For those of you using the Firefox web browser (and if not, why?) here is an add-on that is currently impressing me to pieces : Add to Search Bar.

It isn’t flashy, or obvious, but it does one thing that makes it highly recommended in the library world : you can visit an OPAC search page, right-click in the search box, and add that search to your built-in Firefox toolbar. It’s that easy.

I have tested it on Millenium and Voyager with 100% success. I don’t know how it will handle other OPACs or search tools, but the ability to search my workplace’s collection without having to go through the multiple layers of our web site will save a great deal of time and effort.

Add to Search Bar web site.

found via ResourceShelf

Time to change your links… the site formerly known as FirstGov.gov is now USA.gov.

The search page is USASearch.gov.

Easier for people to remember, once they get used to the change!

from ResourceShelf

There are other online directories of libraries available, but lib-web-cats is indispensable if you need to find libraries using a particular integrated library system (ILS). Their advanced search page is very powerful, letting you narrow your search by geography, library type, ILS, and more.

This tool is maintained by Marshall Breeding, who is hoping to expand it even further, as his post on Web4Lib states:

As part of the work that I do in following trends in library automation, I maintain the lib-web-cats database of libraries. I’m currently interested in gathering more data about what link resolvers, federated search/metasearch applications, electronic resource management modules, and alternative catalogs are currently being used in libraries, in addition to the current and previous ILS’s.

I’ve recently extended lib-web-cats to add fields for these other automation components and would very much appreciate it if Web4Lib members would visit the database and update it for their libraries. I’m especially interested in recording open source options being used by libraries in addition to the commercially provided ones.

Once you find your library in the database, there will be a “details” link that displays the information that I have so far. You can use the “Update this Entry” button to enter additional information. Drop me a note off-list if you have any difficulties.

The information you provide will help me in the research that I do for the articles that I write on library automation, but is also freely available for anyone else that’s interested.

I appreciate your help.

-marshall

Yet another reason to create web pages that are accessible (although we shouldn’t need anything further than making sure that as many people as possible can use them):

Google now has a search page for the visually impaired. They rank the results based on how well the html degrades.

Google Accessible Search

from Monkey Bites