In Google We Trust: Users' Decisions on Rank, Position, and Relevance

A new report on the use of Google by college students with interesting implications.

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue3/pan.html

Abstract:
An eye tracking experiment revealed that college student users have substantial trust in Google's ability to rank results by their true relevance to the query. When the participants selected a link to follow from Google's result pages, their decisions were strongly biased towards links higher in position even if the abstracts themselves were less relevant. While the participants reacted to artificially reduced retrieval quality by greater scrutiny, they failed to achieve the same success rate. This demonstrated trust in Google has implications for the search engine's tremendous potential influence on culture, society, and user traffic on the Web.

Pan, B., Hembrooke, H., Joachims, T., Lorigo, L., Gay, G., and Granka, L. (2007). In Google we trust: Users' decisions on rank, position, and relevance. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(3), article 3. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue3/pan.html

PLA Conference registration is open!

The Public Library Association's biennial conference will be held in Minneapolis on March 25-29, 2008. Registration is now open! This is a GREAT opportunity to attend a national conference without having to travel (too far); I strongly encourage you to attend.

http://www.placonference.org/

Job posting - Allina Hospitals and Clinics

We were tipped off to this job posting by a program alumna who works for Allina. It's for a Library Technician--Intermediate.

According to our contact, "the posting just went up on our company HR website. Interested people can go to:

www.allina.com

"If they click on Careers, they can search the job (the ID number is 407658), view the job description and even apply online. Although previous library experience is preferred, we are really emphasizing the Customer Service and Technical Support aspects of the job."

Here's the job description:

Introduction
Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit system of
hospitals, clinics and other health care services with nearly 23,000
employees, 5,000 physicians and 2,500 volunteers dedicated to meeting
the lifelong health care needs of patients and communities throughout
Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Allina is a vibrant, growing
organization with opportunities to suit your professional skills and a
diverse work environment to match your specific interests. We believe
employees are our greatest asset and are dedicated to helping you
develop and maximize your professional skills

Allina Library Services provides resources, services, and training to
support the knowledge-based information needs of Allina Hospitals &
Clinics in the provision of exceptional patient care. The central
library is located on the campus of Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, and
serves the entire Allina organization.

Responsibilities
Library User Support. Includes patron assistance, processing
interlibrary loan requests, providing document delivery, some research
and information retrieval, shelving, and other customer service
functions.

Library Technology Support. Includes maintenance of online catalog and
patron database, development of Web 2.0 applications, some web page
design and support (for both intranet and extranet pages), collection of
library statistics, expertise in Microsoft Excel, Word, Access and
Outlook, and other technology-related skills.

The ideal candidate has strong organizational and problem-solving
skills, is a team player, is customer-service oriented and
technology-savvy. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are
a must, as is the ability to work independently

Qualifications

Education/Experience: BA or equivalent experience. 3 years
experience with both information technology and customer service.
Previous library experience desired.

Skills: Basic understanding of online library catalogs; library
research experience; basic Web design; advanced Microsoft Office skills
(Word, Excel, Access & Outlook); Strong customer service skills.
RSS, XML, CSS skills preferred and basic understanding of file types
(e.g., pdf, tiff, jpeg, gif). Experience with EOS is a plus.

Physical Demands: requires light physical work, including shelving and
handling of books.

Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule
1.0 FTE - Day position.

Closing Statement
We have a place for you at Allina Hospitals & Clinics. If you
are interested in becoming part of our award winning team of
professionals, please apply online today and reference Job ID 407658.
Allina Hospitals & Clinics is committed to providing Equal Employment
Opportunities to all employees and applicants.

EEO / AA

Libraries and Civic Engagement Event

You are invited to a panel discussion on "Libraries and Civic
Engagement," this event is free and open to the public. Please
forward this announcement to interested individuals and groups:

WHAT: Libraries & Civic Engagement: A panel discussion

WHEN: Sept 10th, 3:00-4:30 PM

WHERE: Ramsey County Library, Roseville Branch
2180 Hamline Avenue North, Roseville
http://www.ramsey.lib.mn.us/

WHO: SPECIAL GUEST: Taylor Willingham, Texas Forums
http://legislation.wikia.com/wiki/Taylor_Willingham
PANELIST: Melinda Ludwiczak, Minneapolis Public Library
Coordinator for Civic Literacy Projects (See Below)
PANELIST: Others.... (To be Announced)

WHY: A discussion about the role of libraries as centers
of civic activity and education. Our special guest,
Taylor Willingham will share some stories and
examples of how libraries are engaging the community
in discussions about important issues. Panelists
and members of the audience will be invited to share
their own thoughts and stories about how libraries
can partner with community organizations to stimulate
civic education and participation.

For more info: tim ( at ) e-democracy.org

Sponsored by:

E-Democracy.Org, http://www.e-democracy.org
The Metropolitan Library Association (MELSA), http://www.melsa.org/