that it's a quick and easy communications medium.

One thing I'm fairly sure of is that some of the things I used to do here - new database announcements etc - could be better communicated via @SolentLibrary. Which probably leaves this blog as more of a reflective journal.

Essay writing

I gather some 'essay writing services' have been advertising locally. Beware - the quality of work is often dubious (you can probably do better yourself) and the use of them is a serious academic offence.

Want an argument?

An academic argument that is. Now on the 'New Book' shelf on floor 1A of the library How to Argue by Professor Alastair Bonnett.

Information is beautiful!

If you're interested in data visualization visit the Information is Beautiful site and see how you can win a copy of the book. Or wait a little while and borrow the copy the library has on order.

zzzz

Some people say libraries are boring, but there's no evidence of that. Is there?

When evaluating information sources really matters

Evaluating information sources is not just an academic exercise. This article from PC World warns of the despicable and inevitable Haiti online donation scams that are appearing. If you want to donate make sure you go to a reputable site such as the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Look for the 'https:' on donation pages indicating that the page is secure. Make sure your donation doesn't go to the scammers!