IT Interest Group: Ideas? Topics? New products to discuss?

[Sarah]

If you made it this far, you're in the right place.  Welcome!

As the incoming chair of the IT interest group, I'd like to solicit ideas from you about what you'd like to discuss at the next meeting. 

It looks like the following topics have already been discussed to some length in previous SEPTLA meetings, but we could use these as a starting point to find a suitable topic for the Spring.  Between Reference and IT, they include:

- Federated Searching
- EBSCO A-Z
- Database link resolvers
- Next-Generation Catalogs (tagging, faceting, integrated search features, book reviews, etc)
- Various digital projects at Bible Baptist
- Video editing and screen capture software like Camtasia, etc for instructional videos/distance learning

Other ideas for thought:

- RSS and blogging in library websites
- Library website design, organization, maintenance - tips and good examples
- Citation management (EndNote, Zotero, RefWorks)
- Online research/course guides (has anyone had experience with LibGuides?)
- ...

[Marsha]

Hi, Sarah:
I just posted for Reference Interest Group that I'm personally interested in exploring the issue of federated searching.  Maybe we could think about doing a joint project about this for May? 

[Sarah]

If others are up for it, I'd be willing to look at Federated Searching a bit closer.  Do we know which of our libraries currently has this feature?

[Chris Beldan]

We got a letter from OCLC dated Feb 24 which indicates that there is to be expansion of the FirstSearch base package to include OAIster, CAMIO and ArchiveGrid databases at no extra cost and then in May, to include at no extra cost "an entry-scale, hosted version of CONTENTdm".  If this latter item works out, it could provide schools a cost-effective digital repository.  If by our May meeting some details on this are available, it would be worth a little time.