Upgrade StorageLibrarian in search of an online card catalog for online materials
I've been using Zotero as an online card catalog of website pages, blog articles and pdf files relating to a specific topic (hydraulic fracturing).
In many ways, Zotero is just the tool I need. But I find that, from a user's viewpoint, the interface can be odd when one tries to use it as an analog of a library card catalog.
• For instance, there is nothing that tells the user what the 'scope' is when using the Search box.
• Similarly, trying to find items by tag can be tricky if one is thinking of the collection and subcollection folders as a file cabinet with drawers, file folders and sub-file folders.
There is no use tracking, so I am unable to find out which parts of the catalog are access most.
Ideally, from the librarian's perspective there would be some user analytics available. It would also be good to have a place for moderated user comments on each citation.
I have always realized, of course, that I am not using the Zotero engine for its intended use, so I've gratefully accepted that fact.
Does anyone know of an online tool, similar yet distinct from Zotero, that does these things? If so, please send me information at ffglibrarian@gmail.com Thanks so much.
Dwain Wilder
In many ways, Zotero is just the tool I need. But I find that, from a user's viewpoint, the interface can be odd when one tries to use it as an analog of a library card catalog.
• For instance, there is nothing that tells the user what the 'scope' is when using the Search box.
• Similarly, trying to find items by tag can be tricky if one is thinking of the collection and subcollection folders as a file cabinet with drawers, file folders and sub-file folders.
There is no use tracking, so I am unable to find out which parts of the catalog are access most.
Ideally, from the librarian's perspective there would be some user analytics available. It would also be good to have a place for moderated user comments on each citation.
I have always realized, of course, that I am not using the Zotero engine for its intended use, so I've gratefully accepted that fact.
Does anyone know of an online tool, similar yet distinct from Zotero, that does these things? If so, please send me information at ffglibrarian@gmail.com Thanks so much.
Dwain Wilder
It occurred to me that some people would prefer the anonymity of replying to this forum, rather that email which would reveal their email addy. In such case, please feel free to reply here. My point was to take discussions of alternatives to Zotero off Zotero's forum, as a courtesy.
Dwain Wilder
In that sense it's also (imho) perfectly OK to discuss this here - if you were looking for a different reference/citation manager that would be different.
(All that said, the online library is still in its early stages and you'll have noted a lot of improvements over the last year or so already and it's going to improve further).
Many of the improvements are doubtless invisible to me, as I am using a Mac PPC G4, which has become a deprecated system platform. For instance, I cannot use Zotero StandAlone.