Using Alerts and RSS feeds for Current Awareness Services and

Dynamic Web Content

Get More from Your Library Databases

Robin Hastings Information Technology Manager Missouri River Regional Library robin.hastings@gmail.com

Joy Weese MollLibrarian Consultantjoyweesemoll@yahoo.com

Virtual Handoutmladatabasepresentation.pbwiki.com

What Is RSS?XML-based languageConceived in 1995First used in Netscape's “My Netscape” portal in 1999AOL didn't like it, downplayed itReally took off in 2003

RSS StructureStructure

Items in a single channelEach item contains title, link & description (attributes)LastBuildDate & pubDate enable “on demand”

publishing – let aggregators know what is new<item> <title>Lloyd George Knew My Great-Great

Grandmother.</title>

<link>http://0-search.ebscohost.com.catalog.mrrl.org/login.aspx?direct=true&amp;db=afh&amp;AN=24441857&amp;site=ehost-live</link>

<description>History Today; 03/01/2007&lt;br /&gt;(AN 24441857)&lt;br /&gt;Academic Search Elite</description> <author>Snow, Dan</author> <guid isPermaLink="false">afh_AN_24441857</guid> </item>

How is RSS used in the real world?Blogs

First popularized use of RSSFeeds work well for chronological format of blog postings

Aggregators“feed readers”Allowed users to pick many feeds and read them in one place

SourcesNews sites, blogs, libraries, stores...

Search FeedsSearchNarrow the topic appropriatelyClick the “Create Alert For This Search” link

Note the standard RSS symbol before the link

Copy the syndication feed in the window that pops upUse it (more on this later...)

Creating A Search Feed

MRRL’s Search Alert - Genealogy

Journal Alerts

Click on the “Title List” link under any database in the Choose Database screenClick on the RSS symbol before any JournalCopy the syndication link from the next pageUse it!

Creating A Journal Alert pt1

Creating A Journal Alert pt2

Using RSS in your site - JavascriptEasy – no server side tech requiredUnpredictable – their server goes down, your feed goes downhttp://itde.vccs.edu/rss2js/build.php - Feed2JShttp://www.rss-to-javascript.com/p/138.html - RSS -To-Javascripthttp://www.feedroll.com/rssviewer/ - RSS Viewer & Feed Combinerhttp://www.howdev.com/products/fs/ - FeedSweephttp://www.mysyndicaat.com/mysynd/home/1 - mySyndicaat

Using RSS in your site – Server SideRequires PHP or ASP server side languagesOther languages (Ruby on Rails, Cold Fusion, etc.) have parsers, toohttp://www.rss-info.com/en_rssinclude-simple.html - (JS or PHP)http://www.tecnorama.org/document.php?id_doc=68 - (DreamWeaver Extension - PHP)http://www.geckotribe.com/rss/carp/ - (PHP - free and for pay versions)http://www.bytescout.com/how_to_display_rss_using_asp.html - (ASP)

Free Solutions – with examples!

Page created to show many different ways to put RSS on your siteEach link shows an example of the way your feeds will lookhttp://www.davidrothman.net/rss2webpage.

html

All links on all previous slides are on the virtual handout – don't forget!

Current Awareness ServiceOngoing research (months or years)Individual Patrons

Academic ResearchersAuthorsHobbyistsRe-enactorsLibrarians

Ego searchesRSS Reader or EMail

Search TermsAn art – but you do it everyday!Experiment – aim for relevancyLibrarians’ best friends

Subject headingsThesauri

PublicityTraining

Drop-in sessionsWorkshopsBI sessions

One-on-oneAppointmentsReference Desk encounters

Newsletters, brochures, other marketing materials

Informational web page

Web newsletter for teaching faculty

Database Providers offering Alert ServicesEBSCOhostProject MuseWilson WebThomson GaleMany more

See links on virtual handout (mladatabasepresentation.pbwiki.com) to lists that other libraries have created

And more every day