There is a "clash of civilizations" going on in the information field--a clash characterized by a brash upstart, Google, and its attendant creations, Google Scholar and Google Books, and the old guard represented by the library world. Librarians who deprecate Google Scholar or simply ignore the Google phenomenon do so at their own risk. Google…

In the last 30 years, the application of the Delphi technique has been increasing. With the recent availability and established popularity of Internet-based research tools, the Internet has been identified as a means for mitigating Delphi limitations, maximizing its advantages, and expanding the breadth of its application. The discourse on the…

Understanding the interactions between people, computer-mediated communication, and online life requires that researchers appropriate a set of methodological tools that would be best suited for capturing and analyzing the phenomenon. However, these tools are not limited to relevant technological forms of data collections and analysis programs; it…

This article presents reports from the 2011 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference held on October 5-7, 2011. The first report, entitled "Online Information Literacy Instruction: Challenges and Strategies," was presented by Kristine Stewart and Kyle Denlinger, University of Missouri-Columbia. Stewart and Denlinger talk about…

A word cloud is a special visualization of text in which the more frequently used words are effectively highlighted by occupying more prominence in the representation. We have used Wordle to produce word-cloud analyses of the spoken and written responses of informants in two research projects. The product demonstrates a fast and visually rich way…

In recent years, libraries have made efforts to create games, often for the purpose of information literacy instruction. Games can provide an interactive alternative to traditional instruction by introducing research tools and resources while also teaching problem solving skills within a collaborative learning environment. Despite the benefits,…

A powerful search for "curiosity" or its related topics at the online American Psychological Association PsycNET database will produce comparatively disappointing meagreness of resource. This reflects our scanty knowledge in this field though curiosity is widely recognised as one of the most important factors that contribute to motivation and…

Mobile Internet-based technologies have created the opportunity for many students to view writing and research as an everyday activity. While many students use these kinds of technologies on a daily basis in and outside of the classroom, not many writing pedagogies reflect this shift or capitalize on how beginner writers use them to effectively…

While composition programs are frequently responsible for teaching basic research writing, it is still common practice to limit lessons in information literacy to "one-shot" library instruction sessions. This practice reinforces the perception that the research process is separate from (and simpler than) the writing process, that teaching students…

The key to establishing a defense against plagiarism is understanding the reasons that students engage in the process in the first place. Many students enter new grade levels academically unprepared for new challenges. When students encounter gaps between knowledge and the expectations of the classroom, some engage in unethical practices to propel…

Purpose: The paper comprises an extended discussion of the possibilities that Web 2.0 applications offer to doctoral researchers, and where such applications fit in the early twenty-first century in the research environment. It explores the main issues associated with their use by doctoral researchers, and how these factors have influenced the…

The University Real Estate Development Database is an Internet resource developed by the University of Baltimore for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, containing over six hundred cases of university expansion outside of traditional campus boundaries. The University Real Estate Development database is a searchable collection of real estate…

This article describes expertise development in a player group in the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft using visualization of chat log data. Charts were created to get a general sense of chat trends in a specific player group engaged in "high-end raiding", a 40-person collaborative activity. These charts helped identify patterns…

Today, many students not only access the Internet through desktop and laptop computers at home or at school but also have copious amounts of information at their fingertips via portable devices (e.g., iPods, iPads, netbooks, smartphones). While some teachers welcome the proliferation of portable technologies and easy wireless Internet access, and…

Library pathfinders are a time-tested method of leading library users to important resources. However, paper-based pathfinders suffer from space limitations, and both paper-based and Web-based pathfinders require frequent updates to keep up with new library acquisitions. This article details a step-by-step method to create an online dynamic…