Thing 17 -- ELM Productivity Tools

I find the ELM databases useful, and while I am usually able to help patrons locate information they are seeking, I was not as familiar with some of the tools in this thing. So, more good things to learn! I thought it was handy that RSS feeds can be set up for specific searches--though I, too, had to access ELM through the ELM4You portal; I did not see the RSS feed option available when I accessed ELM through our system catalog. I, too, had to try a couple of times to figure out how to subscribe; I succeeded by clicking on the XML button, clicking on the "Subscribe to this feed" option, and then accessing the "Common Feed List" by clicking on the yellow star on my Internet Explorer toolbar. I could see the definite use of such a subscription for anyone, either me or a patron, who is looking to track a particular topic over time.

I wasn't aware of all of the formats in which information from ELM could be saved and emailed or downloaded; I don't know how much use I will make of them, but I will try to remember them!

I also realized that I need to remember NetLibrary more than I do; while I have referred a couple of patrons looking for more technical materials to it, we definitely do not check the availability of titles in NetLibrary and giving that option to our patrons before placing an out-of-system Interlibrary Loan request. This thing gave me some good reminders as well as a few new-to-me things.