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Widgets for productive
workflows:
Providing reference services where
the work is done �C in the browser
Christina K. Pikas
Xtreme Reference
October 21, 2010
@cpikas #slamdxr

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Agenda
?Background and basis
?Strategies
?Examples
?Marketing
?Discussion
Widgets for Productive Workflows3

Background
?Lots of recent research reports on how
scholars work online
(Palmer et al, Harley et al, Proctor et al)
?Other information on how people locate
? Recreation or hobby information
? Health information
? Job information
?Information on how people socialize online

Generalities
?People like Google, but they don��t use it
well
?Libraries and librarians have things that
will help, but users don��t know about them
or how to use them
?Even true library fans satisfice when
looking for information
? To save time or money
? To not interrupt their work

The Idea
?Integrate library services where, when,
and how they are useful
?Base decisions on evidence
and best guesses
?Use freely available tools as much
as possible

Strategy
?Know your users
? What are their tasks?
? What are their environments?
? Where are their pain points?
? What frustrates them?
?Know what help you can provide and
what you do well
?Try something, evaluate it, and then fix
or ditch it

What can be done in the browser?
Widgets for Productive Workflows8 8
Toolbars
and
bookmarklets
Search
Status
bar

Right click
menus

Example 1: The LibX Toolbar
?The need
? Use the power of Amazon to identify
interesting books, but locate a library copy
? Find articles in Google, but authenticate to use
the library��s subscription
?The tool
? Built by Virginia Tech, it��s freely available
? Customize it for your users and your tools
? http://libx.org

Also adds cues to Wikipedia and other places and
hyperlinks ISBNs, ISSNs, DOIs, and PMIDs

13
Links to library web pages
Select which fields to
search
Add additional
fields
Search the catalog
or Google Scholar
Drag text over this to search
for that text in Google
Scholar

Example 2: Search box searches
?The need
? Search authoritative sources as easily as
web search engines
? Highlight information on the page
and search for that
?The tool
? Works easily in Internet Explorer and Firefox
? Premade ones from your vendors
? Specification is freely available
14

How?
Easiest way:
?Use Internet Explorer��s tools to create
your own
http://tinyurl.com/2jtlva
?Swipe the XML for Firefox
?Use the instructions from the specification
or from http://tinyurl.com/3xrbwyf
? Make it available as a link
? Make it autodiscover
17

Plus�� if they have the context search plugin, they
can then launch searches from wherever, after
highlighting��

Example 3: Bookmarklets
?The need:
? See if something is in the library
? Add something to your citation manager
? Make note of something
?The tools:
? Bookmarklets are javascript that sit in your
links bar
? They take information from what you
highlighted and submit it to a web form
? Like Amazon book info or citation info

Some library-type bookmarklets
?Add to Zotero, Add to Refworks, etc.
?Library Look Up
?EZ Proxy Reload

Marketing
?Browser plug-ins are still a tough sell,
even when you demonstrate them
?Autodetect for search will work for some
people who a) use the search block, b)
notice it, and c)want to search your stuff
?Looking for additional solutions!

Summary
?There are lots of ways to help your user
while they complete their tasks by adding
to their browser
?Start by figuring out what will help them
?Use open tools
?If you figure out the best way to market
these, please let me know!

Contact Information
Christina K. Pikas, BS, MLS
The Information Group
The Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
Voice 443.778.4812 (Baltimore)
240.228.4812 (Washington)
E-mail Christina.Pikas@jhuapl.edu
Blog http://scientopia.org/blogs/christinaslisrant

Resources
? http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Web_Browser_Extensions
? Aaron Tay��s blog http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/
? Harley, D., Acord, S. K., Earl-Novell, S., Lawrence, S., & King, C. J. (2010).
Assessing the future landscape of scholarly communication an exploration of
faculty values and needs in seven disciplines. Berkeley, CA: Center for Studies in
Higher Education, UC Berkeley. Retrieved from
http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/15x7385g
? Palmer, C. L., Teffeau, L. C., & Pirmann, C. M. (2009). Scholarly information
practices in the online environment: themes from the literature and implications
for library service development. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC Programs and Research.
Retrieved from http://www.oclc.org/programs/publications/reports/2009-02.pdf
? Proctor, R., Williams, R., & Stewart, J. (2010). If you build it, will they come? How
researchers perceive and use web 2.0. London: Research Information Network.
Retrieved from http://www.rin.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/web_2.0_screen.pdf
? Open Search specification:
http://www.opensearch.org/Specifications/OpenSearch/1.1#OpenSearch_descrip
tion_elements
? Tool to create search plugins: http://www.searchplugins.net/generate.aspx#
? Library Lookup generator (no Polaris yet!)
http://207.22.26.166/LibraryLookupGenerator.html
? EZ Proxy bookmarklet generator http://blog.philipwolstenholme.com/2010/02/log-
in-to-ezproxy-one-click-ezproxy-bookmarklet-generator-library-university/
27

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