Passive paster vs. Active learner

Are you caught in the sleepy, click-happy research rut of a passive paster?

Move beyond pasting to interacting with sources and you’re learning will increase exponentially. Check out the new Taking Notes page of the library research wiki for more information about note-taking methods and tools. Here are a few featured resources to get you started:

• Comparison of five note-taking methods
• Column notes (PDF for offline use – Word template in library’s share folder)
• Google Notebook (the topic of the March 7 Library Lunch bite session)

What should I read next?

Go to What Should I Read Next? and enter the title and author of a book you’ve enjoyed recently – you’ll get a list of suggested titles based on user recommendations (47,000 and growing).

This site is based in the UK, and unlike Amazon, it bases its suggestions purely on user recommendations, not purchase history. To read a description of a book, follow the link to Amazon UK or US beside the title in your results list.

Search several Richmond libraries at once

Alas, you won’t find materials from the MW Library among your search results yet (I’m working on that), but by searching WorldCat, you can search public libraries in the Chesterfield, Henrico, Richmond, and Pamunkey Regional systems, as well as VCU, VUU, U of R, JSRCC, Randolph-Macon and more (phew!) simultaneously.

Enter the title you’re seeking and your zip code and presto! Now all they need to do is integrate it with the GPS in your car or mobile device to help you get there, right?

Does the interface look familiar? You may have used WorldCat before by clicking on Find this book in a library in Google Books or the Library Search in Google Scholar.  If you like WorldCat, you can integrate it with your Firefox browser, Google toolbar, or Facebook account too!

Thanks to Cody for suggesting a post about this topic.

KoolTorch – a new way to visualize search results

You might have used search engines that present your results visually (like KartOO) or organizes them into clusters (like Clusty), but here’s an innovative approach that combines these two features: KoolTorch.

Can you imagine paging through 100 Google results? (yawn), but what if you could see 100 results on one screen, clustered by subcategory, and then quickly hover over each numbered result to see a page preview? Here’s what it looks like to view 100 results for the search query: renaissance art medici (hovering over result #10 in the Arts subcategory).  I’m not sold on the quality of the search results yet, but I like the innovative presentation!

What are you reading now?

What are your peers reading? your teachers? Share what you’re reading, see what others are reading, and talk about books and writing on a private social network created for this purpose: the Dragons Reading Room.

You’ll need an invitation before you can join, so fill out an invitation request and drop it by the library. Soon you’ll be creating your profile, setting up your personal page, adding comments and blog posts, and forming groups with peers who share your reading interests.

Are you passionate about improving the environment, erasing racism, eradicating poverty, or raising awareness about world hunger or the working poor in America? Form a group with Dragons who share your passion so you can discuss the books you’re reading to learn more about your cause.

Want to learn more? Come to the Library Lunch Bites session about the Dragons Reading Room on Feb. 22nd from 11:45-12:05 in the forum (bring your lunch).