York University Libraries will present Research Frontiers Day on Thursday, Aug. 28. This one-day mini-series for faculty and graduate students provides four quick overviews of cutting-edge research technologies and issues. Each session is just one hour. Attend as many as you like; no sign-up is required. All sessions take place in Room 531, Scott Library (fifth floor).
The Use & Abuse of Citation Data
9:45 to10:45am
This session will introduce the myriad ways in which citation data is used by academics, administrators, historians and others. It will also provide an overview of key sources of citation data including free Web tools (e.g. Google Scholar, Harzing's Publish or Perish) and library subscription databases (e.g. Scopus, Web of Science). The limitations of using citation data and the scope for abuse will also be discussed.
Spinning Collaborative Webs: Connecting Social Networking Tools to Research and Learning Environments
11am to 12pm
Collaborative tools have been cited by the 2008 Horizon report as one of the key emerging technologies for teaching, learning, or creative applications. These tools are easy-to-use, free and familiar; Facebook and MySpace are examples of the two most popular social networking tools, but there are numerous other collaborative tools that can be a powerful way to network with other researchers and students, organize your research and plug in to the online research network. This session will explore several social networking, "lifestream" and collaborative tools (del.icio.us, FriendFeed, Google Docs, Connotea, Twitter) and look at developments on the horizon.
Keeping Up With Research: The RSS Way
2 to 3pm
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds are an invaluable tool for researchers who want to keep up with developments in a particular field. Subscribing to RSS feeds saves time since it pulls relevant information from blogs, wikis and databases into one location. In this session we will set up RSS feeds from individual scholarly journals as well as from searches conducted in a database.
Google Unleashed
3:15 to 4:15pm
Did you know that there are many specialized tools and advanced features built into Google that can make your searching more effective? This session will explore the advanced features of Google Search as well as some specialized tools such as Book Search. We will also discuss the merits and limitations of Google Scholar, in addition to looking at easy ways to link into York Libraries' online holdings from items found in Google Scholar.
Refreshments will be provided throughout the sessions. For more information on monthly events, visit the Research Frontiers Series Web site, or contact Lisa Sloniowski, assistant librarian, Reference, Scott Library, at ext. 20072, or e-mail lisasl@yorku.ca.