Inquiring minds want to know...

Here are the ways that the AISL Summer Institute challenged me to be a better researcher, teacher, and questioner...

More research reflections

Super lengthy reflection on the periphery of research on the AISL blog. 

Information Literacy and TRAILS

Some end-of-year reflections on information literacy and TRAILS: http://aislnews.org/?p=4126What do we mean by Information Literacy anyway?

Google Drive, Redux

Come find out what's new with Google Drive over at Google Drive, Redux

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Here's what been going on (hint---it's lots of learning) over in the library.Countdown to Thanksgiving

Back and forth on research

It's 7:30pm as I plan to leave school, and you can find out how I've been spending my days in the middle school by checking out my most recent post on research in the 21st century: http://aislnews.org/?p=2850

The dreaded 'web evaluation checklist'

This is the short answer to what I've been doing instead of posting over the past month. http://aislnews.org/?p=1999

Citation Theory

Here's the most recent AISL post on Citation Theory, and links to more than you ever wanted to know about different citation styles! 
http://aislnews.org/?p=1837

Research means...

Here's my most recent AISL post, reviewing a session that I attended last month on preparing students for college-level research. I'd love feedback on the types of research you did in college, your preparedness, and (gulp) whether you used the help of librarians to complete your work. http://aislnews.org/?p=1287

Where do you go first?

Apples with Catchy Names...

This is the type of research I find fascinating, and not just because it relates to food. Human psychology, consumer behavior, and taste perception are all referenced.

Apples with catchy names may boost revenue for farmers

Provided

N.Y. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, left, tastes an NY1 apple alongside its breeder, Susan Brown, professor of horticultural sciences, at the 2010 New York Farm Days event in Washington, D.C.

Provided

The NY1 apple.

By Krisy Gashler

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but an apple by another name could fetch a much sweeter price for farmers.
Using experimental auctions, researchers at Cornell University's Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management tested participants' willingness to pay for five different varieties of apples, including a new, patented variety developed at Cornell, currently named NY1. Participants didn't know about the apples' history or the Cornell connection, but they learned about each variety's attributes, such as sweetness and crispness, and they tasted slices of each.
The researchers' conclusion? Consumers were willing to pay more for NY1, and they were willing to pay still more when it had an "exciting, sensory" name, said assistant professor Bradley J. Rickard. He presented the research Nov. 8 at the New York Produce Show and Conference in New York City.
Rickard and co-authors Todd Schmit, Miguel Gómez and Hao Lu, all of the Dyson School, wanted to test the influence of branding on patented fruit varieties.
"There are a lot of brands throughout the grocery store. The one exception is fresh produce," Rickard said. "But in the case of apples, pears, tomatoes and peaches, that's the one place in the fresh produce sector where you have a choice. Not really across brands, but across these varietal names."
And what's in a name? Quite a bit, it turns out.
Apple names generally fall into three categories, Rickard said: sincere names based on a breeder or location, such as Cortland or Granny Smith; sophisticated names, which usually highlight the fruit's appearance, such as Red or Golden Delicious; and exciting names that evoke the taste or texture of the apple, such as Honeycrisp.
In the experimental auction, the researchers tested the new Cornell apple under three names: sincere "Williams," sophisticated "Burgundy Beauty" and exciting "Flavor Haven."
In all cases, the average bid for the new apple was 12 percent higher than the average for four other apples (Empire, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Piñata). With the Flavor Haven name, the average bid jumped to 27 percent over the other varieties.
Perhaps most interesting, Rickard said, bids on NY1 influenced bids on the other new, patented Washington apple, Piñata, but made no difference in bids on the traditional varieties.
New York grocery shoppers already enjoy a wide selection of apples -- including some of the 66 varieties developed at Cornell, such as Cortland, Empire, Macoun and Jonagold -- but new, patented varieties are starting to hit shelves. These varieties often sell for a premium, but they're also more expensive to grow, as farmers have to buy licenses to grow them.
Historically, public universities developed new apple breeds and released them to the public. But in 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act gave universities the right to retain the intellectual property rights for their research. In May 2010, Cornell forged a partnership with a new industry group, the New York Apple Growers LLC, to establish an exclusive licensing agreement for the new apple varieties, NY1 and NY2.
"The license will entail some fairly substantial upfront fee. It could be $1,500 an acre upfront," Rickard said. "Then once you sell a box of fruit, you also need to pay a royalty."
Rickard's primary research interest is determining the best price and setup for that license. In September, he was awarded a two-year, $348,700 USDA grant to study that topic.
Krisy Gashler is a freelance writer for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov11/CALSAppleNames.html 

Helpful Librarian. Unhelpful Librarian

I've heard it said that one bad interaction counteracts 10 positive ones. Makes sense to me. When people get what they want, especially if it's easy, their memories are short on the details. When they are frustrated or angry, that impression lingers.

I was trying to find the original citation for a quotation for a student yesterday.

If you're interested in playing along at home, here's the information I had.

Speaker was Mike Tyson. "Everyone (or everybody) has a plan until they get punched in the face."

After a few searches and a trip to both of my quote dictionaries (yes they exist, and yes they're as awesome as they sound), I decided to try the Ask a Librarian Chat service.

You have been connected to Bryan W - Pasco County Library System.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Hi Christina, I would check the footnotes in the bibliography in the back of the book. This will usually state where or when the quote was said originally.
Christina: It's not in a book. It's on business and sports sites. Can't find the original.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: I would try checking the site to see if it is stated anywhere on that site. I would also recommend navigating the Internet a little bit to see where it is mentioned. Youtube may even have interviews that state when and where certain quotes were said.
Christina: Yes, I have done all of that.
Christina: It seems to be an aphorism at this point.
Christina: I have also limited by date to only get earlier references, but there is no original.
Christina: I have also tried quote and phrase dictionaries.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Well in that case I see what you mean. This may have been a quote that could have been said at anytime or place. There have also been various books written on Mike Tyson that may have that quote in them. However if this is a question based strictly on websites I do not know if that will help. Google Scholar may also work for you, it has a lot of information on various topics.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Can I help you with anything else today?
Christina: I would still like to find the origin of the quote. There is nothing on google scholar either.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: I will try checking a little bit more hold on
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: It seems like this could have been said anywhere at any time almost like it was never documented.
Christina: okay. Thank you.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Your welcome. Hope this helped a little.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Thank you for using Ask a Librarian, and we hope you come again.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System has left the session. 

Your librarian is experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by while we re-establish contact or find a new librarian... 
Please wait while we find a librarian to assist you. 

You have been connected to Rhonda T - NWFSC.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Hello, welcome to Ask a Librarian. I am Rhonda T - NWFSC and I will be assisting you today. Please wait a moment while I consider your question...
Rhonda T - NWFSC: This is the information I found and I will send you the URL
Rhonda T - NWFSC: "Everyone has a plan/strategy until they’ve been hit/punched (in the face/mouth)” is a boxing adage meaning that brutal reality can change even the best of prepared plans. A similar saying exists about military planning—“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” The boxing/military saying has also been used in business, government and other fields. “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit” has been credited by Wikipedia to the boxer Joe Louis (1914-1981), but it’s not clear if he ever said it.

Brooklyn-born boxer Mike Tyson is most frequently credited with the saying. In October 1987, HBO’s Barry Tompkins quoted Mike Tyson as saying, “They all have a plan...until they get hit.”
The librarian is sending you to http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/everyone_has_a_plan_until_theyve_been_hit_boxing_adage/.
Christina: Thank you!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: It looks like the quote is from the 1930-40s and was by Joe Louis.
Christina: Wow. Very interesting. It seemed like sloppy journalism that no one mentioned where the quotation originated.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: They get changed - that is the power and craziness of the Internet. One sec. I may have more.
The librarian is sending you to http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/joelouis.htm.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: trying to find the first mention of it
Rhonda T - NWFSC: sorry -
The librarian is sending you to http://www.tysontalk.com/quotes/quotes-by-mike-tyson.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: This is a place it was attributed to Tyson, but there are no references to back it up.
Christina: That makes sense. This is more than I needed. Thank you so much!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Welcome!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Thank you for using Ask a Librarian, and we hope you come again.
Thank you for using Ask a Librarian. You may now close this window.

I fully admit that I use external help for difficult queries. Note the difference in the two interactions. The student got what he needed, and we both learned a lot more than expected about the real history of this quotation. 

Handwriting-to-Text App

Here's a "secret" that shouldn't be one. If you need an app for a specific purpose, your first stop should be the Internet. Yes the app store is flashy, and you'll end up there eventually. Don't rush it.
Search online for features that you want, and read reviews of ones that sound the most promising. 

Head to the app store with an app in mind and search for it directly. 

Earlier this spring, I was looking for a handwriting-to-text app. After comparing features of various apps, I chose 7NoteHD. It's $9.99, and I've watched it improve over the past few months at guessing my handwriting. It is a powerful tool for writing out notes then having them automatically convert to text, so you can easily share your notes or file them online. 

My other recommendation if you're searching for a note-taking app, but you don't care about handwriting-to-text, is to go for Notability. Your notes will be even prettier than if you had taken them in an old spiral-bound notebook, and you can insert images, organize in outline form, and quickly search your text. 

Any other favorites for notes online? 

Ask a Librarian Chat Reference

This is a service you should use for reference questions, even despite what I'm about to write. http://www.askalibrarian.org/

I think this is an important exchange for two reasons. First, tone is so hard to decipher in purely written documents. This is something I teach in digital citizenship classes, but it really comes through in this case. Second, this shows what a good librarian (better than me) can quickly do to help your research. 

A student wanted to use a Mike Tyson quotation in his paper, and I told him that he couldn't unless he had it verified on something other than a sports news site. Here is the quotation if you want to play along at home. 

"Everyone has a plan/strategy until they’ve been hit/punched (in the face/mouth)”

You have been connected to Bryan W - Pasco County Library System.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Hi Christina, I would check the footnotes in the bibliography in the back of the book. This will usually state where or when the quote was said originally.
Christina: It's not in a book. It's on business and sports sites. Can't find the original.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: I would try checking the site to see if it is stated anywhere on that site. I would also recommend navigating the Internet a little bit to see where it is mentioned. Youtube may even have interviews that state when and where certain quotes were said.
Christina: Yes, I have done all of that.
Christina: It seems to be an aphorism at this point.
Christina: I have also limited by date to only get earlier references, but there is no original.
Christina: I have also tried quote and phrase dictionaries.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Well in that case I see what you mean. This may have been a quote that could have been said at anytime or place. There have also been various books written on Mike Tyson that may have that quote in them. However if this is a question based strictly on websites I do not know if that will help. Google Scholar may also work for you, it has a lot of information on various topics.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Can I help you with anything else today?
Christina: I would still like to find the origin of the quote. There is nothing on google scholar either.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: I will try checking a little bit more hold on
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: It seems like this could have been said anywhere at any time almost like it was never documented.
Christina: okay. Thank you.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Your welcome. Hope this helped a little.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System: Thank you for using Ask a Librarian, and we hope you come again.
Bryan W - Pasco County Library System has left the session.
Your librarian is experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by while we re-establish contact or find a new librarian...
Please wait while we find a librarian to assist you.
You have been connected to Rhonda T - NWFSC.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Hello, welcome to Ask a Librarian. I am Rhonda T - NWFSC and I will be assisting you today. Please wait a moment while I consider your question...
Rhonda T - NWFSC: This is the information I found and I will send you the URL
Rhonda T - NWFSC: "Everyone has a plan/strategy until they’ve been hit/punched (in the face/mouth)” is a boxing adage meaning that brutal reality can change even the best of prepared plans. A similar saying exists about military planning—“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” The boxing/military saying has also been used in business, government and other fields. “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit” has been credited by Wikipedia to the boxer Joe Louis (1914-1981), but it’s not clear if he ever said it.
Brooklyn-born boxer Mike Tyson is most frequently credited with the saying. In October 1987, HBO’s Barry Tompkins quoted Mike Tyson as saying, “They all have a plan...until they get hit.”
The librarian is sending you to http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/everyone_has_a_plan_until_theyve_been_hit_boxing_adage/.
Christina: Thank you!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: It looks like the quote is from the 1930-40s and was by Joe Louis.
Christina: Wow. Very interesting. It seemed like sloppy journalism that no one mentioned where the quotation originated.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: They get changed - that is the power and craziness of the Internet. One sec. I may have more.
The librarian is sending you to http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/joelouis.htm.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: trying to find the first mention of it
Rhonda T - NWFSC: sorry -
The librarian is sending you to http://www.tysontalk.com/quotes/quotes-by-mike-tyson.
Rhonda T - NWFSC: This is a place it was attributed to Tyson, but there are no references to back it up.
Christina: That makes sense. This is more than I needed. Thank you so much!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Welcome!
Rhonda T - NWFSC: Thank you for using Ask a Librarian, and we hope you come again.
Thank you for using Ask a Librarian. You may now close this window.

Rhonda, an academic librarian who moonlights at a virtual reference librarian, you made my day. Not only did you find an original source of the quotation, you also directly me to Arlington Cemetery resources for more information. 

Use librarians for research help; they give you information!