Swimming in Information

Chugging through the old Google reader, I found mention of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's new media library on its marine sanctuaries Web site.

While many pictures (there also are videos) in the database are in the public domain, my efforts to insert a sea toad here failed. Turns out it is a "secure vault" of images and "right click" is disabled on the Web site. There also is an encyclopedia of the sanctuaries. The site looks like a good source for student research papers.

From the news release: “This robust online library offers thousands of images from all 14 marine protected areas managed by NOAA,” said Michiko J. Martin, national education coordinator for the marine sanctuaries office.

It is nice to hear a Washington-type use the word "robust" to modify something other than "debate."


Having been stymied in the sea toad area, I poked around other parts of the sanctuaries site and eventually landed in the NOAA Photo Library. This one allows not just downloads but use of photos, with credit. I selected the orphan bears by Ardo X. Meyer from the "NOAA's Ark" section.

Databases That Talk Back to You

My latest adventure in online learning was a Webinar -- though perhaps advertorial is more like it -- by Cengage Learning. It was essentially an introduction to some new features Gale is launching, its "PowerSearch 2.0 platform" for its databases. The session leader said it's still in Beta form but they hope to get it going within a month.

Essentially the features are the sort by now familiar to the interactive-Web-savvy librarian and AquaBrowser user: Individuals can set up their own accounts, where they can save searches over multiple sessions, which would be helpful when conducting extensive, long-term research or responding to students who come in over a period of time with the same research questions; bookmark searches or articles to share via Digg, Del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, etc.; set up folders for separate topics; and get RSS feeds or search alerts as articles related to chosen topics are added to the databases. (The Cengage session leader assured the group that the librarians would not be enlisted to check forgotten PowerSearch passwords for patrons; Gale will e-mail them to the patron.)

The library's dashboard, or navigation page, can include personalized areas such as a featured publication and user-set tabs, which were described as similar to RSS feeds on popular topics. An administrative key is needed to change these features; codes will be provided after the new platform launches.

Also new: Images found in a subject search appear in a separate area and can be simply scrolled over to enlarge. Video results also are displayed in a separate box and include a written synopsis so the user doesn't have to hear it all to determine if the content is relevant. Gale has a partnership with ShadowTV to provide video news content from NBC and other broadcasters.

Other new multimedia features include voice capability (the computer can read the articles aloud), podcasts, and MP3 downloads. Articles also can be translated into any of a slew of languages -- newly added are Polish, Russian and Arabic-- and winnowed by Lexile score to include those at the appropriate reading level.

The upgrade also will include tools to increase use, among them widgets that can be embedded in the library homepage for a direct link to PowerSearch (yes!). You can read more here.