Testing Blogger Images

Just testing out the new Blogger Images feature, which means uploading images without going through a dozen steps and still not getting a picture.

Here's one of the Geisel (as in Dr. Seuss) Library at UCSD, from the southwest corner. It's home to several libraries, including Science & Engineering. The tower is primarily social sciences and humanities materials, while we're in the grass off to the far right in the east wing.

Photograph by David Westphal

Webfeeds: PubMed!!

Thanks to Steven for the heads-up. PubMed's "send to RSS" option has gone live.

I've already set up a few alerts in Bloglines. The e-journal icons you get in PubMed carry over in the feed so you can go right to the article (assuming you have access, etc.). Unfortunately, it also cut off the names of my search feeds. Substrate specificity and protein phosphatases became PubMed: fluorescent specificit....

The odd thing is that the new results aren't showing up bold in Bloglines. This is also happening with my Factiva and ProQuest feeds, even though I'm getting the new content. Is this a Bloglines quirk with some dynamically generated search feeds? It's not happening with HubMed, ADS or Compendex.

Publisher/Webfeed Report: SLA Toronto

When I asked about feeds:

• Royal Society of Chemistry - coming soon; will probably start with Chemistry World
• Science Direct - coming but no date
• APS was actually promoting their feeds
• AIP, ACM, Wiley, ASME - variations of "don't know"
• Blackwell - no
• IEEE - planning to expand their current list; we also discussed the possiblity of search feeds
• ACS - thinks their working on it, and will check
• PubMed - didn't know when "Send to RSS" option will go live

Toronto (June 4-9)

I'll be at SLA, naturally. If I can snag a computer I might post while I'm up there (no laptop). Otherwise I'll have lots of notes for when I'll get back. I'm going to be checking in with all of our vendors to check on their progress in offering webfeeds.

There's been some chatter this year about how librarian-bloggers will identify themselves at the conference. I made up some badge stickers that I'll be bringing. Scroll down the page and you'll see it on the right under the Webfeed section. And yes, I borrowed this from the PAM group.

More on the ProQuest Feeds

In early May, I wrote about ProQuest's Curriculum Match Factor project, which John Law presented at a California Digital Library meeting. In the presentation he included screencaps of how libraries and faculty could use the feeds to generate "headlines" of the newest articles for one of about 70 topics--with links back to ABI Inform. He kindly sent me the screencaps to use in my presentation to the UCSD Library staff.

Those screencaps are now on the ProQuest site. I'm taking copies to SLA for when I meet with vendors. This is an excellent of what libraries and faculty could do with feeds, and what a marketing opportunity this is for the journal publishers and database providers.

Webfeeds: Cell Press (redux)

Cell Press has modifed their webfeed offerings (for the better). Instead confusing users by offering 4 flavors/journal, they just offering the 2.0. The entire list is now also available from each journal's page, from the "RSS" link in the upper right. Before, it was linked just off the Cell page.

RSS and Webfeeds: A Field Guide for Librarians [PPT]

My PPT presentation from May 12, with some modifications. There was a very good turnout, with a mix of librarians and staff from many of the campus library units, and I got some interesting questions that have given me some ideas for additional exploration.

Webfeeds: Cell Press

Cell Press now has feeds for their 10 journals, plus a combined "all headlines" feed. They're doing the New Scientist thing by offering 4 flavors for each feed: 0.91, 1.0, 2.0 and ATOM 0.3--what a way to confuse users. But at least it'll give me a chance to compare the feeds for the next time someone asks about the difference.

More Library Webfeeds

Two more libraries are using webfeeds for their new book listings, joining the libraries at Univ Alberta, Univ Louisville and Univ Kent. [added to the RSS Compendium]

• Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve Univ
  Several news/services feeds, plus 50+ feeds for new books by subject (and a few for VHS/DVD titles)
• RIT Libraries, Rochester Institute of Technology
  General news, and nearly 30 new book feeds
• University of Oklahoma Libraries
  General Announcements, Website & Technology Changes, and Employment Opportunities
  

RSS 101 Articles

2 recent articles on RSS came across my desk this week:

Feed Simple - Washington Post (5/11). He succinctly sums up what needs to happen to increase awareness and use of the technology.

• Make it available on your site, make it easy to understand (what it is, and how to use it), and make it easy for users to subscribe to your feeds.
  

A Guide to Using RSS, Which Helps You Scan Vast Array of Websites - Wall Street Journal via ABI Inform (5/5). More of a general summary about the various readers.