Blogging Librarian » Reference Services

Slam The Boards!

Isaak Kwok — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:55:09 +0000

Come next Monday (10 September 2007), librarians all over the world have been encouraged to “Slam the Boards!” by visiting online “answer sites” such as Yahoo! Answers, Ask MetaFilter, Wikipedia Reference Desk, or Amazon’s Askville, to field as many questions as they possibly can. And in the process of answering the questions, the librarians need to inform other users that it is indeed librarians who are answering the questions.

So, if you have the time and are so inclined, do go and participate in “Slam the Boards!”.

(via Library Journal)

Technorati Tags: enquiry services, librarians, reference services, slam the boards!

Top 10 Online Databases for General Research

Isaak Kwok — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:01:54 +0000

The Florida Metropolitan University (FMU) Online has compiled a Top 10 list of the most useful online databases.

The list is as follows:

Academic Search Elite (EBSCO)*
ABI/INFORM Complete (ProQuest)*
CQ Researcher
Gale Virtual Reference Library*
Oxford Reference Online Premium
LexisNexis Academic*
College Source Online
Plunkett Research Online
Census Information
WorldCat (OCLC)

I’ve added asterisks (*) to those that are available at NLB’s eDatabases.

However, we do have a lot more online databases that cater to the general public. Go to the above link to find the rest of online databases.

Technorati Tags: edatabases, librarians, libraries

Yet Another Quick Answer Service

Isaak Kwok — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:28:08 +0000

AskMeNow is yet another quick answer service. The slight difference is that you’ve got pay US$0.25 per text message question. You’ll receive your answer via text message as well. The answers received are most probably done by humans. However once the questions have been answered, the answers are stored in their database for quick retrieval if someone asks the same question.

Anyway, the service seems to be only available in the United States though they do have a subsidary in the Philippines according to their “Contact Us” page. So, too bad for everyone else who doesn’t stay in the States. Well, for those in Singapore, you’re more than welcome to send you enquiries to NLB’s ASK Service.

(via LibrarianInBlack.net)

Dominance of Yahoo! Answers

Isaak Kwok — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

Yahoo! Answers Dominates Q & A - No Wonder Google Gave Up Yahoo! Answers has a market share of 96.1%, according to statistics from Hitwise. And the next in list is Answerbag at 2.0%. It’s little wonder that even a big player like Google couldn’t compete with Yahoo! in this area. I wonder how Amazon’s recent offerings of Askville and NowNow would fare against the might of Yahoo! Answers. (via Scoblelizer’s Link Blog)

Technorati Tags: amazon, askville, google, nownow, reference services, yahoo answers