Gmail ... did you know?

Did you know that Google has made their gmail product available to the public? I admit, I'm a little late with this post [grimace] but its still valuable info! As of February '07, gmail has been available to the public.

Why would you want to use gmail? Google has created the top 10 reasons why you want to use gmail, here.

Want to read about new features? Click here.

Want to read personal stories about the people who use gmail? Click here.

Google Searching Tips

It seems that everyone uses Google, very rarely do I speak with library users who don't although there are many other worthy search engines like Yahoo!, Dogpile and Refdesk.com.

But for those of you who'd like to explore Google, I'll be featuring tips during the next few weeks.

Today's Tips

To get the definition of a word, simply type in the word in the Google search box. Try "plethora." The definition will be the first entry.

To limit a search to a specific domain name like .org, .gov, .edu, go to Advanced Search and enter your string in the domain limiter. Try entering "hurricane Katrina" in the first advanced window and "weather" in the second window, and .gov as your domain name. The first record retrieved should be the National Hurricane Center.

Also see previous post, here .

Improvements to Google Book

Google Book Search is now just about 2 years old, and we're celebrating with some improvements. Now you can zoom in on text and images and find the size that's best for you; view pages without waiting for each one to reload; scroll through books quickly using the scrollbar, your mouse wheel, or by simply dragging; and find related titles or scholarly references.

from the Google site

gadget awards

Google Gadget Awards -- for university and college students

Attention, university and college students! If you're procrastinating on your studies, and want to dabble in some fun web design, Google Gadgets may provide a little relief. It's easy to create a gadget for the Google Gadget Awards - and we're looking for clever and creative entries from university and college students across the U.S. No prerequisite courses are required, either -- just an email address ending in .edu. We have a distinguished panel of judges who'll be judging across all categories from the "prettiest gadget" to the "gadget most likely to get you a date." How often do you get to be awarded by Commander Taco of Slashdot or Chris Anderson, Wired Magazine's Editor in Chief? And of course any gadgets you create are automatic resume-boosters, too.

http://www.google.com/gadgetawards

Google Labs

Google Labs is a technology playground that showcases new Goolge ideas that aren't quite ready for prime time.

Take a look, there's some pretty interesting stuff here like - Google Transit (quickest route using public transporation in selected cities), Google Reader (web based feed reader) , Google Music Trends and Google spreadsheets.

Tomorrow's Professor

Are You a 21st Century Library-Ready Instructor? ask Michael Rogers and David Starret from Southeast Missouri's State University.

Due to the conveniences within our society - instant messaging, ATMs, home banking - students expect information at the touch of a button and in many cases, this means Google.

However, Google sources pose their own problems - authenticity of information being one of the largest.

How do instructors and librarians reach the net-generation students? The authors suggest adapting assignments; helping students see the library as more than a place to study, drink coffee, or tap into a wireless network.

Online instructors can benefit from the Internet presence their library has already created. The Murphy Library has many resources that are available to students and instructors that can be reached without stepping foot inside a building.

Libraries, in turn, need to evolve into "anytime/anyplace" research institutions.

The full article can be found here.

"Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"

In the news this week is Google's launch of a new site featuring the works of William Shakespeare as well as related resources.

Users have access to the full texts of Shakespeare's 37 plays and can search these texts for words or phrases.

The site also has links to academic resources concerning the plays, online groups that focus on Shakespeare, and videos of stage productions of Shakespeare's plays.

To see the full USA Today article, click here.