The Palomar College ATRC webinar topic this week was “Using Google Scholar”. The Google Scholar site is so easy to use that most visitors will not have any difficulty right from the start. There are, however, a few tips that will make it a little bit easier for you to find exactly what you are looking for. Tip #1: Set your Scholar Preferences At the top right corner of the page, look for the gear icon. Clicking the gear icon will give you the option to open the Scholar Preferences page. From there, you can set a number of options including your Library Links. Library Links allow you to...

It is a truism to say the computer technology—a misnomer that should be computing technology—changes quickly.  People often ask us, ‘how do you keep up?’  It’s true, in computing technology there are zillions of changes each year, thousands each day, but there is a way to stay on top of things.  It is three little letters: RSS. There is some debate about what RSS stands for, but let’s go with “really simple syndication.”  It is a scheme that permits web pages—using ‘web pages’ in the broadest sense, but usually meaning ‘blogs’—to publish a...

I have been evaluating the iRiver Story HD eReader this week.  While there are things to like about it:  its integration with the Google eBook store (the only eReader integrated so far), an SD expansion slot that can hold up to a 32 GB card, and really good battery life; there are more things to dislike: the ridiculous keyboard (though, to be honest, there is not much use for it), long book load times, lack of file management, small fonts on the navigation screens, and lack of page turning buttons on the bezel.  At $139.99 (available through Target stores or Target online) it is not going to compete...

1. Every word you put in the search box counts. Don’t use too many. Don’t ask a natural language question that a human would understand. The search algorithm understands only terms you give it, so express your search in the terms it might appear on the page(s) you are looking for. Stop words (the, and, a, for) are generally ignored, so don’t put them unless they form a definitive role in the term you are searching.  For example, searching on the term [bangles] will find references to the 80’s band along with lots of references to bracelets and other body ornaments.  Searching on [the bangles] will...

Is it easy to find out about someone on the Internet?  Was George Orwell a writer?  Of course. I’m going to be offering an Internet Basics workshop next week—really, really basics— but in preparation I am gathering resources that attendees might find useful.  About half the workshop will focus on search.  With that in mind, take a look at the infographic below.  Now think of someone.  What can you find out? via The Internet is a major, perhaps THE major, influence on civilization in the early 21st century.  This is for better or worse.  The infographic above demonstrates how easy it is to gather...