Keeping Current using RSS Feed-Readers (or News Aggregators)

RSS or "Really Simple Syndication," is an XML format for sharing syndicated information—generally, frequently-changing information—on the Web. RSS enables you to monitor Websites for new information without needing to visit each site or database.

Some RSS readers are freely-available to Web users; these include Bloglines or My Yahoo.

Many news sites and publication Websites supply RSS feeds of new/current information and/or research. Using a feed-reader enables you to view all of these feeds of news and research information in one place. Within a feed-reader, the feed will show a short description with a link to the full content.

Subscribe to a feed by entering the feed's link (URL in browser address bar) into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon to initiate a subscription process.

A subscription maps a feed to the user’s reader. Look for feed links on a feed service page or from a site’s main/home page or look for icons on the page or from within the browser’s URL address bar.

While feeds are commonly found at many news sites (BBC, CNN, Guardian, among many others), feeds are also available from the following research news sites:

Biology News Net

EurekAlert

PLOS (Public Library of Science)

Using the Bloglines Feed-Reader

Visit: http://www.bloglines.com/

Create an account: http://www.bloglines.com/register/

The Bloglines login is your email address; the password you create must be six characters in length (and ideally, not easily guessed).

Once you are logged in, you will be able to subscribe to feeds and to organize them into folders or categories of feed information.

For additional information about RSS readers, see:

http://www.library.wisc.edu/alerts/more-about-rss.html

On Steenbock Shelves…Flower Confidential

Years ago, I worked in the floral industry. As I unwrapped shipments of roses and Peruvian lilies and marveled at their provenance, I knew a great story was there for the telling—and that story has finally made it to Steenbock’s shelves. Amy Stewart, author of Flower Confidential examines the ins and outs of the cut-flower industry from plant breeders who craft a flower for its color and longevity as a cut specimen and the laborers who plant, harvest and process that commodity (sometimes at great peril) to the consumer whose appetite for the ‘perfect sentiment’ drives the market.

A rose is a rose…or is it just that? While I may wince at any reference to Valentine’s Day, the reader will be fascinated by this event and other critical dates on the industry calendar. A thoroughly engaging read.

Find Flower Confidential at: SB443.3 S74 2007 (book stacks, first floor)

Google Scholar Preferences

Users of Google Scholar will be pleased to note that retrieval can include a link to Find It at UW Madison. If you are using Google Scholar from an on-campus location, following the Find It at UW Madison link will map you to local holdings for the particular article—either in full-text online or as available in print from campus libraries.

If you are using Google Scholar from off-campus, select Scholar Preferences from the Google Scholar search page, and search for the name of your library in the Library Links section (for example, enter UW Madison).

Check boxes for your campus library system and Open WorldCat “Library Search”.

You can also select your preferred Bibliography Manager (EndNote, RefWorks, etc.). Once selected, links will appear with your retrieval to enable you to import citations into that manager.

Click Save Preferences in order to generate an active Find It and import links.

Do note that selecting a link to a full-text article from off-campus will require you to login with your UW Madison NetId. For information regarding remote access, see: http://www.library.wisc.edu/off-campus/

Steenbock Workshops for July 17 (Publishing Your Research Article and Managing Citations with EndNote)

Steenbock Library will host two workshops on July 17. No registration is necessary in order to attend and all workshops are free to students, faculty and staff. Check the sign near the library’s front entrance for room location.

Publishing Your Research Article in the Sciences and Social Sciences
Tuesday, July 17 (10:00-11:15)

Designed for graduate students and newer faculty in the sciences and social sciences, this workshop introduces library resources to help you prepare your research article for publication, find appropriate journals for submission, and manage your rights when signing a contract with a publisher. Join your colleagues to share ideas and to discuss the issues you face as an emerging academic author.

Managing Your Citations with EndNote/EndNote Web
Tuesday, July 17 (11:30-1:00)

This workshop covers the basic features of using EndNote Web and/or Endnote Desktop version, including organizing, searching and sorting records, importing records electronically from MadCat, journal article databases, and Web pages, and preparing bibliographies with a word processor (Cite while you Write).

Chemistry Database Workshops (SciFinder Scholar and Beilstein/Gmelin)

The Chemistry Library will host two workshops exploring databases for researching chemical literature and structure/property data.

SciFinder Scholar: Searching the Chemical Literature
Tuesday, July 10 (12:00-1:00 PM)
Chemistry Library, Room 2361 (Chemistry Building, 1101 University Avenue)

Workshop provides an overview of SciFinder Scholar and its search features, including structure, substructure, reaction, and research topic. Use of the ANALYZE/REFINE feature for improving retrieval, remote access, and downloading for citation management will also be covered.

Beilstein/Gmelin Crossfire: Searching for Organic, Inorganic and Organometallic Compound Information
Tuesday, July 31 (12:00-1:00 PM)
Chemistry Library, Room 2361 (Chemistry Building, 1101 University Avenue)

Workshop provides an overview of Beilstein/Gmelin Crossfire databases and search features, including structure, substructure, and property data. Modifying record display, combined structure and fact editor searching, exporting, and client availability will be discussed.

Workshops are free to attend (no registration necessary) and hands-on practice is incorporated into each session.