LibAnswer to Keep Statistics

Our library acquired LibAnswers over the summer. I really like this product! In addition to creating a Library FAQ and allowing auto responses to commonly asked questions via text, LibAnswers has a module called Reference Analytics. You can set up a bank that suits the needs of your library. Additionally, it is a lot easier to have multiple service points use the same statistics system because it is easy to filter results. I also like that any time we get an email, text, or FAQ question, there is the option to automatically counted the question in the statistics. For more information on LibAnswers, contact Springshare.

Google Search by Image

I am currently "enrolled" in the Power Searching with Google course. I have to say, I believe that even the most experienced Google searcher would learn a new trick or two with this course. Today I learned about Search by Image. Almost everyone knows that you can click on "Image" in Google and find images. What I learned today is that Google can help you identify images. Amazing? I think so. If you go to the Google Images screen you can drag over pictures from your desktop into the Google Search box. A new box then appears, search by image, and tells you to "drop image here". Google then runs a search giving you information about your image. Try it, it is fun. If you would like additional information on the Power Searching with Google course, you can read the article on the Google Blog.

The CRIV Blog

The Committee on Relations with Information Vendors (CRIV) now has a blog! Please follow it at http://crivblog.com/. The blog covers vendor updates and updates on the committee happenings. For more information on CRIV click here.

Assisting Faculty with Publishing

I have an article that was published in the February 2012 edition of AALL Spectrum. The article, Assisting Faculty with Publishing: How libraries can assist faculty throughout the publication process covers how librarians can assist faculty with the publication process with emphasis on how we do it where I work. Let me know your tips and tricks for helping your faculty with publication!