Additional Active Searching Techniques for Taxonomy Resources

By Melody Smith | November 24, 2014

To continue our theme from last time: “For every minute spent in organizing an hour is earned” (Unknown).

This quotation helps us remember the importance of developing online search techniques that will help you “save” time (or, at least allocate your time wisely!). Previously, we looked at keyword searching on the open web and in full-text search environments. Today, let’s consider another active search technique. This one takes advantage of online website directories.

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Check It Out

By Melody Smith | November 11, 2014

The first volume in a series about creating and maintaining taxonomies is now available. “The Taxobook: History, Theories, and Concepts of Knowledge Organization” is written by our own Margie Hlava.

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The Use of Data in Election Cycles

By Melody Smith | November 10, 2014

Election Day has once again come and gone. Incumbents are ousted, bills are passed, and the political ads have finally stopped, so now the fallout begins. But regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, there’s one thing you can be sure of: lobbying groups and political campaigns have utilized Big Data to try to secure your vote and will place an increasing amount of importance on it. On a smaller level, data analysis been happening in this realm for years, but really, it became huge during President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

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Semantics, Linked Data, and the Future of Academic Publishing

By Melody Smith | November 3, 2014

The rules for academic publishing really haven’t changed in centuries. Once, there was a large percentage of the populace who were skeptical of academic research when Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society started began its publication life in 1665. To make the system work against that pushback, the method had to be codified. As a result, access to research material was difficult to attain, to the extent that scientists as late as the 19th Century actively condoned criminal behavior just to have access to corpses for study and presentation.

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Active Searching for Taxonomy Resources

By Melody Smith | October 20, 2014

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” So muses American businessman Harvey MacKay.

We have no choice in the matter. Time cannot be “saved” …only spent. Our responsibility is to determine how we wish to best allocate it. Otherwise, time will not only be spent but also wasted. How valuable, then, are those skills and tools that help us distribute our time in ways that we consider most useful and productive!

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Covered In Metadata: Semantic Fingerprinting

By Melody Smith | October 13, 2014

Once upon a time, there was a real art to finding something in a library, and the card catalog, in a way, was the medium. Those giant wooden cabinets were filled with mysteries to be uncovered, but the first mystery was how to navigate it. There were always the artists—the librarians—who could help you through it, but that is really only viable for a limited amount of content; librarians have other duties, after all.

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