Summer is all about projects. Weeding the collection, updating web guides and tutorials and creating new ones (this summer it's converting all research guides to libguides), and evaluation, evaluation, evaluation.
This week I succumbed to widget mania. Our local libguides/database lead offered to create customized Ebscohost search widgets, so my research guide conversions and expansions are now being sidetracked by THE HUNT FOR WIDGETS.
Here are my current happy-makers...
- Aaron Tay's thoughtful post Does embedding search widgets increase usage? Using Google analytics to track this. Nice musings on usage and link to his instructions on how to build your own widget. Thank you for sharing the know-how!! Maybe I'll actually use it :)
- Information providers who provide a custom search widget builder that's publicly available
So far Gale is the only one that I know of. Gale Virtual Reference Library has been one of our most heavily used electronic sources, interesting since it's been pretty well buried on our site. I HEART Gale's widget builder
- Information providers who provide search widget builders in their administrative module.
Ebsco and CSA do this, not sure which others do.
It's a nice option IF you know about it. For myself, I'd much rather have a publicly accessible widget builder. Makes me feel like I'm getting my hands dirty. Plus I don't have to send yet another email to one of our techies :) - Information providers who offer pre-constructed search widgets
Web of Knowlege
WorldCat: Haven't tried these yet.
CQ Researcher: Sadly, not authenticated! *Sniffle* - Information providers who provide widgets that push attractive and authoritative content
CDC, you rock my world!
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