Bibliographic Database Management Software

for Every Student, Embedded into the CMS

Brian Nielsenb-nielsen@northwestern.edu

Agenda

• The software project: Blackboard and RefWorks Linking

• Technical problems addressed• Possible learning applications• What does this experiment suggest

for other possible tool/CMS associations?

Where Do We Need to Be?

McLean & Lynch, “Interoperability between Library Information Services and Learning Environments – Bridging the Gaps,” IMS & CNI, May 2004:

Any analysis of library service interactions with learning systems environments must take into account the potential transformation of learning activity.

http://www.imsglobal.org/digitalrepositories/CNIandIMS_2004.pdf

And . . .

Much of the current thinking is based on a fairly library-centric view of being able to “push” information resources into the LMS. There has been little thought given to the learner activity perspective where the learner may wish to draw on any number of information resources either prescribed, or of his or her choosing, at any given moment in the learning activity.

It is important that the library communities engage in some quite lateral thinking with regard to potential service provision in the emerging interactive learning environments.

Blackboard and Refworks

• Blackboard’s API (“buildingblocks”)• RefWorks: developed by one of the

original developers of ReferenceManager (ISI product)

• Northwestern’s BDMS evaluation project, Summer 2002: ISI products and the RefWorks option

The RefWorks Interface

The RefWorks Interface

The RefWorks Interface

RefWorks Within Blackboard

RefWorks Within Blackboard

RefWorks Capabilities

• Citation management• Bibliography creation through

interoperability with MS Word (the “Write-N-Cite” plugin)

• Z39.50 search interface for catalogs and indexes

• Data import from online sources, search dumps

• Exports in ISI and other formats

Technical Issues Addressed

• Pre-existing RefWorks accounts (not many)

• Potential ongoing use of RefWorks independently of Blackboard

• RefWorks can support multiple accounts for an individual (for read-only access)

Resolution

Other Possible Learning Applications

Help for the Instructor (!)

Thinking . . .

Much of the current thinking is based on a fairly library-centric view of being able to “push” information resources into the LMS. There has been little thought given to the learner activity perspective where the learner may wish to draw on any number of information resources either prescribed, or of his or her choosing, at any given moment in the learning activity.

It is important that the library communities engage in some quite lateral thinking with regard to potential service provision in the emerging interactive learning environments.

Ideas?

• Personal libraries (Cliff’s talk yesterday)

• Annotation• Note taking and “clipping” (OneNote,

NetSnippets, etc.)• Institutional support for chat• More robust and student-configurable

server resources (for data collection, storage, group collaborations, …)

Q & A