I just finished reading the Project Information Literacy Report called "T R U T H B E T O L D: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age" (pdf link). In reading reports such as this, I try to reflect upon the information presented and how we might use the... Continue Reading →
What is a browser?
Libraries are often accused of using terms that the general public does not understand (catalog, OPAC, stacks, reserves, reference, periodicals, etc). As this video demonstrates, misunderstanding jargon goes way beyond the walls of the library. In this video, an employee from Google asks random New Yorkers, "What is a browser?". The... Continue Reading →
Implementing a text messaging reference service on the cheap
Many libraries now offer text-a-librarian services to extend reference service to patrons on their mobile phones. If your library has pondered the idea of implementing a text messaging reference service, but couldn't quite figure out a way to pay for the service, I hope you find this useful. Our library has been running... Continue Reading →
Happy Birthday, Jessica!
Our Reference Librarians love to celebrate birthdays. Today was Jessica's turn to get serenaded by the department, and Jason brought a lovely cupcake cake to celebrate the occasion.Formats available: Windows Media (.wmv), Flash Video (.flv)
Tech Tools for Tough Times
I was honored to present at the ALA MAR/RUSA program on Tech Tools for Tough Times. For my part of the talk, I discussed using web video to reach out to patrons, while also putting our knowledge on the web. Here are my slides. Give Your Work VoiceView more presentations from cfboeninger.
An exercise in evaluating web page bias
The screenshot below was taken from this article about Floyd Landis on 5/20/10. In the article, Landis admits to illegal use of steroids and blood doping, after denying it for the past 4 years. In the article, Landis also states that Lance Armstrong and other teammates were guilty of cheating as well. ... Continue Reading →
YouTube and Fox News for an evaluation exercise
I've been doing an evaluation exercise with many of my English 151 classes for the last couple of years. It works pretty well, and I've had several instructors request that I repeat it again for their future classes. Many of my colleagues have been asked about this exercise, so I thought I would... Continue Reading →
Yes, IM is still a great way for patrons to reach you
I work every Monday night. The business students all know that I work every Monday night, as my hours are posted on my Contact Page, and I tell them in every class I teach when I work. So here is what one Monday night looked like a few weeks ago, between 6:00 and 7:30. Yep,... Continue Reading →
Are blog comments necessary or just a pain?
Web Worker Daily has a post where they ask "Are Blog Comments Worth It?" I often ask the same question, particularly with the comments I get on my Business Blog. The Business Blog is primarily aimed at the faculty and students that I work with, although I do believe most of the hits to... Continue Reading →