Conference presentation
Using Web 2.0 Applications as Information Awareness Tools for Science and Engineering Faculty and Students in Academic Institutions
Drexel University Libraries. Library staff research and publications
26 Feb 2009
Abstract
As new academic research initiatives become increasingly interdisciplinary, it is imperative that science and engineering librarians develop and implement new approaches to the dissemination of library research tools and techniques. At Drexel University, several such initiatives have resulted in collaborative research in areas such as Nanomedicine, Engineering Cities, Plasma Medicine, Nanoscale Science and Technology, Microfluidics, and Bionanotechnology. In addition, Drexel's emphasis on team-based, interdisciplinary engineering design projects requires students to develop critical understanding of multidisciplinary engineering content. Faculty and students need to be aware of how to access information from a variety of resources that cover a broad spectrum of academic disciplines. How can Web 2.0 tools function as information awareness tools for faculty and students in an academic community? Why is 'Information Awareness' so crucial? Increased cognizance of new resources such as IEEE Xplore, Knovel, Web of Knowledge, ScienceDirect and Engineering Village, is the crucial first step in their effective use by faculty and students. This presentation outlines current case studies using Web 2.0 applications such as blogs, feeds, bookmarking services, aggregators and social networking services to illustrate their roles as information awareness tools. The examples of such attempts with information awareness give rise to the exploration of Web 2.0 use in country specific settings. The internet user community in India, mostly comprising of the younger generation, stands to gain from such information technology tools and information awareness initiatives. The response of the library sector with respect to implementation of the Web 2.0 technologies is further discussed. This is followed by suggestions to the library community from the various experiments at Drexel for the engineering student community. The authors wish that more faculty and students realize the potential of Web 2.0 applications in keeping up-to-date with new information and information resources. More instruction and outreach in the set up and management of feeds from different databases is crucial. In other words, training our faculty and students to learn new Web 2.0 features is important for them to fully realize the potential of such tools.
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Details
- Title
- Using Web 2.0 Applications as Information Awareness Tools for Science and Engineering Faculty and Students in Academic Institutions
- Creators
- Jay Bhatt (Author) - Drexel UniversityDana Denick (Author) - Drexel UniversitySmita Chandra (Author) - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Drexel University Libraries. Library staff research and publications
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Drexel University Libraries
- Identifiers
- 991014632323504721