Bookmarklet redux

I finally got around to tinkering with the bookmarklet as described in the earlier post. I decided I'd rather the bookmarklet search our catalog with the Exact ISBN instead of Browse ISBN search option, and I always thought the window should be bigger. So, here it is:

Drag this bookmarklet to your bookmarks or links in your browser.

When you are looking at a page with a book on it (something with an ISBN, anyway) in Amazon, ISBN.nu, ABEbooks.com, or whatever, you can click on this bookmarklet and it will present a window showing whether or not we have that book in our catalog (at least, that particular edition).

Sha-Bang!

(Thanks again to Jon Udell for the original bookmarklet).

Usability testing

I thought this was an interesting article about Web site usability testing. What do you think?

Firefox 1.0 now available

I have to plug Firefox's new official 1.0 "preview" release. I have been using Firefox now for about three months. It is the new Mozilla browser. Whereas Mozilla was basically a runaway version of Netscape, Firefox is made from scratch, and it's much better than any other browser I've used. It's quicker, smaller, and more customizable than anything else I've seen. I have had a lot less compatibility problems using Firefox than I ever did with Mozilla or Netscape. Consider the Why use Firefox list if you're wondering why you should switch. Among other reasons, the icon has a really cool fox on it.

One of the new features in Firefox 1.0 is Live Bookmarks, which allow you to view RSS and other syndication feeds right in your bookmarks. For example, you can set it up to put the posts on this blog into your bookmarks as they are posted, under a folder that you set up. It's really easy and then you don't even have to come here to see what the new posts are. Ka-pow!

Library Searching

This is a neat link. A fellow named Jon Udell has created a LibraryLookup bookmarklet. Add ISU Library (or another library!)'s bookmarklet to your bookmarks; then you can be searching through Amazon or another book site containing ISBN information (such as isbn.nu, and then you click this bookmark, and you are presented with a new window, wherein that ISBN has been searched. Cool!

Web authoring

Interesting articles about judging Web sites:

• Gerry McGovern writes How to judge a good website from a bad one
• CyberJournalist has an article on eyetrack research, a "text v. images" affair

Time to chat

Greetings, and welcome to Library Chat. While we have other venues for work-related activities and library business, we wanted a place to chat about a variety of topics, whether they be libraries, peer-to-peer networks, post-capitalism, Mozart, or enlightenment. Chat away!