Cool Tools #2 - The Journal Finder

Posted by Andy

So in the second of our Cool Tools part of the show we thought we'd bring to the party Research Gate's newest weapon - The Journal Finder.

For those of you unaware what Research Gate is, it is a scientific network that connects researchers. It also allows you to find research partners, collaborate with scientists and explore journal articles.

According to Research Gate there are more than 20,000 Journals in print and as we all know it is sometimes it is hard to find the best fit for your paper. Their Journal Finder will help you discover which journals are most relevant to your research.

Here's how it works: Copy and Paste your article's abstract into their semantic search algorithm, and it will identify all of the relevant journals.

In addition, we will share all publication restrictions with you, as well as more information (e.g. impact factor) about the journal.

New member of team

Hello everyone, my name is Helen Buckley Woods and I’m a new Information Specialist at ScHARR. The main focus of my time here will be contributing to the work of the Public Health Collaborating Centre. Before working at ScHARR I was gainfully employed for a number of years at Sheffield Hallam University as a subject librarian working with the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. I’ve also happily worked in public, FE and school libraries.

When not involved with library and information business I like to play my violin and hang out with my greyhound Duchess; HRH is a beautiful animal and good company.
Before I sign off (for now), I can’t resist suggesting that you have a look at the Retired Greyhound Trust website to sponsor a dog or adopt your own walking work of art.

Helen

Research Funding Update: Projects and Programmes

Photo by timparkinson

Post by Anna

Research Funding Update: Projects and Programmes

For more information about the funding service please visit our Research Funding page or contact me on 0114 2220894 or by email a.j.cantrell@sheffield.ac.uk

Cool Tools #1 - Creately

Posted by Andy

We usually have a recommended website every month, but given the fact I was going to post two in a month it would make it that little less valued, no single website should share the award. So I've decided to start giving them their own little tag line of 'Cool Tools'. These are anything from Web 2.0 tools to support your research, teaching, collaboration and learning, to websites that search scholarly articles in a new way. Considering there are so many great new tools out there, it seems a shame to restrict them to just one a month when we stumble on them, so from now own they'll have the tag cooltool along with the usual keywords, which you'll be able to search of find in the tags on the right hand side of this blog.

So enough of the waffle, here's the first site to get the Cool Tool treatment. It's an innovative little website that allows users to draw diagrams and designs online. This is anything from online flowcharts and computer networks to Web mockups and sitemaps. Creately works on the idea that it is "easy, collaborative and smart."

The main features of Creately are that it is an easy and intuitive online diagramming tool which is Web-based with smart user interface and quick start templates, with the bonus of accessing your charts anywhere. Like most decent Web 2.0 tools you can:

Draw Diagrams & Designs right in your browser.
No Software Downloads. No Installs.
Collaborate on online diagrams.
Create, Share and Publish diagrams online securely.
Large email attachments are history
Intelligent objects speed up designs
Automatic validation checks and smart connectors
Data powered diagrams
Capture data in your diagrams. No more back and forth between multiple tools.

If you want to know more - view their short five minute video below

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Part II)

Picture by Andy

The ScHARR Library team made the most of the seasonable weather last week by heading out to Hanging Rock* for a picnic. Mercifully the weather stayed dry and the picnic was quickly demolished by the team (who suddenly developed the appetites of half-starved elephants once the food was all set out) which included:

Selection of cheeses, plus home-made bread
Tomato and Basil Couscous
Salad
Crisps a-plenty
Home-made quiche
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Strawberries/Raspberries/Cherries
Drinks of all kinds including some asti spumante!

Pictures to follow, though viewers of a sensitive disposition should be aware that some of the 'after' shots of the picnic food are not for the faint-hearted...

C

*alright then, it was Weston Park really

Posted by Claire

Draft Council Paper on CILIP and the Use of Web 2.0

Posted by Andy

You can view the CILIP Council draft paper on Web 2.0 here

Is it a portal or a reader? You decide!

Clinical Reader brings together 'research articles, news and multimedia' from sources such as peer reviewed journals and broadsheet newspapers. We think we like it, but we're still deciding. Check it out and make up your own mind at http://clinicalreader.com (image is a screengrab of http://clinicalreader.com taken at 15.55pm 10 July 2009 by Claire Beecroft)

Posted by Claire

NEW: Research Funding Update: Fellowships and Studentships

Photo by Princess Milady
Post by Anna

Research Funding Update: Fellowships and Studentships

For more information about the funding service please visit our Research Funding page or contact me on 0114 2220894 or by email a.j.cantrell@sheffield.ac.uk

A Vision of Students Today

Posted by Andy

Recommended Website of the month - Pubget

Posted by Andy

I stumbled onto this site whilst reading through the latest posts on the Mobile Libraries Blog. This is not a blog for librarians who travel up down the country to tiny villages with the latest Harry Potter book, but for librarians using technology to help them in their day to day work. With regards to Pubget, even though our institution isn't registered with them yet, I was able to carry out a search which took me to a pdf, which obviously detected my IP address as being this University. It's early days, but it looks a useful supplement to existing resources of its ilk. Here's what Pubget says about itself.

Pubget indexes nearly 20 million life science research documents, including those in PubMed®. You search it by typing terms into the search field, a lot like you'd search PubMed or Google Scholar. The difference is Pubget gets you the PDF right away.

Pubget solves the problem of full-text document access in life science research. Instead of search results linking to papers, with Pubget's proprietary technology, the search results ARE the papers. Once you find the papers you want, you can save, manage and share them — all online.

Each year, scientists spend at least a quarter billion minutes searching for biomedical literature online. This is time they could better spend curing disease and building the future. Pubget's mission is to give them (you!) that time back.

How NOT to use Powerpoint

Posted by Andy

Is it acceptable to type 'lol' or 'rofl' in a library blog post? Well if there was a rule, I just broke it. I saw this video at a conference on how to give an effective presentation. I think I've broken every rule in this video, so from now on will stick to using mime or maybe the art of dance to get my point across.

July edition of Take Five

Photo by Barnoid

Post by Anna

July edition of Take Five

The latest edition of Take Five is packed full of current awareness, training courses, research funding opportunities and new websites.

To join the Take Five distribution list please contact me, Anna Cantrell on 0114 2220894 or by email a.j.cantrell@sheffield.ac.uk

Fefoo

Posted by Andy

Despite being sometimes renowned for being a bull at a gate and that I can quite often rush in like a big old fool where angels fear to tread in their Birkenstocks. Yet in terms of my Internet start page, I have for a very, very, very long time stayed with Google.
Probably before that it was Netscape or Lycos or some similar starting point. That was until today, and I'm not sure whether this new love affair will last but I'm quite curious nonetheless as I move onto a new start page. Looking very much like Google (well the formula works doesn't it?); the search engine in question is Fefoo.

It's not unlike so many of the other multi-search engines such as Dogpile, but the appealing feature of Fefoo is that you can refine your searches quickly and nicely to certain websites and content. That does not mean that Google has had it, but maybe a combination of increasingly finding myself in Google - AKA the Tescos of the World-Wide Web, I'm concerned about the homogenisation of the Internet and that I'm no longer questioning whether it's any good - or maybe it's that I'm just not getting out enough any more.

Fefoo say: " You use it like a normal search engine, but fefoo is not a search engine, its an application that helps you search better. It uses the traditional search engines to search. You search on categories and your search is more refined from the time you start searching. In case you don't use categories it works like a normal search engine. fefoo is not about changing the way you search but it helps you in searching better with less clicks and your search is more precise."

Low-Cost Multi-point Interactive Whiteboards Using the Wiimote

Posted by Andy