Must-have Links
⇒ RSS in Plain English by Common Craft
Step One: The University of Illinois Collection
Stay up-to-date on
new titles as they are
added to the University of Illinois Library collection. You may also be interested in searching for
book reviews of newly released books. Would you like to
suggest a book for purchase?
Can you tell me more about RSS feeds?
Step Two: RSS Feeds
RSS, or
Really Simple
Syndication, is a way to keep current on websites that have frequently updated content. You can
watch this
video to
learn more. RSS feeds are available for news sites including specific sections such as breaking
news or strange news (e.g.
Reuters,
The Associated Press and
The Chronicle of Higher
Education). In general, just look for the orange RSS symbol, as seen above, and click on it for
the feed URL you can paste into the "Add Feeds" section of your feed reader.
What about my research?
Step Three: Databases and RSS
The latest developments in RSS include academic databases that allow users to create RSS feeds
for specific searches. For example, in
EBSCO databases,
when you are finished with your search, look for the orange symbol and "Create alert for this
search." A pop-up window will provide you with the "Syndication feed" URL that you can copy and
paste into your feed reader. Many databases now include this feature, check to see if your favorite
database offers RSS feeds. Here are a few to get you started:
ScienceDirect,
Academic
OneFile and
ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Keep in mind that once
you set up a search alert, your aggregator will only show *new* articles that have been added to
the database. If you are having trouble,
Ask a Librarian.
Now I need an RSS Feed reader.
Step Four: RSS Feed Readers
In order to utilize RSS you'll need an RSS feed reader, also commonly called an aggregator.
The
Ultimate RSS Toolbox lists over 30 different readers for
different types of users. You may also be interested in
reading your feeds on a cell phone. Common
readers include
Bloglines and
Google Reader. Once you choose the one
to suit your needs, start adding feeds. Here's a few to get you started:
Wired News,
Slashdot,
Quotes of the Day
and
Lifehacker.
You should read this article!
Step Five: Social Bookmarking
Social bookmarking sites facilitate word-of-mouth recommendations among colleagues by allowing
users to save references and bookmarks to an online account, which may be shared with others. These
bookmarks are organized using informal tags created by the user, which in turn can be searched and
browsed, much like subject headings. Popular social bookmarking sites include
Delicious,
Digg, and
Reddit. For
academically-focused social bookmarking services, try
Bibsonomy,
CiteULike, or
Connotea.
Keeping current through conferences.
Step Six: Conference Listings
Conference papers are often the only record of new, important research developments, but they
are not always published right away. Even if you are unable to attend a conference, you may still
keep current by browsing for speakers and their presentations in conference listings.
Atlas Conferences and
Conference Alerts provide
comprehensive listings of conferences in an array of fields, while the
ACM
Calendar of Events is an excellent source for finding conferences related to the computing
sciences and professions. To find published conference papers, see our guide on
How to Find Conference Proceedings.
For concise updates from a melange of sources...
Step Seven: Microblogging
Microblogging tools, such as Twitter, allow you to stay current by aggregating short, mobile-accessible updates from different places onto one page. Though Twitter is known primarily for helping people keep up-to-date on family or friends, you can also use twitter to follow news, including uncensored information on developments in other countries, or happenings within institutions, organizations, and professional associations (Example: American Library Association News). Twitter uses hashtags, similar to social bookmarking tags, which allow users to search or browse for "tweets" on trending topics. Hashtags are often designated at conferences for users to post and read comments and updates on conference events, in real time.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
