Online Books

I am not a librarian, but I found this book to be an excellent survey of tecnologies with relevance to anyone with a need to more effectively utilize the internet.

I have spent the last year fairly bewildered by Web 2.0; what it means and how it's used. This tiny book cleared the fog considerably, and the examples of how the various technologies and web features are exploited in the library world are probably more informative and stimulating than if they'd been directed at my specific problems.

If I had a criticism, it would only be "book versus web", as the web is a river and a book is an island. Printing it 'fixes' it in time, and the highly dynamic web will outrun the content of this book in a few years, maybe sooner. Meantime, its succint, direct and practical nature recommend it as a map out of the bewildering tangle of what's out there. Now is the time to buy it.

SOCIAL SOFTWARE IN LIBRARIES: BUILDING COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY ONLINE is for any college-level collection catering to library science students as well as practicing librarians: it surveys social software, which lets libraries interact online with the communities they serve. Chapters provide librarians with the information needed to implement blogs, RSS, wikis and other types of social networking systems, even down to podcasting and IM. Tips include how to assess, implement and use such software successfully, offering real-world scenarios and examples all along the way. An outstanding, practical reference.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I'm using this textbook and study guide for an online course from UC-Berkeley, so I don't have the advantage of physically present professors or students who I can ask questions. However, they are entirely unnecessary for this book.

Gelles is nationally reknowned for his work in sociology, and he conveys his love for it in this textbook. He and his co-authors write with skill and portray their inside-and-out familiarity with the subject. They also pass on some of their love for it. Sociology is the subject I look forward to studying each morning.

The pictures and excellent examples also make this book easy and fun to read and study. It's straightforward and written so clearly that an 8th Grader would have no trouble using the book either. Each point the authors make is backed up with fascinating historical scenarios or illustrations from sociological research.

I highly recommend this book!

I was spoiled to have Dr. Gelles be my professor while I was using the textbook for my intro course at Penn. The textbook itself draws in many interesting sociological concepts using examples from real research and historical data. I don't see why someone who wants to learn about sociology, history, and a lot of other things wouldn't just read this book. The book is well organized and designed to culminate knowledge from previous chapters to develop the sociological imagination.

I decided to buy it just because it is the perfect gift for one of my best clients, it is actually an excellent guide for those who need to get a pretty good picture about how things work on the web...

Ms. Risdahl's work is a superb guide for anyone new to eCommerce; in particular her experience and helpful examples shows with this treatment of a complex subject.

If you're like me, i.e. a newbie to this subject, please take the time to read this book before embarking on your eCommerce project. The only change I would make is to add a CD or accompanying website to include the sample correspondence & URLs.

This book is worthwhile and inspirational reading for the news research pros and for the "news junkies" of the world. Paula Hane has done an impressive job interviewing stellar news researchers and investigative journalists. These two professional groups (news librarians and reporters) may not share identical strategies or resources, but their common goal is shared: to get the information first and to get it right. The experiences offered in this book are worth telling and retelling. I enthusiastically recommend "Super Searchers in the News" for the perfectionistic research pros and for those who are simply fascinated with the endless challenge of tracking down data on deadline. J-School students as well as library/information science students could profit from these true life stories. It should be required reading.

What a lovely surprise this book turned out to be!

Those of us who work in news research might fancy we know the implications of Internet research in our newsrooms, but absorbing the ideas of "the best in the business" helps to fill out the larger picture. Super Searchers in the News is a quick read and contains a few useful gems. The surprise was a higher degree of insight than you might expect from the format.

The interview format is not one I usually find very useful but Paula Hane got a lot from her subjects. Her writing is good and she lets the voice of her subjects be heard. There is an interesting mix of professional news researchers and journalists each with a point of view and something valuable to say.

There are plenty of ideas in this book that range far outside news research:

Nora Paul-"...there is a new job for the news researcher and an evaluator and qualifier of sources", "...a coordinator of the group effort to make collective intelligence available to everyone".

C.B. Hayden "The Intranet is the main focus of our activity. On-demand research is still our biggest product".

The diminishing reliance on commercial vendors and the implications that has in news libraries and newsrooms.

The growing training and teaching aspects of news researchers.

This book shaped my thinking about the kind of library I run and the tools and techniques I use to manage our research service. As a result we are more focused on the Intranet as a research platform and the growing importance of news researchers.

I highly recommend this book.

This book covers eleven information professionals who started their own business and succeeded. Each chapter is dedicated to one person, sporting his or her picture, a short bio, their email address and their URL. The chapters are written in a casual, interview style which is makes it a highly interesting read.
These individuals were asked about their background and how they became interested in the field they are working in. The logistics of starting their own business and the pitfalls were discussed, along with specific questions that pertained to their expertise.

Here are the fields that are covered:

Business Research
Aviation Expertise
Healthcare Industry Monitoring
Intellectual Property and Patents
Public Records
Civic Entrepreneurship
Corporate Libaries
Canadian Business Information
Value-added Research
Search Engines
On-line Information Gathering

I'll admit that I jumped to the chapter of Lynn Peterson: The Craft of Public Records, as it pertained to my own interests. She began doing background checks on prospective nannies. Today, she has assignments in the legal and corporate fields as well as with private individuals. Her story was inspiring and informative.
The Appendix offers some good sources and websites for research, books, and print media. I'd recommend this book for anyone who is interested in starting their own research business.

Super Searchers Make It On Their Own joins others in the Informaton Today "Super Searchers" series, continuing the process of interviewing top researchers and discovering how they do business. Here the searchers are running their own research businesses, developing niches, locating clients, and networking. Super Searchers Make It On Their Ownn is an intriguing, practical guide on the industry of research and how researchers can make a business out of their pursuits.

I'm an independent information specialist with several ad agency clients. When I picked up this book, I'd been tearing my hair out over yet another "need it yesterday" assignment. As I read through the interviews in this book, I felt like I was chatting with old friends. It was good to know the challenges I faced were not unique, and I enjoyed reading about how other information pros handled them. I picked up some great ideas.

This book is an excellent introduction for researchers in the ad business, but I'd also recommend it for seasoned professionals. Each professional interviewed for this book had a different area of specialization, and since we can't specialize in everything, the advice and resources that these individuals provide may be helpful even to those who've been in the business for a long time.

Others books have focused on research pros who work in various fields; Super Searchers On Madison Avenue tackles those who function in the advertising and marketing world, using interviews with researchers who find and analyze information for fueling new product launches and ad campaigns. Especially intriguing are case histories showing how successful researchers made the change from traditional careers to being an online researcher.

Super Searchers On Mergers & Acquisitions reveals the online search services and tools used by leading researchers, who regularly use the Internet to uncover critical details on companies and industries. The focus on mergers and acquisitions and how to acquire the details about growth-oriented companies will please any business owner, broker, appraiser or business buyer.

Jan Tudor is simply the best guide avaliable for climbing the summit of M&A research on-line or off. A professional researcher's professional her stellar reputation in the industry has insured a host of illustrative interviews, techniques, and fine honed observations from across the M&A landscape.

HERE IS AN EXCELLENT MARVELLOUS BOOK,THANKS TO MICROSOFT.THE BOOK THAT BRINGS EVERYTHING WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM THE BASICS TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF POWER TO CRACK THE MCSE EXAM,AND BRING VERY HAPPY FOR MY MIND AND I THIS IS THE BOOK FOR EVERYONE.THIS INCLUDES THE SERECTS OF THE BOOTING,AND GOOD MORE LOTS OF INFORMATION NEEDY FOR AND HANDY. THANK YOU

Thinking about taking the Windows 98 exam, 070-098, but you're unsure if you've met Microsoft's objectives. You want to make sure that you have studied the right material and that what you have studied cover each objective - where do you turn? To Microsoft Press and the On-Line Training kit.

The On-Line Training Kit gives you everything you are going to need in order to pass the exam and become a MCP. The detailed explanation, coupled with the easy breakdown of the topics makes the learning process easier and more fun.

There is a cd-rom with practice questions included with the book and once you have finished that there is the Readiness Review on another cd that you can use for even more help. Microsoft Press and Microsoft bring together another winner in the certification world.

While the price tag may seem a little steep, many online and standard book stores are offering discounts. Don't be scared away by the price, the money you spend will be well worth the money you'll make after passing the exam.

A disclaimer at the beginning of Taxes for Online Sellers: A How-To Guide for Individuals on Federal Tax for Internet Sales warns that if legal advice is required, the competent professional help should be sought. That being said, Taxes for Online Sellers is an excellently researched guide to how American tax laws work with regard to online sales, whether or not one is considered a business, which income must be reported, what records of online sales are necessary to keep, how to keep track of one's income, inventory, and expenses, taking depreciation into account, specific big-ticket sale items such as business equipment and vehicles, and much more. An extensive appendix listing a wide assortment of reproducible tax forms, a glossary, and an index round out this enthusiastically recommended primer for anyone considering or engaging in online sales on amazon, ebay, or their own website.

Taxes for Online Sellers was written as a small business tax guide, especially for the online seller. It covered all my questions I had about my internet income. It is easy to read and even includes copies of the tax forms in the back of the book for reference. It gave me specific, line by line, instructions for filling out my tax forms. It explained how to handle inventories and what I buy at yard sales and flea markets. There's a website for updates to the book, so you don't have to buy a new version every year to find the new tax laws. This is definitely a keeper and well worth the price.

The future of online counseling is here!! This author knows what he it talking about. His book/cd speaks directly to me and my practice and it applicable to anyone in the field of coulseling! A must read!!

While other books on Online Counseling are:

1) Too many years dated (check the publication dates!)
2) Bogged down with computer science theory that has little to do with counseling practice
3) Provide more questions than answers, and leave the reader more confused than he/she stared

This Clinical Training Guide actually prepares the reader to begin his or her own Telephone Counseling and Online Counseling practice.

The work is content rich (content loaded actually!), but at the same time readable; and even a bit entertaining.

When you purchase this work the author will send you an electronic copy (PDF) usually within a few hours of purchase. And if you're not happy with the content provided, the author backs his materials up with a 60 day money back guarantee! So you have nothing to lose--and you won't be disappointed with this resource!

Also available Spiral-Bound here: