Developing an RSS-Based Current Awareness Service
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Allan R. Barclay, AHIP, Information Architecture Librarian; Rebecca J. Holz, Information Architecture Librarian; Christopher Hooper-Lane, AHIP, Instructional Services Coordinator; Stephen M. Johnson, Health Sciences Librarian; Andrew Osmond, Electronic Resources and Cataloging Coordinator; Erika Sevetson, Health Sciences Librarian, Ebling Library for the Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Developing an RSS Current Awareness Service Map Legend OPML Bundle RSS Feed New England Journal of Medicine Journal of the American Medical Association BioMed Central Reuters National Institutes of Health Associated Press David Rothman.net Bioblogs WebMD PubMed Cochrane Collaboration OVID iPhones BlackBerries à la carte OPML Bundles Phase 1 • Complete assignment of journal titles to categories. • Develop browser-friendly format for the title list. • Release a browsing categories page. • Complete the revision of our “RSS Info” page. • Develop end-user instructional materials. Phase 2 • Develop “core titles” packages based on journal usage, clinical usefulness, and liaison librarian collaboration. • Train library staff on using feed readers and bundled packages. • Develop complementary instruction for web delivery. Phase 3 • Develop shopping cart type application to allow easily created customized feed collections. Phase 4 • Develop instructional and promotional plans to include staff and user training, educational scripts, classes, and handouts, as well as strategies to present and encourage use among library users. Project Outline Increasingly, journal vendors are making content available via RSS feeds, but barriers still exist between the user and the content. Inspired by the FeedNavigator, a project of the National Library of Health Sciences-Terkko, we set out to develop a tool that would allow our patrons to easily locate and subscribe to journal feeds. Using a blog and a wiki for staff communication and project management respectively, we created tools that allowed the 6 members of our group to quickly capture and classify feeds for over 1,900 journals. Journal feeds are now available from our site, individually and in bundled, exportable packages (OPML files). Users can locate feeds alphabetically or by subject and can preview tables of contents before subscribing to a feed. Comprehensive bundles of feeds are offered along with select bundles of "best bets" titles. Abstract Green Line - Blogs Blue Line - E-journals Orange Line - SDI Red Line - News Yellow Line - The Future (mobile, à la carte bundles, etc.) The route to current awareness for healthcare professionals has only gotten more convoluted in the dispersed digital environment. The identification, location, and management of new journal articles can frustrate and overwhelm even the savviest users. Consequently, many users have given up on current awareness. Librarians at the Ebling Library recognized the need to identify, collect, and manage new journal articles for scholars, researchers, and practitioners. Our goal was to develop and promote new routes to current awareness by developing a service for users that would save time, minimize effort, ensure quality, and allow customization. Library website: http://ebling.library.wisc.edu • Project website: http://projects.hsl.wisc.edu/rss Feed Readers Browsers & Email Routes Sage
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Poster about Ebling Library's creation of RSS tools and services for current awareness. Presented at the Medical Library Association's 2008 Annual Meeting.
Transcript of Developing an RSS-Based Current Awareness Service
Allan R. Barclay, AHIP, Information Architecture Librarian; Rebecca J. Holz, Information Architecture Librarian; Christopher Hooper-Lane, AHIP, Instructional Services Coordinator; Stephen M. Johnson, Health Sciences Librarian; Andrew Osmond, Electronic Resources and Cataloging Coordinator; Erika Sevetson, Health Sciences Librarian,
Ebling Library for the Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Developing an RSS Current Awareness Service
Map Legend
OPML Bundle
RSS Feed
New England Journal of Medicine
Journal of the American Medical Association
BioMed Central
Reuters
National Institutes of Health
Associated Press
David Rothman.net
Bioblogs
WebMD
PubMed
Cochrane Collaboration
OVID
iPhones
BlackBerries
à la carte OPML Bundles
Phase 1
• Complete assignment of journal titles to categories. • Develop browser-friendly format for the title list. • Release a browsing categories page. • Complete the revision of our “RSS Info” page. • Develop end-user instructional materials.
Phase 2
• Develop “core titles” packages based on journal usage, clinical usefulness, and liaison librarian collaboration. • Train library staff on using feed readers and bundled packages. • Develop complementary instruction for web delivery.
Phase 3
• Develop shopping cart type application to allow easily created customized feed collections.
Phase 4
• Develop instructional and promotional plans to include staff and user training, educational scripts, classes, and handouts, as well as strategies to present and encourage use among library users.
Project Outline
Increasingly, journal vendors are making contentavailable via RSS feeds, but barriers still exist betweenthe user and the content. Inspired by the FeedNavigator, a project of the National Library of Health Sciences-Terkko, we set out to develop a tool that would allow our patrons to easily locate and subscribe to journal feeds. Using a blog and a wiki forstaff communication and project management respectively, we created tools that allowed the 6members of our group to quickly capture and classifyfeeds for over 1,900 journals. Journal feeds are nowavailable from our site, individually and in bundled, exportable packages (OPML files). Users can locate feeds alphabetically or by subject and can previewtables of contents before subscribing to a feed. Comprehensive bundles of feeds are offered along with select bundles of "best bets" titles.
Abstract
Green Line - BlogsBlue Line - E-journalsOrange Line - SDIRed Line - News
Yellow Line - The Future (mobile, à la carte bundles, etc.)
The route to current awareness for healthcare professionals has only gotten more convoluted in the dispersed digital environment. The identification, location, and management of new journal articles can frustrate and overwhelm even the savviest users.
Consequently, many users have given up on current awareness. Librarians at the Ebling Library recognized the need to identify, collect, and manage new journal articles for scholars, researchers, and practitioners. Our goal was to develop and promote
new routes to current awareness by developing a service for users that would save time, minimize effort, ensure quality, and allow customization.
Library website: http://ebling.library.wisc.edu • Project website: http://projects.hsl.wisc.edu/rss
Feed Readers
Browsers & Email
Routes
Sage
