Monday, September 17, 2007

Google Reader, RSS, and You: Keeping Current with Journal Literature

A few notes on the Hekman Library's Library Lunch Break of Tuesday, September 18. Presenters: Francene Lewis and Lugene Schemper.

To get a movie video, most people use one of two options: 1) Go find it and bring it home (a lá Blockbuster) or 2) Have it sent to you (a lá Netflix). To read an academic journal nowadays, you can use the Blockbuster method (find the journal electronically or go physically to the library and get it) or the Netflix method (have it sent to you, either physically by mail or electronically).

RSS is a means of using the Netflix method to have the contents of a journal delivered to your computer whenever a new issue is published.

Let's say you want to take a look at the contents of the International Journal of Systematic Theology every time it comes out. You would go to the web sit of IJST. You would right-click on the orange RSS link, and then left-click on the "Copy Shortcut" item. You would copy this link into the feed on a program called a news reader or aggregator , such as "Google Reader." Every time the IJST publishes a new issue, the new contents would become available on your reader. If the Hekman Library has an electronic subscription to the journal (and we have thousands of electronic subscriptions) the complete article would be available to you from on campus. It's possible to set up a reader so that you can monitor the contents of any number of journals. As an example, here's how I have my reader set up, (click image to enlarge):

Sound confusing? Here's a video that explains RSS and how to set up a reader for a blog or any web site, such as a journal: