A big part of being information literate is knowing how to use information ethically and responsibly. This includes avoiding plagiarism, which we often define as deliberately stealing a chunk of text and trying to pass it off as your own. But it’s much more than this, and many times plagiarism isn’t as obvious as “don’t […]
Blog | Information Literacy, Research, Dayton History
Are eBooks Bad for Reading and Writers? Leasing vs. Owning and More
This week Wired published a provocative article about ebooks. In the piece, titled “The Abomination of eBooks,” author Art Brodsky points out how the applicable rules for ebooks are fundamentally different than those for print books; in particular ebooks are leased rather than actually bought and owned. Because of this, he argues that it doesn’t make […]
Where Can You Find the Most Useful and Insightful Conversations Online?
One major goal for teachers and librarians today is to foster “information literacy,” a set of skills that allows us to efficiently communicate what information we need, understand where and how to search, think critically about information and use it strategically to achieve our goals. Information literacy instruction typically involves activities like a discussion of what makes […]
What Is Google Analytics Direct Traffic And Where Does It Really Come From?
One of the core benefits of Google Analytics is its ability to show you where your website visitors are coming from. How many are arriving from Google? What about from links on Facebook or another online community? These are vital questions that any webmaster needs to be able to answer. Within Analytics, the total number […]
How to Copy Text from a Flash Webpage, CFM, SFM file or other “Uncopyable” Format
In most cases, if you want to export text from the web it’s as easy as CTRL+C. But what if you come across a filetype online that doesn’t let you do this? One common situation is a website that was created using Adobe Flash. More specifically, you may see a .CFM or .SFM file extension […]
New Job and Some Other Professional Updates
Two weeks ago I started a new position at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. I’m the Instruction and Assessment Librarian, which means I’ll coordinate the library’s teaching efforts and also work with librarians and faculty to improve student outcomes when the curriculum or assignments include a research component. I’ll also staff the reference desk […]