Over the last several months, HCL has rolled a new search interface for HOLLIS. But, this doesn’t mean that we’ve left the older interface behind — far from it.  Now re-branded as “HOLLIS Classic,” the older interface is still available for you to use.

Both HOLLIS and HOLLIS Classic can search Harvard’s library catalog, but what are the advantages of each, and when should you use them? My HCL colleagues have come up with the following cheat sheet:

HOLLIS

• Easy-to-use, intuitive interface
• Relevance-ranked results
• One-click search refinement – filter searches by publication, date, format, language and more
• More searchable tables of contents
• Built in spell checker

HOLLIS Classic

• Browse subject headings and author names
• Search by call numbers
• Search using non-Latin characters
• Refine searches using exact phrases
• Powerful “Expanded Search” feature for more precise searches

In short, both interfaces have their place in your research toolkit.  When used in tandem — just as when you use, e.g., JSTOR and Academic Search Premier in tandem — your searching becomes that much more effective and powerful.

If you are interested in learning more about the interfaces, or are interested in seeing a demonstration, please let me know.  I’d love to show you!

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For Firefox users, check out this post by Adrienne Carlson, “50 Firefox Extensions to Turn Google Into the Ultimate Research Tool.”  Some very cool stuff here.

Today’s post is about a review of Web browsers in PC Magazine that I found via “American Libraries Direct.” Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Opera, Safari are all reviewed — both with a short review and with a more detailed review. Pros and cons are listed for each.  It’s useful when comparing which browsers you might want to use.  (For the record, I remain a firm believer in the Firefox browser.)

Enjoy!

For fellow Firefox fans — how’s that for alliteration? — “9 Firefox Extensions to Protect Your Privacy,” by Mike Gunderloy, may pique your curiosity.

A hat-tip to “American Libraries Direct” for this link.

The latest version of web browser Firefox will make changes to the way people search for information online, says its developer.

Mozilla has told the BBC’s World Service that the new browser has been designed around the importance of search to users.

Firefox 3, currently going through its third stage of beta testing, will offer a combined search and bookmark tool via the url bar.

It will also allow offline working.

Chairman of the Mozilla Foundation Mitchell Baker told BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme:

“It’s clear that when people are looking for information on the web, search is the number one activity,” she said.

“We’ve devised ways to bring that power into areas that are closer to your individual life.”

Reading through the PR spin of the article, the new version of Firefox will allow users to do more work offline in the browser, among other things.

If you haven’t tried out Firefox, now might be the time to install it. Plus, you’ll be able to install nifty tools like LibX, which will make your research life so much easier and more enjoyable.

LibX for Internet Explorer

One of my earliest posts on this blog was about LibX, a plug-in for the Firefox browser. I’m now able to let you know that there is now a version of LibX written for Internet Explorer. However, I received this warning:

What should I know about LibX for IE?
LibX for Internet Explorer is a “Beta” version. LibX was designed for Firefox and continues to work best in Firefox. Some LibX functions (embedded cues and autolinking) do not work well in the IE version, and downloading LibX for IE may cause problems with your browser. Please read the LibX IE installation help (http://pavlova.hul.harvard.edu:85/tools/libx_more.html) for more information before you choose to install this version.

Thus, you might be better off downloading the Firefox browser and installing LibX for Firefox, rather than trying to use this version for Explorer.

There is still no version of LibX for Safari, so Mac users will have to install Firefox if they want to use the LibX tool.

Google Book Search for Harvard Users

Also just launched: a customized version of Google Book Search tailored for Harvard researchers. Here is the information from the press release:

This customized version of GBS allows users to search the full text of all books available in Google Book Search (whether contributed by Harvard, another library, or the publisher), with a Find at Harvard University link displayed on every item in a search result set. Clicking the link brings the user to the catalog record if an exact match is found in HOLLIS. If an electronic version of the book has been licensed by Harvard, the user will be taken directly to the full text of the e-book. If an exact match in HOLLIS is not found, a pre-populated HOLLIS search screen will open making it easy for patrons to launch a HOLLIS search session.

As of yesterday, 4 February 2008, Google Book Search for Harvard Users is now part of the E-Research @ Harvard Libraries suite, as a new entry on the “Quick Jump” menu. Here is a screen shot of where to go and how to locate this menu. Or, you can go to http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:googlebk, and enter in your search terms.

This tool offers great features, with links to HOLLIS records, reviews, e-texts, and the like.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you’d like some training.

You can install LibX from the Harvard University Library (HUL) Web site. Please note that you must be a Harvard affiliate to install this version of LibX.

What It Is

As noted on the HUL site:

• “Toolbar: LibX is a Firefox toolbar extension that allows you to quickly search the HOLLIS Catalog, E-Journal List, E- Resource List, Citation Linker, Google Scholar, and links to other search tools and library resources.
• Right-click menu: LibX allows you to select text on a web page and right-click for a menu of search options.
• Embedded cues: LibX embeds a Harvard shield “cue” on search results in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, New York Times Book Reviews, Yahoo! and more that leads you to Harvard’s print and licensed e-resources.
• AutoLinks: LibX automatically links ISBNs, ISSNs, PubMed IDs and DOIs* to Harvard’s print and licensed e-resources.”

*Acronym definitions:

1. ISBN = International Standard Book Number. More information about ISBNs can be found here.
2. ISSN = International Standard Serial Number. More information about ISSNs can be found here.
3. PubMed ID = This is the identification number used by the US National Library of Medicine to catalog the citations housed in PubMed, the biomedical and life sciences citation database.
4. DOI = Digital Object Identifier. More information about DOIs can be found here.

Strengths

• LibX allows the user to search directly in the Firefox browser, rather than having to open another window or tab. This is a great way to do a quick check to see if Harvard has a particular book, journal, database, or other resource.
• You can click on the AutoLinks or Embedded Cues to see if a book, journal, or other resource is available at Harvard directly from the screen you’re reading at present, rather than having to go back through HOLLIS.
• The automatic login option, at the bottom of the Right-Click menu, is a brilliant feature of LibX. Why? You can go directly to an article found via a Google search, rather than having to backtrack through several additional steps in HOLLIS to log in via the proxy server. Consider this example:

You are looking for articles by J.L. Mackie on theodicy via Google, using the search terms “jl mackie evil,” and find that the fourth item on the results page is his article, “Evil and Omnipotence” (Mind, New Series, 64 [254], April 1955, pp. 200-212). However, this article is in JSTOR, and there is a message above the image of the first page indicating that you need to be a subscriber to access the article. Rather than opening another tab and going through several steps to log into JSTOR via HOLLIS, simply right-click on the page image, and scroll down to the bottom of the menu, where you will see the option, “Follow this Link via Harvard Access.” Click on that link, log in with your Harvard ID and PIN, and you will be taken directly to the article.

Limitations

• At present, LibX only works with Firefox 1.5 or higher. It does not work with other browsers, such as Safari or Internet Explorer. However, if you’ve been looking for an excuse to try Firefox, LibX might be it.
• I’ve noticed that, when using the “E-Journal List” and “E-Resource List” options in the toolbar search box, if the terms are not entered in exactly as the MetaLib record reads, you may get a message of “no results found.” If this happens, simply return to the default “Search HOLLIS Catalog” option and re-enter your terms. The HOLLIS search option seems to be a bit more flexible with search terms at present.
• Date ranges on Web pages (e.g., “2005-2006″) are often read as ISSNs and given an AutoLink. If you click on the link, you’ll get a message saying, “The requested record is not in the database.” Be careful to check that the AutoLink is an actual ISSN, and not a date range or a similar-looking number.

For More Information

• HUL Web Page
• Printable Version (PDF)

Update: 9/19/2007

The LibX tool has been updated with two new versions, so some of the information I’ve outlined above is now dated.  For instance:

• The right-click menu has been modified in appearance, though the last item in the list is “Reload [x resource] via Harvard Access”
• The drop-down menus on the Toolbar each offer more search options, allowing for more access points to the information.

In any event, the LibX tool gets increasingly more useful and sophisticated, and I strongly recommend downloading it and adding it to your Firefox browser.