Next generation catalogues, discovery interfaces and their role in helping meet changing user needs
4th May 2010

Discovery interfaces are bringing a new search experience for library users including tagging, book reviews and faceted browsing, but more is needed because of the growing expectation that information will be available via mobile devices. They are also opening up the privacy debate with features such as reading histories and recommended related items.

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Writing for the public domain
4th May 2010

Writing for the general public is not a simple task. Apart from writing in plain English (not straightforward in itself), there are fonts, formatting, alternative formats and languages, accurate data and, most important of all, the audience you are writing for, to consider. In this article, Jonaki Sarkar steers us through the do's and don'ts of writing for the public domain.

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Enterprise Content Management: Another Role for Info Pros
6th April 2010

In an age when the Web allows everyone to do their own research, how do information professionals add value to an organisation? The answer is to connect users to the internal repository of information assets through enterprise content management; something information professionals are in a unique position to lead as they are already doing it!

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Coalition calling: focusing the research efforts in the LIS industry
6th April 2010

The LIS Research Coalition was founded about a year ago and is bringing badly needed co-ordination to LIS research in the UK. Their role in facilitating a strategic approach, developing the research capacity and generally being a central focus for LIS research will play an important role in future research.

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The importance of being earnest: About requirements and purpose
6th April 2010

Why is it that employees often complain about the tools they use to keep track of documentation? Ulla de Stricker looks at how this is often caused by a lack of consultation between those selecting and configuring the system on the one hand, and those who are going to use it on the other hand. She stresses the vital importance of information professionals in this process and the value of investing time in attributing metadata to information objects.

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Mastering 140 characters: Engaging customers on Twitter
6th April 2010

Twitter is increasingly being used by businesses but how can the rather restricted nature of Twitter be used effectively to engage with customers? Here Barry Graubart gives us his top tips for getting the most out of Twitter so that there are benefits for both you and the customers.

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FreePint Report: Copyright Policies and Practices
23rd March 2010

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Social Networks in Research: Friend or Foe?
9th March 2010

For researchers, the wealth of information now available in social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter can be a time saver. But there are some people, and some information, that are truly only accessible via a Web 1.0 mode: cold-calling. Ellen Naylor shares tips on using social media information to warm up the cold call process.

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Life is Tweet: Social Media at Orkney Library & Archive
9th March 2010

In this third of a three-part series of how social media has been implemented in vertical markets, Stewart Bain shares his experience with using Twitter and Facebook for the Orkney Library & Archive. By keeping social media messaging informative, timely, and flexible, the library has found new ways to reach constituents.

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Knowledge in the round: Information management in a 3-D world
9th March 2010

In a digital world, a single- or two-dimensional approach to information classification is increasingly out of step. Using the precepts of Q6 and Quantum Semantics, John O'Gorman describes a multi-dimensional approach that transforms flat metadata and keywords into rich information assets.

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