Insurance

Abstract

The Web provides access to a vast amount of information related to insurance. This chapter covers portals, sites to obtain insurance ratings, and resources for statistics related to insurance.     

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Abstract

This knowledge path is divided into five sections covering basic patent questions, the U.S. patents database, patent law (statutes, regulations, treaties and court cases), statistics and general information patent Web sites. The U.S. patent database file, the text of patent laws and regulations, and statistics are available from the USPTO Web site. Since USPTO does not compile a complete list of court cases pertaining to patents, better resources for this kind of information exist outside of the Patent Office. Web sites included in the general information section either bring together and organize a large number of patent information resources or provide easy to understand explanations of patent law.     

Internet Reference Sources in Education

Summary

With so many Internet sites devoted to education for educators, administrators, and librarians, it can be a daunting experience trying to find needed resources. There are special sites devoted to teachers, children, and parents. The government provides free access to database searching, statistics, and full-text publications. State and local levels of government also host valuable data and reports. More and more journals are appearing online in full-text format escalating user expectation to assume all journals will be available via the Internet. Tapping into higher education and academic library sites connects to content rich links. While this is not an exhaustive listing of educational Web sites, it leads to a myriad of valuable resources.     

Web-Scale Discovery: Impact on Library Database Web Page Views and Usage

ABSTRACT

Web page views of databases by title and databases by subject pages, in conjunction with COUNTER Database Report 1 and Journal Report 1 statistics, were examined to determine what impact a migration to Primo, a Web-scale discovery layer, had at Central Washington University Brooks Library. The analysis determined that the first year post-migration (2015) compared to the two years pre-migration (2013–14) saw a decline in Web page views of database Web pages, journal full-text article requests, and database record views and result clicks. The implementation of Primo thus had a noticeable negative impact on both direct database access and overall electronic resource usage during the first year post-migration.     

Strategic Planning for Distance Learning Services

Abstract

The Web is often characterized as a universal information space, in the sense that the provision of and access to Web content is open to all. It is well known, however, that the majority of Web content originates from a small group of English-speaking countries, chiefly the United States. This paper examines trends in the internationalization of Web content, and in particular, whether the Web is becoming increasingly globalized as it matures, and to what segment of the world's countries and languages it currently extends. Sample data from 1998 and 1999 suggests that the Web's content is still far from a true global cross-section, but is slowly expanding both in terms of its geographical origins and the languages in which it is made available.     

Tracking User Behavior with Google Analytics Events on an Academic Library Web Site

ABSTRACT

The primary purpose of an academic library Web site is to serve as a portal to library-acquired content. Navigational design of a library Web site affects the user's ability to find and access content. At Albertsons Library, the goal of the navigational design of the Web site is to mimic user behavior on the Web site to help them access information and articles from over 300 different library vendors. Coordinating with different vendors makes tracking the navigational flow of user behavior difficult with the tool Google Analytics. Using the events feature in Google Analytics, the team responsible for Web design was able to track user flow, and was able to quantify how many users were actual “drop-offs” versus those that were clicks into library resources. Decisions made after acquiring these data resulted in a Web site with a 10 percent or less bounce rate, and decreased the number of clicks required for users accessing the library's content.     

Using RSS Feeds to Alert Users to Electronic Resources

SUMMARY

RSS technology is growing in popularity among libraries as a way to distribute, or syndicate, information about new electronic resources and Web content to users. “Really Simple Syndication” is an effective communication tool for libraries because it supplies the user with to up-to-date links and announcements on the library Web site after only one initial setup function. RSS does not require the user to make frequent visits to the library Web site for updated information; rather, it gathers content from any Web sites designated by the user, and delivers news to the users in an aggregated format. The benefits of RSS are that the software to setup the service is often free for downloading and many users are already familiar with the application. The “orange button” now present on so many commercial Web sites ranging from news sites to blogs is gaining a presence on library Web sites.     

Click and Be Counted: A New Standard for Reference Statistics

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the National Information Standards Organization's new standard, NISO Z39.7-2004, which includes the reporting of the usage of library-generated Web pages and e-mail, live chat, and instant messaging reference queries. The integration of statistics on these new methods of providing service with traditional library statistics provides a more accurate picture of library services and demonstrates how libraries have expanded types of patron contacts in the digital age. This article also discusses the statistical reporting of individual reference queries handled away from the reference desk (e.g., in individual librarians' offices).     

The Library Web Site: Collaborative Content Creation and Management

ABSTRACT

Oakland University's Kresge Library first launched its Web site in 1996. The initial design and subsequent contributions were originally managed by a single Webmaster. In 2002, the library restructured its Web content creation and management to a distributed, collaborative method with the goal of increasing the amount, accuracy, and timeliness of the information available on the library Web site. The new model was successful, resulting in a significant increase in both the amount and timeliness of the information presented on the library Web site. This article details the fundamental structural changes to how the Web site was managed and the rationale behind it.     

The Future of Web Citation Practices

ABSTRACT

Citing webpages has been a common practice in scholarly publications for nearly two decades as the Web evolved into a major information source. But over the years, more and more bibliographies have suffered from “reference rot”: Cited URLs are broken links or point to a page that no longer contains the content the author originally cited. In this column, I look at several studies showing how reference rot has affected different academic disciplines. I also examine citation styles’ approach to citing Web sources. I then turn to emerging Web citation practices: Perma, a “freemium” Web archiving service specifically for citation; and the Internet Archive, the largest Web archive.     

Action Research: Methods That Make Sense

Abstract

This article outlines five Web 2.0 resources and looks at the use of these tools among medical and nursing professionals and students at the Hospital, Medical School, and Nursing School of the University of Pennsylvania. Questionnaires showed that a majority of the individuals surveyed were unfamiliar with Web 2.0 resources. Additional respondents recognized the tools but did not use them in a medical or nursing context, with a minimal number using any tools to expand their medical or nursing knowledge. A lack of time to set up and use the resources, difficulty of set-up and use, skepticism about the quality of user-generated medical content, and a lack of perceived need for Web 2.0 resources contributed substantially to non-use. The University of Pennsylvania Biomedical Library is responding by increasing the availability of basic, quick, and easy-to-use instructional materials for selected Web 2.0 resources.     

Academic Libraries as Digital Gateways: Linking Students to the Burgeoning Wealth of Open Online Collections

ABSTRACT

Digital collections of full-text e-books are proliferating on the Web and provide a wealth of open content for students. To examine whether academic libraries are providing a digital gateway to these resources, ten e-book titles from open digital collections were searched in the online catalogs and Web pages of ten academic libraries serving distance learners. Only three of the digital collection e-books were available from any of the library catalogs, and none were found on library Web pages. Availability of the ten e-book titles through Google and other digital discovery tools also had mixed results. Continued projects for improved delivery of open online content are necessary. In order to fulfill their role as digital gateways for their academic communities, libraries must pursue metadata standards to support cross-searching, collaborative projects, and development of e-resource search software, which integrates with the library catalog.     

Reaching Additional Users with Proactive Chat

ABSTRACT

Despite a general decline in recent years in academic libraries’ reference desk statistics, research indicates that library users continue to have complex research questions but are largely unaware that librarians are waiting and ready to assist them. The challenge for librarians is to connect with users at their point of need. At Bowling Green State University, we are making a move in this direction with proactive (pop-up) chat widgets embedded within our library Web pages, catalog, and databases. Since implementation, the number of chat reference questions received has more than doubled, helping us reach additional users from on-and off-campus.     

Structures and Choices for Ready Reference Web Sites

Summary

The structure of ready reference Web sites in American public and academic libraries reflects answers to consistently encountered design questions. A survey of 100 Web sites shows widespread agreement about naming these resources, using subject categories, and relying on free unlicensed Web sources for content. Opinions are divided about the optimum number of listed sources and the best ways to organize hot links. Guides and explanations rarely are provided for users. Librarians have not built these sites around commercial products, although advanced search features could make the purchase of ready reference tools more appealing. Further study of user behavior would help librarians meet the needs of their clientele.     

Visual Maps of the World Wide Web

Summary

The difficulties of finding intellectual content in the multidimensional environment of the Internet pose new problems for the LIS professionals and for the users they seek to serve. Many Internet users report the “lost in cyberspace” phenomenon and print publishing has flourished surrounding users' need to find good intellectual content on the World Wide Web. This paper examines the cognitive aspects of arrangement and organization on the Internet and then examines some of the techniques being used to create maps of the intellectual content found there. Through many centuries, maps have been a helpful cognitive aid in providing a practical congruence between a large, three dimensional landscape and a portable, intuitive, two dimensional reference source. Some of the same features of maps are being used to provide some cognitive sense of the contents of special topical areas on the Internet and particularly the World Wide Web.     

On the Preservation of Knowledge,or “Paging Doctor Johnston,Doctor Johnston to Surgery!”

ABSTRACT

Aggressively promoting a Web site is the best way to ensure that colleagues and information consumers are aware of the resource's existence. A strategy that worked well for one such resource, The Researching Librarian, is discussed. Methods such as submitting the site to search engines, announcing the site to members of relevant listservs, and informing the media will increase awareness of a resource and usage for sites providing useful and needed content.     

Creation,Management, and Assessment of Library Screencasts: The Regis Libraries Animated Tutorials Project

ABSTRACT

The Distance Learning Department of the Regis University Library is charged with providing library instruction for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in accelerated courses offered at six distance campus locations and online. The department has created a series of animated online tutorials (i.e., screencasts) accessible via the library Web site. These interactive tutorials cover basic library services and resources and represent an effort to provide asynchronous bibliographic instruction to remote library users. This paper describes the use of screencasting software to create library tutorials and related issues including software options, production tips and techniques, and project management. In addition, the author describes the use of Google Analytics to record usage statistics and perform assessments.